Windows XP SP3 goes to manufacturing, will be released April 29th

It's not nearly as big a deal as Vista SP1, but it looks like Windows XP SP3 will be out in just eight short days -- Microsoft just confirmed that it's been released to manufacturing, and that it'll be in Windows Update and the Microsoft Download Center on April 29th. No word on if OEMs and devs got access today like we'd heard, but it shouldn't be long now -- here's hoping that rumored 10 percent speed boost is for real.

[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]

[JT @ Apr 21st 2008 6:09PM]

it wasn't available on technet or MSDN as of 2 hours ago.

[Zak @ Apr 21st 2008 6:13PM]

Read the headline again?

[JT @ Apr 21st 2008 6:15PM]

@ Zak

Read the article and the corresponding link again?

"No word on if OEMs and devs got access today like we'd heard"

[Mr.Tech @ Apr 21st 2008 7:46PM]

10% increase in performance won't even let you play Crysis on low setting. "darn"

[Mark @ Apr 21st 2008 7:48PM]

"10% speed boost"???

where did this nonsense come from?

[CUBSWILLWIN @ Apr 21st 2008 8:35PM]

@ Mark
I have a feeling I might have misunderstood your post and am replying to you in a stupid matter, but to what I thought you said, early reports of beta tests of SP3 made XP 10 percent faster than Vista with or without SP1. Pretty nice for the people like me who don't really want to upgrade to vista.

[CUBSWILLWIN @ Apr 21st 2008 8:36PM]

what I meant to say that it was 10 percent faster and faster than vista with or without SP1. Sorry 'bout that.

[huh @ Apr 21st 2008 10:11PM]

I heard that the 10% speed boost was only for the time remaining gauge for file copy operations.

[Kakkoii @ Apr 22nd 2008 12:05AM]

Nope.

After installing SP3 on my computer, I saw a considerable rise in Frame-rate in the games I play.

SP3 does bring new optimizations, along with all previous Windows updates. Many of which most people don't even have.

So the performance increase can vary from person to person. But in all cases there will be some what of a performance increase. I can guarantee you that.

[Ghen @ Apr 23rd 2008 10:00AM]

Maybe the first comment on every post should have its replies wiped every 2 hours... People disappoint me.

[Shervin @ Apr 21st 2008 6:09PM]

It looks like everything in the world is being released April 29th...

[Javier @ Apr 21st 2008 6:59PM]

Wow, first GTAIV and now SP3, April 29th is starting to look like a fantastic day (if sp3 plays nice with my pc and my Eee of course).

[CUBSWILLWIN @ Apr 21st 2008 8:33PM]

Man, the 29th is gonna be a fantastic day for me. GTA IV, XP running SP3 and smoking vista in the matter of speed. Let's just hope for a 3G iphone conference, Starfighter comes as a PC and/or game system game, Palm creates an actual revelutionizing phone and lets throw in some talking edible apples get released by Apple. Boy, that day would be amazing.

[chezzo @ Apr 22nd 2008 12:33PM]

I'm far more excited about Ubuntu 8.04 in a couple of days :p

[Blacksheep @ Apr 21st 2008 6:10PM]

If this makes XP 10 percent faster than it is now, no one will willingly switch to Vista ever again.

[smk @ Apr 21st 2008 6:21PM]

They did more than once? (yes, I know what you meant) :P

I've gone between both OS's.

[Mr.Stick @ Apr 22nd 2008 12:38AM]

hopefully microsoft will switch dx10 and halo 2 two xp sp3 hopefully

[Blaine Oliver @ Apr 22nd 2008 2:12AM]

DX10 cannot be implemented into XP so gtfo...

[m.edgar @ Apr 22nd 2008 6:31AM]

DX10 can be implemented in XP, Microsoft just doesn't want to, as that would cut into Vista sales.

And if you don't want to believe me, at least believe Carmack; he's said this publicly too.

[OneLove @ Apr 22nd 2008 11:06AM]

They could have included DX10 functionality into the SP3, but didn't?

[OnlyShawn @ Apr 21st 2008 6:13PM]

sorry, the 29th is already reserved, Redmond. Perhaps you would like a nice date next week?

[Esat Dedezade @ Apr 21st 2008 6:30PM]

Yup, thats when millions of people are gonna be taking a trip to New Y.. Liberty City :)

"here's hoping that rumored 10 percent speed boost is for real."

Finally... if you add 10% to the speed holes I made in my laptop with an ice pick I'll be getting a 20% speed increase.

Now I just need to get a patch to remove all these black crack-like lines that have appeared on my screen...

[Andy @ Apr 21st 2008 7:32PM]

whats going on April 29th?

[Esat Dedezade @ Apr 21st 2008 7:45PM]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gta_4

[Seth @ Apr 21st 2008 9:33PM]

See? Microsoft always enjoys stealing the spotlight from other companies.

[Steve Wallen @ Apr 21st 2008 6:14PM]

Not up on the VPL site, was supposed to be posted today. Oh well, maybe tomorrow.

[_||_ @ Apr 21st 2008 6:15PM]

I can confirm from personal experience that SP3 uses appx. 50MB less RAM than SP2 (after changing the start-up type of the three new services added by SP3 to manual or simply stopping them after start-up). This is with RC2 to be precise. Hopefully, RTM will only improve this

[C.K. @ Apr 21st 2008 6:17PM]

I'll be camping at the Windows Update site for the next 8 days.

[Jonathan-DBOSS @ Apr 21st 2008 7:30PM]

I'll stay here at home playing some Doom till it comes. D =

[iPriest @ Apr 21st 2008 6:26PM]

I don't really get that updating scheme of Windows. People tell me that a service pack is the same as a MacOS upgrade like Leopard. So what are all the new features in this SP?

[A.C.E.R. @ Apr 21st 2008 6:31PM]

Ever heard of Google?

[conor @ Apr 21st 2008 6:54PM]

Here is the link.
http://www.fuckinggoogleit.com/

[Decoy @ Apr 21st 2008 7:56PM]

Similar but not the same. Mainly bug fixes and probably a few new features.

It will be free.

[mike @ Apr 21st 2008 8:50PM]

um. Windows rarely adds features. You have to actually buy upgrades to actual Windows versions (eg, 98, 2000, XP, Vista). And many are debating whether Vista was an improvement (hence this Engadget post).

Anything you get for free is just a software patch to fix problems, (either a service pack for Windows or a 0.0.1 upgrade to Mac OS X). The feature set is largely decided with each new paid version of the OS. (In fact, the Sarbaynes Oxley whatever the fuck pretty much ensures this)

That being said, modern OS's come with Apps that are updated from time to time, and those should be free. For example, many expect a new version of iTunes at the next Dev Conference from Apple. iTunes 8 would of course be free, and add many new features.

So when a Mac user says that Leopard 10.5.2 added features, yes, but it was mainly a stabilizing update, like a service pack.

The major difference between Apple and MS is that Apple can make its own hardware, and configure the OS accordingly, so they're much more agile in Software Development. MS serves business customers mainly so must maintain legacy compatibility (which is ironic since... you need a very new computer to run it).

[Nik @ Apr 21st 2008 6:29PM]

I JUST got my vista service pack 1 downloaded and that was how long ago? I'm not expecting this out for a while...

[Curtis the Claw:XBL - supapaypamawio @ Apr 21st 2008 7:12PM]

This is for XP SP3, not Vista SP3.

[Nik @ Apr 21st 2008 8:25PM]

Yes, i realize that, but what I'm saying is simple, it took me a month to get Vista SP1 on Microsoft update. If Vista is Microsoft's main OS, shouldn't that have been top priority over XP SP3 making it to the Update servers?
Just saying...

[A.C.E.R. @ Apr 22nd 2008 12:11AM]

WTF are you bitching about? Do you even know?

[Matt Dearman @ Apr 22nd 2008 10:24AM]

Vista is not Microsoft's 'main' OS. Newer, but not 'main' OS in terms of current usage, and popularity.

If anyone has been following the standard MS SP release schedule they would notice that SP3 is actually more then a year late, which if followed would have released SP3 right in the gravy train of Vista sales.

I don't personally think it wouldn't have mattered because people are either going to run Vista or they're not. If they pulled off XP SP3 development to focus on Vista SP1 development because they were afraid XP sales would surge due to SP3 and slump Vista sales temporarily Redmond must not have a very high level of confidence in Vista.

Anyway, SP3 isn't a new idea. I personally have been waiting twiddling my thumbs for about 2 years waiting for it.

All I've got to say that it's about time, and because it's egregiously late it bares the Microsoft symbol of so-so quality! Party at my house! We're all going to have watered down beer, and broken nacho chips to commemorate an occasion such as this.

[darkwooly @ Apr 21st 2008 6:31PM]

if it is really makes xp even faster then goodbye to vista!
vista wont have a chance then ever to recover

[Chebwa @ Apr 21st 2008 6:46PM]

Nobody who was switching to Vista is going to SUDDENLY CHANGE their minds at the last second because XP *MIGHT* run slightly faster. This is just a bonus to the holdouts (who seriously should probably stop holding out now).

[cybereality @ Apr 21st 2008 6:49PM]

Actually I was ready to buy Vista next week for my new rig, but I'll just get SP3 instead if its really 10% faster than SP2 (meaning even more faster than Vista). Ha!!!

[conor @ Apr 21st 2008 6:50PM]

New ULCPC came have xp for a while now and alot of people dont like spending $300+ each time a new OS comes out.

[conor @ Apr 21st 2008 6:52PM]

What are the specs on ur new rig? 3gb+ ram 2ghz+ cpu get vista

[John @ Apr 21st 2008 7:00PM]

I switched from XP to Vista on a 2.2GHz tablet with 2 gigs of RAM and Vista runs great, though naturally I have the eye candy turned down. Of course, I never dealt with it pre-SP1, but for the past week it's been running great.

[ssuk @ Apr 22nd 2008 2:28AM]

Yeah, fuck the security increases and overall advantages over Vista, XP runs FASTER and that's all that matters!

While we're at it, you know Windows 95, hell, Windows 2 would run lightning fast on your PC? How about we go back to using these?

[Chebwa @ Apr 22nd 2008 3:33AM]

"...naturally I have the eye candy turned down."

Why are you turning it down on a fast rig like that? It'll work fine if the video card is even mediocre.

[Matt Dearman @ Apr 22nd 2008 10:43AM]

It's too bad that XP OEM is being cut off on June 30th.

It's not ironic, XP gets SP3, and a proposed speed increase, just in time for sales to be discontinued. Don't fool yourself, Microsoft is scandalous like that.

Sure, you can purchase 25 OEM licenses if you're a white-box builder that carries a System Builder License, and sure you can purchase Vista Business or Ultimate and use the downgrade option but honestly, Do you really want what ends up to be a hybrid OS? The product you end up with isn't pure XP. For those of you who have a history in Windows, downgrading Vista to XP is a kin to the kind of ish you end up with after you take Windows 2000 and slap on an XP upgrade, or worse Windows 98 w/ a 2000 upgrade.

It just doesn't work, historically, or in the future.

Microsoft is a scandalous company, and they know it. They don't deserve the place they hold in the Desktop OS market.

[Chebwa @ Apr 22nd 2008 3:42PM]

@Matt Dearman

You're right, they don't deserve their success, even though they've managed to standardize over 90% of the computers in the world with intuitive operating systems and shrewd business decisions. It must have just been a fucking fluke, man.

[Matt Dearman @ Apr 23rd 2008 9:14AM]

@chebwa

You missed my point, Mr. Vista. I don't think Ballmer is hiring ball lickers at this time, try back later.