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?
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16.1.2008 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 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 Support ends for Windows XP SP1
Microsoft will end support for Windows XP Service Pack 1 and SP1a today, leaving people no option but to upgrade to Service Pack 2 if they wish to continue to receive crucial components, including security software.
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10.10.2006 Windows XP Support Extended until 2014
Microsoft has finally given in to public demand. The company has decided to offer technical support for Windows XP with updates and security patches for an extended period until April 2014. However, it will not go back on its decision to discontinue Windows XP sales after June 30.
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26.6.2008 How long will Microsoft support XP and Vista?
In the Talkback section to another post, a reader asks a question about when Microsoft plans to drop support for Windows Vista. I hear variations on this one all the time, so I figured it’s worth covering here.
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22.9.2008 Windows XP support ending - Linux looking better?
We’ve all known that this time was coming, and now it’s nearly upon us. Come April 14th Microsoft will pull the plug on free support for Windows XP (and Office 2003) and the only option available to users will be paid support, which only applies to XP Professional.
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26.3.2009 Microsoft to end Windows XP SP1 support
It has been well-known that Microsoft has ended extended support for Windows 98, 98 SE, and Windows ME. This support ended on July 11 of this year.
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30.8.2006 Microsoft Pledges Windows XP Support Through 2014
In an unprecedented move, Microsoft has committed to providing support services for its soon to be retired Windows XP through 2014 -- a full 13 years after the operating system was originally released.
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29.6.2008 XP and Vista to get new media player
Microsoft plans to jazz up its music player in Windows Vista, the company's next operating system. But at least some of the new features will debut much sooner.
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18.4.2006 Microsoft Announces Extended Support for XP Home/ MCE
Today, Microsoft is announcing the addition of an Extended Support phase for the Windows® XP Home Edition and Windows XP Media Center Edition operating systems, providing consumers with an additional phase of support.
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24.1.2007 Microsoft: June 30 not end of Windows XP support
April 29, 2008 Concerned that customers are confusing the impending end of Windows XP retail availability with the end of support, Microsoft Corp. has reminded users that the aged operating system will be supported until early April 2014.
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2.5.2008 Windows XP Mainstream Support Ends April 14, 2009
On April 14, 2009, Microsoft plans to cut off mainstream support for Windows XP and Office 2003. As a consequence, both products will move in the Extended support phase, which will last for the next five years.
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14.4.2009 Windows XP Media Center Rollup #2 Download
The Hotfix has been able to obtain the new Windows Media Center Rollup #2 hotfix (previously known as codename "Emerald") from a Microsoft contact ahead of time. This rollup is said to include a lot of new features as well as fixes, including Xbox 360 support, new TV card support, and much more. For the download and information on the rollup package click the links below.
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Windows Media Player 11 for XP download
I have some information about release dates on WMP 11 for XP that no one else has. This info was obtained from a Microsoft employee who I can't name but was able to give me this info.
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10.5.2006 April deadlines loom for Windows XP, Office 2003 product support
Next month marks the deadlines for support — in some cases, free support, in other cases, paid — for a handful of older Microsoft Windows and Office products.
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4.4.2009 Windows XP & Office 2003 mainstream support ends April 14
Just a quick reminder to Neowin users, both Windows XP and Office 2003 will leave mainstream support and enter extended support on April 14, 2009. This applies to the following Windows XP editions:
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5.4.2009 KB910393 Update for Windows XP Media Center Edition 2005
Microsoft has released KB910393 Update. This update is intended for systems running Update Rollup 2 for Microsoft Windows XP Media Center Edition 2005.
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20.11.2005 Update for Windows XP Media Center Edition 2005 (KB913800)
Update to address digital rights management (DRM) protected content failures after installing Update Rollup 2 for Windows XP Media Center Edition 2005 (KB900325).
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17.4.2006 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 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 get Windows Media Player 11 in June
Microsoft plans to jazz up its music player in Windows Vista, the company's next operating system. But at least some of the new features will debut much sooner.
The software, which will be built into Vista, is designed to offer better synching with portable devices, make it easier to scroll through long libraries of music, and be tightly integrated with Urge, a new subscription and download music service co-developed by Microsoft and MTV Networks.
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18.4.2006 Windows Vista to Windows XP Downgrades Media
With the advent of Windows Vista, the issue of downgrading to Windows XP came into the limelight and got a consistent amount of play throughout 2007.
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9.1.2008 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 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.
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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.
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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 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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24.5.2007Windows 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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18.01.2006Microsoft 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."
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15.04.2008Despite 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: 5573 Does Not Imply a Specific XP SP3 Build
Marius Oiaga: 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. A recent reference related to XP SP3 is Build 5573 from KB951126. Judging by the fact that XP SP 3 Release Candidate 2 Refresh 2 was Build
5508, speculation began circulating of a
new version
number 5573, that could even be the RTM build for the service pack. I contacted Microsoft on the matter, and this is not the case.
"The reference comes from 'A multiprocessor computer that is running Windows Vista or Windows XP stops responding on a black screen after
you resume the computer from hibernation' KB article 951126 available here:
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/951126/. The file versions discussed on the Microsoft Help and Support page, referring to a
hotfix for Windows XP SP3, are accurate," a Microsoft spokesman revealed in an email to Softpedia.
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17.04.2008Exclusive - Microsoft: Windows XP SP3 RTM
Thanks to one of our very own eagle eyed members kevpan815 we have spotted an interesting page on Microsoft.com regarding XP's support life
cycle.
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.
With rumours that Microsoft has delayed XP SP3 to encourage sales of Vista we'd hope to
see Microsoft give an official response to this as soon as possible. We will update you once we get a response from the company.
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02.04.2008Windows XP SP3 Final Available at MajorGeeks
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.
Supported Operating Systems:
Windows XP; Windows XP Home Edition ; Windows XP Home Edition N; Windows XP Media Center Edition; Windows XP Professional Edition ; Windows XP
Professional N; Windows XP Service Pack 1; Windows XP Service Pack 2; Windows XP Starter Edition; Windows XP Tablet PC Edition.
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23.04.2008Microsoft 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.....
neowin.net -
27.01.2009Windows XP & Office 2003 mainstream support ends April 14
Just a quick reminder to Neowin users, both Windows XP and Office 2003 will leave mainstream support and enter extended support on April 14, 2009.
This applies to the following Windows XP editions: Windows XP HomeWindows XP Pro 32-bit and 64-bitWindows XP Media Center EditionWindows XP Tablet PC
Edition However, for ultra-low cost PCs like netbooks, Microsoft has set June 30, 2010 as the End-of-Sales date even though the general End-of-Sales
date for Windows XP was February 28, 2009. The last Service Pack for Office 2003, SP3 was released in September 2007. The Outlook 2003 Junk Email
Filter will continue to receive updates with new junk email definitions through the end of the extended support phase.
Read full story.....
neowin.net -
04.04.2009Windows 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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16.04.2008Microsoft: 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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03.04.2008Windows 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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20.11.2007Is 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.....
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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.
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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.
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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...
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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!!!"
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05.05.2008XP 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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29.08.2007Microsoft 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 -
28.12.2007Microsoft: 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...
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30.08.2007Microsoft: Windows XP SP3 RTM?
Thanks to one of our very own eagle eyed members kevpan815 we have spotted an interesting page on Microsoft.com regarding XP's support life
cycle.
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.
With rumours that Microsoft has delayed XP SP3 to encourage sales of Vista we'd hope to
see Microsoft give an official response to this as soon as possible. We will update you once we get a response from the company.
Update:
Microsoft has also posted a Windows XP Service Pack 3 Overview whitepaper.
Microsoft has confirmed that the final version of Windows XP SP3 is
still on target to be released the first half of calendar year 2008 but has refused to confirm an RTM date.
neowin.net -
03.04.2008
