What is in Windows XP Service Pack 3

Hello Friends,

Even though Microsoft has release his Windows XP Service Pack 3 in the month of 5/6/2008.And I myself feel many of computer user may not know this and for them I want to create this Article.

In this Article I will suggest some Key points which XP Service pack 3 provides to its End users.So here I will start....

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.

System Requirements

Supported Operating Systems: Windows XP; Windows XP Home Edition ; Windows XP Home Edition N; Windows XP Media Center Edition; Windows XP Professional Edition ; Windows XP Professional N; Windows XP Service Pack 1; Windows XP Service Pack 2; Windows XP Starter Edition; Windows XP Tablet PC Edition

The following functionality describes is already available for Windows XP in stand-alone updates. System administrators must choose to install each of these updates, however. Windows XP SP3 includes them by default.

• MMC 3.0
• MSXML6
• Microsoft Windows Installer 3.1 v2
• Background Intelligent Transfer Service (BITS)
• IPSec Simple Policy Update for Windows Server 2003 and Windows XP
• Digital Identity Management Service (DIMS)
• Peer Name Resolution Protocol (PNRP) 2.1
• Remote Desktop Protocol 6.1
• Wi-Fi Protected Access 2 (WPA2)

Following are the most significant changes in Windows XP SP3. With few exceptions, Microsoft is not adding new features or functionality from newer versions of Windows to Windows XP through SP3.
As noted earlier, one exception is the addition of NAP to Windows XP to help organizations running Windows XP to take advantage of new features in Windows Server 2008.

"Black Hole" Router Detection
Windows XP SP3 includes improvements to black hole router detection(detecting routers that are silently discarding packets), turning it on by default.

Network Access Protection (NAP)
NAP is a policy enforcement platform built into Windows Vista, Windows Server 2008, and Windows XP SP3 with which you can better protect network assets by enforcing compliance with system health requirements.
Using NAP, you can create customized health policies to validate computer health before allowing access or communication; automatically update compliant computers to ensure ongoing compliance; and optionally confine non compliant computers to a restricted network until they become compliant.

CredSSP Security Service Provider
CredSSP is a new Security Service Provider (SSP) that is available in Windows XP SP3 via Security Service Provider Interface (SSPI). CredSSP enables an application to delegate the user’s credentials from the Client (via Client side SSP) to the target Server (via Server side SSP). Windows XP SP3 involves only the Client side SSP implementation and is currently being used by RDP 6.1 (TS), though it can be used by any third party application willing to use the Client side SSP to interact with applications running Server side implementations of the same on Vista / LH Server.
There is a technical specification of this SSP available at the Microsoft Download Center.
Note that CredSSP is turned OFF by default in Windows XP SP3.To enable CredSSP, administrators can modify the following registry keys:
[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Lsa]
In the value ―Security Packages‖ of type REG_MULTI_SZ, add ―tspkg‖ in addition to SSP-specific data already present.
[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\SecurityProviders]
In the value ―SecurityProviders‖ of type REG_SZ, add ―credssp.dll‖ in addition to SSP-specific data already present.