Windows XP is maturing. First came Service Pack 1 (SP1), then SP2 and now a few years later it's time for SP3. Since Vista hit the shelves almost a year ago, XP has been rolling along in the background, quietly taking care of business on the majority of desktops in use today. The release of Service Pack 3 (SP3) will undoubtedly draw some renewed attention to XP. The final version has now arrived, at least to MSDN and TechNet subscribers, so the slipstreaming questions have begun and systems are being updated. As always, make sure you have full tested backups of all your systems and data before you do any experimenting.

I know from experience and reader feedback, expectations are always high when a new service pack is released. Experience has also taught me that those expectations are seldom met. There is nothing spectacular about SP3. You aren't going to load it up and be instantly blown away by new features or performance. That's not what a service pack is intended to accomplish. As Microsoft states in the whitepaper PDF file at Windows XP Service Pack 3 Overview:

Windows® XP Service Pack 3 (SP3) includes all previously released updates for the operating system, in addition to a small number of new functionalities that will not significantly change customers’ experience with the operating system.

Each time a new service pack is released, the subject of slipstreaming the new service pack into previous versions is raised in an effort to cut down on the number of required updates on clean installations and reinstalls. This is especially true with SP3 for two reasons; the length of time since XP2 was released and the large number of interim updates between SP2 and SP3. Anybody that has reinstalled XP w/SP2 cringes at the number of updates that are required to bring it up to date.

With that thought in mind, it's once again time to go through the steps to successfully integrate or slipstream Service Pack 3 into previous releases of Windows XP. If you already have a functioning, reasonably clean system install that isn't causing any problems you really don't have any need to bother with a slipstreamed CD. Under that scenario it's much easier [and quicker] to simply have SP3 installed via Windows Update. For those that are constantly tinkering with the system and reinstalling from older XP releases, it's an essential item to keep you sane.

Slipstreamed Windows XP CD Using SP3

• In order to install SP3 RC1 it's necessary to have XP w/SP1 already installed. If you try and install SP3 to a Gold installation it will return a Service Pack 3 Setup Error as shown below.

• If SP1 or SP1a is installed you can upgrade directly to SP3 RC1 using the standalone SP3 installer. If SP3 RC1 is uninstalled using Add/Remove Programs you will be returned to XP w/SP1.
• If SP2 is installed you can upgrade directly to SP3 RC1 using the standalone SP3 installer. If SP3 RC1 is uninstalled using Add/Remove Programs you will be returned to XP w/SP2.
• If you slipstream SP3 RC1 into a Gold edition of XP it will install correctly. The serial number must be entered at the time of installation.

• If you slipstream SP3 RC1 into a SP1 or SP1a edition of XP it will install correctly. The serial number must be entered at the time of installation. [See Note]

• If you slipstream SP3 RC1 into a SP2 edition of XP it will install correctly. Serial number entry may be deferred at time of installation.

Note: I have been told by some readers they have been able to defer serial number entry using XP/SP1 and XP/SP1a as the basis for the slipstreamed CD. I haven't found that to be the case based on a number of slipstreamed test CD's. I'd like to hear your experiences using XP/SP1 and XP/SP1 as the basis for the slipstreamed CD. It's certainly possible I am doing something wrong and would like to correct any inaccurate information.

As big a believer as I am in making sure a system is up to date with Service Packs and other updates, I'm an equally big believer that absolutely no updates of any kind should be introduced into a system without the users permission. This is especially relevant now with Service Pack 3 for XP being released in the near future. In spite of the folly of doing so, I know that many users, if not the majority, have Windows Update set to automatically download and install updates, and that will include Service Pack 3.  That's just giving Microsoft carte blanche to install whatever they deem necessary on your system. I'm simply not comfortable allowing that to happen, and I know a lot of users feel the same way. Theoretically you can set Windows Update so you are prompted before updates are downloaded and then be prompted again before they are installed, but after the 2007 incident where the Windows Update settings were ignored and an update installed in spite of user preferences, I simply don't have any faith my preferences will be respected.

That brings us to the Windows Service Pack Blocker Tool Kit, a blocking tool available for organizations that would like to temporarily prevent installation of Service Pack updates through Windows Update. The blocker tool will not prevent SP3 from being installed via CD/DVD or the stand-alone download package of SP3, but it does prevent it from being installed via Windows Update. The only caveat I'm aware of is the tool is only valid for 12 months following the general availability of Windows XP Service Pack 3. More info and full description available here.

In addition to today being "Patch Tuesday", it's also the day that Microsoft officially pulls the plug on support for Service Pack 1 and Service Pack 1a for Windows XP. If you're unsure what version of XP you're running, go to Start and right click the My Computer icon and select Properties.  The version will be displayed in the System section of the property sheet. If you want to continue receiving critical security updates and patches, update to SP2 that was released on September 17, 2004.

I've heard a lot of grumbling about this move and how it will negatively impact users that still haven't updated past SP1 or SP1a, something along the lines of Microsoft throwing those people that haven't updated to the wolves. Quite frankly, I think that's a bunch of bull. There has been more than adequate time for everyone to make the move to SP2, and it isn't like this has been some well kept secret that was sprung on unsuspecting users. On the Microsoft Support Lifecycle page it clearly states:

Service Pack Support Policy

• When a service pack is released, Microsoft will provide 12 months of support for the previous service pack

• Support may be extended to 24 months for those service packs when Microsoft believes customers will need additional time for testing and deployment

• Microsoft will announce support timelines for a previous service pack when the new service pack is released

• When support for a product ends, support of the service packs for that product will also end. The product’s support lifecycle supersedes the service pack support policy

Do the math and you'll find that users that haven't updated to SP2 have essentially been handed a gift by how long the support for SP1 and SP1a have dragged on when it could have been ended much earlier. Look at the Lifecycle Supported Service Packs page and it lists the dates for every Service Pack and when the support expires.

The bottom line is update the system to SP2. You have software that won't run on SP2? Get rid of it and find a replacement that will, complain to the company until they update their product, or switch to a different operating system. Nothing lasts forever and I for one am glad to see the resources being expended on extended support and backward compatibility issues coming to an end. The whining will continue for months as exploits are developed for those refusing to update. I just hope Microsoft has the backbone to stick to their guns and move forward to a SP3 for XP and concentrate on making Vista a secure environment. The choice is yours. Think carefully.

If you've been doing much reading on any of the tech oriented sites recently you have undoubtedly seen the huge number of articles devoted to safe internet browsing practices. All of a sudden it has become 'fashionable' to use virtual machines for browsing and a host of other functions. Some of the journalists have been treating this concept as if it is something new. The reality is that virtual machines have been around a long time and are widely used by developers and beta testers.  

What does using a virtual machine for browsing have to do with security? It's no secret that Internet Explorer has been plagued with many security vulnerabilities. The appearance of alternative browsers such as Firefox and Opera have helped with secure browsing and gained in popularity, but even that alone isn't enough to protect against spyware, adware, and malware being introduced into the system. Enter the virtual machine, an operating system that runs within an operating system. With this technology you can effectively isolate certain functions to a virtual machine dedicated to a specific purpose. When the task is completed, reset the virtual machine to a pristine state that eliminates all the recent activity. That eliminates the primary operating system from being compromised by internet activity since it and the virtual machines are separate entities.

I mentioned above this technology has been around for quite some time, so why is it just now becoming popular? First of all, it isn't free if you want to create your own virtual machines and run them on your system. You have to buy the application to create your own virtual machines. However, the virtual machine landscape changed dramatically a few months ago when VMware introduced the free VMware Player. As you might guess from the word 'Player' in the name of the product, you still can't create your own virtual machines with the VMware Player, but here is what it is possible to do as quoted directly from VMware's website. [ More ]

Most users of Windows operating systems are familiar with Windows Update. For those that might not be familiar, Microsoft states in the Help and Support Center, "Windows Update scans your computer for outdated system files and lets you replace them with the most recent versions." While Windows Update is still alive, well, and available to help users keep their systems currently updated, there is now a new option for updating not only the XP system files and applications, but other Microsoft products as well. It's called Microsoft Update and is available for installation from the Windows Update page. Links to an overview, installation, and usage are available below.

Microsoft Update     //     Microsoft Update - Installing     //     Microsoft Update - Usage

Spyware and Adware Threats

Every week I read article after article talking about spyware and how to combat this ever increasing threat. Some users have a lot more trouble with spyware and adware than others. I suppose we could spend a lot of time analyzing how the spyware and adware is introduced onto the system, but I honestly believe it would be an exercise in futility. Users are users are users, and even if .....  [ Read Full Article ]

Reminder -- Rather than clutter up the main page of the site with numerous SP2 knowledge base articles that may or may not be applicable to everyone, just click on the letter " S " in the Index area above and scroll down to the Service Pack 2 category and the latest information is available. There is also the Service Pack 2 Articles page where I archive the old SP2 articles that once were front page news. I also suggest visiting the forum where there is always a lot of discussion and help available regarding SP2 issues.

Slipstreamed Windows XP CD Using SP2

Whenever a new version of a service pack for XP is released I always run it through the slipstreaming procedure to see if everything works as expected. Service Pack 2 (SP2) is the latest release so it was time for another round of testing. For those of you that have a copy of SP2 and want to give it a try the procedure I used is here. I experienced absolutely no problems with the procedure based on an original Gold Edition XP Professional CD. The slipstreamed CD booted and installed perfectly to a freshly formatted hard drive. Instructions are included for both Roxio and Nero CD burning software.