More on Windows XP Service Pack 3

For the first time in a few weeks, I think the last week went by without any new reports from subscribers about problems installing XP Service Pack 3. That probably means that the rest of us are waiting for reports that Microsoft has solved and updated it to fix some of the incompatibility problems. Notice that I said "us" — I haven't installed it yet, either.

I received an email recently from reader Claire who asked:

Hi Terry, Did XP Service Pack 3 come in as an Automatic Update or do you have to retrieve it separately? I thought service packs included all important updates in one package. Does the Service Pack have more than what is normally sent out in the Automatic Updates? Thanks.

Fortunately, Microsoft did not push XP Service Pack 3 as an Automatic Update. If you let Windows update your computer automatically, you did not receive XP SP3 that way. [Thanks, Microsoft - you made the right choice on that one.]

If you have Windows XP updates set to automatic, you have received a new version of Microsoft's antipiracy program Windows Genuine Advantage Validation Tool. This tool is not optional. Periodically, Microsoft releases a new version of it. We have to download it and allow it to validate our copy of Windows in order to get additional updates. {Their Windows Genuinen Advantage Notification tool is the one that is optional and that I do not install.)

Now, when you run Microsoft Update, you are presented with the option to install Windows Service Pack 3. Notice that, below the button to install XP SP3, there is another section of the screen that allows you to look for other updates without installing XP SP3. Again, Microsoft gave us a reasonable choice so that we can continue to get updates without having to install XP SP3 at this time.

If you do not let Windows update automatically, you have to run Microsoft Update manually to get your updates. In this case, the first update you receive is the antipiracy Windows Genuine Advantage Validation Tool.

Once you've downloaded and installed it, you can run Microsoft Updates again to be offered XP SP3. As above, you can click on the button lower down the page to skip XP SP3 and check for other updates.

What is in Windows XP Service Pack 3? If you have been doing all your Windows updates, you have some of the items in SP3.

XP SP3 also includes a number of other fixes and changes that Micrsoft had available via microsoft.com, but which had not ever released as part of the monthly update programs.

One, for example, is the WPA2 wireless encryption protocol you could get it from microsoft.com if you went and looked for it, but XP SP3 is the first Microsoft update that has the new protocol.

For now, my recommendation on Windows XP Service Pack 3 is to wait. If you want to get the WPA2 encryption protocol, go to microsoft.com and search for "download wpa2 update".

Copyright © 2008 Terry A. Stockdale. All rights reserved.