Redmond (WA) – It seems that our previous story titled “SP3: A little Windows Vista for Windows XP” was a bit premature: Despite the fact that SP3 is listed in Microsoft’s Download Center, the actual download button is not. And there is a good reason for that: Microsoft said it has found a compatibility issue and therefore decided to delay the rollout of the service pack.
In a brief statement, Microsoft’s Chris Keroack said that the incompatibility relates to an issue “between Microsoft Dynamics Retail Management System (RMS) and both Windows XP SP3 and Windows Vista Service Pack 1 (SP1)”. The company is currently deploying a filtering system to prevent Windows Update from offering both service packs to systems running Microsoft Dynamics RMS. “Once filtering is in place, we expect to release Windows XP SP3 to the web,” Keroack wrote.
He also mentioned that Microsoft is “also testing a fix, and will make it available once that process is complete. Once they have installed the fix, Microsoft Dynamics RMS customers should be able to run both service packs”.
When it becomes available, SP3 will include all updates released for the operating system since the release of SP2. There are also a handful of features that have been available for Windows Vista before, but Microsoft assures users that SP3 won’t turn Windows XP into a trimmed down version of Vista.
SP3 is a cumulative update for all x86 versions of Windows XP (the x64 update was covered by Windows Server 2003 SP2), which means that it requires users to install SP1 and SP2 first. It will be available through a 70 MB download from Windows Update, or as a 580 MB download through Microsoft’s Download Center.
If you have downloaded all security updates and patches for Windows XP, there is no urgency to download this latest service pack, at least if you aren’t desperate for a handful of new features, which, according to Microsoft, are not “adding significant Windows Vista functionality to Windows XP”. In fact, the average Windows XP users may not even notice the enhanced feature set.
Here is an overview of the new features delivered through SP3:
- Network Access Protection (NAP) to help organizations that use Windows XP to take advantage of new features in Windows Server 2008
- Improvements to black hole router detection (detecting routers that are silently discarding packets)
- The Security Options control panel in Windows XP SP3 now has more descriptive text to explain settings and prevent incorrect settings configuration
- In System Center Essentials for Windows XP SP3, Administrator and Service entries will be present by default on any new instance of policy
- Microsoft Kernel Mode Cryptographic Module, which is a FIPS 140-1 Level 1–compliant, general purpose, software-based, cryptographic module in the kernel mode level of the Windows operating system
- Windows Product Activation: As in Windows Server 2003 SP2 and Windows Vista, users can now complete operating system installation without providing a product key during a full, integrated installation of Windows XP SP3
In case you are wondering, no, Windows XP SP3 does not include Internet Explorer 7.
In a brief statement, Microsoft’s Chris Keroack said that the incompatibility relates to an issue “between Microsoft Dynamics Retail Management System (RMS) and both Windows XP SP3 and Windows Vista Service Pack 1 (SP1)”. The company is currently deploying a filtering system to prevent Windows Update from offering both service packs to systems running Microsoft Dynamics RMS. “Once filtering is in place, we expect to release Windows XP SP3 to the web,” Keroack wrote.
He also mentioned that Microsoft is “also testing a fix, and will make it available once that process is complete. Once they have installed the fix, Microsoft Dynamics RMS customers should be able to run both service packs”.
When it becomes available, SP3 will include all updates released for the operating system since the release of SP2. There are also a handful of features that have been available for Windows Vista before, but Microsoft assures users that SP3 won’t turn Windows XP into a trimmed down version of Vista.
SP3 is a cumulative update for all x86 versions of Windows XP (the x64 update was covered by Windows Server 2003 SP2), which means that it requires users to install SP1 and SP2 first. It will be available through a 70 MB download from Windows Update, or as a 580 MB download through Microsoft’s Download Center.
If you have downloaded all security updates and patches for Windows XP, there is no urgency to download this latest service pack, at least if you aren’t desperate for a handful of new features, which, according to Microsoft, are not “adding significant Windows Vista functionality to Windows XP”. In fact, the average Windows XP users may not even notice the enhanced feature set.
Here is an overview of the new features delivered through SP3:
- Network Access Protection (NAP) to help organizations that use Windows XP to take advantage of new features in Windows Server 2008
- Improvements to black hole router detection (detecting routers that are silently discarding packets)
- The Security Options control panel in Windows XP SP3 now has more descriptive text to explain settings and prevent incorrect settings configuration
- In System Center Essentials for Windows XP SP3, Administrator and Service entries will be present by default on any new instance of policy
- Microsoft Kernel Mode Cryptographic Module, which is a FIPS 140-1 Level 1–compliant, general purpose, software-based, cryptographic module in the kernel mode level of the Windows operating system
- Windows Product Activation: As in Windows Server 2003 SP2 and Windows Vista, users can now complete operating system installation without providing a product key during a full, integrated installation of Windows XP SP3
In case you are wondering, no, Windows XP SP3 does not include Internet Explorer 7.