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Well, it’s been talked about anecdotaly in web forums for a while now that the new service pack for XP brought with it an unexpected performance boost.

The researchers found that a PC loaded with Microsoft’s XP SP3 completed the OfficeBench test suite in less than 50 seconds. A similarly configured system running Windows XP with Service Pack 2 took more than 50 seconds to complete the test suite — which measures how quickly a computer can perform common tasks in Microsoft Word, PowerPoint, and Excel.

“Since SP3 was supposed to be mostly a bug-fix/patch consolidation release … the unexpected speed boost comes as a nice bonus,” the researchers wrote.

They added that XP SP3’s slick performance may lead some computer users to forgo Windows Vista. Exo.performance.network found that with the new service pack, XP is now two times faster than the newer Microsoft OS.

The tests were conducted late last year on a prerelease build of XP SP3. So it’s possible the final version is even faster.

It’s not all four-star reviews for the service pack, however…

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Maybe I can help you with that.

What is it lately with Microsoft Service Packs? To be fair, once the Windows XP Service Pack 3 is installed everything works just fine. However, I tested the SP3 install today and came across a problem. The install went through most of the install then would, nearly upon completion, die when attempting to write to the registry. So, then, I tried making sure the antivirus program was off and not just disabled, disabled everything in the start tray, killed any other non-necessary processes in the Task Manager. After these checks were made I then ran CCleaner to ensure any temp files were gone. So, at this point, I feel fairly confident that regardless of the outcome the install would not fail due to any firewall or antivirus program or any other running process. So, I run the install it fails again with the end result “Access Denied”.

Since this is a known legit install of XP that’s not of concern. I mention this as when many on the internet would post in forums and mention this problem the first question asked was “Is your XP install legit?”. OK, it’s legit so I continue Googling for possible solutions. Google is your friend and was mine once again today (although the solution I am about to post came from one of a few possible websites - so… I can’t quite give the credit where it duly belongs but, for full disclosure, it is not from my brain - I just happened to have success with this particular suggestion and thought I would post the steps I took and paste the code I discovered).

OK.

Majorgeeks has posted download links to the 316MB Windows XP Service Pack 3 Final download. It seems like you can get it sooner than the MSDN and Technet folks. Oh… they’re not happy. No. Not happy at all after Microsoft delivered a second “slap to the face”. Not my words… Read story below.

Download Windows XP Service Pack 3

Subscribers to TechNet and the Microsoft Developer Network (MSDN), who pay Microsoft hundreds of dollars a year for the right to download software for testing and development purposes, called the move a “farce,” a “slap in the face” and “ludicrous.”

Yesterday, Microsoft announced that it had finished Windows XP SP3, the last major update for the six-and-a-half-year-old operating system, and said that it would post the upgrade on Windows Update and its own online download site next Tuesday, April 29.

But subscribers to the TechNet and MSDN services won’t be able to obtain SP3 until sometime “within the next month,” according to Chris Keroack, the service pack’s release manager.

Another Microsoft employee, Nick MacKechnie, a senior technical account manager with the company’s New Zealand operation, was more specific about dates. In a blog post yesterday, MacKechnie listed several dates in an SP3 timetable, including a May 2 release to TechNet and MSDN. The timetable has since been pulled from MacKechnie’s blog.

The delay — whether a month or several days — did not sit well with some TechNet and MSDN subscribers. Many, in fact, brought up the February incident, when Microsoft first refused to let subscribers download Vista SP1. After pressure from users, it reversed that decision about two weeks later.

Release dates for Windows XP SP3, according to Neowin, are:

• 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: Microsoft Update, Windows Update, Download Center
• June 10, 2008: Automatic Updates

Overview of Windows XP Service Pack 3.pdf

Microsoft is taking a similar testing tactic as with Vista SP1: Make a crucial release candidate broadly available for testing Windows Update delivery. Microsoft tested SP1 Windows Update delivery in mid-January. The Vista update released to manufacturing a few weeks later.

The RC2 Windows Update test signifies that Microsoft is near the final testing stages for Service Pack 3. Microsoft is expected to make Vista SP1 broadly available sometime in March. It’s reasonable to presume that SP3’s release is imminent, perhaps around the time of SP1, or even sooner. I’m expecting sooner rather than later, unless there are last-minute glitches.

Windows Server 2008’s big launch is next Thursday. Microsoft has released a bunch of service packs so that major products are prepared for new server software. SP3 is part of the process for syncing up XP for Windows Server 2008. In ideal circumstances, Microsoft should release XP SP3 no later than Feb. 27.

While there has been big noise about Vista SP1, XP SP3 is much more important to many more enterprises. Windows XP is everywhere, and Vista is in just a few places, comparatively. I still expect XP SP3 to impede Vista deployments, seeing as how many more enterprises run the older Windows version.

XP SP3 download information is available here.

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Microsoft has expanded their refurbishing rules and now companies that want to fix up and sell their old PC’s will be able to legally include a genuine copy of Windows XP. Microsoft will be offering the license through the Microsoft Authorized Refurbisher (MAR) program.

“Companies don’t know what to do with their old PCs, so they collect dust in the company cafeteria or stack up in the hallways,” Hani Shakeel, senior product manager of the Genuine Windows Product Marketing team said in a statement

The new program will be available to Microsoft’s A-list OEM friends worldwide and to other refurbishing partners in North America. It will cover both Windows XP Home and Windows XP Professional provided the refurbisher has a Certificate of Authenticity. This program will allow them to retore the PC to its original state. Microsoft currently estimates that 28 million PC’s are in the secondary market, which is about 10% of the market worldwide, this program will help companies legally sell old computers and hopefully in turn keep some out of the landfills.

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A Web site that leaked details of Windows XP Service Pack 3 over the weekend claimed that the update includes several new features, including some borrowed from Windows Vista.

According to NeoSmart Technologies, Windows XP SP3 build 3205, which was released to beta testers on Sunday, includes four new features among the 1,000-plus individual hot fixes and patches that have been issued since XP2’s debut three years ago.

Features backported from Vista, said NeoSmart, include Network Access Protection (NAP), an enterprise policy enforcement technology that inspects client PCs before they access a corporate network, then updates the machines if necessary or blocks them if they don’t meet specified security criteria.

Other additions range from a kernel module containing several encryption algorithms that can be accessed by third-party developers, to a new Windows activation model that doesn’t require users to enter a product key.

Microsoft had previously announced SP3 support for NAP, which is part of Windows Vista and will be included in the not-yet-finalized Windows Server 2008.

Windows XP SP3, which Microsoft has said will be released early in 2008, will be one more move by the developer to extend the lifespan of the six-year-old operating system. Last month, for example, Microsoft gave Windows XP a five-month reprieve by pushing back the end of retail sales and sales of XP-powered PCs by large resellers to June 30, 2008.

And last week, Microsoft debuted a new “get-legal” program that lets companies purchase large quantities of Windows XP Professional licenses through their usual resellers.

Microsoft was not immediately available for comment on the leak, or the new features touted by NeoSmart.

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Windows Vista is pretty. Nobody disputes the fact that the Aero interface is pretty, and in some cases even useful. And there are a lot of security measures built into the operating system. But many users have reported software they rely on isn’t compatible with the latest operating system from Microsoft. Power management features often don’t work the way they’re supposed to. And sometimes too much security isn’t a good thing (for example when your computer asks for your permission to perform what seem like the most basic tasks.

It turns out Microsoft has not turned a blind eye to all these complaints. And while most computer makers are offering Vista on their new PCs, Microsoft has made it easy for PC manufacturers to offer a downgrade option to Windows XP.

The downgrade option is only available for Windwos Vista Business and Ultimate editions. And PC makers get to decide if and how to offer the downgrade. Fujitsu has begun including an XP disc in boxes of computers it ships, while HP offers customers the ability to configure business models with XP. Lenovo will be selling XP “recovery discs” to customers who buy Vista Business or Ultimate until July 31, 2008. Hopefully by then Windows Vista Service Pack 1 will be out and will address most, or at least some of the major complaints.

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It’s not secret that a lot of folks are less than pleased with Windows Vista. And while Windows XP has been on the shelves for more than 5 years, Microsoft’s longest-reigning operating system still suits the needs of computer users.

But it turns out that there’s a downside to having an operating system that’s been as popular as XP for as long as 5+ years. You eventually start to run out of working product activation keys.

Microsoft has created a new build of Windows XP Professional called SP2c. It’s virtually identical to Windows XP Professional SP2. But it includes new product activation keys. SP2c will be available to computer makers and resellers within the next month, and will help support the availability of Windows XP Professional through January 31, 2009.

There’s no word of updates for Windows XP Home, Media Center Edition, Tablet PC edition, or Professional 64-bit edition.

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Computer makers have been told they’ll no longer be able to get Windows XP OEM by the end of this year, despite strong ongoing demand for the OS. Analysts and computer makers are wondering if the move is premature given Vista’s ongoing performance and compatibility issues. Dell recently said it would reintroduce XP on a range of machines due to customer demand but Microsoft will only allow this until the end of the year.

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