Microsoft has posted the release candidate of Windows XP Service Pack 3 to its download site. The move marks the first opportunity for all users of the six-year-old operating system to try out its final upgrade. Previously, several thousand users were given access to test builds of SP3 only by Microsoft's invitation. Update: I just installed the RC on my Windows XP MCE installation, and it all went fairly painless. I haven't noticed anything radically different either yet. 
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Member since:2005-12-02
"why would it be a headache to upgrade. 
If you have red hat or suse you use their "satellite" servers and just push out upgrades. If you need a new install use automated PXE servers and kickstart or autoyast. No different than SUS or windows deployment services. You can have a new OS installed in minutes. With no input from anyone. But this all involves forethought. Something that is a little waning in IT."
Actually it is waning in management, which controls the budgets. They don't like spending money on IT, and it generally takes a disaster for them to wake up and say "Okay, you can spend that $10K now, I guess backups might be important after all." Let alone what you are proposing. I have proposed it many times here, including the business case and cost savings in the long run. The only question they even have is "Can you just re-install from CD? Yes? No need for this setup then." 
Member since:
2005-12-28
why would it be a headache to upgrade.
If you have red hat or suse you use their "satellite" servers and just push out upgrades. If you need a new install use automated PXE servers and kickstart or autoyast. No different than SUS or windows deployment services. You can have a new OS installed in minutes. With no input from anyone. But this all involves forethought. Something that is a little waning in IT.