Technically, Microsoft has yet to wrap things up with the distribution of Windows XP Service Pack 3, and is now gearing up for the final stage designed to serve the operating system through Automatic Updates. But, other than pushing the service pack to all XP users with AU enabled, the Redmond company has wrapped up with the availability of SP3, having already published the gold bits on Windows Update, and the Windows Server Update Services servers, as well as on the Microsoft Download Center as of May 6, 2008. Below you will be able to find not only a detailed description of Windows XP SP3 RTM but also a list with the resources accompanying, and even contained in the service pack.

The Official Overview of Windows XP Service Pack 3

“Windows XP Service Pack 3 (SP3) includes all previously released Windows XP updates, including security updates and hotfixes. It also includes select out-of-band releases, and a small number of new enhancements, which do not significantly change customers’ experience with the operating system. Windows XP SP3 provides a new baseline for customers still deploying Windows XP. For customers with existing Windows XP installations, Windows XP SP3 fills gaps in the updates they might have missed—for example, by declining individual updates when using Windows Update,” reads an excerpt out of XP SP3’s overview.
Despite the 2004 – 2008 gap that separates Service Pack 2 and Service Pack 3 releases, the latest major update for Windows XP doesn’t even come close to its predecessor. SP3 is nothing more than a standard service pack that manages to add only a handful of functionalities, just crumbs from the Windows Vista feast, including: “Black Hole” Router Detection, Network Access Protection (NAP), CredSSP Security Service Provider, Enhanced security for Administrator and Service policy entries, Microsoft Cryptographic Module, and a revamped Windows Product Activation model.

The “Overview of Windows XP Service Pack 3″ is available for download here.

Release Notes Part 1 and 2

Microsoft updated the Release Notes for XP SP3 as of May 16, in order to provide what it referred to as late-breaking issues about the service pack. The release Notes deal exclusively with common problems that end users deploying SP3 will come across. Internet Explorer 7, Internet Explorer 8 Beta 1, Microsoft Dynamics Retail Management System, Multilingual User Interface (MUI) Pack, Remote Desktop Client 6.1, Visual Basic Scripting Edition and Windows XP Media Center Edition 2002 are all products that will fail to play well with SP3. And although Microsoft is providing workarounds, the company does not deliver permanent fixes at this point in time.

The Release Notes for Windows XP Service Pack 3 are here.

Additional documentation related to the service pack can be obtained here, under the same label of Release Notes. Users will be able to access Microsoft’s recommendations for accessing the gold bits of XP SP3, understand the preparations needed before the implementation of the service pack, the hardware requirements for installation with a focus on hard disk space, application compatibility issues and even support information. And, to top it all off, Microsoft is also providing an exhaustive list of all the fixes that it has included in the service pack

News Source- Softpedia