What Is Windows XP SP3? Like all complex software, Windows XP has many bugs and security holes. This has necessitated regular releases of bug fixes and security patches. Over time, Microsoft compiles the many fixes and patches into an all-in-one pack called a Service Pack. Microsoft released the first Service Pack for Windows XP back on September 9, 2002. This was followed by Service Pack 2 almost two years later on August 6, 2004. Service Pack 3, which is destined to be the final service pack for Windows XP was finally released on April 21, 2008. So what's in Service Pack 3, and what's not? Let's see what Microsoft says... Windows XP SP3 includes all previously released Windows XP updates, including security updates and hotfixes, and select out-of-band releases. Windows XP SP2 was released in August 2004. Since then, Microsoft has released hundreds of updates. Windows XP SP3 includes all of these updates. Microsoft is not adding significant Windows Vista functionality to Windows XP through SP3. However, SP3 does include Network Access Protection (NAP) to help organizations that use Windows XP to take advantage of new features in the Windows Server® 2008 operating system. Windows XP SP3 does not include Windows Internet Explorer 7 or Windows Media Player 11. Service Pack 3 will support all original 24 languages once Wave 2 is released. In addition, Service Pack 3 will include support for 9 new languages for the Windows XP multi-language user interface (MUI). How Big Is Service Pack 3? Surprisingly, Service Pack 3 is only 72 MB in size. That isn't really very big, as it represents almost four years of cumulative updates. However, it takes up almost 900 MB of space once installed. Here's a comparison of the size and space requirements of Service Pack 3 versus Service Pack 2. Footprint | Service Pack 3 | Service Pack 2 | Difference |
| Download Size | ~ 72 MB | ~ 108 MB | Smaller by 1/3 | Total storage space required (if System Restore is enabled) | 1360 MB | 1060 MB | Larger by 300 MB | Total storage space required (if System Restore is not enabled) | 860 MB | 770 MB | Larger by 90 MB | Of course, Service Pack 3 does not include updates covered in Service Pack 1. To upgrade to Service Pack 3, you must already update Windows XP with at least Service Pack 1 or Service Pack 2. New Features In Service Pack 3 Here's a list of new features Microsoft added to Service Pack 3. Technical Area | Functionality / Feature | Details | Networking | Black hole router detection | Improves black hole router detection (detecting routers that are silently discarding packets). This detection is turned on by default. | Networking | Network Access Protection | Allows you to better protect network assets by enforcing compliance with system health requirements. For more information about Network Access Protection, see http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkID=110597. | Security | Credentials security service provider | Allows forward compatibility with Windows Vista® and Windows Server® 2008, And enables applications to delegate user credentials from the client to the target server. This security service provider is available through the security service provider interface, and it is used by Remote Desktop Protocol 6.0. | Security | Descriptive security options control panel | Offers more descriptive text to explain the settings and prevent incorrect configuration of settings. | Security | Enhanced security for Administrator and Service policy entries | Presents Administrators and Service entries (in System Center Essentials) by default on new policy instances. Additionally, a user will not be able to remove the setting in the UI for the "Impersonate Client After Authentication" user right. | Security | Microsoft Kernel Mode Cryptographic Module | Implements and supports the SHA2 hashing algorithms (SHA256, SHA384, and SHA512) in X.509 certificate validation. The Federal Information Processing Standard (FIPS) 140-1 standard has been replaced by FIPS 140-2, and these modules have been validated and certified according to this standard. | Setup | Windows Product Activation | Allows users to complete their software setup without having to provide a product key. | User Interface | Additional Languages | These nine new languages are now supported :
• Bulgarian
• Croatian
• Slovak
• Thai
• Italian
• Romanian
• Slovenian
• Estonian
• Latvian |
Now the secret is out.
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