Overview of Windows XP Service Pack 3

Windows XP Service Pack 3 (SP3) includes all the pre-release updates of the operating system, in addition to a small number of new features that do not change much of the customer experience about this operating system. This review will introduce new points in Windows XP SP3, and how to deploy this service pack.

Introduce

Microsoft is constantly working to improve the performance, security, and stability issues of Windows operating systems. As part of these efforts, Microsoft developed updates, patches, and improvements in response to feedback from customers and partners of the company. To make it easier to provide enhancements as well as advanced enhancements to customers, Microsoft often bundles these updates periodically into a service pack, thereby providing a service package. This goes to the hands of its customers. These packages are called Service Packs. Windows XP Service Pack 3 (SP3) includes an upgrade of Windows XP of previous versions, not to mention upgrades and hotfixes. Besides, it also has other releases and a number of new upgrades, which do not change much about customer experience about this operating system. Windows XP SP3 provides new boundaries for customers still deploying Windows XP. For customers who still use the Windows XP installation, Windows XP SP3 will fill gaps with missing updates - for example, rejecting individual updates when using Automatic Updates and updates are not available. via Windows Update. Deploying a service pack for operating systems like Windows XP, almost at the end of the sales cycle, is a standard practice that Microsoft still does to facilitate customers and partners.

New points in SP3

Windows XP SP3 includes all upgrades to previously released versions of Windows XP, especially security updates and patches, and other advanced releases. Windows XP SP2 was released in August 2004. Since then, Microsoft has released hundreds of other upgrades for this operating system. Windows XP SP3 is a new service pack that will have all these updates inside it.

Microsoft does not add many features of Windows Vista to Windows XP SP3. However, SP3 still has Network Access Protection (NAP) to help organizations using Windows XP take advantage of new features in Windows Server® 2008 operating system. Additionally, Windows XP SP3 does not have Windows Internet Explorer 7. Below we will provide you with instructions on the functionality available in Windows XP SP3. For example, this service pack includes Microsoft® Management Console (MMC) 3.0 and Microsoft Core XML Services 6.0 (MSXML6). Users can download updates and apply them separately to computers running Windows XP SP2.

Function has been released before

The function in the description table 1 is the features provided in the upgrade of Windows XP. However, system administrators must install these updates. Windows XP SP3 has included them in a service pack.

Table 1: Previously released functions

 

Function

Describe

Management

MMC 3.0

MMC 3.0 is a framework that integrates and simplifies day-to-day system management tasks in Windows by providing menus, toolbars, and workflows on various tools.

MDAC

MSXML6

MSXML6 provides reliability and security as well as better compatibility with XML 1.0 and XML Schema 1.0 W3C Recommendation. It also provides compatibility with System.Xml 2.0.

MSI

Microsoft Windows Installer 3.1 v2 (3.1.4000.2435)

Windows Installer 3.1 is an upgrade to Windows Installer 3.0, an upgrade released by Microsoft in September 2004. Windows Installer 3.1 includes several new and enhanced functions. In addition, Windows Installer 3.1 is aimed at a number of purposes that Microsoft wants to add to the previous version.

Networking

Background Intelligent Transfer Service (BITS) 2.5

BITS 2.5 is required by Microsoft System Center Configuration Manager 2007 and Windows Live ™ OneCare ™. BITS 2.5 helps improve security. If you use BITS to transfer data, its new features are also very flexible.

IPsec Simple Policy Update for Windows Server 2003 and Windows XP

This upgrade simplifies the problem of creating and maintaining IPsec filters, reducing the number of filters required for each server and the isolation domain deployment.

Digital Identity Management Service (DIMS)

DIMS makes users who are logged in to any computer within the domain have access to all their certificates and private keys for applications and services.

Peer Name Resolution Protocol (PNRP) 2.1

This upgrade activates programs on Windows XP SP3 that use PNRP to communicate with Windows Vista programs that also use PNRP.

Wi-Fi Protected Access 2 (WPA2)

This upgrade for Windows XP aims to provide support for WPA2, the latest wireless network security solution provided by the IEEE 802.11i standard.

Advanced functions and new functions

Table 2 describes some significant changes in Windows XP SP3. With some exceptions, Microsoft did not add Windows Vista features to Windows XP SP3. As mentioned above, one exception is adding NAP to Windows XP to help organizations using Windows XP take advantage of new features in Windows Server 2008.

Table 2: Enhanced functions and new functions

Function Description Networking "Black Hole" Router Detection Windows XP SP3 includes improvements to router black hole detection (detecting that the router is providing packets quietly), enabling this feature by default . Network Access Protection (NAP) NAP is a policy enforcement platform built into Windows Vista, Windows Server 2008 and Windows XP SP3. This feature can give you better protection of network resources by imposing a policy with the need to ensure the status of the system. Using NAP, you can completely customize computer policies before accessing or communicating, automatically upgrading the required computers; restrict some non-compliant computers until all security requirements are met. Security Descriptive Security Options User Interface Controlling the Security Options in Windows XP SP3 now has more descriptive documents to explain the settings and prevent incorrect configuration settings. Figure 1 shows an example of this new function.

Figure 1: Security options described in writing

Advanced security for administrator policies and System Center Essentials services for Windows XP SP3, Administrator and Service items will all be displayed by default on new policy cases. In addition, the user interface for Impersonate Client After Authentication user right will not be able to remove these settings. Microsoft Kernel Mode Cryptographic Module Microsoft Kernel Mode Cryptographic Module (Fips.sys) is a FIPS 140-1 Level 1 - software-based enforcement policy, encryption module within the kernel mode of the Windows operating system. It runs as a kernel-mode DLL and encapsulates some other encryption algorithms in an easy-to-use encryption module and is accessed by other kernel mode drivers. It can be linked to other kernel mode services to enable the use of FIPS 140-1 Level 1. Windows Product Activation Setup In Windows Server 2003 SP2 and Windows Vista, users can complete OS installation. without providing a product key during the installation of Windows XP SP3. The operating system will prompt the user to issue a product key in Genuine Advantage. As with previous versions, no product keys are required when installing Windows XP SP3 using Microsoft Update. Note Windows Product Activation changes in Windows XP SP3 not related to Windows Vista Key Management Service (KMS). This upgrade only affects operating system installations from integrated source media. This upgrade affects the installation media and does not change how 'activation' works in Windows XP.

Deploy Windows XP SP3

Windows XP SP3 is provided through Windows Update and Microsoft Download Center. This service pack is also available to Volume License customers, TechNet and MSDN® customers. Through Windows Update, the download size may vary, but it falls to about 70MB, depending on the configuration of the computer. Through the Download Center, the download size is approximately 580MB. Generally, basically deploying Windows XP SP3 works like with SP1 and SP2.

SP3 is a cumulative version, so users can install SP3 on SP1 and SP2 versions.

1. Windows XP SP3 also supports languages ​​like previous versions of Windows XP have been released
2. You can run the SP3 upgrade package on any Windows XP SP1 or SP2 SKU. For example, you can run the SP3 upgrade package on a computer that is running Windows XP Media Center Edition SP1.
3. Tools and instructions for system administrators have not changed much compared to Windows XP SP2.
4. You can deploy SP3 with Microsoft Systems Management Server 2003, Microsoft System Center Configuration Manager 2007, or third-party solutions. This process has not changed much.

Windows XP SP3 is for x86 Windows XP versions. The x64 versions of Windows XP were provided by Windows Server 2003 SP2,

Conclude

Windows XP SP3 combines all the advantages that were included in previous versions of Windows XP in all aspects such as performance, stability and security. It also provides some advanced functions and new features, although these new components do not significantly change the user's perception of Windows XP or bring the functionality of Windows Vista to Windows XP. The goals of Windows XP SP3 are:

1. Provides a new boundary for customers still deploying Windows XP, helping them avoid the inconvenience of applying separate updates.
2. Fill loopholes in upgrades that users can upgrade to lack.