Monday, April 09, 2007

Windows XP Service Pack 3

Its been a while now since we all been waiting for the next update of Windows XP, either Home or Professional edition. That is the most anticipated Service Pack 3. Most of us are running Windows XP Service Pack 2, but since its release on August 6, 2004, there has been over 90 updates to Windows XP. Now over 2 years and still no news and confirmed date for SP3!

The tentative release date for SP3 has been scheduled for the second half of 2007, and that too is not very persuasive. Microsoft has not given any hint about. I have read somewhere on the net the few last weeks that even the tentative release in 2007 may be a postponed to 2008.

As stated on the Windows Service Road Map of Microsoft's website "
SP3 for Windows XP Professional (and Home) is currently planned for 1H CY2008. This date is preliminary."

The nightmare users have to through after a system reformat is tremendous. And there is no easy way to save or backup the updates after you download them. You must download each of them individually and execute each in turn after a fresh Windows re-install. The easiest way yet is to just log on to Microsoft Update and let the site do the updating job for you. Or you could use of of those "Windows Patch." These have been made to update your PC and it is to be noted that they are third party software. They indeed do a great job at giving you the latest updates but they do also cause a little modificating to your system.

Microsoft is giving its customers, or like it puts forward, its valued customers, a nightmarish time to wait for the next update. Professionals do indeed find this more than ridiculous. Consider a firm like Canonical Ltd, it makes it a must to come up with a new release of its Flagship Linux Operating System Ubuntu every 6 months. That doesn't just include updates and fixes but a whole new operating system, more stable and reliable. And now picture a firm like Microsoft making customers wait for now like more than 2 years and maybe even more. This is one more reason why more and more users are switching to Linux platforms.

If you are a fed up user, and want your Windows to be up-to-date, try using those patch for Windows XP and visit theHotFix.net for latest updates and to get the unofficial Windows XP SP3 The updates on thehotfix.net have not been confirmed by Microsoft though.

We do understand that Microsoft wants to put in all the latest bug fixes and new updates to its most successful OS, but 2 years is just too much considering the fact that support for XP ceases in late 2008. There should have been a Service Pack release between SP2 and latest one, which normally is SP4.

Let's hope it comes in time and we won't have to wait for next year!!!

You can read more at the following sites:
http://www.microsoft.com/windows/lifecycle/servicepacks.mspx
http://www.microsoft-watch.com/content/operating_systems/windows_xp_service_pack_3_not_until_2007.html
http://bink.nu/Article8569.bink

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