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 The Only Way for Windows XP SP3 Is Down
SP3 will do nothing for XP, but still more than what SP1 will do for Vista - The third and final service pack for Windows XP will do little to nothing for the operating system, but will manage to deliver a superior boost to the platform's momentum in comparison to Service Pack 1 for Windows Vista.
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12.4.2008 Windows XP SP3 Preview No. 5
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11.2.2006 Windows XP SP3 On The Horizon
According to Microsoft press release about Unified Access Control and Network Access Protection, Windows XP service pack 3 (SP3) is in development and will be released later this year.
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24.5.2007 Windows XP SP3 Available for Download!
In two weeks too :) Microsoft confirmed officially that Windows XP Service Pack 3 will be made available for download in the next couple of weeks.
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29.8.2007 Windows XP Closes In on SP3
Microsoft's most successful operating system, ever, has inched closer to Service Pack 3. Release Candidate 1 is now available from MSDN and—so I hear—from TechNet. I can only personally confirm MSDN availability.
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4.12.2007 Deploying Windows XP SP3
With a pre-Release Candidate build of Windows XP Service Pack 3 available for download, the imminence of the final version of the refresh is starting to take contour.
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13.12.2007 Will SP3 Save Windows XP?
Will the third and final service pack for Windows XP manage to breath new life into the operating system? Will users and original equipment manufacturers be able to apply enough pressure on Microsoft to keep Windows XP alive?
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15.1.2008 Is Windows XP SP3 just around the corner?
Clues that Microsoft is ready to announce the final version of Windows XP Service Pack (SP) 3 are starting to mount.
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20.2.2008 XP SP3: Now on Windows Update
A week after deciding not to release Windows XP Service Pack (SP) 3 via Windows Update and the Microsoft Download site as planned, Microsoft has begun pushing the collection of updates and fixes through those channels again.
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6.5.2008 No Future for Windows XP SP3?
Make no mistake about it, June 30, 2008 is the beginning of the end for Windows XP, even with Service Pack 3 available for two months now, since May 6.
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13.6.2008 Windows XP SP3 – And So It Ends
It's the end of an era for Microsoft. Not the end of Windows XP, but the end of the XP era.
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21.6.2008 Windows XP SP3 - No Future
With Windows XP but four days away from the June 30 end-of-sales date, various scenarios are depicting the operating system as already dead.
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26.6.2008 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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Windows XP SP3 Delayed until 2008
As I predicted, another delay and watch when in 2007 they will cancel the SP completely.
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19.10.2006 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 Windows XP SP3 Beta Just Around the Corner?
The first taste of the third service pack for Windows XP was delivered concomitantly with the initial version of the first refresh for Windows Vista in July.
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29.9.2007 Windows XP SP3 Specifics Revealed
News on Microsoft's aging Windows XP operating system has surprisingly been coming in at a steady pace over the past few weeks. Although Windows Vista is Microsoft's current bread-and-butter consumer operating system, there is still much love to go around for Windows XP.
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9.10.2007 Are XP SP3 and Windows 7 Getting in the Way of Vista SP1?
Are Windows XP Service Pack 3 and Windows 7 getting in the way of Windows Vista and Vista Service Pack 1? Well, Microsoft's position is exactly this.
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21.1.2008 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 Windows XP SP3 Build 5503
Windows XP Service Pack 3 is yet to reach the end of its evolution, even if RTM is reportedly just around the corner.
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17.3.2008 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 Windows XP SP3 Gets Its First Taste of Vulnerabilities
The third and final service pack for Windows XP is not even out the door, and security company Symantec has already warned of a security vulnerability impacting XP SP3.
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7.4.2008 Windows XP SP3 Release Dates
With Service Pack 3 for Windows XP just over the horizon, we've managed to get our hands on the internal schedule for the release of the highly anticipated update to the aging operating system.
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15.4.2008 Don't slipstream XP sp3 on Windows Vista!
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).
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6.5.2008 XP Roadmap: From SP3 to Windows 7, to 2010
Even with Windows Vista Service Pack 1 available and with Windows 7 planned for release by the end of 2009 (according to Microsoft Chief Executive Officer Steve Ballmer), Windows XP is still far from taking its due place in the Windows cemetery.
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5.6.2008 Media Pack for Windows XP N SP3
Having taken Windows XP to Service Pack 3 in the first half of this year, Microsoft is continuing the evolution of the operating system.
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28.11.2008 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 Windows XP SP3 Preview Pack 6 download
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20.4.2006 Windows XP SP3 Vista Inspirant for all PC
This is my Unattended instalations Windows XP SP3 get all Critical Updates-Hotfixes from feburary 2007. Thanks to Yurek3 for this article.
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21.4.2007Despite 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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26.03.2008Windows 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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20.11.2007Microsoft 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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08.10.2008New Features Discovered in Windows XP SP3: Is It Better Than Vista?
The principal reason given for the tremendous under-the-hood changes to Windows unveiled early this year in Vista was the need to overhaul the
security model. Now it seems many of those changes are also coming to XP in SP3...
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10.10.2007Windows Vista SP1 and Windows XP SP3: Official Release Dates
A French website,
PC Inpact, has posted
the official Microsoft product change request forms for Vista SP1 and Windows XP SP3. So just when do our friends from France say Microsoft is
planning on releasing our little Service Pack friends? Well, according to them, we will be seeing Vista SP1 a little earlier than previously
anticipated:
Windows Vista SP1: February 18th or 19th
Windows XP SP3: March 23rd or 24th
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06.02.2008Windows XP SP3 release just around the bend?
Though we expected, or rather hoped; for Windows XP SP3 late last month it seems that it may arrive before May. According to an "internal schedule"
obtained over at Engadget, OEMs, volume license, Connect, MSDN and TechNet subscribers will have access to the update on April 21st, while everyone
else won't notice it until April 29th when it hits the Microsoft / Windows Update download center. For those who are too busy to download it and
install it, they might have to wait until June 10th when it hits the Automatic updates.
For those who don't know; Windows XP SP3
(Service Pack 3) will be the third and last major update for Microsoft's Windows XP operating system. The company released a nearly final beta build
of SP3 called Release Candidate 2 Refresh last month to the public. The latest beta version added support for the HD Audio high-definition audio
format and fixes for some issues with the Windows Update service. Microsoft to date has said only that it expects to roll out a final version of
Windows XP SP3 in the first half of 2008.
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16.04.2008Windows XP SP3 Not Until Late
2007
According to an update on
Microsoft's support lifecycle
Web site, the next service
pack for Windows XP isn't due
out until the second half of
2007 -- one full year after
Windows Vista launches. XP SP3
will likely serve as a
cumulative update for what
will soon become Microsoft's
legacy operating system...
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18.01.2006XP 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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24.10.2007Don'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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05.05.2008Windows 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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20.02.2008Windows XP SP 3 Release to Web Delayed
Windows XP SP3 release to web date has been delayed thanks to a compatibility issue between Microsoft Dynamics Retail Management System. Surely this
won’t have an impact on most of you but it is something you should all be aware since SP3 is no in the wild.
In the last few days, we
have uncovered a compatibility issue between Microsoft Dynamics Retail Management System (RMS) and both Windows XP SP3 and Windows Vista Service Pack
1 (SP1). In order to make sure customers have the best possible experience, we have decided to delay releasing Windows XP Service Pack 3 (SP3) to the
web. To help protect customers, we plan to put filtering in place shortly to prevent Windows Update from offering both service packs to systems
running Microsoft Dynamics RMS. Once filtering is in place, we expect to release Windows XP SP3 to the web.
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30.04.2008Firms 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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01.12.2007Microsoft 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 -
28.12.2007Expiration dates for Vista SP1 and XP SP3 blocks announced
If you're an IT professional and currently using Microsoft's Service Pack Blocker, the software giant recently announced that the current
blocks for Vista SP1 and XP SP3 are going to expire in a few months. The Service Pack Blocker Tool only temporarily prevents Windows from the
installation of a Service Pack via Windows Update, and the block is only effective for one year after the Service pack is released to the market via
Windows Update. Effective April 28th, 2009, Windows Vista SP1 will no longer be blocked by the tool and will be delivered via Windows Update. The
same goes for Windows XP SP3, but the block will be lifted on May 19th, 2009.
Read full story.....
neowin.net -
30.01.2009Windows SP3 officially released
The wait is over!
Legitimate Windows XP SP3 (Service Pack 3) is now available for downloading! Any of you who were waiting for a
non-pirated version (like so many people have resorted to) it can now be downloaded, officially, via windows update.
Click for download jcxp.net -
29.04.2008Windows XP SP3 Release Clarification
There are some news
sites that have just picked up
yesterday's news about
Windows XP SP3 being released
in 2007 according to an MS
Press Release. However, to
http://winbeta.org/comments.ph
p?shownews=7453&catid=1>remind
everyone, Microsoft directly
commented on the issue
yesterday stating the press
release was inaccurate thanks
to Mary Jo Foley contacting MS
for further
clarification:
“I just received
additional information from
the product manager
responsible for SP3. While
we’re still not talking
specifics, he did point to the
following link as an accurate
timeline for our preliminary
plans for SP3:
http://www.microsoft.com/
windows/lifecycle/servicepacks
.mspx. Again, these are just
preliminary and we will share
more at a later date. Please
do reference this link for
current timing and disregard
the release from InterOp,
which is inaccurate.”
Therefore, Windows XP
SP3 is still set for the first
half of 2008 and not later
this year.
winbeta.org - 25.05.2007
Windows 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.
winbeta.org - 07.05.2008
Microsoft patched critical Windows bug in XP SP3 early
The appearance and disappearance of a Windows XP installation snafu indicates that Microsoft patched a critical vulnerability in XP's
still-unfinished Service Pack 3 (SP3) weeks before it fixed any other version of Windows. The glitch, which sent some PCs into an endless round of
reboots, was strangely similar to one faced by Vista users in February. Attackers have already tried to exploit that bug, which was patched last
Tuesday -- as it turned out, two weeks after the newest build of Windows XP SP3 was released with the flaw fixed.
According to reports from
multiple users on a Microsoft support newsgroup, PCs began rebooting immediately after they had been updated to SP3. "I have just updated my pc from
xp sp2 to sp3," said a user identified as "yaojinglin" in a message to a SP3 support forum last Thursday. "The installation was successful, but
when I reboot my pc after the installation finished, my pc started to reboot again and again."
On the XP SP3 support threads, a Microsoft
representative named Shashank Bansal stepped into the rebooting discussion, which was beginning to seem as endless as the rebooting itself. Bansal
asked for more information, then offered an explanation: "This issue happens with 3311 build of XP SP3. It happens because KB948590 stops
installation of SP3 version of gdi32.dll on the system due to file-version differences."
neowin.net - 15.04.2008
XP SP3 speed lead over Vista SP1 narrows under similar workloads
A heavily promoted performance test by an evaluation software firm appeared to situate Windows Vista SP1 performance against Windows XP SP3. But the
initial workloads were actually different due to the Office software used...
betanews.com - 28.11.2007
