A week after announcing that there won’t be any Windows XP SP3 available for download through Windows Update and Microsoft Download Center, Microsoft has finally released the long-awaited service pack.

The distribution of SP3 was halted just before the official release date because of some compatibility glitches that Microsoft found. But now, as Microsoft says, SP3 is all ready for everyone to download. This service pack fixes about 1,174 bugs and includes some security updates. The full list of changes and fixes can be found here.

This service pack does not make any significant changes in the user experience because it only contains updates. According to Microsoft,

“Windows XP SP3 includes all previously released updates for the operating system, in addition to a small number of new updates.”

Download

This installation package is intended only for IT professionals and developers who want to install SP3 on multiple computers on a network. You can download it from here. [DO NOT CLICK HERE IF YOU INTEND TO USE THIS SP3 ONLY ON ONE COMPUTER]

If you would like to install SP3 on your personal or only one computer, then it is recommended that you visit Windows Update and download it from there because a smaller and a more appropriate version is available there. The best way to ensure you get Windows XP Service Pack 3 is by turning on the Automatic Updates feature in Windows XP.

NOTE: Windows XP users running Microsoft Dynamics Retail Management System (RMS) are advised to install a hotfix for a Microsoft Dynamics RMS issue prior to installing Windows XP SP3.

I’ll be updating my Windows XP this weekend! When do you intend to update?

UPDATE: Standalone version in 25 languages can be downloaded from here.