DirectX 9.0 and 10.1 Downloads for Vista SP1 and XP SP3
August 2008 has been synonymous with three separate releases of DirectX for a variety of Windows operating systems. The DirectX refreshes are tailored to Windows Vista Service Pack 1, Windows XP Service Pack 3 and Windows Server 2008 RTM/SP1, but also to Windows Server 2003.
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Forget 32-bit XP SP3, It's All About 64-bit Vista SP1
Back in 2007, because of the ubiquity of 32-bit architectures, and the market's slow migration pace toward 64-bit computing, Microsoft announced that the next version of the Windows client, Windows 7, would be delivered in both x86 and x64 flavors.
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15.8.2008 Microsoft: Some Free Vista (+SP1) to Go Along with the Free XP SP2 Downloads?
Free downloads of Microsoft's operating systems have been made available throughout 2007, and the Redmond company is ready to take it one step further.
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5.2.2008 Free Windows Vista and XP SP2 Downloads Updated and up for Grabs
This week, Microsoft has updated the set of offerings which permit end users to access free copies of Windows Vista and Windows XP SP2.
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21.3.2008 Over 10 Million Custom XP Downloads Get Chinese Pirates Jail Sentences
Chinese authorities cracked down on a group of four software pirates for offering a custom-built copy of Windows XP, which was downloaded in excess of 10 million times.
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24.8.2009 64-bit Vista SP1 Runs Faster than 32-bit Vista SP1 and 32-bit XP SP3!
The 64-bit edition of Windows Vista delivers not only support for larger quantities of system memory, with the high-end editions supporting as much as 128 GB of RAM, but also some extra horse power hidden under the hood.
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29.4.2008 Microsoft Makes Its Own Vista SP1 vs. XP SP2, Leaves XP SP3 Out
Ever since the advent of Window Vista, at the end of November 2006 for businesses and in January 2007 for the general public, Microsoft has virtually invited the comparison between the two operating systems.
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8.5.2008 Microsoft Hands out XP SP3 beta – Final SP for XP
In an email sent to selected testers telling them they have been accepted to begin testing XP SP3, Microsoft has also informed them that this will be the final Service Pack for the now aging OS.
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5.10.2007 Windows XP 64 Final
See why you should consider upgrading to Windows XP Professional x64 Edition.
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64-Bit XP: A Failed Tech Trend?
ExtremeTech has published a list of
the Top 10 Failed Tech Trends for 2005. Number 4:
The failure of Windows XP 64-bit edition to really take off. "When Windows XP Professional x64 actually arrived, it was all pretty much underwhelming. This is actually not Microsoft's fault. While the kids in Redmond did hype Windows 64-bit enhancements, they also cautioned that x64 would be a tool mostly for developers and certain vertical applications," the Extreme editors admit.
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1.1.2006 It's Time to Face the Ugly Truth, SP3 or No SP3, the Clock Is Ticking for Windows XP
As 2008 has kicked in, it's now time to face the ugly truth. The clock is ticking for Windows XP. And while Microsoft may view this as a natural stage in the evolution of a product introduced all the way in 2001, a healthy proportion of end-users and businesses will fail to see eye to eye with the company on this one.
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5.1.2008 Microsoft Delays XP SP3
Bink has an interesting article up on his site concerning Windows XP SP3. Microsoft has apparently pushed back the scheduled release date of SP3 to the second half of 2007.
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16.1.2006 Microsoft Is Gearing Up for Windows 7 Downloads
Even with Microsoft increasingly opening up on Windows Vista's successor, the hunger for Windows 7 details is far from being satiated.
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20.8.2008 Windows XP SP3 confirmed by Microsoft
Microsoft has revealed plans to release a third service pack for its Windows XP operating system.
"There will be a Service Pack 3 for Windows XP," Bernard Ourghanlian, technical and security director at Microsoft France, confirmed, revealing that Microsoft's OS is set for another major update.
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Microsoft Confirms Windows XP SP3
The second service pack (SP 2) for Windows XP was a watershed release. Dropped in August 2004, it addressed a number of issues on the security side: turning Windows Firewall on, rather than off, by default, and including a pop-up blocker in Internet Explorer were two of the major changes.
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31.7.2007 Microsoft: There Is Only One Windows XP SP3 RC2
While Microsoft has already finished building Windows Vista Service Pack 1 and Windows Server 2008 Service Pack 1/RTM, the development of Windows XP Service Pack 3 continues with the finishing line still at a distance.
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29.2.2008 Microsoft To Release XP SP3 Next Week
Now that Windows Vista service pack 1 has been released, all eyes have shifted to Microsoft (NSDQ:MSFT)'s plans for Windows XP service pack 3, the final package of updates for the trusty OS.
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21.3.2008 Is Microsoft Playing Games With XP SP3?
Call it a Hamlet moment for the PC industry, filled with political intrigue and machinations worthy of the great Shakespeare play: to wait for XP SP3 or move to Vista now that Microsoft has released Vista SP1?
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26.3.2008 Microsoft: Windows XP SP3 RTM?
The page states General Availability Date of XP SP3 is 31/03/2008 meaning it may well have RTM'd already but the software giant has not made an official public announcement.
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2.4.2008 Microsoft: XP SP3 Activations Will Continue
The end of June 2008 brought with it the availability cut off date for Windows XP, now with Service Pack 3, via the retail and OEM channels.
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25.8.2008 Microsoft: Vista SP1 RTM Downloads Available, but Not for You!
Only for MSDN subscriber! Make no mistake about it. The final bits of Windows Vista Service Pack 1 are available for download, but this does not mean that end users can get their grabby hands all over the service pack.
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15.2.2008 Microsoft response to Windows XP sp3 article
I received a response from the Windows team at Microsoft:
Microsoft did not have any prior plans to release SP3 in 2005 or 2006. It was reported almost one year ago that Steve said SP3 ?might? ship before Windows Vista; however, since that time the focus has been and continues to be shipping Windows Vista. We are tentatively targeting the second half of 2007 to release XP SP3.
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18.1.2006 Microsoft says false alarm: No XP SP3 this year
Sorry, Windows XP fans. It looks like the “end of 2007″ date for XP Service Pack (SP) 3 that was in a Microsoft press release issued this week was mistake.
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25.5.2007 Microsoft: Windows XP SP3 Available EARLY! in 2008
Microsoft has officially confirmed that the final version of Windows XP Service Pack 3 is planned for availability in early(!) 2008.
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21.12.2007 Vista SP1 RC Leaves XP SP2 in the Dust, but What About XP SP3?
Although Microsoft has indicated a strong disapproval of benchmarking tests involving development milestones of Windows Vista Service Pack 1, the temptation is simply too big to ignore.
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17.1.2008 Microsoft Limits Windows Vista Beta2 Downloads
The demand for the Windows Vista Beta2 faced by the US giant has overcome the capabilities of the servers reserved for the online delivery of the recently released operating
system by the sheer amount of the simultaneous downloads.
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13.6.2006 Hack Available to Download Windows XP SP3 RC from Microsoft
That's right! Now you can get your hands on the first Release Candidate for Windows XP Service Pack 3! And all it will take is the implementation of a simple registry hack designed to allow Windows XP users to access, download and install Service Pack 3 Release Candidate straight from Microsoft.
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22.11.2007 Microsoft: 5573 Does Not Imply a Specific XP SP3 Build
Microsoft is not saying much at all about the third and final service pack for Windows XP, and whatever information does manage to get through the translucent filters implemented by Steven Sinofsky, Senior Vice President, Windows and Windows Live Engineering Group,
presents little relevance.
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Microsoft Streamlines the Migration from XP SP3 to Vista SP1
Following the availability of Windows Vista Service Pack 1, Microsoft seems keen of throwing its entire weight behind its latest Windows client.
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9.7.2008 Microsoft claims E3 record for Xbox Live downloads
Following the gaming mayhem at last week's E3 expo in the US, Microsoft has claimed that over 1.5 million gamers connected to its Xbox Live service at the event.
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19.5.2006Full retail and volume license installs of XP SP3 available to MSDN/TechNet Plus subscribers
Chris Keroack: Microsoft is pleased to make available integrated retail and volume license installs of Windows XP SP3, to MSDN and TechNet Plus
subscribers. Integrated retail and volume license installs are available in the following languages: Chinese Simplified, English, French, German,
Italian, Japanese, Korean, Portuguese (Brazil), and Spanish. Additional languages will be made available soon.
Please see the
MSDN Subscriber Downloads or
TechNet Plus Subscriber Downloads to obtain these
releases. The
main TechNet
resource page for Windows XP SP3 is updated with this information.
We have recently identified a compatibility issue between
Windows XP SP3 and Microsoft Dynamics Retail Management System (RMS). Microsoft Dynamics RMS customers should not install Windows XP SP3 until a fix
has been fully tested and made available. In addition, Windows XP SP3 will be available on Windows Update and the Microsoft Download Center soon.
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03.05.2008Windows XP SP3 Now Available on Windows Update and Microsoft Download Center
Microsoft Update Team: Windows XP Service Pack 3 (SP3) is now available on Windows Update (and the Microsoft Download Center)!
If you'd like to install it via WU today, you'll need to visit the Windows Update website. To do this, go to
Windows Update and perform an express or custom install, make sure you see the service
pack selected, and proceed with the install. After it downloads, you'll see a series of screens and you'll be asked to make a few clicks before the
install will begin.
If you're not in a rush, we recommend you use Automatic Updates to install Windows XP SP3. It provides the
best experience because the download will happen in the background. We're planning to begin automatically distributing Windows XP SP3 over AU
sometime in the next few months.
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07.05.2008Windows XP SP3 Release Candidate 2 via Windows Update
Microsoft yesterday made Service Pack 3 RC2 available to both testers and the general public. They have provided a small script to run on your XP SP2
machine that will allow for SP3 to be available through Windows Update.
The build, now at v3311, cannot be installed over previous SP3
betas. Versions of Windows XP Service Pack 3 prior to Release Candidate 2 should be removed before attempting to use the registry key. Windows Update
will not offer Release Candidate 2 to machines with previous versions of the Windows XP Service Pack 3 beta.
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20.02.2008Microsoft: XP SP3 RTM date a typo
WB: One more small note: the
XP SP3
Overview that Microsoft posted yesterday is also not for the final version as can be seen on the second page of the doc: "This is a preliminary
document and may be changed substantially prior to final commercial release of the software described herein."
Mary Jo
Foley: Some sharp-eyed folks over at Neowin.net noticed Microsoft had posted to its Support Live Cycle Web site
a release-to-manufacuturing date of March 31, 2008, for Windows XP
Service Pack (SP) 3.
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03.04.2008Despite rumors, Windows XP SP3 still not quite ready
With Windows Vista Service Pack 1 out the door, Microsoft was largely expected to release Windows XP SP3 last week or this week. It didn't, instead
making public a refresh build of SP3 Release Candidate 2...
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26.03.2008Microsoft continues to warn of IE8 lock-in for XP SP3 users
Last year when Microsoft launched Internet Explorer 8 Beta 2, Jane Maliouta announced that consumers using Windows XP SP3 would be locked-in with the
IE8 if they had installed the IE8 beta prior to upgrading to SP3. Microsoft again yesterday issued that same warning to it's consumers. If you are
still one of the millions of users on Windows XP with SP3 installed, Microsoft has provided crucial steps to follow if you're ready to upgrade to
IE8 RC1. You can obtain IE8 RC1 from the links on this page. To see if you're one of the people who will have IE8 locked in, follow these steps.
Is your computer running Windows XP SP3?
Read full story.....
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27.01.2009Windows XP SP3 available for Windows Embedded for Point of Service and WinFLP
This download is a Service Pack 3 (SP3) update for Windows Embedded for Point of Service (WEPOS) and Windows Fundamentals for Legacy PCs (WinFLP).
This SP3 update includes all previously released Windows XP security updates, hotfixes, and select out-of-band releases that are applicable to systems
running the WEPOS and WinFLP operating systems.
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08.10.2008Is Microsoft Playing Games With XP SP3?
Call it a Hamlet moment for the PC industry, filled with political intrigue and machinations worthy of the great Shakespeare play: to wait for XP SP3
or move to Vista now that Microsoft has released Vista SP1? Or in other words: "To XP, or not to XP?" That is the question.
It's a
question that is burning up the blogosphere with some speculating that Microsoft has delayed XP SP3, a long awaited release that could boost the
performance of XP, to get more users to adopt Vista, a potential cash cow for Microsoft and PC makers given the operating system's robust hardware
refresh requirements.
With many in the blogosphere speculating that Microsoft could release the final version of XP SP3 this week,
Microsoft late Tuesday snuffed out all hope that users would see the service pack, originally slated for release in 2006, any time soon.
Read full story.....
neowin.net -
26.03.2008Windows XP Service Pack 3 Overview
Windows® XP Service Pack 3 (SP3) includes all previously released updates for the operating system. This update also includes a small number of new
functionalities, which do not significantly change customers experience with the operating system. This white paper summarizes what is new in Windows
XP SP3.
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04.12.2007XP SP3: TechNet and MSDN subscribers to get beta in two weeks
Microsoft provided an update on the timing for Windows XP Service Pack (SP) 3 on August 29.
Company officials said on Wednesday
that the Windows team plans to deliver a near-public beta of XP SP3 (its going to all TechNet and Microsoft Developer Network subscribers) by
mid-September.
The final version of XP SP3 is slated to hit some time in the first half of calendar 2008, officials said. (Thats
the same date the Softies have been promising officially for a while now. Microsoft wont be any more specific on XP SP3 timing.)
Company officials did not release a feature set for XP SP3 on August 29. The only new piece of information available was the public-beta due
date.
Microsoft made available to a set of private testers a preview of XP SP3 earlier in August. I saw an alleged fix list at
that time: It consisted of nearly 1,000 items.
The last time Microsoft provided a cumulative update to Windows XP was in 2004,
when it released XP SP2.
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29.08.2007XP SP3 Integrated Images on MSDN & Technet
Microsoft is pleased to make available integrated retail and volume license installs of Windows XP SP3, to MSDN and TechNet Plus subscribers.
Integrated retail and volume license installs are available in the following languages: Chinese Simplified, English, French, German, Italian,
Japanese, Korean, Portuguese (Brazil), and Spanish. Additional languages will be made available soon.
Please see the MSDN Subscriber
Downloads or TechNet Plus Subscriber Downloads to obtain these releases. The main TechNet resource page for Windows XP SP3 is updated with this
information.
File Name: en_windows_xp_professional_with_service_pack_3_x86_cd_vl_x14-73974.iso
Date Posted (UTC): 5/2/2008
12:05:18AM
SHA-1: 66ac289ae27724c5ae17139227cbe78c01eefe40
CRC: FFFFFFFF
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03.05.2008Windows XP SP3 RC2 Standalone Packages Available (English, German, Japanese)
Note that this is the same exact build (3311) Microsoft previously released as a Windows Update only download
last week.
Microsoft is allowing Windows XP
Service Pack 2 machines to be offered Windows XP Service Pack 3 Release Candidate 2 via Windows Update. You may also download standalone update
packages for Windows XP SP3 RC2, in English, German, and/or Japanese. Windows XP Service Pack 3 will be offered on Windows Update when Service Pack 3
releases in the first half of 2008.
Windows Service Pack 2 is required in order to install this preview. Please uninstall any
previous beta release of Service Pack 3 before installing SP3 RC2.
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28.02.2008Microsoft: XP SP3 an 'Update Roll-up'
Although Windows Vista Service Pack 1 is the big news of the day, Microsoft is concurrently preparing the third service pack for Windows XP. But SP3
won't introduce much of anything new for XP users, and will simply serve as a roll-up of already released fixes, Microsoft says...
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30.08.2007Microsoft to ease XP activation with SP3
Microsoft Corp. will change how users activate Windows XP when Service Pack 3 launches in the first half of 2008, a company white paper said.
New installations of Windows XP SP3 will give users the same 30-day grace period currently offered to Windows Vista customers before they're
required to enter a product activation key, the 25-character code that proves the copy is legitimate.
Read full story.....
neowin.net -
28.12.2007Windows XP SP3 moves closer to completion
Beta testers have received access to a release candidate of Windows XP Service Pack 3, but general consumers still have a long wait until they'll see
SP3 available for download...
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20.11.2007XP SP3 RC Preview Clarification
I just noticed a post at
Bink.nu where Steven mentions that the XP SP3 RC Preview is now available on Connect. Just to clarify, Microsoft have not
released any new build of XP SP3 to the general Windows Beta Program. While there is the possibility that he may be talking about a different private
beta program on Connect, the main Windows Beta Program on Connect which houses the Vista SP1/Server 2008/XP SP3 betas was last updated with the XP SP3
Beta (Build 3205) in early October.
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24.10.2007Daylight Saving Time Update Available For XP SP2 & SP3
Looks like we've got our first XP SP3 update although this was expected as Microsoft had
previously announced that the DST update would not be included with
SP3.
Installing this update enables your computer to automatically adjust the computer clock on the correct date in 2007 and
2008 due to revised Daylight Saving Time laws in many countries. After you install this item, you may have to restart your computer.
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22.04.2008Don't slipstream XP SP3 on Windows Vista!
This just in from Bink, seems he had a pretty interesting weekend attempting to Slipstream XP SP3.
"So I build a new Windows XP ISO with
SP3 integrated, this is a Volume License editions (VOL) which only accepts Volume License Keys (VLK). When I want to install it on a clean machine, I
noticed that setup prompts for a product key and it does not allow me to continue, which should be a new feature in XP sp3. OK so I fill in the VLK
but it does not accept it, I try another one from a customer of mine, does not work either. Angry
I found out that the problem is when you
do the XP Sp3 slipstream process on a WIndows Vista machine, the API gives a different response and screws up the PID process. This is a bug and
Microsoft knew about this in December, still the bug remained and made it all the way to RTM, nice work Microsoft.
So XP SP slipstream only
on XP or 2003 machines!!!"
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05.05.2008Firms need to plan for XP Service Pack 3
Organisations that expect to be running Windows XP in mid-2010 should plan to test and deploy XP SP3, Gartner has advised.
Microsoft is planning to release Windows Vista Service Pack (SP) and Windows XP SP3 will be available in the first half of 2008.
According to Gartner, deploying Windows XP SP3 should be significantly easier than testing and deploying SP2, which many users considered a major
change of the operating system.
Annette Jump, a research director at Gartner, said, "We will probably see a mixture of Vista and
XP SP3 deployments in 2008. Jump believed some businesses would deploy Vista and some could stick with XP, in which case, they would be looking at
installing the SP3 service pack.
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01.12.2007Windows XP SP3 Release Candidate Goes To MSDN
Microsoft made available on December 3 for download the near-final Release Candidate (RC) of Windows XP Service Pack (SP) 3.
The
RC is available to all Microsoft Developer Network (MSDN) and TechNet subscribers. This isn't yet a generally available, "public" RC of XP SP3;
that is still coming at some future date that Microsoft hasn't disclosed.
Microsoft provided an RC "preview" of XP SP3 to
15,000 testers in mid-November.
Microsoft is still on track to ship the final XP SP3 in the first half of calendar 2008. XP SP3
is a rollup of all previously released XP updates, according to Microsoft, "including security updates, out-of-band releases, and hotfixes."
Lately, Microsoft has been releasing XP SP3 and Vista SP1 builds in lockstep. (The same 15,000 testers that got XP SP3 RC preview also
got the Vista SP1 RC preview.) Given that Microsoft told its own employees to expect the company to make the RC of Vista SP1 more broadly available
some time this week, it seems logical that the Vista SP1 RC is right around the corner, too.
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05.12.2007
