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The Windows XP Professional operating system is the best choice for businesses of all sizes. Windows XP Professional integrates the strengths of Windows 2000 Professional, such as standards-based security, manageability, and reliability, with the best business features of Windows 98 and Windows Millennium Edition, such as plug and play, simplified user interface, and innovative support services. This combination creates the best desktop operating system for business. Whether your business deploys Windows XP Professional on a single computer or throughout a worldwide network, this operating system increases your computing power while lowering cost of ownership for desktop computers.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.
Significance of SP3
Recently, Microsoft downplayed the significance of Windows XP SP3. In a white paper posted to its Web site, the company praised Windows Vista at XP's expense, reminding users that Vista boasted beefed-up security, for instance. The spokeswoman also chimed in. "Windows XP SP3 does not bring significant portions of Windows Vista functionality to Windows XP," she said.
That may be so, but according to a Florida performance testing software developer, XP SP3 is not only 10% faster than XP SP2, but more than twice as fast as Vista SP1, claims that Microsoft disparaged within days.
XP SP3, in fact, is the newest version of Vista's biggest rival, according to Forrester Research. U.S. and European businesses will delay Vista deployment, Forrester analyst Benjamin Gray said a month ago, in part because of application incompatibility problems unheard of in XP. "That's causing a lot of XP shops to take a wait-and-see approach to Vista," said Gray then.
Windows XP debuted in October 2001 and was last updated as SP2 in August 2004; SP3 will be the final major upgrade of the operating system.
High Priority
Windows Malicious Software Removal Tool
Windows Genuine Advantage Notification
Windows Internet Explorer 7
Optional
Microsoft Base Smart Card Cryptographic Service Provider Package
Update for Root Certificates
Microsoft .NET Framework 3.5 Service Pack 1 |
