It’s here – Windows XP SP3 - and it brings with it several networking and security improvements as well as a small number of new updates. So what’s new in SP3? Here are some of the things I think are interesting, but this is by no means the full list, you’ll need to go here to see that:
- Microsoft Management Console (MMC) 3.0 – offers reliability enhancements and a new Add/Remove snap-in dialog box
- Network Access Protection (NAP) – helps XP take advantage of new features in Server 2008 that monitors and enforces computer health policies
- BITS 2.5 – used by System Center Configuration Manager and Windows Live One Care
- Remote Desktop Protocol (RDP) 6.1 – this update facilitates better communication
- Wi-Fi Protected Access 2 (WPA2) – Finally! My favorite! XP will now support for WPA2, the latest wireless security standard
By the way, SP3 Does Not Include IE7, only updates to whichever browser you have installed.