Windows XP Service Pack 3 RTM is finally available for download. Microsoft released the service pack to manufacturing, at the beginning of this week, on April 21, 2008 and is now making headway towards the general availability of XP SP3. Officially, the final version of XP SP3 is scheduled for delivery starting with the end of this month. However, Windows XP SP3 RTM Build 5512 has been leaked and is already up for grabs, ahead of the release timetable outlined by the Redmond company.
At the start of this week, Chris Keroack, Release Program Manager Windows Sustainability Microsoft, announced the RTM of XP SP3, and pointed to April 29 as the date when end users would be able to access the service pack via both Windows Update and the Download Center. The Redmond company planned to serve the gold bits of Windows XP SP3 starting on May 2 to MSDN and TechNet subscribers, following general availability on April 29. Read More»
Posted in Windows XP | 1 Comment »
February 28, 2008 by
Jason The end of 2007 and the beginning of 2008 have been a veritable Service Pack fiesta for Microsoft in terms of the company’s flagship products. Both Windows and Office have got their fair share of updates, but the productivity suite of both the 2003 and 2007 versions has simply beaten the Windows client to the punch, so to speak. Microsoft made available both Office 2003 SP3 and Office 2007 SP1 ahead of Windows Vista SP1 and Windows XP SP3. In fact, the third service pack for Office 2003 dropped as early as September 2007.
Microsoft’s perspective over Office 2003 SP3 is that the service pack represents merely a pit stop for Office users on the road to the Office 2007 System. At the same time, Office 2003 SP3 brought to the table enhancements around the board from security to performance and to increase compatibility with Windows Vista. Read More»
Posted in Office | 1 Comment »
February 11, 2008 by
Jason Holding your breath while waiting for the final version of Windows XP Service Pack 3 won’t do you any good. In fact, you can go ahead and exhale now, because Microsoft is by no means in any hurry to make available the third and final service pack for Windows XP. However, the Redmond company is indeed hammering away at XP SP3, having released a new build of the service pack. While the gold bits of XP SP3 have failed to take a consistent contour on the immediate horizon, although it seemed that Windows Vista SP1 RTM would be synonymous with the releasing to manufacturing of the third service pack for XP, Microsoft confirmed a new development milestone. Read More»
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December 11, 2007 by
Jason A blocking tool (SPBlockerTools.EXE - 100k) is available for organizations that would like to temporarily prevent installation of Service Pack updates through Windows Update. This tool can be used with:
* Windows Server 2003 Service Pack 2 (valid through March, 2008)
* Windows XP Service Pack 3 (valid for 12 months following general availability)
* Windows Vista Service Pack 1 (valid for 12 months following general availability)
This toolkit contains three components. All of them function primarily to set or clear a specific registry key that is used to detect and block download of Service Packs from Windows Update. You only need to use the component which best serves your organization’s computer management infrastructure. Read More»
Posted in Windows Vista, Windows XP | 1 Comment »
December 11, 2007 by
Jason
With Microsoft having released Windows Vista Service Pack 1 Released Candidate via Connect, MSDN and TechNet, and a public build on the horizon any day now, you have to stare the truth in the face and start preparing for the deployment of the service pack. The same is valid for the third and final service pack for Windows XP. Chances are that if you are a home user, SP1 is the best news for Windows Vista you’ve got in a long time. The first Service Pack for Vista is designed to soften all the rough edges of the operating system, by increasing reliability, performance, support and security. But, there are certain scenarios where SP1, although a welcomed addition to the platform has to be kept on a short leash, especially in corporate environments. In this context, Microsoft is offering the possibility to block Vista SP1. Read More»
Posted in Windows Vista, Windows XP | 1 Comment »
