Windows XP Service Pack 3 disables on install an ActiveX control needed to connect to a Windows Home Server box via Remote Desktop Protocol, thanks to an 'upgraded' security model.

Microsoft quietly re-introduced the long-awaited Service Pack 3 for Windows XP yesterday after a compatibility bug resulted in its rapid removal in April.

Microsoft has missed its 29th April deadline for offering Windows XP Service Pack 3 without an MSDN subscription due to a conflict with their Retail Management System software.

Users still clutching to their copy of Windows XP will be happy to find out that SP3 appears to bring a performance increase.

Windows XP is getting a new service pack that includes not only a rollup of past hotfixes and patches, but new features as well.

It's coming, it's not, it's coming, it's not...the story has changed so much. But now it's official- Vista Service Pack 1 is due out in the latter half of this year.

If you were hoping to avoid upgrading to Vista by picking up the latest Windows Service Pack, prepare to keep waiting.