Windows XP Service Pack 3 Released to Manufacturing

[malware]

Microsoft's release manager Chris Keroack posted today the following statement in the TechNet Forums, confirming the information posted by Neowin.net a few days ago:

Today we are happy to announce that Windows XP Service Pack 3 (SP3) has released to manufacturing (RTM). Windows XP SP3 bits are now working their way through our manufacturing channels to be available to OEM and Enterprise customers.

We are also in the final stages of preparing for release to the web (i.e. you!) on April 29th, via Windows Update and the Microsoft Download Center. Online documentation for Windows XP SP3, such as Microsoft Knowledge Base articles and the Microsoft TechNet Windows XP TechCenter, will be updated then. For customers who use Windows XP at home, Windows XP SP3 Automatic Update distribution for users at home will begin in early summer.

View at TechPowerUp Main Site

 

[FreedomEclipse]

well if its not gonna change XP a hell of a lot then whats the point of releasing a SP?? asside from pissing off more XP users when they find programs, games dont work anymore since they run the upgrade??

this is similar to the time i was in sainsburys (local supermarket) & they had some little peeled shrimps on sale - shrimps you usually use in special fried rice or 'shrimp mayo' for your sarnies.... anyway so they story goes that I saw a pack of these shrimps & next to it was a huge banner saying how Sainsburys constantly check the price of every other major supermarket & are proud to announce that they are selling the product at 1pence less then every retailer...

I mean OMG -1p & you think you they found a new cure for aids or something with the amount of effort they wasted just to tell you that your paying 1p less for a pack of shrimps.......


OMG SP3 4 XP - it doesnt do as much as people expect it to but we still get to break your sh!t! woot! - IN YOUR FACE XP USERS!!!!!

 

[thoughtdisorder]

well if its not gonna change XP a hell of a lot then whats the point of releasing a SP?? asside from pissing off more XP users when they find programs, games dont work anymore since they run the upgrade??

this is similar to the time i was in sainsburys (local supermarket) & they had some little peeled shrimps on sale - shrimps you usually use in special fried rice or 'shrimp mayo' for your sarnies.... anyway so they story goes that I saw a pack of these shrimps & next to it was a huge banner saying how Sainsburys constantly check the price of every other major supermarket & are proud to announce that they are selling the product at 1pence less then every retailer...

I mean OMG -1p & you think you they found a new cure for aids or something with the amount of effort they wasted just to tell you that your paying 1p less for a pack of shrimps.......


OMG SP3 4 XP - it doesnt do as much as people expect it to but we still get to break your sh!t! woot! - IN YOUR FACE XP USERS!!!!!

So how do you REALLY feel about it?

Agreed, SP3 doesn't appear to be worthy of ones time unless I'm missing something......

 

[A Cheese Danish]

I think its just a little upgrade for xp...i mean, it doesnt seem like theres any extreme breakthrough with it...but i could be wrong...ive just seen basic things on it...

 

[Scrizz]

meh who cares, I'll still try it anywheyz

 

[FreedomEclipse]

well mixed feelings really - im happy that XP is going to be 'stepped up' a little but at the same time its like M$ deliberately sabotaged SP3 to get you to upgrade to Vista for its 'extra functionality'

& since M$ did say that XP wont chnage considerbly with this upgrade it kinda akes the whole thing a little more pointless

so it feels half baked because M$ held back in favour of Vista - so much for the Save XP petition - M$ are starving us of functionality by limiting SP3

 

[WarEagleAU]

I hear they wont release SP3 for XP 64 bit. Kind of shitty if you ask me as I find it to be a tad bit more stable and alot more user friendly now than what it used to be.

Im not too familiar with the changes SP3 is supposed to do, what it breaks or "fixes". Can someone give me a little heads up on it?

 

[PVTCaboose1337]

SP3 is not that important. It releases past fixes, and some new ones and fixes compatibility issues. Very simple, and 100% helpful and worth the download.

 

[imperialreign]

from trying one of the RC of SP3 - I can say that it took away about half a days worth of updates, fixes and whatnot that need to be installed after a spanking new install of XP. That, was nice. It'd also be nice if they packaged Media Player 11, Windows Defender, Process Explorer, IE7 in with the new SP and gave users the option to install these or not, plus the updates for those applications as well.

But, perhaps it was just me, but SP3 RC was buggy as hell. I had a lot of issues with it, and ended up having to scrap the OS and re-install XP with SP2. It might have just been the RC, though.

 

[TheGuruStud]

I hear they wont release SP3 for XP 64 bit. Kind of shitty if you ask me as I find it to be a tad bit more stable and alot more user friendly now than what it used to be.

Im not too familiar with the changes SP3 is supposed to do, what it breaks or "fixes". Can someone give me a little heads up on it?

Werd on the x64. I'm running it right now b/c I'm tired of 32 crashing all the time and running like dog poo



and SP3 is definitely worth the d/l.

 

[WarEagleAU]

too bad we arent getting it for us at least, thats what Googling it tells me.

 

[TheGuruStud]

too bad we arent getting it for us at least, thats what Googling it tells me.

Yeah, of course M$ wants to shaft anyone that doesn't want use their latest and greatest pile.

Screw them, it isn't like they'll ever make a dollar off me. If Windows 7 is anywhere near as shitty as vista, then I still won't "upgrade". Hell, I wish they made a x64 win2k. I'd love that.

edit: had to edit 'upgrade' lol

 

[Error 404]

Once it comes out, I'll try it. See if it speeds up my system noticably (No benchmarking tools, just thinking "Hmm, that runs faster, that is good."). Imagine if they made Windows 98 SE in 64 bit!

 

[TheGuruStud]

Once it comes out, I'll try it. See if it speeds up my system noticably (No benchmarking tools, just thinking "Hmm, that runs faster, that is good."). Imagine if they made Windows 98 SE in 64 bit!

rofl, 64 bit native DOS would rule!

Of course, all M$ does it make a 64 bit than translates to 32 to 16 to 8
Man, it's good to be running on 1980s tech.

 

[mab1376]

SP3 probably wont improve performance anyway...

probably just a waste of time.

Ubuntu FTW!!

 

[AddSub]

64bit Win2k and Win98 sound nice. I'd use em both.

Problem with Win98SE today is not bugs (many were fixed in unofficial service packs put together by users themselves) it's the lack of drivers. Last nVidia platform to support Win9x was nForce3. There is nothing special about Win9x architecture that requires more complex drivers than NT platforms (NT/2k/XP). I see Microsoft's hand in this. Win98SE would be perfect for low spec, low power laptops like EeePC or something even slower. It would eat far less resources than any stripped down version of XP or Linux and it would be easier on the battery life.

 

[Disparia]

I hear they wont release SP3 for XP 64 bit. Kind of shitty if you ask me as I find it to be a tad bit more stable and alot more user friendly now than what it used to be.

Im not too familiar with the changes SP3 is supposed to do, what it breaks or "fixes". Can someone give me a little heads up on it?

XP64 at the core is Server 2003, so it's patched and serviced along with it's bigger brothers.

 

[Nitro-Max]

So far i aint likeing any of the internet explorer updates from IE 6 there all bugged

 

[Mussels]

people are really missing out on the history here...

service packs are not meant to fundamentally change the OS. they arent a hardware upgrade, or new drivers. Service packs date back to the days before broadband was common and basically was an easy way to get all the updates for your OS in one easy go - or integrating it, so that you didnt even need to go that far.

XPSP2 was a change from this and included a few things, but thats only because XP stayed for a very long time (5 years, vs the 2-3 thats normal - win 95/98/2000/2002(xp)/vista 2007)

 

[3870x2]

Windows98 was supported until 2002, making a total of just under 5 years. Win98SE FTW!

 

[Cybrnook2002]

people are really missing out on the history here...

service packs are not meant to fundamentally change the OS. they arent a hardware upgrade, or new drivers. Service packs date back to the days before broadband was common and basically was an easy way to get all the updates for your OS in one easy go - or integrating it, so that you didnt even need to go that far.

XPSP2 was a change from this and included a few things, but thats only because XP stayed for a very long time (5 years, vs the 2-3 thats normal - win 95/98/2000/2002(xp)/vista 2007)

I agree! I just want to add some thoughts on this as it seems many people are "confused". Service packs are just a compiled pack of updates and hot fixes that have accumulated over time. Yes, service packs are meant to help, and when they are launched its always advisable to install them. MSo$t , as many problems as I have had with them over time, is not a monster. SP3 Is not some secret rootkit blah blah meant to be installed on all the benchies PC's or gamers etc etc.. Planning to crash there system or cripple functions that are normally available. Us in this forum are just a small small small part of the XP users in the world. There are many companies like SAP, IBM, SAMSUNG, whatever..that run XP. Its not meant to cripple your pc system, thats just "naive" to think, and kind of funny. I mean just think, if its some malware pack thats going to cripple IBM and take down there system with a nice message like please upgrade to vista "the latest and greatest", I mean come on! Seriously! SP3 has been in the making for some years now. Im sure it will change some functionality of XP, but only for the better. Also, chances are if you keep auto update on or check microsoft.com religiously for updates, you probably have the majority of fixes SP3 will include to begin with. So, YES, you probably wont see a dramatic change since most of the fixes are already on your pc.

 

[paybackdaman]

It makes you wonder, did we complain this much when SP2 was released...if it is in automatic updates for me then I guess I am downloading it.

 

[ShadowXP]

It makes you wonder, did we complain this much when SP2 was released

To this I have only one thing to say: HELL YES!

I remember the firestorm that erupted about the firewall that came with SP2. People went over the top and then some because of it. Which, incidentally, is the same thing people do every time there is a new OS from Microsoft. It happened with Win95, with Win98, with WinME (with good reason), and it just increased as XP and Vista came out. I sit back and laugh my shoes and pants off when I see people bitching about that the launch of XP was so much better than Vista, because the arguements are EXACTLY the same as back then.

 

[InnocentCriminal]

I'm actually looking forward to see what sort of benefits it'll bring, and of course, cons.

 

[happita]

All I gotta say is if it has more bug fixes, I'm all for it