|
|
Tested: Windows XP Service Pack 3
Service Pack 3 has just popped up in Windows Update, shouting, ‘Install me now, install me now!’ like a 12-year old after a twelve pack of Red Bull. We’ve tested the new Service Pack to see what’s new and whether it’ll make your system faster, slower or not make any difference at all.
Windows
Service Packs used to be simple affairs, combining previously released updates,
fixes and tweaks in one installer so that it was easy to keep up to date,
particularly for administrators dealing with many PCs. However, Service Pack 2 for Windows XP changed the useful-but-dull
image of Service Packs by significantly improving XP’s look and feel. After
all, SP2 included the easy-to-use Security Center and its improved Windows
Firewall, security tools for Internet Explorer, pop-up blocking and hugely
improved wireless networking.
Given this
precedent and the inevitable rumours that XP SP3 might include some Vista-style
enhancements (it was even, at one point, rumoured it would include the now-mythical
XP port of DirectX 10), we were eager to put SP3 to the test.
First, the
disappointment: Microsoft explicitly states that ‘Windows XP SP3 will not
significantly change customers’ experience with the operating system’ but that
it does include ‘all previously released updates for the operating system, in
addition to a small number of new functionalities.’
So don’t get
your hopes up for Aero Glass or DirectX 10 in XP, or indeed anything that will
significantly change the way XP looks or works. However, the mention of ‘new
functionalities’ is intriguing, despite the word ‘functionalities’ causing
shivers of revulsion in anyone with any fondness for the English language.
WHAT'S NEW
- ‘Black hole’ router detection
- Network Access Protection (NAP)
- Descriptive Security Options user interface
- Enhanced security administrator and service policy entries
- Microsoft kernel mode cryptographic module
- Windows product activation
Security
improvements are the mainstay of SP3, which isn’t surprising given the general
perception that a Microsoft operating system is only slightly less of a
security risk than publicising your home address in the national papers after
having won the Lottery.
The new
security additions aren’t particularly exciting though. ‘Black hole’ routers
are those that incorrectly discard data packets without notification, and SP3
will detect when this happens and ignore these routers. Meanwhile, NAP is only
useful to a PC connected to a Windows Server 2008 machine, while the next two
additions are minor changes to relatively esoteric Administrator-level security
settings – most won’t need or use them.
The
cryptographic module provides multiple cryptographic algorithms for kernel-mode
drivers and services, allowing applications to link to this module and thus be
able to use super-secure hardware security tokens.
Reddit | Technorati
I have just installed windows service pack 3 on my desk top & now cannot connect to my Sky broadband. The connection is Ok as my laptop is connecting wirelessly Ok. Any suggestions gratefully received!
Comment by topcat at 1:19pm 10th August 2008
I installed SP3 on my Up to Date XP Service pack 2 installation. No change in system speed, But my wireless stopped working, The address bar that you can add on the start bar no longer exists, and it totally bombed out on 3 of my users machines. Which are identical to mine. Service pack 3 is not a good pack. I would rather have SP2 and keep updating it. Microsoft need a wake up call in their testing enviroment
Comment by Vegetto at 5:44am 19th May 2008
I installed SP3 on my Up to Date XP Service pack 2 installation. No change in system speed, But my wireless stopped working, The address bar that you can add on the start bar no longer exists, and it totally bombed out on 3 of my users machines. Which are identical to mine. Service pack 3 is not a good pack. I would rather have SP2 and keep updating it. Microsoft need a wake up call in their testing enviroment
Comment by Vegetto at 5:44am 19th May 2008
- I did, and I like it, and I've had absolutely no problems. All my games run equally well, too.
Comment by jaguar515 at 6:55pm 17th May 2008
I tried this umpteen times on a 680i mobo and HD2900XT combo and it continually lost my soundcard and drivers. It kept reporting an HD audio fault. As a last resort I stuck it onto my other NF4 based PC and everything was fine and dandy except for the fact it wont install communative security patch for IE7. This is its 4th or 5th failed attempt. Too much hit or miss with this SP. Vista worked fine but not SP3 Rob
Comment by robingordon at 11:06pm 16th May 2008
those very small changes in what you think were good...... Try running them after playing crysis, and on a fresh reboot... they are always fluctuating.... *sigh* 2FPS in crysis just isnt news... 20FPS would be
Comment by Lightning_Pete at 12:02am 14th May 2008
Ok SP3 has been out now for a while? I have the final version installed for around 3 weeks. You people really need your head sorting out, SP3 is brilliant. Its made all my games a lot more stable. It improved Crysis minimum fps by 2fps. Its made online gaming more stable as there are a lot less loss of packets then in SP2. Plus the desktop feels slightly faster, smoother and loading times have had a slight improvment as well over SP2. My score in CPC benchmarks went up from 1553 to 1580. Thats a good improvment, also 3DMark06 went up from 14017 points to 14150 a good improvment also.
Comment by CPC_RedDawn at 5:02pm 10th May 2008
It passed the important test, will install it this weekend! Vista can wait a bit longer...
Comment by KHenry_07 at 3:29pm 10th May 2008
It still shaved off a couple points in the benchmarks, imagine if u needed those precious 5 points to beat the CPC office PC? rofl! Anyway yes its unexciting, its pants, and i wouldnt even call it a Service Pack!
Comment by Lightning_Pete at 10:25am 10th May 2008
Make a Comment
- The FAIL Feature
- Episode 21 of the Custom PC podcast
- How to add any song to Guitar Hero 3
- How to get a cooler Radeon HD 4870 with manual fan speed control
- Inside Intel's SSD
- Wishlist for a next-gen EeePC
- Readers Drives - Positive Education
- Complete Guide To Building Your Own Acrylic SFF case
- Ten Technologies that can Revolutionise PCs
- Episode 20 of the Custom PC podcast
These are the most popular news articles over the past seven days.
- Intel has ‘serious questions’ about AMD split
- Rumour control: 55nm GeForce 200-series GPUs on the way
- Nvidia head lambasts Larrabee
- User Account Control to be relaxed in Windows 7
- High-speed Seagate SSDs coming next year
- OCZ's first CPU waterblock released
- Introversion launches Save Multiwinia campaign
Broadband Dongles
Fastest, cheapest 3G mobile broadband dongles from 3, Vodafone, T-Mobile and Orange
from just £10/month
