Windows XP SP3 Released to Manufacturing

Published: April 23, 2008

by Alex Woodie

Windows XP Service Pack 3 (SP3) was released to manufacturing by Microsoft this week. PC makers and enterprise customers will be able to download SP3, which includes all the updates and patches for XP since it launched in 2001, starting next week. But SP3 won't be released to the majority of Windows XP users until early summer, according to reports.

Microsoft is doing its best to downplay the significance of Windows XP SP3. The software giant says the main reason it's releasing SP3 is to streamline the setup process for new Windows XP installations by combining all of the bug patches, security fixes, stability enhancements, and assorted other changes into the main operating system, thereby saving users a few hours they would otherwise spend installing all the updates following the initial OS install.

Of course, this wouldn't be a big deal if the big OEMs--Dell, Hewlett-Packard, Lenovo, et. al.--weren't selling Windows XP anymore. But the fact remains that many consumers and businesses still prefer Windows XP over the newer Windows Vista operating system, which is probably the main reason why Microsoft is downplaying SP3.

Another reason for the low-pro approach is the overall lack of new functionality in SP3. While there are some Vista-like features in SP3, the update is by no means Vista-lite, and Microsoft doesn't want people to think that it is.

Of all the new Vista-like features in SP3, support for Network Access Protection (NAP) is probably the biggest. This feature helps organizations to prevent "dirty" PCs that don't have the latest security fixes and aren't running antivirus and other security software from joining a Windows network, where they could potentially infect "clean" machines. NAP is one of the core new security mechanisms in Windows Vista, and works with Windows Server 2008, as well as networking gear from Cisco Systems.

Another Vista-like feature is support for the Kernel Mode Cryptographic Module, a FIPS-compliant software component that makes it easy for Windows users to encrypt data, Microsoft says. Windows XP SP3 also borrows from Vista's product activation model, which doesn't require users to enter a product key upon initial installation. Instead, they can enter the key later. Customers updating existing Windows XP (SP1 or SP2) installations won't be required to produce a product key, Microsoft says.

Microsoft initially planned to issue the third service pack for the successful Windows XP product line in late 2007. However, in late 2006, the company pushed back the delivery of SP3 to the first half of 2008, following delays to the Windows Vista operating system.

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