Windows XP SP3 Final is now available !

~removed un-necessary verbage....Bubba~

And for those that didnt see it last time, I'll say it again! "30 days into this sp3 and your required to activate" so dont lose your xp product key

 

DVD+R,

Do you have a web page reference that explains the details?

 

Yes Brian

http://www.windowsecurity.com/articles/Windows-XP-SP3-Security.html

let me draw your attention to this particular paragraph:

Product Key-less install option. As with Windows Vista, XP SP3 installs can proceed without entering a product key during setup. But keep your product key handy as thirty days later you will have to enter the key in or your operating system will be reduced to a limited mode version.


Also if you read the EULA before accepting and installing the package, it will also mention this too

 

DVD+R,

Thanks for that reference. How weird.

 

Well with probably a Billion copies of XP being installed with Illegal serial keys from so called Genuine sources, Microsoft have nipped this little game in the bud somewhat, before some rascal hacks it again

 

Off the top of my head, there has been another 100+ MB of updates since Sp2. Slipstreaming is not a necessity but sure is convenient.

 

If you do reinstalls youll come to appreciate slipstreaming.

 

It's useful if you want to start from scratch. When your original images (of the fresh installed system) are more than two years old, it's nice to rebuild your software base

 

Microsoft's official Overview of Windows XP Service Pack 3.

<<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. The operating system will prompt the user for a product key later as part of Genuine Advantage.

As with previous service packs, no product key is requested or required when installing Windows XP SP3 using the update package available through Microsoft Update.

Note: The Windows Product Activation changes in Windows XP SP3 are not related to the Windows Vista Key Management Service (KMS). This update affects only new operating system installations from integrated source media. This update affects the installation media only and is not a change to how activation works in Windows XP. >>

( "New and Enhanced Functionality #3: Windows Product Activation", excerp from this PDF file, dated 3/31/2008 )

From the horse's mouth, for what it's worth...

 

don't know if this helps but I just turned my clock forward 35 days - rebooted and there was no request for reactivation.

 

Are there any users of the unofficial "Royale remixed theme" that have upgraded to SP3? I tried SP3 during it's earlier stages and it rendered Royale unusable, even with the patch included with the remix installer. I just need to know if I need to uninstall Royale before the SP3 install...

 

Try this UX theme patcher for SP3 instead.

 

Thats what I am saying of course -with a fresh install there is possibly days of work ahead to get to the previous point.

With a slipstreamed SP3 repair install which I did,all that needs to be added to the slipstream are the specialised drivers and the end result is similar to a fresh install.

 

Thanx WSFuser, that's exactly what I needed!!! I've had the "noir" for so long, any other theme looks "98'ish" to me...

 

Hi, folks:

Perhaps someone can help me here.

I installed so-called SP3 build 5512 last weekend via softpedia.com link.

And I found out today thru system information, that the version is actually

5.1.2600 service pack 3 build 2600. but hardware abstraction layer is listed as

version="5.1.2600.5512 (xpsp.080413-2111)"

Can some one explain these to me ? thanks.

 

"5.1.2600.5512 (xpsp.080413-2111)" is known as the build string. Dont worry though, its correct.

 

I'll answer my own questions. It's OK to delete these folders. (But keep a copy of the Service Pack Files folder). I like to keep my C: drive lean so backup images are small.

http://support.microsoft.com/kb/290728

http://forums.microsoft.com/TechNet/ShowPost.aspx?PostID=3204640&SiteID=17

http://www3.telus.net/dandemar/spack.htm

 

Thanks.

 

Full retail and volume license of Windows XP with SP3 (integrated build) now available to MSDN and TechNet Plus subscribers

The following languages are available: Chinese Simplified, English, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Portuguese (Brazil), and Spanish. Additional languages will be made available soon.

http://forums.microsoft.com/TechNet/ShowPost.aspx?PostID=3281962&SiteID=17


English Retail ISO: 617,756,672 bytes
MD5: f424a52153e6e5ed4c0d44235cf545d5
SHA1: 1c735b38931bf57fb14ebd9a9ba253ceb443d459


English VOL ISO: 617,754,624 bytes
MD5: 5bf476e2fc445b8d06b3c2a6091fe3aa
SHA1: 66ac289ae27724c5ae17139227cbe78c01eefe40

 

Just came across this, dated 30th April from vnunet.com:

http://www.vnunet.com/vnunet/news/2215516/microsoft-pulls-windows-updates

 

I really can't see any need to install SP3. It consists mainly of patches,
hotfixes and updates that were available previously. The only new functionality is this:

"Black Hole" Router Detection
Windows XP SP3 includes improvements to black hole router detection (detecting routers that are silently discarding packets), turning it on by default.
Network Access Protection (NAP)
NAP is a policy enforcement platform built into Windows Vista, Windows Server 2008, and Windows XP SP3 with which you can better protect network assets by enforcing compliance with system health requirements. Using NAP, you can create customized health policies to validate computer health before allowing access or communication; automatically update compliant computers to ensure ongoing compliance; and optionally confine noncompliant computers to a restricted network until they become compliant.

(And I think the Security Control Center provides more info).

Am I missing something vital that would justify installing ? SP3 was released
to bring those up-to-date that have not always applied the security patches.

 

See here:

Code:

Microsoft® Windows Imaging Component (WIC)
Microsoft Management Console (MMC) 3.0
Microsoft Core XML Services (MSXML) 6.0
Microsoft Windows Installer 3.1 v2 (3.1.4000.2435)
Background Intelligent Transfer Service  (BITS) 2.5
Digital Identity Management Service
IPsec Simple Policy Update for Windows Server 2003 and Windows XP
Peer Name Resolution Protocol (PNRP) 2.1
Wi-Fi Protected Access 2
HD Audio Support

Those features are already available if you have applied all the optional updates.
Also, private hotfixes (i.e., those that you need to request) for specific problems are bundled with SP3.

 

Whew!

Some of these preceeding statements are exactly why i don't get excited over this latest SP. With the new files come new changes which means more additional time wasted running after customization fixes. And i'm a huge customization buff.

Once broken not always easily fixed, probably not that important for most users but definitely for enough users.