The Seeker of Good Songs
Well-Known Member
http://www.pchell.com/reviews/windowsxpsp3.shtml
The long awaited release of Windows XP Service Pack 3 has finally arrived. Its been almost 4 years since SP2 was released. With close to a hundred updates since SP2, Service Pack 3 has been needed. It appears this will be the last service pack for Windows XP. Microsoft plans to stop selling retail versions of Windows XP on June 30, 2008. So anyone who has not upgraded to Windows XP should think seriously about upgrading before this date.
Is there anything special in the Windows XP SP3 release?
Although Windows XP SP3 will not include any major changes, it will include all the patches and updates since SP2 was released along with 4 minor new features dealing with reliability and security.
The long awaited release of Windows XP Service Pack 3 has finally arrived. Its been almost 4 years since SP2 was released. With close to a hundred updates since SP2, Service Pack 3 has been needed. It appears this will be the last service pack for Windows XP. Microsoft plans to stop selling retail versions of Windows XP on June 30, 2008. So anyone who has not upgraded to Windows XP should think seriously about upgrading before this date.
Is there anything special in the Windows XP SP3 release?
Although Windows XP SP3 will not include any major changes, it will include all the patches and updates since SP2 was released along with 4 minor new features dealing with reliability and security.
The new features in Windows XP SP3 are:
Network Access Protection compatibility. This feature allows Windows XP machines to interact with the NAP feature in Windows Server 2008. This functionality is built into Windows Vista as well. NAP provides "computer health" policies that must be met before a particular computer is allowed to access the network. If a client cannot prove it is compliant with system health requirements (for example, that it has the latest operating system and antivirus updates installed), its access to the network or communication on the network can be limited to a restricted network containing server resources so that health compliance issues can be remedied.
Product Key-less install option. As with Windows Vista, new Windows XP w/ SP3 installs can proceed without entering a product key during Setup.
Kernel Mode Cryptographics Module. A new kernel module that "encapsulates several different cryptographic algorithms," according to Microsoft. Kinda technical, but it deals with security.
"Black hole" router detection algorithm. XP gains the ability to ignore network routers that incorrectly drop certain kinds of network packets. This, too, is a feature of Windows Vista. I just hope this doesn't cause more "limited or no connectivity" issues like I saw in SP2.
Product Key-less install option. As with Windows Vista, new Windows XP w/ SP3 installs can proceed without entering a product key during Setup.
Kernel Mode Cryptographics Module. A new kernel module that "encapsulates several different cryptographic algorithms," according to Microsoft. Kinda technical, but it deals with security.
"Black hole" router detection algorithm. XP gains the ability to ignore network routers that incorrectly drop certain kinds of network packets. This, too, is a feature of Windows Vista. I just hope this doesn't cause more "limited or no connectivity" issues like I saw in SP2.
There are some minor changes to the security settings and the removal of a few things including the "Address Bar" from Taskbar. It appears from the latest whitepaper that IE7 is NOT included in SP3 but available for download separately.
http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/...A8-5E76-401F-BE08-1E1555D4F3D4&displaylang=en
Download Size:316.4 MB
http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/...A8-5E76-401F-BE08-1E1555D4F3D4&displaylang=en
Download Size:316.4 MB
Perfect timing, just when my new computer arrived (of course I don't use Vista!).
