Microsoft has officially released the long-anticipated Windows XP Service Pack 3 via WIndows Update and the Microsoft Download Center. Although Microsoft is (so far) sticking with its June 30th end-of-life date for Windows XP, Service Pack 3 should give more legs to the company’s now-venerable operating system, rolling in performance enhancements and more than 1,000 fixes, along with a handful of Windows Vista features brought back to Windows XP for ease of installation and network security. The update represents Microsoft’s first major revision to XP since Service Pack 2 back in August 2004—and, in theory, represents Microsoft’s final major update for the operating system.
Service Pack 3 is a cumulative update, so it can be applied against a clean install of Windows XP from original media. Microsoft is recommending Service Pack 3 for all WIndows XP users; for now, it’s a voluntary download, but as of June 10, Microsoft will begin rolling out Service Pack 3 via automatic updates.
Windows XP Service Pack 3 does not include Internet Explorer 7; users still running IE6 who want to upgrade to IE7 will have to do so as a separate download. Microsoft doesn’t plan to release an x64 version of Service Pack 3; rather, Windows XP x64 will be updated with Windows Server 2003.
Although Windows XP Service Pack 3 in theory marks the end of the line for Windows XP, the operating system will be with us for years to come. Microsoft is still sticking to its June 30th end-of-life deadline for the operating system, but Dell, Lenovo, and other system manufacturers plan to continue to offer pre-installed versions of XP via "downgrade rights" by including a versio of Vista with XP-equipped computers. Microsoft itself has also extended the life of Windows XP Home through June 2010 to accommodate budget notebook computers like the Asus Eee.
Windows XP SP3 is a huge download, varying by format and language, but standalone installers seem to all be over 300 MB.
