Triplesourced
Reporting, musing and not to mention some random scribbling on tech issues from green/sustainable IT to security. (http://adonoghue.wordpress.com/)
Thursday 21 February 2008, 10:36 AM
Spoke too soon about XP SP3?
After putting our collective noggins together we guessed that the mystery release could be the long awaiting update to XP - service pack 3.
However after doing some fishing with Microsoft's press officers, we got the following statement back last night (in full-blown Microsoft speak) which seems to indicate a release later in the first half of this year:
Yesterday (19.02.08), we released Windows XP SP3 RC 2 to the Microsoft Download Center. This release catches the build up on previously released hotfixes and responds to the critical feedback from the previous betas. We are targeting 1H 2008 for the release of XP SP3 RTM, though our timing will always be based on customer feedback as a first priority.
Bonus points to anyone able to decode this message which sounds like it's been written in Klingon and then run through Babelfish to me. I guess we'll have to wait and see what today brings - I am still not ruling out XP SP3 as that message is classic non-denial denial but it's looking less likely.
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I tried to install XP SP3 RC2 today. I already had XP SP3 RC1 installed, so I followed MS instructions to remove it first. This apparently took me back to my original XP installation with SP2 by removing all subsequent updates including SP3 RC1, and also reverted Internet Explorer to version 6.
After applying the registry patch, Windows Update offered me 90 patches but this was when I noticed Internet Explorer 6, so before proceeding I installed Internet Explorer 7. Following this, Windows Update still offered me 66 patches so I went ahead and installed them. On completion my computer properties showed that I only had XP SP2 installed.
So I used System Restore to go back to where I started, with SP3 RC1 installed. and checked in again with Windows Update where no further patches were available, and, of course, my history was wiped out (after doing System Restore).
So, firstly since installing SP3 RC1, I was apparently unable to install any further security patches and, secondly after removing SP3 RC1, I was apparently unable to install SP3 RC2, only all the above mentioned 66 patches which had presumably been installed on my computer before originally installing SP3 RC1.
Incidentally, I only installed XP Pro SP2 on 23rd December as a downgrade from Vista Home Premium.
In conclusion, It appears that if I wish to Install XP SP3 at any time in the future, I will have to do a clean install unless MS can fix whatever bug this is. Meantime, I do not know if I can install any further security patches with SP3 RC1 installed.
Incidentally, on a subjective basis, I did think I experienced some improvement in the performance and stability of my other computer on which XP Pro has been installed for about 2 years.
Further to my comments above, I have just successfully installed XP SP3 on a heavily skinned (Mac Lookalike) XP SP2 computer without any apparent problems. It just took rather a long time.
From the screens that became available, I was able to see that a CD of XP SP3 can be ordered, perhaps only in America as I didn't folow up. Possibly this indicates it's finalised without admission.
I'm unable to say whether this computer is running any differently following the update, The installation is over three and a half years old so presumably some loose ends did get tidied up.
Of course, if there is a final release of XP SP3, will this RC candidate create the same problem all over again.
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