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Windows XP Service Pack 3 is just around the corner and from the looks of it, it will be made available these coming few days. Microsoft plans to release Windows XP Service Pack 3 (SP3) to business on April 21, 2008 (tomorrow April 22 local PH time) and to the general public on April 29, 2008 via Windows Update. Below is the Windows XP SP3 release overview:

April 14, 2008: Support is available for the release version of Service Pack 3 for Windows XP
April 21, 2008: Original Equipment Manufacturers, Volume License, Connect, and MSDN and TechNet subscribers
April 29, 2008: Manual Update (Microsoft Update, Windows Update, Download Center)
June 10, 2008: Automatic Update (Windows Update)

 

Below is a feature overview of Service Pack 3:

1. “Black Hole” Router Detection: Windows XP SP3 includes improvements to black hole router detection (detecting routers that are silently discarding packets), turning it on by default.
2. Network Access Protection (NAP): NAP is a policy enforcement platform built into Windows Vista, Windows Server 2008, and Windows XP SP3 with which you can better protect network assets by enforcing compliance with system health requirements. Using NAP, you can create customized health policies to validate computer health before allowing access or communication; automatically update compliant computers to ensure ongoing compliance; and optionally confine noncompliant computers to a restricted network until they become compliant. For more information about NAP, see Network Access Protection Descriptive Security
3. Options User Interface: The Security Options control panel in Windows XP SP3 now has more descriptive text to explain settings and prevent incorrect settings configuration.
4. Enhanced security for Administrator and Service policy entries: In System Center Essentials for Windows XP SP3, Administrator and Service entries will be present by default on any new instance of policy. Additionally, the user interface for the Impersonate Client After Authentication user right will not be able to remove these settings.
5. Microsoft Kernel Mode Cryptographic Module: Microsoft Kernel Mode Cryptographic Module (Fips.sys) is a FIPS 140-1 Level 1compliant, general purpose, software-based, cryptographic module in the kernel mode level of the Windows operating system. It runs as a kernel mode export driver (a kernel-mode DLL) and encapsulates several different cryptographic algorithms in an easy-to-use cryptographic module accessible by other kernel mode drivers. It can be linked to other kernel mode services to permit the use of FIPS 140-1 Level 1compliant cryptography. For more information, see the Microsoft Kernel Mode
6. Windows Product Activation: As in Windows Server 2003 SP2 and Windows Vista, users can now complete operating system installation without providing a product key during a full, integrated installation of Windows XP SP3. The operating system will prompt the user for a product key later as part of Genuine
   Advantage. As with previous service packs, no product key is requested or required when installing Windows XP SP3 using the update package available
   through Microsoft Update. Note: The Windows Product Activation changes in Windows XP SP3 are not related to the Windows Vista Key Management Service (KMS). This update affects only new operating system installations from integrated source media. This update affects the installation media only and is not a change to how activation works in Windows XP

Windows XP is already more than 5 years old, its on its early 50s if your going to refer it with regards of computing age but this is one reliable OS that Microsoft released so far. A lot of people are still using Windows XP and this is a welcome update for many XP users out there. Just like when SP1 for Vista was released, we will expect to be available to the public via torrents in a matter of days after Windows XP SP3 becomes available to MSDN and TechNet subscribers.

This entry was posted on Monday, April 21st, 2008 at 7:36 pm and is filed under Security, Software. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.