With Service Pack 2 installed, Window XP has proven to be a notably durable and reasonably secure version of the operating system. The August 2004 release of SP2 dramatically upgraded the security of the original XP, adding the Windows Firewall and Windows Defender, along with easily configurable options to block or allow specific kinds of traffic into your system. Since SP2 came out, Microsoft has continued to supply fixes and enhancements via Windows (and Microsoft) Updates. For the most part, Windows XP Service Pack 3 simply rolls all the fixes and upgrades into a single convenient package, though there are a few brand-new additions with SP3. Whether the new additions catch your eye or not, security upgrades make applying the service pack a good idea—but make sure you know about possible compatibility issues (detailed later in this review).
 | | SLIDESHOW (7) | |
 | |||
| Slideshow | All Shots | |||
| |||
SP3 may well be the end of the line for XP service packs—Microsoft\'s mainstream support for the OS ends in 2009, although extended support will run through 2014. That\'s not to say that there isn\'t plenty of room for improvement in the now venerable XP. My wish list includes new functionality (such as the ability, in Windows Explorer, to switch between folder and favorites views and to navigate folders from the locations field), along with better memory management—especially for multimedia production programs—and stronger built-in security. A few overhauls wouldn\'t be out of place, either, particularly of utilities such as Backup and Paint and all those other things that have been lying around largely unchanged since the original XP and even before. Actually, this would be a good time to introduce a few of Vista\'s user interface upgrades, if only to make XP users look longingly towards the newer OS.
Alas, that\'s not what SP3 delivers. The new stuff isn\'t particularly noteworthy, and the rest has been available already through Windows Update. SP3 functions primarily as a collection of past fixes with a few security additions. SP3 is most certainly essential for anyone who hasn\'t applied SP2, and for those who haven\'t kept up with the Windows Update downloads, but if you\'ve been on top of things, SP3 won\'t do much for you.
The most obvious new additions are the latest versions of Microsoft\'s browser and media player—Media Player 11 and Internet Explorer 7.0—both of which have been downloadable for quite some time. You\'ll also notice (if you look hard enough) new and clearer deions of some settings in the Control Panel Security Options applet, changes designed to help users avoid configuring system security incorrectly. The only other significant user-interface modification lies with the taskbar, which no longer has the Address Bar—a change Microsoft describes as a regulatory request.—Next: So What Else Is New?
So What Else Is New?
Besides the loss of the Address Bar and the new deions in Security Options, here\'s what\'s new in SP3. First, as with Vista, you no longer need to provide the product key during installation. If you don\'t, however, you\'ll be prompted for the product key later as part of the Genuine Advantage check that Windows initiates. Second, SP3 adds support for FIPS 140-1 Level 1 cryptography as a DLL at the kernel level. Developers can access this Kernel Mode Cryptographic Module, making use of the cryptographic algorithms to improve the security of their own drivers. In addition, SP3 improves black hole router detection (sensing of routers dropping certain kinds of packets), allowing XP to reconfigure the Transmission Control Protocol (TCP) to keep connections alive without the performance compromise the detection formerly caused. SP3 turns on detection by default; in earlier versions of XP, the facility was both less capable and, to minimize processor load, turned off by default.
| | SLIDESHOW (7) | |
| |||
| Slideshow | All Shots | |||
| |||
Also included is a Network Access Protection module, which allows network administrators to establish policies that ensure each attached XP machine has a high enough health level—in other words, is secure enough—to access the network. Health levels can be based on any combination of antivirus signatures, firewall and port settings, and the current update status of the PC according to Windows Update. When an XP machine attempts to contact the network, it must pass a health test. If the system fails, the network can prevent or restrict access.
Again, though, there\'s nothing actually new here as far as the Windows world goes. Vista has already eliminated the need for the product key during installation, and it has already included the Kernel Mode Cryptographic Module, the Network Access Protection module, and improved black hole router detection. In other words, the new features in Windows XP Service Pack 3 are actually taken from Vista (and associated OSs such as Windows Server 2008). It\'s entirely possible that Microsoft will continue to backport specific features from Vista, especially since XP threatens to hang around for a while, but don\'t expect to see anything approaching a full Vista implementation in the aging OS. Still, the major security issues will almost certainly find their way into XP as long as organizations continue to use it. And, given that major vendors continue to offer business systems with XP installed, this could be the case for quite a while.
As mentioned, numerous additions to SP3 have already been available as downloads. These include support for Wi-Fi Protected Access version 2 (WPA2), the most recent wireless-networking security upgrade, as well as version 3.0 of the Microsoft Management Console (MMC), version 3.1 of Windows Installer, and the Digital Identity Management Service (DIMS), which validates security certificates and private keys when a user logs on to a server running Windows 2003 SP1 or later. These inclusions are in addition to the huge array of hotfixes that Microsoft has made available via Windows Update over the years.—Next: Proceed with Caution
Proceed with Caution
And what about compatibility? Devices running Windows Embedded or Windows Fundamentals for Legacy PCs will not be able to install SP3. Updates to those OS versions will be available later. And if you\'re running Windows XP Starter Edition, don\'t install SP3—you won\'t be able to log on. But Windows XP Media Center machines, of which there are thousands, raise the biggest concern. The SP3 beta stopped these PCs from receiving Media Center updates (this was certainly the case on my own PC) and often prevented connections to Media Center Extender devices, including the Extender for Xbox. These issues should be addressed by the time Microsoft releases SP3, but keep checking PC Magazine for news about the problem being resolved. In particular, if you see a fully public beta download of SP3, check for compatibility before giving it a try.
| | SLIDESHOW (7) | |
 | |||
| Slideshow | All Shots | |||
| |||
Much like Vista SP1, XP SP3 is an update you\'ll almost certainly apply to your PC, but it\'s not about to change your daily computing life. Still, if this really is the end for XP service packs, it\'s an important final step that will make your machine more secure. Security might not be much fun, but you certainly don\'t want to do without it.
More Windows XP Related Reviews:
• Microsoft Office 2007 Beta 2 Technical Refresh
• Movielink
• Hands on with Windows XP Service Pack 1 Beta
• TiVo for Your PC or PDA
• Microsoft PowerToys for Windows XP
• more
