Registry Hack Extends Windows XP Updates [Update]

Thanks to a newly found registry hack Windows XP may live on! The hack first reported by BetaNews and later confirmed by ZDNet is fairly simple and only requires a short piece of code, making it easy for just about any user to perform.

The hack works by making a few minor changes in the registry of a Windows XP machine and works by basically tricking the automatic update servers at Microsoft into thinking the OS is Windows Embedded POSReady 2009. The OS is based on Windows XP Service Pack 3 and it will continue to get security updates from Microsoft until April 2019.

To apply the hack, create a text file with a .reg extension and the contents below:

Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00
[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\WPA\PosReady]
"Installed"=dword:00000001

Run it by double-clicking in Windows Explorer. After this is done you'll be able to launch and run Windows Update. It should be noted that there’s no way of knowing how long this trick will work -- Microsoft could update their servers to put a stop to it at any moment. Also, because you’re installing updates for a system other than Windows XP, there’s the possibility that not all updates will work as intended. But for those still wanting to squeeze a little extra life out of their Windows XP machine it may be worth a shot.

Update: Microsoft has issued the warning below to users that this hack may cause serious functionality issues, as well as not fully protecting a users XP machine. Definitely use caution if you try this at home!

"We recently became aware of a hack that purportedly aims to provide security updates to Windows XP customers. The security updates that could be installed are intended for Windows Embedded and Windows Server 2003 customers and do not fully protect Windows XP customers," a Microsoft spokesperson told ZDNet. "Windows XP customers also run a significant risk of functionality issues with their machines if they install these updates, as they are not tested against Windows XP. The best way for Windows XP customers to protect their systems is to upgrade to a more modern operating system, like Windows 7 or Windows 8.1."

So Long Windows XP You'll Be Missed: Microsoft Officially Terminates Support for Windows XP

A mere twelve and a half years after its launch, Microsoft has finally pulled the plug on Windows XP officially ending any further support for the long lived and much beloved operating system. The OS lived far longer than Microsoft had ever hoped. Reaching new heights with the failed launch of Windows Vista and still holding a strong market share even after Windows 7 and Windows 8 were launched.

Mainstream support for Windows XP ended five years ago, in April 2009, and since then, the company has been providing ‘extended support’ for the OS. Today, April 8, 2014, marks the official end of the extended support phase for Windows XP (and also for Office 2003) – from today, Microsoft will no longer offer free security patches, updates or fixes of any kind to users of Windows XP across the globe, including consumers and businesses alike.

Although Microsoft officially ends its support for Windows XP today, there is no for mass panic to spread out across the web. Your computer will not immediately shut itself down, or spontaneously self-destruct. In fact, most of you probably won’t notice any real difference at all. The main risk here is that, according to most security researchers hackers are waiting at the gates with exploits that could soon be launched to target the masses of Windows XP computers that are still accessing the web worldwide.

For those of you, like myself, that still have at least one Windows XP based machine on their network there are still a few options for securing your machines and keeping them safe. However, those options are slowly fading away, with many companies slowing ending support for aging OS.

I still have Windows XP what are my options now?

Windows XP will no longer be a viable long term option. At some point every company out there that hasn't already ended support will. For the short term you'll want to at the very least find a good security suite and malware detector. Microsoft will continue to provide basic security protection for Windows XP through its Security Essentials suite and the anti-malware Malicious Software Removal Tool; both of these will continue to be updated through to July 14, 2015. However, a third party option may still be in order. You'll also want to make sure all of your current applications, plugins ect are fully patched and updated.

Short of all that you'll want to start looking for a long term solution. This would require either upgrading to a newer Windows based OS, perhaps buying a new computer or taking the plunge and checking out something entirely different altogether. There are several great Linux distributions out there that are extremely user friendly. There is also the option of Google’s streamlined Chrome OS, which is available on notebooks and desktops that might feel more familiar to XP users.

Either way you go you would be much better off taking the leap sooner rather than later!

How To: Dual Boot Windows 8 With Windows 7 or Windows XP

With the official release of Windows 8 just a few days away I figured I'd give readers a quick easy how-to for setting up a dual boot between Windows 8 and either Windows 7 or Windows XP. This guide will give you a chance to see how easy (or difficult) it might be to setup both operating systems on your machine, and hopefully give you an idea of what to expect before potentially upgrading.

I'm assuming your PC is already running fine and is either currently running Windows 7 or Windows XP. If its not and you are going to do fresh installs of either operating system then the procedure is a but easier. Just note that if you are planning to re-install or do fresh installs of the two OS's you want to dual boot you need to install the older operating system first.

Step 1: Back-up, Back-up, Back-up!

You should already have a back-up plan or option in place. If you don't now is a good time to get one started. Setting up a dual-boot or even upgrading an installation generally isn't that risky but problems can occur and from time to time mistakes can be made. I strongly suggest backing-up anything important on your current install.

Step 2: Creating a new partition for Windows 8

Anytime you install a secondary operating system you'll need either a second partition on your hard drive or even better a secondary drive. If you don't have two hard drives or two partitions that is fine. We'll just need to create one so you'll need to make sure you have plenty of empty space on your hard drive. If you don't then you'll need to clean-up some space.

To create a new partition you may need to use third-party tools such as the Partition Wizard or GParted, both are free tools and fairly easy to use. They will allow you to set aside some of the current free space on your drive for the new partition. This will in turn become your Windows 8 partition.

A partition with a minimum 20GBs free space is the bare minimum according to the Windows 8 system requirements. Personally I'd start with no less than 40GBs because you'll want plenty of space for applications. If you are a heavy application user you might even want significantly more

If you already have an existing secondary partition or drive you can format that and use it as well. Simply open My Computer, right-click on the drive that you want to format and select Format option to open Drive Properties. Here, select File System as NTFS and then click Format button to quickly format the drive.

If you plan on doing a fresh install of Windows 7 or Windows XP you can also simply format your existing drive (after moving and backing up your data) and setting up two partitions right from the start.

Step 3: Installing Windows 8

Assuming you have your secondary partition created and your older version of Windows is already installed its time to install Windows 8. For this you'll need your boot-able install media. This can either be your DVD or USB drive depending on how you purchased it through Microsoft.

To get started you are going to have to make a few changes to the computer's bios settings. Insert your Windows 8 DVD into the optical drive or connect Windows 8 USB drive to your PC. Reboot the computer and enter the bios. Entering the bios is a bit different on each computer so check your manual for instructions. Usually you'll press one of the 'F' keys or delete. You'll need to look for the boot options and set it to boot from USB or DVD (depending on your needs). After making the necessary changes to the BIOS and selecting "save" your PC should restart. If you have connected a bootable USB, the setup should begin automatically. And if you have used a bootable DVD, you may need to press any key when you see Press any key to continue message.

Once the installation steps begin you should see a license agreement followed by an options screen. Be sure to choose Custom, not Upgrade. Next you'll see a list of available partitions; click Drive options (advanced), then select the unallocated space you created earlier. This is very important: Make sure you are selecting the empty space and not the partition or drive with information on it. The partition you want should display the full amount of available space, in which case go ahead and click Apply.

Follow the standard Windows 8 installation procedures. If you've ever installed an operating system then is fairly familiar and there shouldn't be any surprises. The entire install should take about 20 minutes, after which your system will boot Windows 8 and run you through the usual initial-setup stuff. (You might have to remove your flash drive or DVD so the installer doesn't try to run again. It did on my system.)

Step 4: Verifying your installation

Once installation of Windows 8 is complete reboot your PC and make sure that you get Earlier version of Windows option in the boot menu. Windows 7 users should see two options, one listed as Windows 8 and one as Windows 7. For Windows XP users you should see the option listed as "Earlier version of Windows". If you can’t see your Windows XP entry (Earlier version of Windows entry) in the boot menu, follow the next steps in step 5 to add Windows XP entry to the boot loader.

From now on, when you boot your PC you'll see a start-up menu that gives you a choice between your other version of Windows and Windows 8 -- and it'll proceed with booting the latter by default. If you want Windows 7 or Windows XP to remain the go-to operating system, click Change defaults or choose other options while this menu is visible, then click Choose the default operating system.

Step 5: For XP users only - adding Windows XP to the boot menu

Reboot your PC and boot into Windows 8. Open Run dialog box, type sysdm.cpl and hit the enter key to open System Properties dialog. Switch to Advanced tab, and click Settings button under Startup and Recovery section. Here, select Earlier version of Windows as default operating system. Click Ok and then Apply button. Reboot your PC and you should have successfully added Windows XP boot entry to the boot loader. Reboot your see Earlier version of Windows (Windows XP) entry in the boot menu. If you are still having issues seeing the option to boot to Windows XP you might need to try the Start-up repair tool or boot recovery options. For this you'll need to boot to your Windows 8 media and select repair.

Final thoughts:

I've ran dual-boot setups for years, primarily for testing new operating systems before completely upgrading. If you are simply testing Windows 8 (or another OS) I strongly suggest using separate hard drives and instead of running a traditional dual-boot setup disabling the second drive while installing the second operating system. This won't give you the option at start-up but it will make life easier if you decide not to keep the newer operating system. If you plan on keeping Windows 8 for the long haul then following the procedure about will work fine.

These instructions will also work for testing the Windows 8 Release Preview, which I suggest doing before you plop down some cash on the new OS. I've tested Windows 8 and it has some new features that I liked, but it has a lot more than I didn't.

New HDD's Won't Affect XP Users And Why The BBC Has It Wrong

An article provided by the BBC News stating that "Hard drive evolution could hit Microsoft XP users" has garnered a ton of attention this afternoon, most of which is nothing more than a knee jerk reaction to mass media sensationalistic nonsense.

Background on the new format
The BBC article point to an ongoing move by hard drive manufactures to an advanced format where as drives which are typically formatted into 512byte sectors will now be formatted into blocks of 4K sectors. The change means about eight times less wasted space but will allow drives to devote twice as much space per block to error correction.

The problem is this is not new news. Western Digital already made users aware of the new formatting and has already provided an Advanced Format Alignment Tool. In fact most of this was covered by Anandtech (article) and HotHardware (article) as early as Dec of '09.

The issue at hand
The BBC grabbed a lot of attention with their claims, some of which is totally misguided.

First off they claim "Windows XP was released before the 4K format was decided upon." Well this is not true, in fact as MS points out in this KB article and again in the Windows Professional Product Documentation Windows XP does write 4k block segments for all drives over 2GBs. Problem is that XP writes 4K as eight 512 byte sectors and does not start with a multiple of 8 for the first sector. So the drive reads a full 4K then updates the part of the 4K that corresponds to the sector numbers XP sent. Then finally does the write. This creates a lot of overhead and creates unaligned sectors.

Again this is an issue already addressed by WD with their alignment tool.

Secondly, as the article already points out the new advanced format drives utilize 512 byte emulation which is meant to help Windows XP cope (even if it doesn't need to) by pretending they still use sectors 512 bytes in size.

"When reading data from a drive this emulation will go unnoticed." said David Burks, a product marketing manager for storage firm Seagate. He added, "However  in some situations writing data could show a hit performance. In some cases the drive will take two steps to write data rather than one and introduce a delay of about 5 milliseconds." Burks, added that, in some circumstances, it could make a drive 10% slower.

10% slower, this is hardly something that should warrant some of the alarm bells that have rang out across the web.  Look at it this way, you are likely to get a 15-20% boost from newer drive tech over drives that are currently performing very well with XP. So you might drop that by lets say 1/2. You are still seeing a size-able gain in not only performance but available space. Making these claims that "New Harddrives May Force Windows XP Upgrades" pretty unreasonable.

Lets not forget
Most computer users out there that are running Windows XP and have refused upgrades aren't likely to add new drives anytime soon and even if they do there are tons of drives out there now that we can use w/o issues. By the time these drives are dated to the point they are no longer viable Windows XP will be at the end of its life-cycle and we'll likely be running Windows 8, 9 or 10 or whatever and most drives will be ssd's or something better.

So as I said the BBC's article looks like nothing more than sensationalistic, alarmist junk to me!

Dual Boot Windows XP And Windows 7

Configuring your PC to dual boot between Windows Vista and Windows 7, or even Window XP and Windows 7 can be a bit of a challenge if its not done correctly. Most beginners make a few common mistakes which can leads to nothing but headaches and hassles.

Today Microsoft has released a new video that should help elevate some of the stress of trying to setup that dual boot system. Note you need silverlight installed to view the video below



Before you being:

One of the assumptions the video makes is that an earlier version of Windows already exists and that you will be installing a newer version of Windows (like Windows 7). This is one of the most common mistakes I see users make. Whichever operating system is installed last will create it's own boot mechanism and in the case of Windows XP it will not work correctly with either Vista or Windows 7. So you want to make sure that you are installing the older operating system first and then adding in the newer OS.

The key to multi-boot configurations using any operating system after Windows XP is the Boot Configuration Data (BCD) store. Windows XP and prior OS's utilized the boot.ini file which was fairly easy to manage. That is not so with Vista, Windows 7 or Server 2008. The BCD is the new location of all your boot options and configuration settings.

In the event that you have Windows Vista or Windows 7 already installed and you would like to install Windows XP, you'll need to check out this article. This article applies to both Windows 7 as well as Windows Vista. If you aren't comfortable using the command line then I recommend using EasyBCD or VistaBootPro. Both are very user friendly with nice graphical interfaces.

If you want to learn all of the details of the bcdedit tool, check out:

BCDEdit Command-Line Options

http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/cc709667.aspx

and then of course you'll want to check out the faq as well:

Boot Configuration Data Editor Frequently Asked Questions

http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/cc721886.aspx

Microsoft Faces "Downgrade" Lawsuit

A lawsuit has been filed suing Microsoft Corp. over the fee charged to "downgrade" Windows Vista on a new laptop to Windows XP.

The case which has been filed in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Washington in Seattle, by Los Angeles resident Emma Alvarado seeks the return the fee paid for downgrading a Lenovo PC with Windows Vista Business preinstalled to Windows XP Professional. Alvarado is asking for the return of $59.25 which was added to the cost of her laptop purchased on June 20, 2008, according to the suit.

Alvarado is looking to expand the scope of the lawsuit by inviting others who have paid fees to downgrade to XP to join the suit (PDF) and is requesting refunds for them as well.

As a result of dissatisfaction over Vista many users have opted to "downgrade" their PCs to Windows XP, studies showed approximately 1/3 of Vista PCs had been downgraded.

Many customers who purchased PCs with Vista installed opted to downgrade to XP because they weren't happy with Vista's "numerous problems," according to Alvarado's suit. "As a result, many consumers would prefer to purchase a new computer preinstalled with the Windows XP operating system or at least not preinstalled with the Vista operating system," according to the filing.

According to the lawsuit by charging for those downgrades Microsoft and the OEM manufactures violated Washington state's Unfair Business Practices Act and the Consumer Protection Act.

"Microsoft has used its power to coerce OEMs, Internet access providers, and others into agreeing to restrictive and anti-competitive licensing terms for its Windows XP operating system in order to stifle competition in the market," according to Alvarado's complaint. "Microsoft did so in order to maintain, protect, and extend its market power in operating systems software into the next generation of personal computing, to lessen competition, and to enhance its monopoly position," Alvarado claims.

"Since the introduction of Vista, Microsoft has effectively eliminated competition in the operating system PC market and created a monopoly position for itself in that market," Alvarado claims in papers filed this week in U.S. District Court in Seattle.

Along with a refund of the downgrade fees Alvarado is seeking unspecified damages and wants the court to make her case a class action suit. Microsoft has yet to file a formal response to the allegations. and has yet to comment on the case.

Dell Responds To XP Downgrade Pricing

In an article posted today on Computerworld.com Dell has responded to reports that they are charging customers $150 to "downgrade" to Windows XP.

"We have not increased the pricing, nor are we charging $150 for Windows XP," said Dell spokesman David Frink, reacting to a similar Computerworld story published yesterday. "For customers who order a system with Windows XP Professional via the downgrade rights program, Dell charges $20 to ... pre-install Windows XP Pro with all drivers on the system, include a reinstall CD and include a Vista Business install DVD, plus a CD with Vista drivers."

"The $130 difference between the $20 that Dell charges for the downgrade and the $150 price the company advertises on its Web site is what it costs buyers to upgrade Vista from the standard Home Premium edition and the Business edition," said Frink. "Microsoft mandates that customers who want to downgrade to XP must purchase the license to Vista Business or Vista Ultimate," Frink said. "[That's] typically about a $130 premium, though some retail outlets charge more."

Frink is correct, according to the Windows Vista Downgrade Rights reference sheet (PDF), Windows Vista downgrade rights are only extended to Vista Business and Vista Ultimate. As I previously mentioned you do receive licenses for both Operating systems which gives you the option of running XP now and transitioning to Vista when and if you are ready.

The problem here appears to be the $130 premium, which I now see is the standard upgrade price for any Dell system. Newegg offers OEM versions of Vista Home Basic at $89.99 and Vista Business at $139.99, that would be a $50 difference not the $130 difference that Dell would have you pay. The second problem is that Dell offers the Windows Vista Business bonus for $99 on the small business site.

It would appear that small business users get the package for $50 less and as advertised "Get Genuine Windows Vista Business Bonus with Windows XP Professional INSTALLED: FREE".

Dell might not be "charging $150 for Windows XP" but they are charging home users a hefty premium for the right to downgrade. Still even I can admit $150 for two licenses isn't bad at all, especially considering XP Professional and Vista Business are both $139.99. I'd take $280 worth of software for half price any day!

Dell Now Charging $150 For XP "Downgrade"

Dell customers wanting to "downgrade" their laptops or PCs from Windows Vista to Windows XP will now be hit with as much as a $150 surcharge, a fee which according to Computerworld.com is three times the maximum amount Dell charged last summer.

After XPs life cycle came to a close last summer Dell began offering XP downgrades to customers that were not ready to upgrade to Vista or were not fully satisfied with the new operating system. At that time the surcharge was $20 to $50 for XP. Today on the Dell site the option to downgrade from Windows Vista Business to Windows XP Professional will cost you anywhere from $120 to $150, depending on the system. For small business users wanting to avoid Vista Dell offers the Windows Vista Business bonus for $99. It should be noted that you do receive licenses for both Operating systems which gives customers the option of running XP now and transitioning to Vista when and if they’re ready.

Back in October we reported that Microsoft gave XP another reprieve allowing OEMs to offer an XP downgrade option for an additional 6 months. Those rights let OEM builders like Dell install Windows XP Professional instead of Vista, or along Vista giving the users the right to use either OS.

According to studies done last summer by market research firm Devil Mountain Software, nearly one third of all PCs purchased over the summer had been downgraded from Vista.

Windows XP Receives Another Reprieve

According to the Register OEMs have been given an additional six months to sell PCs running Windows Vista with the ability to downgrade to Windows XP using an accompanying recovery disc. OEM partners originally had up until January 31 2009 to provide the Windows XP Professional recovery media with machines running Windows Vista Business or Windows Vista Ultimate. Now they have until July 31, 2009.

Although the largest PC makers can't officially sell XP anymore (except for ultra-low-cost machines), they can sell Vista Ultimate and Vista Business machines with XP discs in the box, or even Vista machines that are "factory downgraded" to Windows XP.

Microsoft officially stopped selling Windows XP on June 30, though it continues to be available as retail supplies last. XP has continued to be a top seller on Amazon and other etailers for some time, and several versions of XP are still among Amazon's top 25 best-selling software titles.

Study Shows 35% Of Vista PCs Downgraded To XP

According to market research firm Devil Mountain Software, which runs a global community-based network to collect “real-world” metrics from windows computers, almost 35% of users who purchased a PC within the past six months downgraded from Windows Vista to Windows XP. Apparently, this trend continues, despite the fact that Microsoft officially retired Windows XP from retail and OEM channels back in June.

The survey covered more than 3000 users who voluntarily provided data to Devil Mountain's exo.performance.network. Devil Mountain came up with final results by matching vendor and system ID data from the exp.performance.network database and comparing it with system vendor offerings, which enables the firm to estimate the number of systems most likely shipped within the past six months.

"Either these machines were downgraded by Dell or HP, or they were downgraded by the user after they got the machine," said Devil Mountain's chief technology officer Craig Barth. "In any case, these machines are no longer running Vista." The EULAs for Vista Business (including Vista Enterprise) and Vista allows end users to downgrade to Windows XP Professional. Barth noted that 35% is an estimate rather than an exact figure. However, he considers the result an indication that "people are taking advantage of Vista's downgrade rights."

The study does not mention the reasons customer give for using the downgrade option so frequent it just gives an estimate on the total numbers that have been downgraded. However, the news about the survey’s findings contradicts Microsoft’s expectations of stronger Vista sales in the short term. The downgrade option will bed phased out in a few months and then customers won’t have the alternative anymore.

There may be a glimmer of hope coming from Microsoft as soon as next year with Microsoft set to reveal Windows Seven features as early as next month. Until then I suggest anyone wanting to avoid Vista to check out DistroWatch.com and try some of my favorite Linux distributions, which include Open Suse, Slackware and Ubuntu.

Microsoft Windows XP Service Pack 3 (SP3) Released to Web and Windows Update

After a few delays due to data corruption issues between XP SP3 and its retail point-of-sale software Windows finally released SP3 to the to Web and Windows Update. Microsoft has also resumed automatic distribution of Windows Vista, Service Pack 1 (SP1), which had been halted because of a similar problem.

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Windows XP Service Pack 3 (SP3) includes all previously released updates for the operating system. This update also includes a small number of new functionalities, which do not significantly change customers’ experience with the operating system. This white paper summarizes what is new in Windows XP SP3.

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DOWNLOAD: Network Installation (316.4MB) | ISO CD Image File (545MB).

Microsoft still is not offering either service pack to Microsoft Dynamics RMS customers, having put in place a filter on Windows Update to prevent distribution to those customers. The company is still working on a fix it expects to have available later this month, it said.

Microsoft Backslides On Windows XP Cut Off Date

Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer says the company could extend the shelf life for Windows XP based on customer input.

According to InformationWeek Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer reportedly said that the company could extend the shelf life for XP "if customer feedback varies,". Meaning that the June 30th expiration date for the Windows XP operating system is not written in stone.

As previously reported the Windows XP lifecycle is expected to come to and abrupt halt on June 30, when Microsoft will no longer make Windows XP available to large PC vendors.

"XP will hit an end-life. We have announced one. If customer feedback varies we can always wake up smarter but right now we have a plan for end-of-life for new XP shipments," Ballmer said, according to Reuters.

Its not immediately clear whether Ballmer was just making off the cuff remarks or actually testing the feedback waters for some response. However he needs to look no further than the several "save xp" petitions that are circulating the web. People want their XP, there is no doubt about it!

While its uncertain as to whether or not the remarks were serious what is certain is the amount of backlash and trepidation towards Vista. Today InformationWeek reported exclusively that Dell will make XP available on business computers until 2010.

Buyers who want a Dell system with XP pre-installed after June 30 will technically be purchasing a system with a license for Vista. However, Dell will also include a preinstalled copy of XP on systems marketed as Windows Vista "Bonus" edition.

Dell's move is in line with the belief that a considerable portion of its customers are not willing to upgrade to Vista, despite the fact that the OS has now been available for more than a year and has been fully updated with Service Pack 1.

**Update**

Comments by Steve Ballmer at a press conference in Europe today have led to speculation that Microsoft is reconsidering its June 30 deadline to stop selling most new Windows XP licenses. A spokeswoman from Microsoft's public relations firm said Thursday that there is no plan for a change in deadline, however.

"Our plan for Windows XP availability is unchanged. We're confident that's the right thing to do based on the feedback we've heard from our customers and partners," the spokeswoman said, reading from a Microsoft statement.

The spokeswoman said Microsoft is aware that some customers are pushing for an extension to the deadline -- more than 160,000 people have signed a "Save XP" petition launched by Infoworld magazine, for example. But the company has also done its own research among partners and customers, and feels that "the dates are right," she said, speaking on behalf of Microsoft.

"We feel we've made the right accommodations for customers in certain segments who may need more time to transition to Windows Vista," she said. "But as Steve noted, we maintain a constant stance of listening to our customers and our partners. That's what is guiding our plan, and will continue to guide us going forward."

Source: PC World

Windows XP SP3 Officially Released, Goes Public April 29

Microsoft made the announcement public today on the Technet forums
"Windows XP Service Pack 3 Released to Manufacturing"

“Today we are happy to announce that Windows XP Service Pack 3 (SP3) has released to manufacturing (RTM). Windows XP SP3 bits are now working their way through our manufacturing channels to be available to OEM and Enterprise customers.

We are also in the final stages of preparing for release to the web (i.e. you!) on April 29th, via Windows Update and the Microsoft Download Center. Online documentation for Windows XP SP3, such as Microsoft Knowledge Base articles and the Microsoft TechNet Windows XP TechCenter, will be updated then. For customers who use Windows XP at home, Windows XP SP3 Automatic Update distribution for users at home will begin in early summer.

Thanks to everyone here who installed the public betas – you not only gave us detailed feedback but also helped each other out with timely troubleshooting. Through the beta program we found several important issues and were able to confirm some essential fixes. We couldn’t have done this without you.

We will still be monitoring this forum during the next few weeks in case you have more feedback about the release of Windows XP SP3.”

SP3 is being shipped out to OEM sources and retailers now and will be available to the public via download on April 29th.

SP3 includes all previously released updates for the operating system. This update also includes a small number of new functionalities, which do not significantly change customers’ experience with the operating system.

I've been using the latest beta release for awhile and have not seen any major improvements, and no noticeable increases in performance. There is also the lack of IE7 as well as media player 11, two features I thought should be added.

The new release is said to feature a few improvements:

• Improvements to “black hole” router detection.


• Network Access Protection, which is a network policy enforcement platform previously seen in Windows Vista and Windows Server 2008.


• Enhanced Control Panel Security Options which better explains the impact of the various settings.


• Product key-free installation now possible. {unattended installation)

OS Smackdown: Linux vs. Mac OS X vs. Windows Vista vs. Windows XP

Computerworld throws together another great article when they asked four experts to lay out their best arguments in support of their desktop operating systems of choice:

• James Turner for Linux
• Michael DeAgonia for Mac OS X
• Preston Gralla for Windows Vista
• David Ramel for Windows XP

Each is of these guys are positive that their choice in operating system is the best and they try their hardest to convince you that they are right. These are not rational, disengaged reviews; these are opinionated essays meant to sway your point of view and I will say they do make some interesting arguments for their side.
When you've read all the arguments, you make the call by voting in their reader poll -- and of course your own arguments or comments are welcome.

Windows XP Lifecycle Coming To A Close

We all knew it would happen eventually, and the date has been set by Microsoft. But can the end truly be near, are we really ready for forced migration to Vista? According to Microsoft's timeline, XP is on its way to becoming our ex-operating system.

XP is the most widely used operating system on the planet, and Microsoft is planning a coup. A sort of "forced" upgrade to Vista. This in spite of recent issues with the Vista's new SP1 update.

Microsoft has already been forced to push back its timetables: Last year, the company extended the sales lifecycle to June 30, 2008 and said it will stop selling XP altogether on January 31, 2009. And it extended the mainstream support period for XP to April 14, 2009. So this time next year it might be burdensome for users to get legit copies of XP.

XP Timeline
June 30, 2008
PC manufacturers and system builders stop selling computers with XP installed.

January 31, 2009
Microsoft stops selling XP altogether.

April 14, 2009
Mainstream support (free live support and warranty support) ends. Free maintenance is limited to security fixes.

April 8, 2014
All support for XP ends.

Anyone that recently purchasing a PC or Laptop wanting to revert back to XP have already felt the stinging reality. In many cases drivers for XP are not available, and in cases where they are users are having to hunt them down. I know I've spent a few hours on Google tracking drivers for people asking for support.

So what does this all mean for the user? Extended support means that your XP machine will still have some life expectancy after the loaming lifecycle termination. However don't expect widespread application support to continue. When some of your favorite programs are updated they might not be XP compatible. Some of the newer gadgets on the market might not have widespread XP support. And well once the software stock pile is depleted you simply won't be able to get your hands on a legitimate version.

Asustek Still Backs Windows XP

Asustek, the world's top maker of motherboards, has confirmed that 60% of their very popular Eee laptops will be shipped with Windows XP.

"About 60 percent of them (Eee PCs) will have Windows XP operating system," Asustek Chairman Jonney Shih said at a news conference.

The company is currently selling two different versions of the Windows Eee PC laptop. The cheapest one, the Eee PC Surf XP, priced at $408 (U.S.), has a 7-in. LCD screen, 4GB of NAND flash memory for storage and 512MB of DDR2 dynamic RAM. The more expensive version, the Eee PC 4G XP, costs $473 (U.S.) and includes an additional 4GB SD card for storage as well as a slightly better battery, which can last up to 3.5 hours vs. 2.8 hours for the cheaper model. The more expensive model also will have a built-on 3-megapixel digital camera.

The lowest cost Eee PC available runs on a Linux OS from Xandros, carries just 2GB of NAND flash for storage and sells for around $261 however the company has predicted that the Windows version will out sell the Linux models.

Windows Xp and Vista Tips for Everyone

Whether you've jumped to Vista or are sticking with XP, our tips will make your computing faster and safer--and even a little more stylish.
Preston Gralla, PC World

Right out of the box, Windows is just a so-so operating system. It doesn't really reach its potential until you've cracked it, hacked it, and otherwise bent it to your will.

Whether you want to speed up XP, customize Vista's Aero interface, manage your disk partitions, or do quick-and-dirty photo editing, our Windows projects will show you how. We start off with some performance boosters, and then move on to cover file management, interface tweaks, network and browser options, and Windows Media Player.

The work isn't done until you plug Windows' many holes, which we cover in "Tweak Security Settings in XP and Vista." If you're switching over to the new OS, see our tips in "Make the Move to Vista," and then try our Vista alterations in "Change Vista's Defaults."

Continued at pcworld.com