XP SP3 'Features'

1. Vista's product activation model (yawn...)
2. Cryptographic Algorithms module in the kernal (am sure some developers will love this)
3. Network Access Protection (NAP), as seen in Vista / Windows 2008 - is only of use to companies who chose to implement it.
4. Black Hole Router detection - OK, its there, but I cannot find any information on what XP will do when it finds one!
   
   

There is a small (but noticable) increase in speed when firing up my regular applications, post sp3 install.

I'm not saying it will occur for everyone, but i'm sure it is so for my first upgrade client anyway...

more over @ http://lifehacker.com/385295/field-guide-to-windows-xp-sp3

XP SP3 now available...

...well, it has finally reached us in the UK, via (an optional) windows update!

Here is why not to become a beta test monkey for MS....

I'm sure that SP3 RC1 (previously available from msdn downloads) probably catered for multiple xp versions and dealt with multiple issues i'll never understand.
The fact remains though, that there is one hell of a difference in filesize between the downloads. I hope its down to the fact that my machines are up-to-date with patches and update is only downloading what i dont already have!

Dec 2007
XP SP3 RC1
329MB

Mar 2008
XP SP3 RC2
315MB

May 2008
XP SP3 Final (via windowsupdate.com)
66.9MB

:)

How to tell if XP is activated?

Go to Start > Run > oobe/msoobe /a [enter]