Install SP3 on SP0 XP?

There's an old laptop lying around downstairs. It's got so much crap on it that it's pretty much useless - however as a family computer (Email, Internet & MP3 player synching) it would be perfect.
I want to clean install it, but it was bought before SP1 came out, so a clean install, much and all as I'd love it would take quite a while if it means pulling down 6 years of updates.
Can you skip straight to SP3, or is there any faster way than installing SP0, installing all updates, restart, install all updates, restart etc etc?
It's an OEM license, and I have the key if that makes any difference.

 

Windows service packs are cumulative. Installing SP3 means you have all updates up to that point, no need to go though SP1, 2 and 3 in sequence. Whatever missing updates (if any) can be installed with a normal Windows update afterwards.

You can either install the SP after installing XP base version or you can slip stream it in to the XP installation and make a new Windows XP SP3 installation CD. That way it will be installed with the OS. Read this to see how.

EDIT : Making a slipstreamed CD will be quicker if you plan to install it many times, but for one time only, doing it the normal way would be easier, because you first have to read that article, download the tools, copy the CD contents on to your hard disk , slip stream the SP, burn it back on a new CD.

 

PhoenixFX got it right; just remember not to let it touch the internet until you've got SP3 installed, or the first thing it'll do is run to Momma MS and try to start updating itself (I know, I reinstalled twice from XPSP1a, and it took two consecutive nights to get all the updates downloaded and installed doing it that way ).

 

Can't find the disk, so now I've to try and salvage what's on it

 

I thought for sure that SP3 cannot be installed until you have SP1 on your system.

 

Actually, if you have a regular XP without any service packs/updates, then in order to get the OS to the latest status, you must install first SP2 and then SP3.

Slipstream both SP2 and SP3 onto the XP disc so they can be incorporated during the main installation (it's much less hassle, plus it works better/faster like that as it's done during a clean install).

SP2 was quite large of an update/revision for XP (SP1 is not needed as SP2 already incorporates it), and SP3 incorporates all of the updates/fixes AFTER SP2 (but not the SP2 itself).

 

SP2 has to be integrated before. I made the mistake of integrating SP3 onto a SP0 disk without integrating SP1 or SP2 and got a fatal error during installation. My question is - Can I skip SP1? I can't find it anywhere.

 

You can skip SP1.
Integrate SP2 and SP3 into XP install (along with all the latest updates) and you're set to go.

 

If you install SP2, SP3 will be next in line through Windows Update.