SP3 vs SP2 (both fully updated) -> what's the difference?

7 Dec 2008 4:53 PM

XP Guy

If I keep an installation of XP pro (sp2) fully updated and patched,
then what is the difference between that and SP3?

Besides something called NAP service, I thought that SP3 was (at the
time of it's release) just a roll-up of various SP2 patches. No?

I also heard some claims back when SP3 was in beta that SP3 system
performance was 5 to 10% faster than current SP2. Are the
previously-claimed performance benefits of SP3 true? Do they still hold?
Were they bogus?

If there are differences in important system files between fully updated
SP2 and current SP3 versions, then what files are we talking about, and
what are the differences? For example, has DRM been strengthened in SP3?

This microsoft link really doesn't explain the differences between SP2
and SP3 going forward:

http://tinyurl.com/323xbq

7 Dec 2008 8:44 PM

Jim

Show quote Hide quote

"XP Guy" <X*@Guy.com> wrote in message news:493BFF90.A0A4C19A@Guy.com...
> If I keep an installation of XP pro (sp2) fully updated and patched,
> then what is the difference between that and SP3?
>
> Besides something called NAP service, I thought that SP3 was (at the
> time of it's release) just a roll-up of various SP2 patches. No?
>
> I also heard some claims back when SP3 was in beta that SP3 system
> performance was 5 to 10% faster than current SP2. Are the
> previously-claimed performance benefits of SP3 true? Do they still hold?
> Were they bogus?
>
> If there are differences in important system files between fully updated
> SP2 and current SP3 versions, then what files are we talking about, and
> what are the differences? For example, has DRM been strengthened in SP3?
>
> This microsoft link really doesn't explain the differences between SP2
> and SP3 going forward:
>
> http://tinyurl.com/323xbq

Somebody posted in the last day or so that there were 1179 extremely minor
changes in XP SP3. It seems to me that SP3 is just a rollup.

Performance here is about the same. I suspect it is about the same
everywhere.

The only real difference is when full support for the two versions ends.
SP2 - 2010; SP3 - 2014. I'll be 84 by the time support stops for SP3. It
does seem to me that I may not be doing much computing by 2014.
Jim

7 Dec 2008 9:22 PM

Stan Brown

Sun, 7 Dec 2008 14:44:47 -0600 from Jim <j.n@invalid.invalid>:

> "XP Guy" <X*@Guy.com> wrote in message news:493BFF90.A0A4C19A@Guy.com...
> > [quoted text muted]
> > This microsoft link really doesn't explain the differences between SP2
> > and SP3 going forward:
> >
> > http://tinyurl.com/323xbq
> Somebody posted in the last day or so that there were 1179 extremely minor
> changes in XP SP3. It seems to me that SP3 is just a rollup.

We had a number of people at work find that Internet Explorer would
no longer display some pages correctly after they installed XP SP3.
This included a page I wrote, that displays just fine in IE6, IE7,
Firefox, and Mozilla and passes validation of its HTML and CSS.

There were also problems wih some Office programs not wprking right,
if I recall correctly. Anyway, our IT department ended up
uninstalling SP3.

--
Stan Brown, Oak Road Systems, Tompkins County, New York, USA
http://OakRoadSystems.com
Shikata ga nai...

8 Dec 2008 4:39 AM

W****n S***********g

>
> The only real difference is when full support for the two versions ends.
> SP2 - 2010; SP3 - 2014. I'll be 84 by the time support stops for SP3. It
> does seem to me that I may not be doing much computing by 2014.
> Jim
>

2012 is the end of the Mayan calendar any ways.

We will be back to the abacus.