[SleepyDude]

I was wrong; before leaving here, I used the Run command to find out I do in fact already have SP2 installed and found that MS only has an enhanced SP3 version available for download-to-save.

I just tested if you decline all the "offers" Microsoft does you can download the full SP3 to off-line install it's 316MB!
 

I'll need to use the online updater service directly to get the appropriate version  on the Acer.  I did get and save the Avast file from your link and have it on the Acer but see it has lots of features I probably don't need or want, particularly on that old system which won't be surfing  far or often. I'll need to do a bit of 'research' do decide what parts I want to install.

If you won't surf much then MSE it's a better option for you. Avast free will not have all the options enable but will check allot more than MSE and this of course uses more resources.
 

The M Security Essentials link was apparently the wrong one for my system but because the files were so small, I downloaded over my line the 32 bit XP version from this link
 

http://windows.micro...ls-all-versions

 

All the links I have for MSE are about 10MB in size and the program will need to access the Internet to get the updates.
 

However, I now get a message partly through the installation about a filter package rollover manager file being missing. The message shows a link where I can get the file once connected to the internet, after I finish with Avast.

Most programs will require the Service Pack 3 installed, some will check that at install time others will give you errors like that.
 

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Yesterday I took the Acer to a friend's where the speed was 100 times faster but I had little room to work. Didn't help, as the Windows Updater wouldn't work, either using 'Custom Install' or 'Express', instead giving me an error number. Didn't have time to check it out there so did so here later, and found I needed SP3 installed for the Updater to function.....then a little exploring here showed that the solution, which agreed with your suggestion, was to manually download the SP3 file (which MS said was only for Network installations) from your link. I did so here, saving it to flash drive on this system, next transferred it to the Acer, installed it, and then could load MSE (which was earlier downloaded but not installed). I then got the updates, selecting them manually in batches.

BTW, the MSE I saved from your link was 13MB whereas the one I got from the link I listed was 10.2 or so.....

And yes,  I've updated MSE too. Do think I'll skip Avast  on the Acer but will look into putting it on this one instead.

 

Haven't researched more about Acer's hidden  partition yet, but still can't get the 'D to D  reinstall' to open per the manual. Will look into that more later; the feature is probably gone for good though. I did find the NTBackup was present, just not installed; it is now. I thought that it didn't back up programs, just files and folders, but some reading indicates or implies it does,  and I'd backed up all my C file with it to off-machine memory, so I may still have them too.  If not, I do have a printout of all the license keys which will be good for programs like ACDsee which I am unsure of the origins of (but might have come with a new camera on a disc I still have.)

 

Now it's just a matter of methodically going through the system, doing what needs to be done to get it where I want it. Meanwhile, I picked up a couple books, including Upgrading and Repairing MS Windows, by S. Mueller, so should be able to learn a bit from it when I can't sleep.

 

  

 

Thanks for the help

 

 

 

 

[TooNew2]

Yesterday I took the Acer to a friend's where the speed was 100 times faster but I had little room to work. Didn't help, as the Windows Updater wouldn't work, either using 'Custom Install' or 'Express', instead giving me an error number. Didn't have time to check it out there so did so here later, and found I needed SP3 installed for the Updater to function.....then a little exploring here showed that the solution, which agreed with your suggestion, was to manually download the SP3 file (which MS said was only for Network installations) from your link. I did so here, saving it to flash drive on this system, next transferred it to the Acer, installed it, and then could load MSE (which was earlier downloaded but not installed). I then got the updates, selecting them manually in batches.

BTW, the MSE I saved from your link was 13MB whereas the one I got from the link I listed was 10.2 or so.....

And yes,  I've updated MSE too. Do think I'll skip Avast  on the Acer but will look into putting it on this one instead.

 

Haven't researched more about Acer's hidden  partition yet, but still can't get the 'D to D  reinstall' to open per the manual. Will look into that more later; the feature is probably gone for good though. I did find the NTBackup was present, just not installed; it is now. I thought that it didn't back up programs, just files and folders, but some reading indicates or implies it does,  and I'd backed up all my C file with it to off-machine memory, so I may still have them too.  If not, I do have a printout of all the license keys which will be good for programs like ACDsee which I am unsure of the origins of (but might have come with a new camera on a disc I still have.)

 

Now it's just a matter of methodically going through the system, doing what needs to be done to get it where I want it. Meanwhile, I picked up a couple books, including Upgrading and Repairing MS Windows, by S. Mueller, so should be able to learn a bit from it when I can't sleep.

 

  

 

Thanks for the help

 

 

 

 

[SleepyDude]

Thanks for the help

 

You are welcome. If you have more questions fell free to ask.