Features

Microsoft uses Windows service packs as an opportunity to bundle together all its previously released security and bug fixes, as well as introducing new features. As such, they have always been a big event and many people even refuse to upgrade to a new operating system until the first service pack has been released.

Microsoft has stated that it wants to move away from service packs and focus its attention on trickling more frequent updates through Windows Update. That day hasn't come yet, so Windows Vista and, more surprisingly, Windows XP have brand new service packs available. We downloaded the latest versions of each to see what changes they bring. You can update your own system by following the instructions in the box below.

Windows XP Service Pack 3

You may have thought that Microsoft had forgotten about Windows XP users, but Service Pack 3 (SP3) shows that it's not the case. This is the last major update XP users will see, though, so it's no wonder that this release has prompted a degree of expectation. Sadly, those looking for sweeping changes or even a range of new features to bring XP closer to what Vista can offer will be sorely disappointed.

Rather than introducing lots of new features, SP3 is mostly a bundled collection of all the earlier hotfixes and updates (more than 1,000 in total). This means that, as with previous service packs, SP3 is all you need to patch a fresh installation of Windows XP - you don't even need to install SP1 or SP2 first. From a convenience point of view, this is great as you don't have to download thousands of updates from Windows Update to make

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your system as secure and reliable as possible.

SP3 also includes updates for both Internet Explorer 6 and 7, and Windows Media Player 10 and 11. This is quite surprising, as we'd have expected Microsoft to use SP3 to force an upgrade to Windows Media Player 11 and Internet Explorer 7; in light of this, we recommend that you upgrade these packages manually to make the most of the new features.

The new features introduced to Windows XP are mostly minor changes to the way the operating system works, and some of them will appeal only to businesses. Product activation has been changed to bring XP in line with Vista, so you don't need to enter a product key during installation when installing from an XP CD with SP3 integrated.

If you've got an older install disc and you want to take advantage of this option, you'll need to slipstream SP3 to a new install disc. We provided full details of how to do this in our PC Builder article in Shopper 235, 'Slipstream your XP installation', which you can find in PDF form on the cover disc.

Black hole sun

Routers are the backbone of the internet, as they decide which way your traffic should go to reach its destination. As routers get busy, they can silently drop network traffic without warning, making it look as if there's a fault. These routers are known as black holes. SP3 improves XP's ability to detect these, so it can deal with the problem more effectively. This detection is also turned on by default.

If you're running a business and you want to upgrade to Windows Server 2008, you'll be pleased with SP3's Network Access Protection (NAP). This service enables a server to judge a client's 'health' before allowing it access. Home users are unlikely to use this feature, though.

Microsoft has added more descriptive information to the Security Options control panel so that it explains exactly what a setting does. This sounds extremely useful, but the Security Options control panel is hidden deep within the Administrative Tools part of the Control Panel, which most home users won't ever need to use. It would have been better to put this information with the tools that most people use, such as Users and Security Center.