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Topic: Software

UPDATE #7 - XP SP3 available for download from Microsoft

Summary: XP SP3 now available for download.

Adrian Kingsley-Hughes

By for Hardware 2.0 |

[UPDATE #7 05/03/08 - TechNet Plus subscribers can now download a slipstreamed Windows XP SP3 ISO.] 

[UPDATE #6 - Here are the download links for all the language flavors of XP SP3:

Enjoy ...] 

[UPDATE #5 04/30/08 04:45 -  The debate continues to rage in the TalkBack section as to the validity of the SP3 download from the Microsoft site. Well, what I've done is download a fresh copy and put this next to the update package from the TechNet Plus download I have and take the hashes of the two downloads ... and as you can see from the image below, both are identical ...

sp3_md5_sm.jpg 

Here are the digital signatures:

sp3_sig_sm.jpg

As you can see, both files are identical.] 

[UPDATE #4: According to my blogging colleague Mary Jo Foley, Microsoft has now also pulled the plug on the automatic distribution of Vista SP1 because of the Microsoft Dynamics Retail Management System (RMS) bug affecting XP SP3.]

[UPDATE #3: There seems to be some debate as to whether the download listed here from the Microsoft site is actually the genuine XP SP3 RTM or not. I have SP3 from three different sources - a TechNet Plus download, on a CD sent to me by Microsoft and the download here - and the digital signatures of all three files check out, and the MD5 hashes of each of the update packages (bb25707c919dd835a9d9706b5725af58) are identical. I've also used the download to apply SP3 to several systems and everything checks out.]

[UPDATE #2: I've checked the download from the Microsoft site against the TechNet Plus download I have and the CD that I was sent containing the XP SP3 bits, and all three are identical.] 

[UPDATE #1: According to a Microsoft spokesperson, the Release to Web (RTW) of Windows XP SP3 has been delayed:

In the last few days, we have uncovered a compatibility issue between Microsoft Dynamics Retail Management System (RMS) and Windows XP SP3 and Windows Vista Service Pack 1 (SP1). Microsoft Dynamics RMS is a retail chain management solution for small and midsize customers.

In order to make sure customers have the best possible experience we have decided to delay releasing Windows XP SP3 to Windows Update and Microsoft Download Center.

To help protect our customers, we plan to put filtering in place shortly to prevent Windows Update from offering both service packs to systems running Microsoft Dynamics RMS. Once filtering is in place, we expect to release Windows XP SP3 to Windows Update and Download Center.

Until we have published a fix for this issue, we advise Microsoft Dynamics RMS customers to not install either service pack.  Microsoft Dynamics RMS customers running Windows XP SP3 or Windows Vista SP1 should contact Microsoft Customer Support Services for additional information.

The fix is currently in testing and will be available as soon as that process is complete. 

For further information regarding Windows XP SP3, please visit the TechNet Forum.

I'll keep you updated. However, the download link below still works.]

For the Windows XP users out there ... XP SP3 is now available for download from the Microsoft website. Note that this is a direct link to the executable file and contains no information about the download. If you are uncomfortable with such things, don't download this update and wait for the update to be officially released.

XP SP3 available for download

At present the link is just a direct link, but I imagine that Microsoft will have a landing page that I can link to sometime soon.

The download is 316MB (MD5 hash: bb25707c919dd835a9d9706b5725af58) and contains some 1,100 hotfixes and patches.

For more information on XP SP3 check out the following:

Topics: Software, Microsoft, Operating Systems, Windows

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Talkback

55 comments
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  • Cheers

    I've been waiting all day over here in Australia (its 8:30 at night here right now) for the release of SP3

    so cheers for the link mate :D
    Rnadmo
    Reply Vote

    • Hey Adrian - SP3 SHA1 Hashcalc Result

      For everyone questioning this release because of the file name, and there are a lot of you

      windowsxp-kb936929-sp3-x86-enu_c81472f7eeea2eca421e116cd4c03e2300ebfde4.exe

      that'nonsensical' (c81472f7eeea2eca421e116cd4c03e2300ebfde4) collection of numbers is infact the SHA1 of the file

      here's a screenshot of the hashcheck much like Adrian's (using the exact same software) you can compare his numebrs with mine if you wish to see its correct

      http://img3.freeimagehosting.net/uploads/e541581881.jpg

      you might wish to update your post to show this , end everyones complaining about the file name once and for all
      Rnadmo
      Reply Vote

  • Previously Download was 544MB, now only 316MB?

    Adrian,

    Thanks for the direct link, but why is this download only 316MB when the download you recently described was 544MB?
    http://blogs.zdnet.com/hardware/?p=1742

    Thanks!
    racingmustang
    racingmustang
    Reply Vote

    • That was the .ISO file

      ... that came from TechNet/MSDN and the like. This is a update package. I'll update that post now to avoid confusion.
      Adrian Kingsley-Hughes
      Reply Vote

      • SP3 .ISO File

        It would have been nice to have the link not only to the .EXE file, but also to the 540MB .ISO file since it includes all the updates from day 1 according to Microsoft. It's always nice to have them all available and be able to load them all at once.
        n0lxx-mark@...
        Reply Vote

        • About that ISO file

          1) What's in the ISO that's not in the installer that Adrian posted a link to?

          2) Is there a publicly available (that is, you don't have to be a paid Technet subscriber or something to get it) URL to this ISO? If not, what is the filename? I'd be interested in looking around in my usual suspicious places.
          dumptux
          Reply Vote

    • I wandered about that

      A week or two back Major Geeks had SP3 final build that was 316mb when I heard a MS official claiming it was 525mb ,so even though downloaded file hesitated installing because of size and could not see build number.On Suday they had file as RTM so took plunge uninstalled and reinstalled took 70 minuets in total,surprisingly the build I installed in December took 25 minuets RTM 40 minuets and the only problem up to now was getting Vista Transformation Pack 8.01 to run properly.
      morrig
      Reply Vote

      • OOps

        Just seen my opinion and no Suday is not my washing day I forgot the N.
        morrig
        Reply Vote

      • 70 minutes?

        i had it installed on a rather antiquated system (AMD socket 754 sempron 3000+ palermo core , 512mb of ram & a lousy 80 gig IDE HD) in 17 minutes flat, and in total probably 22 minutes to restart , disable a few things and then repatch the uxtheme.dll & up the tcp connection limit then reboot & log in

        my vista theme works perfectly now , although the only issue ive found is its running a little sluggish which should be fixed with a defrag ill leave running overnight
        Rnadmo
        Reply Vote

        • I'll be waiting a couple of months

          Let [b]you all[/b] work out the bugs
          hasta la Vista, bah-bie
          Reply Vote

      • Not even 10 minutes here

        It took perhaps 6-7 minutes from starting the install program to the reboot at the end. That first reboot was predictably longer than usual (and included a bait to switch to automatic updates, just as during initial install), but not by much, and subsequent reboots are somewhat faster - though, not expecting this, I hadn't timed boot time before and it's only my perception.

        A 2 1/2-year-old AMD Athlon 64 3800+ here, 2 GB DDR-400 RAM. Not the lowest end of XP's installed base, but not a top machine for today's standards either. Also, not a very recent or clean XP install - some 6 months since last reinstall and dozens of installed and uninstalled programs in the meantime. Still, SP3 installed fast and so far no problems at all.

        Of course, all the latest updates had been previously installed, and this may have minimized the update. It would probably be different if I had made a fresh XP install with the SP2 CD-ROM and then applied SP3 before any Windows Update.
        goyta
        Reply Vote

  • Understood, many thanks! <NT>

    racingmustang
    racingmustang
    Reply Vote

  • RE: XP SP3 available for download from Microsoft

    Could you provide a shortcut to the .ISO file as well as the package in the future - this would be of great help. (I am assuming MS provides an .ISO and we do not have to convert a file to .ISO) Thanks!
    WookieFan
    Reply Vote

    • Just burn file to CD

      Isn't it just as easy to take the downloaded exe and burn it to a CD if you want it in that format?
      bobiroc
      Reply Vote

      • Burning Sp3

        Sure, sure. I just like ISOs in terms of convenience - download times don't really matter, since I would be downloading each file only once.

        Additionally, I caught the KB number while downloading, so no biggie.
        WookieFan
        Reply Vote

  • Release Candidate?

    Is this Windows XP Service Pack 3 Release Candidate?
    amoreno@...
    Reply Vote

    • No it's the real deal

      It's the Release To manufacture see sight below and is not ISO file.http://majorgeeks.com/Microsoft_Windows_XP_Service_Pack_3_d4323.html
      morrig
      Reply Vote

    • Final Build

      This is not RC1 or RC2 of the Service Pack. This is the final build release.
      bobiroc
      Reply Vote

      • final?? Hell NO!

        You're just DEAD WRONG here. kb936929 is just a RC, and is NOT the final at all!

        http://support.microsoft.com/kb/936929

        This probe how noob you're teaching wrong things to ppl.
        Gradius2
        Reply Vote

        • Final?? Just might be.

          Like you, I went to the Microsoft site and searched for KB article 936929 and found myself on the page for RC2. However, I found something else in the process.

          The file listed on the MS site for RC2 has an embedded hash code (that's what it looks like, anyway) of 9afedbd6b2941bf568c27046d6688e6ccb5ce018 . Adrian's file has an embedded hash code of c81472f7eeea2eca421e116cd4c03e2300ebfde4 .

          I did a search on the MS site for Adrian's hash code string and came across a Technet discussion (it was the only hit) that indicated to me (despite the discussion back and forth) that Adrian's link is to the genuine article.

          Here's the link: http://forums.microsoft.com/TechNet/ShowPost.aspx?PostID=3223783&SiteID=17

          Hope this helps.
          dumptux
          Reply Vote
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