Service Pack 3 For Windows XP
Those who are still hanging onto Windows XP (32-bit) will be heartened to know that the Service Pack 3 programme is chugging along nicely. In fact, Microsoft is scheduled to wrap up the Technical Beta and release Service Pack 3 for public beta testing within the next two weeks.
Although Microsoft is ending the sale of Windows XP through retail and OEM channels by end of January 2008, this does not mean they are ending their support of Windows XP. While some publications claim that Microsoft will stop supporting Windows XP by 2009, that's simply not true. Microsoft will continue to support Windows XP up till August 4, 2014 under their Extended Support Policy. Naysayers can take a look at the Support Lifecycle for Windows XP Professional for example.
As Windows XP nears the end-of-life though, it is Microsoft's policy to release a final service pack to wrap up all those hot fixes and patches released over the past few years. A Sayonara Service Pack, in other words. What this means is a much easier patching process for those who still want to stick with Windows XP. Almost a thousand Windows XP updates in a single download.
It doesn't matter if you are still using the original, unpatched Windows XP or Windows XP Service Pack 2. You can upgrade directly to Windows XP Service Pack 3. You can also slipstream Service Pack 3 into your Windows XP installation media. This allows you to install a fully-patched Windows XP SP3 without going through the ardous process of downloading and installing the many, different updates.
What's New?
Service Pack 3 will consist mainly of previously-released hot fixes and security patches. It will also come with Internet Explorer 7 and Windows Media Player 11. Basically, everything you can download and update right now, but conveniently rolled into a single update.
Service Pack 3 will change Windows XP in some ways though. For one thing, after upgrading to Service Pack 3, you can now enter the product key after installation. Previously, you would have been required to do so during installation. Service Pack 3 will also add Network Access Protection, a Windows Vista feature, to Windows XP.
Deployment Schedule
Microsoft has set forth the following deployment schedule. They are currently nearing the end of the Technical Beta programme.
First Build (Technical Beta)
- available only to vendors for internal tests.
- released since August 2007.
Second Build (Public Beta)
- available to the public for beta testing.
- to be released in mid-September
Third & Fourth Builds
- these will be Release Candidates 1 & 2.
- to be released over the last 3 months of 2007.
Final Build (Release To Manufacturing)
- tentatively scheduled for release in the first half of 2008.
Let's take a look at the current Technical Beta, as well as the upcoming Public Beta and Release Candidates.
The Technical Beta
The Technical Beta is the first build, released only to vendors for internal testing since August 2007. It weighs in at just under 350 MB and does not include Internet Explorer 7 or Windows Media Player 11. Even so, it already contains 990 hot fixes and security patches. It's impossible to list them here but they appear to be hot fixes and patches already available for download.
If you are intrepid enough to download the Windows XP Service Pack 3 Technical Beta, do note that there are some outstanding compatibility issues. For starters, it is not compatible with the XMLite component in Internet Explorer 7. If you attempt to install Internet Explorer 7, the installation process will fail and give you an error message.
The only way to install Internet Explorer 7 with Windows XP Service Pack 3 Technical Beta is to install Internet Explorer 7 before installing the Technical Beta. However, Microsoft recommends that you do not do so as Internet Explorer 7 has other compatibility issues with the Technical Beta. For example, double-clicking on the Internet Explorer icon on the desktop will not launch the browser. Instead, it creates a shortcut.
In addition, upgrading to the Technical Beta may cause problems with Windows Media Player. After installation, any attempts to launch Windows Media Player will result in the error message "Windows Media Player is not installed properly and must be reinstalled. Do you want to install the Player from the Microsoft Web site?". To prevent that, you must first install Service Pack 1 or Service Pack 2 before upgrading to the Service Pack 3 Technical Beta.
Although copies of the Service Pack 3 Technical Beta are floating around the Internet, do be wary about downloading and installing any of those binaries. The genuine article is called windowsxp-kb936929-sp3-x86-enu.exe but filenames are easily changed. It's far more important to make sure its file size is 348,955,008 bytes and it has a CRC32 value of 18604669 and a MD5sum of C3F5E42DC1B7C57844A04C64EE93E391.
The Public Beta
Sometime over the next two weeks, Microsoft will release second build of Service Pack 3. This is the Public Beta that will be made available to everyone for beta testing. Details are still sketchy about this build, but we have it on good authority that Internet Explorer 7 will NOT be part of this build. Microsoft only intends to correct the Internet Explorer 7 compatibility issue in one of the release candidate builds later this year.
In the public beta build and subsequent builds, Microsoft will be adding additional features and bug fixes, particularly those pertaining to application compatibility, instability, data loss, security issues, performance degradation or serious regressions from Windows XP Service Pack 2. However, language support in all pre-release versions will be limited to English, German and Japanese. Full language support will only be delivered in the final Service Pack 3.
If you are really impatient, you can give the Technical Beta a try, but the grapevine says that the public beta will be released pretty soon. Either way, Microsoft says we should have no issue upgrading from build-to-build, e.g. from the Technical Beta to the Public Beta.
Life In Xp Yet
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