Windows XP SP3 Final Release Now Available

Two weeks ago, we posted that Microsoft released the first and only release candidate for Windows XP Service Pack 3, and now the final release is available. Weighing in at 336.1MB, the installer can upgrade your PC to the latest and greatest Windows XP version in about 10 minutes on a speedy machine.

Up until now, we haven’t had much of a clue as to what SP3 actually updates, but Microsoft has now released a white paper that bares all. Oh, and they want to make one thing very clear: “Microsoft is not adding significant functionality from newer versions of Windows, such as Windows Vista, to Windows XP through XP SP3.”

One notable feature is that SP3 allows Windows XP to be installed without entering the serial key during the installation. This would of course require updated Windows XP media which contains the latest service pack, but is still a nice feature regardless. No new functionality is added to SP3, so if you feel you need to upgrade to see what’s new, don’t stress it.

Windows XP Service Pack 3 (SP3) includes all previously released Windows XP updates,
including security updates and hotfixes. It also includes select out-of-band releases, and a small
number of new enhancements, which do not significantly change customers’ experience with the operating system.

Source: Windows XP SP3 Download Page