Microsoft Confirms Windows XP SP3
Posted by lardiop on 30 September 2005 - 18:24 · 38 comments & 9684 views
In an interview with ZDNet News today, Microsoft's French security head Bernard Ourghanlian revealed that the software giant will indeed release a third service pack for Windows XP. According to Ourghanlian, Microsoft is planning to ship SP3 after the launch of Windows Vista next year, claiming that their new OS is the foremost "priority for the development teams."

This doesn’t exactly come as a surprise seeing as how many corporate customers will still be using XP on their desktops for years after the launch of Vista. As for new features that we can expect in SP3, a Microsoft representative commented that "Historically, certain functions of new versions of Windows are integrated in the service packs of previous versions." One can assume this will mean updated "Vista-Age" versions of software like Windows Media Player being integrated into this new service pack. Internet Explorer 7 integration is still up in the air after a Microsoft developer commented a few weeks back that their "current plan is to continue to ship IE6 on XP SP3, but IE7 will be supported on XP SP3."

View: ZDNet Article
View: Unofficial List of XP SP3 Fixes @ The Hotfix

Changelog for version 2.5:
  • Added: you can now specify program categories for the Hot Launch Menu. Each category is displayed in the Hot Launch Menu as a separate submenu
  • Now you can specify the "Stay On Top" property dynamically from the Advanced Task Switcher for all currently running programs
  • Each program can be started from the Hot Launch Menu with the set property "Stay On Top"
  • Added: a capability to shut down or restart the PC from the program's tray menu icon and from the Advanced Task Switcher
Task Commander version 2.5 is fully compatible with Windows 98, Windows ME, Windows 2000, Windows 2003 and Windows XP.


There are 38 additional comments
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(1 reply) Quote this comment Reply to this comment #1 Posted by Saadu on 30 Sep 2005 - 18:35
I was hoping sp3 could come earlier and then later on they can port some vista features for xp in sp4.
Quote this comment #1.1 Posted by sphbecker on 01 Oct 2005 - 01:54
Everyone needs to understand that Vista features will NOT be back ported to XP. The things being back ported are part of the new WinFX application platform and thing the user is not likely to see. The point of moving WinFX back to XP is to allow applications written for Vista to run on XP.

New versions of Media Player and IE may very well be seen, but don't expect Glass effects or any of the more advanced Vista interface.
(1 reply) Quote this comment Reply to this comment #2 Posted by Express on 30 Sep 2005 - 18:38
Edited out- Looks like the article was corrected.
Quote this comment #2.1 Posted by vetlardiop on 30 Sep 2005 - 18:39
lol, I assume it was the Internet Explorer bit. After writing and posting it I realized that I had read somwhere that MS was having second thoughts about integration with SP3
Quote this comment Reply to this comment #3 Posted by INFERNO2k on 30 Sep 2005 - 18:44
Dang I was hoping for IE7.
(3 replies) Quote this comment Reply to this comment #4 Posted by dduardo on 30 Sep 2005 - 18:47
I thought Vista was Windows XP SP3.
Quote this comment #4.1 Posted by J_R_G on 30 Sep 2005 - 21:03
Gets funnier every time, no really.
Quote this comment #4.2 Posted by PCyr on 01 Oct 2005 - 02:45
That says a lot about you, doesn't it.
Quote this comment #4.3 Posted by mr_demilord on 01 Oct 2005 - 07:42
If MS released kernel patches/updates every month you would think that
(2 replies) Quote this comment Reply to this comment #5 Posted by MtDewCodeRedFreak on 30 Sep 2005 - 18:48
XP - Oct 2001
XP SP1 - Sept 2002
XP SP2 - Aug 2004

soo it can be after Vista RTMs in June 2006 ..... XP SP3 - July 2006

then Vista SP1 (that includes WinFS) in 6 to 18 months after RTM ..... meaning that it could be in Dec 2006 to Dec 2007
Quote this comment #5.1 Posted by todd` on 30 Sep 2005 - 18:52
I doubt there will only be a month between Vista RTM and XP SP3.
Quote this comment #5.2 Posted by itaniumpower on 30 Sep 2005 - 19:19
Yea... they may or may not do that. But if they do, 1 month after Vista's RTM they should be mad, hunting new bugs and preparing the first patches (as usual). I hope so..
(2 replies) Quote this comment Reply to this comment #6 Posted by Electronic Punk on 30 Sep 2005 - 18:48
Microsoft made it clear that service packs don't contain new software didn't they?
They said SP3 would not contain IE7, just like SP2 didn't contain WMP10
Quote this comment #6.1 Posted by vetlardiop on 30 Sep 2005 - 18:52
"Historically, certain functions of new versions of Windows are integrated in the service packs of previous versions."
Quote this comment #6.2 Posted by DigitalThoughts2006 on 01 Oct 2005 - 17:33
SP2 contains Windows Media Player 9 Series.
(2 replies) Quote this comment Reply to this comment #7 Posted by macstorm on 30 Sep 2005 - 19:02
QUOTE
Microsoft is planning to ship SP3 after the launch of Windows Vista next year, claiming that their new OS is the foremost "priority for the development teams."


...really??
Quote this comment #7.1 Posted by PCyr on 30 Sep 2005 - 20:00
Really
Quote this comment #7.2 Posted by mr_demilord on 01 Oct 2005 - 07:40
Ofcourse, it has to do with money, Windows Vista will be the big buckz.
Windows XP is a old OS with low priority, becos they already made enough money out of it.
(3 replies) Quote this comment Reply to this comment #8 Posted by kirk26 on 30 Sep 2005 - 19:38
Yes, sp3 is also known as Microsoft Windows Vista.
Quote this comment #8.1 Posted by PCyr on 30 Sep 2005 - 20:00
Really, care to explain? Or are you just here to troll?
Quote this comment #8.2 Posted by J_R_G on 30 Sep 2005 - 21:05
I don't think anyone can explain the slashdotification of a mind, but I do know it is similar to recieving a lobotomy in most ways..
Quote this comment #8.3 Posted by EduardValencia on 01 Oct 2005 - 00:55
OH what a wise comment,can i have your autograph? -duh-

go eat breakfast

Last edited by 69181 on 01 Oct 2005 - 19:35
Quote this comment Reply to this comment #9 Posted by Echelon Left on 30 Sep 2005 - 23:08
Like the article says, this isn't exactly a surprise. I for one have been expecting this for some time now. Frankly, this is just confirmation of what everyone already knew was going to be the case.
Quote this comment Reply to this comment #10 Posted by toadeater on 30 Sep 2005 - 23:31
Will it include DX10?
Quote this comment Reply to this comment #11 Posted by j0j081 on 01 Oct 2005 - 00:23
Anyone here actually think Vista will be RTM in June 2006? I'm betting Q4 2006.
(2 replies) Quote this comment Reply to this comment #12 Posted by Foub on 01 Oct 2005 - 00:46
What's the point? Vista will be out and thus making XP redundant.
Quote this comment #12.1 Posted by cheesegoduk on 01 Oct 2005 - 00:52
huh uh and 10000's of companies are just suddenly going to change to vista overnight?
Quote this comment #12.2 Posted by EduardValencia on 01 Oct 2005 - 19:44
awww foub
(4 replies) Quote this comment Reply to this comment #13 Posted by soldier1st on 01 Oct 2005 - 01:34
there won't be a service pack 4 for windows xp,i'm betting vista will ship by next christmas,for sp3 some of the old code should be removed and only leave some of it like they are doing with vista.
Quote this comment #13.1 Posted by PCyr on 01 Oct 2005 - 03:21
XP was out for two years already when they released SP4 for Windows 2000.
Quote this comment #13.2 Posted by The Grasshopper on 01 Oct 2005 - 06:36
Considering that thier hasn't been a new OS from microsoft...i think an update to XP via sp2 and 3 and 4, sounds reasonable. because 2000 came out..and then xp the next year...working on 5 years for xp...they should backport everything they can to ensure that people Need and Want to go buy Vista.
Quote this comment #13.3 Posted by Kushan on 01 Oct 2005 - 13:05
And don't forger, there's like 6 service packs for windows NT.

As long as they still have more customers running XP than vista, Microsoft will keep it updated.
Which is good, because so far Vista just seems like one big pile of bloat.
Quote this comment #13.4 Posted by EduardValencia on 01 Oct 2005 - 19:39
Kushan,well your post was good but in the last half you threw it out of the boat,please,Vista is far better than any other predecessor


Last edited by 69181 on 01 Oct 2005 - 19:49
Quote this comment Reply to this comment #14 Posted by Staind on 02 Oct 2005 - 06:35
Assuming that most companies are still running on Windows 2000, SPs for XP may just on its halfway.
Well, I'd rather go for Vista once it's out.
Quote this comment Reply to this comment #15 Posted by soldier1st on 02 Oct 2005 - 07:31
alot of companies are still running 98 and 2000 and will be for many more years.vista needs high power,xp not as much just it likes memory.nt oses love memory.dos based oses love cpus.vista likes both memory and cpu.
Quote this comment Reply to this comment #16 Posted by venejo on 02 Oct 2005 - 21:41
Why this is even news. I mean who thought that there won't be a next service pack. There are hundreds of pre-sp3 hotfixes and not to say that there will be and a forth service pack. The only thing i can consider news is a beta or RTM date.

Last edited by 49908 on 02 Oct 2005 - 21:47
(1 reply) Quote this comment Reply to this comment #17 Posted by Vandil on 03 Oct 2005 - 12:18
It's pretty clear with XP SP2 that Microsoft has changed their attitude regarding service packs. Rather than just be a ball of Hotfixes and legal remediations, the company is now using them to add new features to the OS and rearchitect some of the core technology. XP SP2 was more or less a new version of Windows rather than just a humble service pack. Many people I know refer to XP SP2 as "Windows XP Second Edition."

I can only expect that when the Vista team ships Vista, the XP team will be free to work on XP SP3 upgrades, like IE7 and such. It may even be "Windows XP Milennium Edition"
Quote this comment #17.1 Posted by andrewhaji on 12 Jan 2006 - 23:29
Windows XP Millennium Edition? It had better not be called that. I still have nightmares from the days of Windows Me. Plus, the "millennium" happened six years ago. It's old news. What they SHOULD do is call it "Windows XP Super Duper Wicked Cool Edition".

...I just realized I posted to a dead topic. Oh well!
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