User's guide to Windows XP SP3

[hari]

After a series of delays, Microsoft finally released the last major update for its Windows XP operating system this week. Windows XP Service Pack 3 (SP3) is available from the company's automated Windows Update service or as a file that can be pulled from the Download Center on the company's Web site.

Service Pack 3 is the long-awaited major update for Windows XP since SP2 which was released in August of 2004. Service Pack 2 had upgraded the security of the original XP, adding Windows Firewall, along with easily configurable options to block or allow specific kinds of traffic into your system.

Here's a peak into all that XP SP3 offers

Where can I get Windows XP SP3?

Please note that SP3 is not an automatic Windows Update download. Users can get it from Windows Update (WU) or download a stand-alone installer from Microsoft's Web site.

Users must choose "Windows Update" from the Start menu, then click on either "Express" or "Custom." In both cases, WU will offer XP SP3. To start the 30-minute process, click the "Install Updates" button.

The company has reportedly said that it will provide automatic downloads and install in sometime. However, according to speculations, the date has already been slated for June 10.

Microsoft estimated the Windows Update download as approximately 67MB in size. The company also posted a 316MB standalone installer on its download site and recommends it to users updating multiple machines.

Dos and don'ts for SP3

Microsoft has a list of pre-requisites for installing XP SP3. Users need to uninstall any release candidate or beta of SP3 that they have installed on their systems.

The company has also warned users of Internet Explorer 7 that they won't be able to easily revert to IE6 once they've upgraded to XP SP3. The company has warned users with IE8 Beta 1 installed that they won't be seeing SP3 on Windows Update.

Microsoft recommends that users who want to retain the ability to downgrade from IE7 to IE6 should uninstall the former before upgrading to XP SP3.

Once Windows XP has been updated to SP3, users can then install IE7 and if necessary, later restore IE6. IE8 Beta 1 users should also uninstall the preview before upgrading, Microsoft says.

What's new in XP SP3?

The service pack offers a number of enhancements over the current version of the OS, which Microsoft is said to be phasing out after June 30. The new elements include a feature called Network Access Protection (NAP) that seems to have been taken from its latest OS Windows Vista. NAP automatically validates a computer's health, ensuring that it's free of bugs and viruses before allowing it access to a network.

Windows XP SP3 also includes improved "black hole" router detection -- a feature that automatically detects routers that are silently discarding packets. Windows XP SP3 picks another feature from Vista's product-activation model.

According to this, the product keys for each copy of the operating system don't need to be entered during setup. The feature is aimed at corporate IT managers who often need to oversee hundreds, or even thousands, of operating system installations. Another new feature is Windows Imaging Component, an extensible framework for encoding, decoding, and manipulating images. This too was originally designed for Windows Vista.

Fixes in XP SP3? 

The final build of SP3 reportedly includes 1,073 fixes, including every security update, out-of-band release, and hotfix released since Windows XP SP2 hit Microsoft's servers back in August 2004. The release notes for SP3 have also been updated, as has the MUI pack.

The list also includes the most recent Windows XP security patches, like MS08-025, a fix for a flaw in the kernel that was issued April 8.

Problem upgrading to SP3? 

Microsoft will reportedly provide free support for any XP SP3 installation or compatibility issue. Users can reach support free-of-charge by telephone, e-mail or real-time chat.

The place to start is this XP SP3-specific page on Microsoft's Help and Support site.

Will XP SP3 be available at retail? 

No. Microsoft has confirmed that XP SP3 will not be shrink-wrapped for store shelves. According to a company spokesperson, Windows XP SP3 is available to OEMs as an option for some of their product lines (and) for Volume License customers to simplify maintenance of their Windows XP machines.

This means users will have to do an after-the-fact update to SP3 on any newly-purchased-and-installed copy of Windows XP.

Why the delay in SP3?

The release has been delayed by a bug that affected users of Microsoft Dynamics Retail Management System (RMS), Microsoft's point of sale solution. The flaw caused RMS to lose or corrupt data when used on either Windows XP SP3 or Windows Vista SP1.

Microsoft now has a fix for the RMS bug, but hasn't yet put it into wide distribution. A support document noted that a hotfix is ready, but told RMS users to contact Microsoft for the patch. Meanwhile, a company spokeswoman said in an e-mail that Microsoft would make the fix generally available "over the next month." Until then, she continued, Microsoft is telling RMS customers not to install XP SP3.