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Software Microsoft Makes Windows XP SP3 RC2 Publicly Available
Brandon Hill (Blog) - February 20, 2008 8:02 AM

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26 comment(s) - last by xiv.. on Feb 26 at 10:33 PM

Microsoft opens the floodgates for XP SP3 RC2

While Windows Vista Service Pack 1 (SP1) has received the bulk of the attention for the past few months, there's another service pack eagerly awaited for Windows users: Windows XP SP3.

Microsoft released SP3 to testers last week, but the general public can now download the service pack via Windows Update. Users have to first download a small registry file from Microsoft which gives them special access to Windows Update to download SP3.

"The script sets a registry key on your system. The registry key is required for Windows Update to recognize your machine as a valid target for Windows XP Service Pack 3 RC2," states Microsoft. "It is recommended that you apply the resulting update package to an activated, genuine copy of Windows XP, in a test environment."

Users are also asked to remove any previous beta or release candidate versions of SP3 before proceeding with the latest update.

Some of the new functionality included with SP3 include Black hole router detection, Network Access Protection, Credentials security service provider and the Microsoft Kernel Mode Cryptographic Module.

Microsoft says that the RTM version of Service Pack 3 will be available during the first half of 2008. If all goes well with RC2 testing, we should see the final code shortly.

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i'm just waiting for it to be slipstreamable

By RamarC on 2/20/2008 8:17:21 AM , Rating: 2

i've got 2 PCs to (re)build and don't want to suffer through 100+ patches.

RE: i'm just waiting for it to be slipstreamable

By Spoelie on 2/20/08, Rating: 0

RE: i'm just waiting for it to be slipstreamable

By Chris Peredun

on 2/20/2008 8:52:39 AM , Rating: 2

quote:
There are iso's littered around the web already with sp3 rc2 streamed in.

I, like many people, would prefer my own known-clean copy of XP, created from legal media, with the actual final release of SP3 integrated and not a release candidate.

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RE: i'm just waiting for it to be slipstreamable

By GreenEnvt on 2/20/2008 9:59:44 AM , Rating: 2

Agreed, but I think his point was more that you can slipstream this RC into a legal CD just fine. The release notes just say it's not possible on the "N" versions, which are the ones with features stripped out due to antitrust laws.

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RE: i'm just waiting for it to be slipstreamable

By tastyratz on 2/20/08, Rating: 0

RE: i'm just waiting for it to be slipstreamable

By kzrssk on 2/20/2008 6:33:16 PM , Rating: 2

There's also the update packs from xable.net

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RE: i'm just waiting for it to be slipstreamable

By RamarC on 2/20/2008 11:43:12 AM , Rating: 2

and don't you have to uninstall the RC to install the final version?

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RE: i'm just waiting for it to be slipstreamable

By Proteusza on 2/20/2008 10:55:30 AM , Rating: 2

Get the last available version of autopatcher, it will streamline things considerably.

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RE: i'm just waiting for it to be slipstreamable

By NinjaJedi on 2/20/2008 12:45:21 PM , Rating: 2

I just reinstalled XP with SP2 2 days ago (I do a fresh reinstall about once a year.) and I had 90 patches on the first update. I had about 4 or 5 after the restart. It took about 10-15 minutes to download and install the 90+ patches. WOW that took so long. So even if you don't install SP3 you will still sit through 90+ patches. Is the extra 20+ (With SP3) minutes of updates really suffering? It took me longer to reinstall the drivers/software for everything else then it did the updates. Even if/when XP CDs come out with SP3 on them you still sit through the install of it. So you are only eliminating the download part. WOW 10 minutes extra is a real drag.

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RE: i'm just waiting for it to be slipstreamable

By ThePooBurner on 2/20/2008 3:15:10 PM , Rating: 2

You are forgetting those that don't want to use IE7, which is forced onto you if you use windows update to patch. Or those who might not have a computer that would do the updates in that little time. I know when i had to update this box after 2 years on the shelf it took more than an hour.

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RE: i'm just waiting for it to be slipstreamable

By NinjaJedi on 2/20/2008 4:23:24 PM , Rating: 2

I did not forget IE7 because I installed IE7 and it only took an extra minute or two. Cant you just uncheck an item before you start the download or use the *custom* instead of *express*? Also Since the guy I was responding to says he is upgrading I would assume that he will be doing it with up to date hardware. A dual/quad core CPU and more RAM does really help though. Having a raptor probably didn't hurt me any either. I still don't think an extra 10 or so minutes of downloading SP2 patches and SP3 is "suffering"

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RE: i'm just waiting for it to be slipstreamable

By callmeroy on 2/20/2008 4:24:19 PM , Rating: 2

quote:
You are forgetting those that don't want to use IE7, which is forced onto you if you use windows update to patch.

Since when? Just do the custom option and remove IE7 from the update. Unless they changed this VERY recently (just did a custom Windows Update last week and didn't install IE7).

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RE: i'm just waiting for it to be slipstreamable

By kzrssk on 2/20/2008 6:34:52 PM , Rating: 2

There's the regkey that blocks IE7 from Windows Update. And, in a pinch, even if you accidentally download it, it will prompt you before you install it if you really don't want to.

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RE: i'm just waiting for it to be slipstreamable

By RamarC on 2/20/2008 9:20:36 PM , Rating: 2

if you only had 4-5 patches after the first update then you're not installing everything. wmp10 must be installed seperately. ditto with ie7. (why would anyone stick with ie6 and it's incompabilities?) both require reboots. there are multiple patches for msxml which upgrades itself sequentially. same with the .net framework.

i need a slipstream because installing sp2 on top of wmp10 and ie7 breaks those apps. and it screws up .net 3.0 assemblies, visual studio 2008, and a few other development tools because it literally pulls the rug out from under them.

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RE: i'm just waiting for it to be slipstreamable

By NinjaJedi on 2/20/2008 10:21:04 PM , Rating: 2

Nope I only had 4 or 5. I ran the express to check for high priority and there were none after that. I did not install wmp11 or .net or msxml I only did express. There are 16 patches under custom that I did not install. 12 software and 4 hardware. I really don't feel the need to do anything that is not high priority. Maybe that's good maybe that's bad but its worked for me.

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RE: i'm just waiting for it to be slipstreamable

By kondor999 on 2/26/2008 3:01:48 PM , Rating: 2

Instead of downloading all those "Security Updates", what I've been doing is:

1. Install clean copy of XP with SP2 integrated
2. Install Bitdefender

Since doing this, I've yet to have a single virus, worm, spyware, etc infect my machines. IHMO, this provides much more robust protection and is much simpler than trying to keep up with all the XP patches on Windows Update (although I do ty to d/l them when I have the time).

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memory requirements?

By semo on 2/20/2008 8:20:46 AM , Rating: 2

are they still going to keep the those outdated minimum requirements for winxp? sp1 seemed lighter than sp2 on my 512 mb machine but then again a lot of everyday software has been bloated since then.

has anyone here tested sp3 and noted memory usage compared to ps3?

RE: memory requirements?

By semo on 2/20/2008 8:21:28 AM , Rating: 2

quote:
has anyone here tested sp3 and noted memory usage compared to sp2 ?

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RE: memory requirements?

By eye smite on 2/20/2008 8:30:56 AM , Rating: 3

I'll wait for the final release myself of sp3 and I'll test it on one machine out of the 7 i have running here. Dear God above, can you hear the roaring now if they put drm in this sp? Sure hoping they don't, but this is the biggest SP I've ever seen from MS. I might just wait and let all of you find out for me. lol

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RE: memory requirements?

By thornburg on 2/20/2008 9:16:00 AM , Rating: 3

quote:
I might just wait and let all of you find out for me. lol

That is the recommended procedure for anyone who doesn't have a test environment (i.e. a non-production machine that it is OK for it to get hosed) available to them.

That goes for ANY new release product, not just MS Service Packs. Never buy the first generation of any product (software or hardware), unless you are willing to be a tester/guinea pig for the rest of us.

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RE: memory requirements?

By maverick85wd on 2/20/2008 10:19:33 AM , Rating: 2

quote:
That is the recommended procedure for anyone who doesn't have a test environment... Never buy the first generation of any product (software or hardware), unless you are willing to be a tester/guinea pig for the rest of us.

Sometimes that's easier said than done, it's like a fly trap... like when I bought a Rio Diamond PMP300 (one of the, if not first gen mp3 player). It actually was a sweet toy, but it had 32 MB and the battery door was a piece.

But I agree, especially when it comes to your OS... I usually wait at lest 3 or 4 months after I hear the bugs have been worked out

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RE: memory requirements?

By BruceLeet on 2/20/2008 1:08:15 PM , Rating: 2

Has anyone here compared State funded education to Ivy League Education?

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RE: memory requirements?

By KristopherKubicki

(blog) on 2/20/2008 2:08:54 PM , Rating: 2

We tried, but everyone kept coming up with different numbers

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Just installed it.

By RjBass on 2/20/2008 1:21:44 PM , Rating: 1

Well I just installed it and so far so good. My computer actually seems to be booting up a bit faster (but it could just be my imagination).

Windows SBS 2003 doesn't really seem to like it as some of my hosted programs on the server had a hard time connecting to this machine after to 1st reboot upon completion of the install. But another reboot later and everything seems to be ok. I'll have to play around with it a bit more and see what I can find if anything.

RE: Just installed it.

By xiv on 2/26/2008 10:33:45 PM , Rating: 2

the all time favorite microsoft fix.

reboot.

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Saw it today actually, and it had broke the PC

By dblagent on 2/20/2008 8:38:57 PM , Rating: 2

I saw a PC today that would not boot into Windows, and the lady did not know why. It would get to the normal loading XP screen and then go black with nothing at all showing, no HD activity at all.

I booted into safe mode and while it was loading I notice the header state that it was XP Service Pack 3. Odd, and after looking in system restore I saw it was added to the PC two days ago. She said the IT department at the local college added it. I removed it from Add/Remove programs and it only took about 6 minutes to remove, rebooted and it was fixed. Nice first impression I get...... :)