Microsoft Extends XP Installation Support Until 2010

Because of the increased demand and supply of compact laptops like the Asus EEE PC, Microsoft has conceded to distributing Windows XP as late as 2010, according to the New York Times.

This'll put a damper on Microsoft's hope to get Vista to catch on, especially since the next edition of Windows, Windows 7, should be out by 2010 anyway. Oops!

I've been with Windows XP since 2002, and have used the same OEM installation CD even until now (sure, I've reinstalled many times), and have always advocated it as a great OS. Obviously many other people think so as well.

Windows XP SP3 Finally Released via Automatic Update

I wouldn't know since I'd had Service Pack 3 installed for a week or so now, but apparently Microsoft has finally officially released Windows XP Service Pack 3 via Automatic Update. It was originally scheduled to be released April 29th (a week ago), but there had been incompatibilities with a small niche of business customers. But starting today, if you have Automatic Update activated, it should be waiting for you to let it do its thing.







I've been heartily recommending SP3 for a long time, if not for the potential performance gains, but definitely for the increased stability and security. Long live XP!



(Via Tip and Trick)

Windows XP Service Pack 3 Delayed

PCMag reports that XP SP3 won't be making the Automatic Update rounds to users today as originally scheduled. Apparently there's some software incompatibility involving small retail businesses using Windows XP. Microsoft is delaying deploying SP3 until they can filter out users that are incompatible.

If you can't wait that long, remember that you can download XP SP3's final release yourself, even from Microsoft's servers. As the article I wrote up a few days ago says, there shouldn't be any problems for you.

Meanwhile, here's a more comprehensive write up to let you know what SP3 is all about.

Lightning Review: Windows XP Service Pack 3

Windows XP SP3 arrives tomorrow to XP users via Automatic Update, but several sites online have begun putting up links to download the 300 megabyte install file, and after reading several other users' thumbs-up on security, I decided to take the plunge, partly so I can go ahead and tell you whether the latest service pack was worth it.



First of all, before I went and installed the file, I first defragged my hard drive, then made a full backup of my C: drive using Windows Backup. The SP3 install offers easy uninstallation if you regret the decision, but I figure if something goes wrong I might not be able to access the uninstallation at all, so I decided to play it safe.



Before I installed, I also ran 3dmark03 to benchmark my computer, in case there was some reason why XP SP3 would speed up my computer from a gaming standpoint. I got a score of between 3679 and 3712 (I tested a few times). It's not a great mark at all, but I wasn't surprised given how old my system is.



Well, no worries, because the entire installation went off without a hitch. It required one or two restarts just to get the computer back to its old self, and the only mess that came up was the "Show Desktop" and "Internet Explorer" icons reappearing in my Quick Launch after I'd gone and deleted them. It was no problem to redelete those files.







I ran 3dmark again, and it showed a score of 3709. So, no change at all in gaming performance. I couldn't confirm other reports of a 10% performance gain in Office because I don't use Office.



Overall, XP SP3 wasn't the XP fountain of life I might've hyped myself up for, but it does offer a bunch of security fixes that I'm sure many people concerned about Windows' security would be happy about (I didn't really know how to test those either). It didn't offer any real performance gain at all, and the interface looks exactly the same. It does, however, work as well as it did before, and just for the security fixes, this Service Pack is well worth it and further reason to hold onto XP and not go with Vista.

Windows XP Service Pack 3 Due in 2 Weeks!

Oh man, Windows XP Service Pack 3 is due to hit Windows Update on April 29th! Early Release Candidate reports have claimed up to a 10% performance boost (yes!) and better network performance (not as important to me, but I'm sure good for others). This'll be the last Service Pack for Windows XP (meanwhile Vista's Service Pack 1 is already causing problems)

Even awesomer reason to hold on to Windows XP versus moving up to Vista! I've been waiting for this for several months now, and I'm super psyched that it gets me even more mileage out of my current system. Here's hoping it can actually speed up rendering of my video projects and increase performance of my games.

Has anyone out there actually tried the previous SP3 release candidates, and can you vouch for these performance gains?