XP Update Packages
- When it was first released in 2001, Windows XP was considered to be a revolutionary step forward for operating system design and development. Since its initial release, there have been countless updates to almost every aspect of the operating system. Of these updates, there have been three large service pack updates, each adding functionality and stability to the Windows XP operating system.
- A little less than a year after the initial release of Windows XP, Microsoft released Service Pack One. One of the biggest features of Windows XP Service Pack One was the cavalcade of post-release to marketing security updates to better protect computers from Trojan viruses and attempted hacking. Service Pack One also came with Microsoft Java Virtual Machine. However, after a lawsuit was filed pitting Microsoft against Sun Microsystems, the owner of the Java license, Microsoft released Service Pack One-A, which removed the Java Virtual Machine from Windows XP.
- In August 2004 Microsoft released Windows XP Service Pack 2. Service Pack 2 included all of the other non-Service Pack updates that Microsoft had released for Windows XP, as well as adding new functionality to many programs included with Windows XP such as a a pop-up ad blocker for Internet Explorer 6 and support for Bluetooth devices. Service Pack 2 also improved on Windows XP's Wi-Fi support. Another, seemingly pointless change was the switch from a different color loading bar for each version of Windows XP to one universal color.
- Windows XP Service Pack 3 was released on April 21, 2008 and is the last Service Pack release for Windows XP, as Microsoft had decided to shift support focus to Windows Vista and Windows 7. Like the other Service Packs, Service Pack 3 included several updates that were previously released, including Windows Script 5.7 and Remote Desktop Protocol 6.1. Windows XP Service Pack 3 also included several security updates designed to protect the user's Internet connection.
