Getting Up to Speed on What's New in XP SP3

There are numerous signs that Windows XP Service Pack 3 is about to go live, very possibly on Monday (however, the Tech ARP website claims the release is being delayed until mid-April). Whether it launches this month or next, one of the best signs that XP SP3 is about to become a reality is Microsoft's reposting of the Windows XP Service Pack 3 Overview. It's become a Microsoft tradition to post operating system overviews shortly before a new operating system or service pack goes live. It's available in either PDF (requires Adobe Reader or other PDF reader) or XPS (requires XPS Viewer or XPS Essentials pack, both available here.

Here are a few highlights:

• • SP3 consolidates previously-released updates into a single package (for more information, see our original article on Windows XP SP3 Release Candidate)
  • SP3 is a cumulative release (you can install it over any previous Windows XP version)
  • SP3 is for 32-bit versions of Windows XP only; the x64 edition of Windows XP Professional was updated by Windows Server 2003 SP2.
  • SP3 takes about 70MB to download via Windows Update, or about 580MB via the download center
  • SP3 introduces Network Access Protection (NAP) to help Windows XP users to use new features in Windows Server 2008
  • IE7 haters can rejoice at this news: XP SP3 does not include Internet Explorer 7.

Keep clicked to this website for news of the official release of Windows XP SP3.

Updated Information for Windows Vista Users

Microsoft has rolled out a new release of its Windows Vista Product Guide that includes the changes made in SP1. This 334-page magnum opus includes seven sections:

• • An introduction to Windows Vista
  • Windows Vista versions
  • Features for all users
  • Features for home users
  • Features for business users
  • Features for IT professionals
  • Appendices

You can download it in your choice of XPS or PDF formats. If you're just now considering Windows Vista, it might be worth reading "cover to cover".

For existing Vista users who are mainly focusing on Vista SP1 changes, download the companion, Windows Vista Product Guide Revision Document, a relatively svelte 63-pager that covers only the changes from the original product guide.

Happy updating!

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Vista SP1, XP SP3, Vista Service Pack 1, XP Service Pack 3

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