As most of you probably know by now, support for Windows XP SP2 ends on July 13, 2010. Well that’s for the 32 bit version of Windows XP, but what about Windows XP 64 bit, knowing that there isn’t an SP3 for that one?

I found the answer within the End of Support FAQ where it states:

Q: If I have 64-bit Windows XP, do I also need to apply Service Pack 3?
A: No, you don’t. There is no Service Pack 3 for the 64-bit version of Windows XP. If you are running the 64-bit Windows XP with Service Pack 2, you are on the latest service pack and will continue to be eligible for support and receive updates until April 8, 2014

More Information can be found here

On July 12, 2010 Microsoft Windows XP Service Pack will reach end of support, for most companies this shouldn’t come as a surprise as this has been widely communicated when Microsoft released Windows XP Service Pack 3. however it appears that some companies didn’t took these message too serious then, but now suddenly realize that July 12, 2010 is just a few months ahead of them.

Many people have still in memory the challenges they faced with Windows XP Service Pack 2, this because this in fact was more than what people knew as being a Service Pack. Windows XP Service Pack 2 was not just a rollup of security and product fixes, but also contained various technology updates (Network protection, Memory Protection, Web Browsing security and Computer Maintenance). In these days the famous word was Trustworthy Computing and this was what Windows XP Service Pack 2 was about. From a technical and security perspective Windows XP Service Pack 2 was definitely a big step forward, but many companies faced quite some challenges in deploying it especially with regard to application compatibility.

So now when it comes to the deployment of Windows XP Service Pack 3, many people automatically think of Service Pack 2. But as mentioned previously, Service Pack 2 was a kind of special Service Pack, this isn’t the case for Service Pack 3 which is basically a rollup of security and product fixes and contains just a few new technologies or enhancements that won’t have a big impact on the existing environment.

Here’s a short checklist for planning and deploying Windows XP Service Pack 3

1. Include Windows XP Service Pack 3 in your Software Distribution or Patch Deployment System

2. Identify Test users (Application owners, Developers, standard users) and deploy Windows XP SP3

3. Monitor the Pilot clients and track any issues

4. If all is green, start deploying Windows XP Service Pack 3 throughout the Enterprise

5. In parallel you want to update your current Windows XP Service Pack 2 based images with Service Pack 3 as well, this to prevent very long new PC installation times.

Things to consider

Microsoft did not release separate Multilanguage Packs for XP SP3, companies can continue to use the previous released MUI Pack, but there is a MUI Pack update available that provides MUI support for some of the new or updated components that come with SP3.

If you were using a single image for standard desktop/laptops and TabletPC’s then be aware of the fact that with Windows XP Service Pack 3 Microsoft has removed the possibility of using a Single Image for Windows XP Professional and TabletPC Edition.  So if a company uses TabletPC devices, they will end up creating separate images for these.

Additional Information
Lifecycle Supported Service Packs
Microsoft Support Lifecycle Blog
End of Support for Windows XP SP2 and Windows Vista (with no service packs installed)
What’s up with Service Pack support?
Windows XP Service Pack 3 Overview
Release Notes for Windows XP Service Pack 3

Be aware of the upcoming End of Support for Windows Vista (RTM) and Windows XP SP2. More details here. Also read End of support for Windows 2000 and Extended Support phase transition for Windows Server 2003 here

Knowing what products are being used within your IT environment is key. From a technology planning point of view its also important to understand the entire product lifecycle of a given product, especially when the it’s being used by a large amount of users or if its use is business critical.

For Microsoft products, the Microsoft Product Lifecycle Search site can help you creating your technology roadmaps.

Simply choose one of the options and select the timeframe. The example below shows all Microsoft products that will go out of extended support within the next 12 months.