Microsoft Inches Closer to XP Update

[HardOCP News]

The tech-blog Beyond Binary says that a new test version of Windows XP Service Pack 3 went out to beta testers last week and that we could see the final product in the first half of 2008.

The company said before its final release it expects to issue a public test version of the service pack, though it did not provide more specificity than at "a later date." "We are targeting (the first half of) 2008 for the release of XP SP3," Microsoft said, "though our timing will always be based on customer feedback as a first priority."

 

[panhead]

I can't wait to have the 189 update uninstall directories removed from my windows directory and slipstream SP3 into my XP CD. I dread every new system build with the Windows update boot/reboot update again.

 

[InorganicMatter]

I can't wait to have the 189 update uninstall directories removed from my windows directory and slipstream SP3 into my XP CD. I dread every new system build with the Windows update boot/reboot update again.

That's why I switched to Vista.

Speaking of Vista more seriously, doesn't SP3 just add a bunch of Vista features into XP? I thought I heard that UAC would be making an appearance.

 

[TechieSooner]

That's why I switched to Vista.

Speaking of Vista more seriously, doesn't SP3 just add a bunch of Vista features into XP? I thought I heard that UAC would be making an appearance.

I haven't heard much about XP SP3 at all.

I think the main objective is to tie up some lose ends (not many), and simplify all the numerous updates into a single SP, before Microsoft largely abandons XP.

 

[mr_tea]

yay! something else to disable!

 

[TechieSooner]

yay! something else to disable!

And your reasoning behind that is...

 

[Advil]

Holy mother of all things holy Microsoft!!!!!! Do you guys realise how many updates there are after SP2? Even with our slipstreamed install CDs it's still a royal pain in the ass to fully update an XP system.

If they aren't going to do a service pack until they can work out a pile of feature additions, can they at least give us a special "update" download that's 300mb or so that will bring a SP2 install up to date on the Windows Update patches in one go rather than having to individually call a couple hundred separate updates?

I do this for a living and it's a running joke.

The only thing more painful is watching a customer try to install XP from a non-SP CD then try to patch all the way to current on a crappy internet connection.

 

[RangerSVT]

The only thing more painful is watching a customer try to install XP from a non-SP CD then try to patch all the way to current on a crappy internet connection.

Well, if you do this for a living, maybe you should be more prepared and carry along a cd with the updates ready for you to install, rather than watching one of your "customers" install it him/her self and update it with a slow internet connection

 

[DragonNOA1]

Well, if you do this for a living, maybe you should be more prepared and carry along a cd with the updates ready for you to install, rather than watching one of your "customers" install it him/her self and update it with a slow internet connection

That is unless he gets paid by the minute!

Jokes aside, does anyone know for sure what this SP will bring to the table?

 

[swatbat]

Hell considering that they killed autopatcher I'm looking forward to this as it will make updating a system easy after a reload.

Now they need to fix the file copy issues in vista.

As far as new features in xp sp3 I haven't really read of any. I want it for all of the updates.

 

[Exavior]

That's why I switched to Vista.

Speaking of Vista more seriously, doesn't SP3 just add a bunch of Vista features into XP? I thought I heard that UAC would be making an appearance.

That is unless he gets paid by the minute!

Jokes aside, does anyone know for sure what this SP will bring to the table?

According to an article awhile back there were a few Vista features making their way into XP. Haven't heard of UAC being one of them those. The only ones listed were network access protection, windows activation protection that allows you to install with a key being entered during setup, "black router protection", new kernel cryptographic module.

There will also be 1073 pathes/hotfixes not including those found in previos SP. 114 of which being security related patches.

Holy mother of all things holy Microsoft!!!!!! Do you guys realise how many updates there are after SP2? Even with our slipstreamed install CDs it's still a royal pain in the ass to fully update an XP system.

If they aren't going to do a service pack until they can work out a pile of feature additions, can they at least give us a special "update" download that's 300mb or so that will bring a SP2 install up to date on the Windows Update patches in one go rather than having to individually call a couple hundred separate updates?

I do this for a living and it's a running joke.

The only thing more painful is watching a customer try to install XP from a non-SP CD then try to patch all the way to current on a crappy internet connection.

I don't see why it is a joke. What matters if you download 300MB as one file or 75. There is always a chance that there are updates that you yourself don't need thus making it one large file might make you end up downloading far more than if you only download the patches that you need. If you really have problem with it why don't you make a install disk with all that patches? I have one for windows 2000 that installs SP4 + SR1 + IE6 + mediaplayer 9 + a few other programs. I'd make one for XP with SP2 + IE7 + media player 11 if I really felt there was a need to have one.

 

[c.d.e]

Holy mother of all things holy Microsoft!!!!!! Do you guys realise how many updates there are after SP2? Even with our slipstreamed install CDs it's still a royal pain in the ass to fully update an XP system.

If they aren't going to do a service pack until they can work out a pile of feature additions, can they at least give us a special "update" download that's 300mb or so that will bring a SP2 install up to date on the Windows Update patches in one go rather than having to individually call a couple hundred separate updates?

I do this for a living and it's a running joke.

The only thing more painful is watching a customer try to install XP from a non-SP CD then try to patch all the way to current on a crappy internet connection.

Welcome to OSX, with delta updates (10.x.x to latest in a single update, instead of the 10 individual updates and security updates, etc.

 

[Nemesis999]

Holy mother of all things holy Microsoft!!!!!! Do you guys realise how many updates there are after SP2? Even with our slipstreamed install CDs it's still a royal pain in the ass to fully update an XP system.

If they aren't going to do a service pack until they can work out a pile of feature additions, can they at least give us a special "update" download that's 300mb or so that will bring a SP2 install up to date on the Windows Update patches in one go rather than having to individually call a couple hundred separate updates?

I do this for a living and it's a running joke.

The only thing more painful is watching a customer try to install XP from a non-SP CD then try to patch all the way to current on a crappy internet connection.

So wait...

You do this for a living, don't even have one of the most basic install tools.... (Patch disks), and it's somehow Microsoft's fault?

I drop in my bootable disk and have an unattended, fully patched (minus the most recent month or two) system with pre-installed IE7+patches, WMP11+patches, unwanted services turned off, tweaks, etc, and all the most recent drivers/important programs ready to install.

Everything needed to do all this is easily accessable with 60 seconds on google. The only running joke is the people who actually manually patch the OS every time they format.

 

[InorganicMatter]

Welcome to OSX, with delta updates (10.x.x to latest in a single update, instead of the 10 individual updates and security updates, etc.

Giver credit where credit is due: delta updates originated in apt-get, an OSS original. Like everything else of theirs, Apple let a poor OSS programmer come up with the idea, then they steal it from him, fix major bugs, put a fancy UI on it, then put it in their next OS and call it a revolution of computing.

 

[ShadowWolf]

As far as I know, XP Sp3 is just a roll-up of fixes plus some WMP crap. Could be something hiding in the bushes though.

But there's no way in hell that anything related to UAC will ever make an appearance on XP. Anyone telling you that has a fundamental lack of understanding for how UAC works and what was done to make it work.

 

[Finn]

As far as I know, XP Sp3 is just a roll-up of fixes plus some WMP crap. Could be something hiding in the bushes though.

But there's no way in hell that anything related to UAC will ever make an appearance on XP. Anyone telling you that has a fundamental lack of understanding for how UAC works and what was done to make it work.

Great news! It takes fundamental lack of understanding to want UAC on your system in the first place.

 

[Terminus]

i really like using XP so this final service pack will be much appreciated

 

[panhead]

I haven't heard much about XP SP3 at all.

I think the main objective is to tie up some lose ends (not many), and simplify all the numerous updates into a single SP, before Microsoft largely abandons XP.

This service pack will focus mostly on hotfixes and patches, but will also include some new features and enhancements. One enhancement will be a new activation scheme; a product key will no longer be required during installation which is how Vista currently operates. Another feature borrowed from Vista, the network acess protection module restricts network access based to computers that are verified healthy according to administrator set network policies. SP3 will also included upgraded cryptographic algorithms and a Black Hole Router detection algorithm. SP3 is slated to be the last major update for Windows XP.

http://www.techfuzz.com/roadmaps/2008.aspx

 

[StillFunkyB]

I have been wanting to do a clean install, but keep putting it off because I don't want to spend all day doing Windows updates!!!

Would be nice to get it ASAP!