The Evolution of the Windows XP SP3 Activation Architecture
With the availability of the third and final service pack for Windows XP in early 2008, Microsoft will introduce a series of modifications to the operating system's fabric.
windows -
comments -
28.12.2007 Patch Vista and XP to Ignore SP1 and SP3
With Microsoft having released Windows Vista Service Pack 1 Released Candidate via Connect, MSDN and TechNet, and a public build on the horizon any day now, you have to stare the truth in the face and start preparing for the deployment of the service pack.
windows -
comments -
10.12.2007 Just 1 Patch Cooking for Vista SP1 and XP SP3
December 2008 was a sufficiently tough month for Microsoft, when it came down to plugging security holes in its products, but January 2009 will more than make up for it.
windows -
comments -
11.1.2009 Microsofts XP SP3 Patch Fixes Anti-Virus Glitch
Microsoft issued a hotfix for Windows XP Service Pack 3 last week that it says "could resolve" a Windows registry corruption problem associated with third-party security software.
windows -
comments -
2.7.2008 Vista SP2 and XP SP3 Patch Security Release ISO Image Available
A DVD5 ISO image file containing all the security bulletins made available on November 10th, 2009 for all supported Windows platforms, is now up for grabs via the Microsoft Download Center.
windows -
comments -
13.11.2009 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.
windows -
comments -
5.1.2008 How to skip the Product Activation in Windows XP?
A new system in Windows XP, intended to curb software piracy, requires every Windows XP user to call Microsoft (or connect via the web) to obtain a long product activation key for each installation. As though the 25-character CD key on the back of the CD package in previous versions of Windows wasn't enough, now users are expected to make a phone call to ask Microsoft's permission to use Windows XP.
windows -
comments -
7.1.2006 Windows XP Activation Social Crack
Nik Cubrilovic write this pretty smart "cracking method" :-) I just upgraded to the latest BETA of parallels desktop for Mac (it just keeps getting better, this beta version is awesome - but more on that in a later post) and because there are so many new features (better USB support, device support, etc.) when I restarted Windows XP, it asked me to activate again.
windows -
comments -
5.1.2007 Windows Server activation flaw negates activation requirement
A flaw in how Microsoft Windows Server 2008 calculates the time remaining until it must be activated could enable users to potentially run the server for years before activation. The defect is a consequence of Microsoft failing to assess its virtualization strategy, says an analyst.
windows -
comments -
23.2.2009 Patch Tuesday - Fixes for Windows XP/Vista & Server
Windows XP users are urged to fire up Windows Update and install these if you don't already allow for "Automatic Updates".
microsoft -
comments -
11.6.2008 How to Backup and Restore to Preserve OEM Offline Pre-Activation When Reinstall Windows XP
Most users of new computers with Windows XP pre-installed will notice that no activation is required after they unwrap and start up the new laptop or notebook PC, even though they need to go through the initial set up process, and a product key is found on the Certificate of Authenticity attached to the PC (COA Key). Large PC manufacturers known as Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEM) have the ability to pre-activate Windows XP operating system installed on new PCs via SLP (System Locked Preinstallation).
windows -
comments -
3.9.2009 Critical Security Patch for Windows XP Service Pack 3 Final
Windows XP SP3 was barely out the door, when Microsoft rushed to issue the first critical patch for the service pack. Concomitantly with the general
availability of the last service pack for XP, Microsoft dropped the first critical security update designed to patch Internet Explorer 7 running on XP SP3 RTM Build 5512.
windows -
comments -
8.5.2008 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.
windows -
comments -
17.1.2008 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.
windows -
comments -
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.
windows -
comments -
5.10.2007 XP SP3 Does Not Support Windows XP
Believe it or not, but Microsoft does not support Windows XP with XP SP3. Well, maybe that's not entire true. But it is true nonetheless. End users will find they they are unable to deploy XP SP3 on top of XP. What is the catch?
windows -
comments -
16.1.2008 MS: Another Patch for cursor patch
Stop 0x0000007F error when you try to print from computers that are running Windows XP or Windows 2000 and that have GDI security update 925902 installed
download -
comments -
20.4.2007 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.
windows -
comments -
12.4.2008 Office XP SP3 Info
Office XP Service Pack 3 (SP3) provides the latest updates to Microsoft Office XP. SP3 contains significant security enhancements, in addition to stability and performance improvements. This service pack applies to any level of Office XP.
common -
comments -
Sneak Preview of XP SP3?
An unofficial preview pack containing what purports to be Windows XP Service Pack 3 has been uploaded to The Hotfix web site. The Hotfix is an independently-run site that specializes in downloads and discussions of Windows patches and bug fixes.
windows -
comments -
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.
windows -
comments -
16.1.2006 Windows XP SP3 Preview No. 5
download -
comments -
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.
windows -
comments -
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.
windows -
comments -
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.
windows -
comments -
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.
windows -
comments -
13.12.2007 Should You Upgrade from Vista to XP SP3?
Windows Vista was released to manufacturing and to businesses in November 2006, and the operating system hit the shelves only at the end of January 2007.
windows -
comments -
27.12.2007 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?
windows -
comments -
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.
windows -
comments -
20.2.2008 The First XP SP3 Security Vulnerability
The third and final service pack for Windows XP is not even out, and Microsoft is already hammering away at it plugging security soles.
windows -
comments -
14.4.2008Microsoft 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 Specifics Revealed
If you have recently found yourself yelling “Down with Vista! Where’s my XP SP3?”, you’ll be happy to know Microsoft
hasn’t forgotten users of its currently most popular OS. Over the last few weeks, the software giant has provided XP downgrades for unhappy
Vista customers, announced that Windows XP sales would be extended to June 30, 2008, released a new build of Internet Explorer 7.0 for Windows XP that
doesnt require product activation, and released a Service Pack 3 beta to a select group of testers. Vista may be the next big thing, but the gap
between the two operating systems has created more problems than Microsoft would have hoped for. Thankfully, the company has decided against pushing
Vista at all costs and (hold your breath MS haters) is listening to its customers.
Read full story.....
neowin.net -
10.10.2007Despite 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...
betanews.com -
26.03.2008Windows XP SP3 Yields Performance Gains Over Vista SP1
After a disappointing showing by Windows Vista SP1 (see previous post), we were pleasantly surprised to discover that Windows XP Service Pack 3
(v.3244) delivers a measurable performance boost to this aging desktop OS. Testing with OfficeBench showed an 10% performance boost vs. the same
configuration running under Windows XP w/Service Pack 2.
Since SP3 was supposed to be mostly a bug-fix/patch consolidation release - unlike
w/Vista SP1, Microsoft made no promises of improved performance for XP - the unexpected speed boost comes as a nice bonus. In fact, XP SP3 is
shaping-up to be a "must have" update for the majority of users who are still running Redmond's not-so-latest and greatest desktop
OS.
Of course, none of this bodes well for Vista, which is now more than 2x slower than the most current builds of its older sibling.
Suffice to say that performance-minded users will likely choose to stick with the now even speedier Windows XP - at least until more "Windows
7" information becomes publicly available.
Read full story.....
neowin.net -
24.11.2007XP SP3 Still on Schedule for First Half 2008
I've got to admit that I
wouldn't be surprised to see
Microsoft table Service Pack
(SP) 3 for Windows XP, as
Windows expert Paul Thurrott
claims the Redmondians have
done.
"The company has completely
abandoned Windows XP, and it
has absolutely no plans to
ever ship an XP SP3,"
Thurrott posted to his Web
site on April 6. "My guess is
that Microsoft will do what it
did with the final Windows
2000 Service Pack: Claim years
later that it's no longer
needed and just ship a final
security patch roll-up. This
is the worst kiss-off to any
Microsoft product I've ever
seen, and you'd think the
company would show a little
more respect to its
best-selling OS of all time."
Last
fall, Microsoft admitted that
XP SP3 had slipped and was now
a 2008 deliverable. If
Microsoft were to go a step
further and dump XP SP3, such
a move wouldn't be too
shocking, especially given
Redmond's ongoing reticence
to commit to Vista SP1 because
service packs are passe.
Click Read
More to view the rest of
this article.
jcxp.net -
14.04.2007Microsoft 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.....
neowin.net -
27.01.2009Windows 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...
betanews.com -
20.11.2007Is 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 -
26.03.2008XP 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.
winbeta.org -
24.10.2007Firms 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.
winbeta.org -
01.12.2007New 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...
betanews.com -
10.10.2007Don'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!!!"
neowin.net -
05.05.2008Windows 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...
betanews.com -
18.01.2006Patch to a patch of a Microsoft patch needs patching
In the latest incident of a now-chronic problem that has been bugging Microsoft all year, a recent security patch now causes IE6 to crash in Windows
XP...again...
betanews.com -
19.12.2007XP 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.
winbeta.org -
29.08.2007Microsoft: 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...
betanews.com -
30.08.2007HP begs AMD PC owners to put XP SP3 on ice
Hewlett-Packard has told customers not to install Windows XP service pack three (SP3) on AMD-based desktops until Microsoft and HP cough fixes to the
endless reboot snafu that has wreaked havoc on PCs. Microsoft confirmed yesterday that it was scurrying to patch the problem after hundreds of angry
XP customers first grumbled about the sizeable ****-up last week.
"HP is working diligently with Microsoft on a software update and will
be proactively distributing a patch this week through HP Update that will prevent this error from occurring," said the computer giant in a statement.
"HP recommends consumers with AMD-based desktops wait until after HP's or Microsoft's updates have been deployed on their systems to install
Service Pack 3."
neowin.net -
17.05.2008Rumor: Vista SP1 coming February 18, XP SP3 on March 23
French tech website
PC INpact is reporting that
it got its grubby little hands on the exact release dates of Windows Vista Service Pack 1 as well as Windows XP Service Pack 3. According to a source,
Vista SP1 is to be released on the night of February 18 while XP SP3 will be released on the night of March 23.
Although Microsoft has not
given a tight timeframe for when to expect XP SP3, it did state earlier that Vista SP1 will be available in mid-March. The screenshots should be
therefore taken with a grain of salt. It is possible that these memos were sent out before Microsoft delayed Vista to mid-March. Could it be that the
Vista date is wrong but the XP one is correct?
Read full story.....
neowin.net -
07.02.2008Microsoft: 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.
winbeta.org -
03.04.2008Windows 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.
jcxp.net -
05.12.2007
