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Introducing - Unofficial Windows XP SP4


harkaz

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Welcome to Windows XP Service Pack 4 (Unofficial).

Windows XP SP4 (Service Pack 4) is a cumulative update rollup for Windows XP.

Windows XP SP4 Final is now available!

 

Windows XP SP4 can installed on any version of Windows XP with SP1 or later installed or slipstreamed into any Windows XP installation source (except for Embedded versions). It includes all updated components and hotfixes for Windows XP in a single, convenient package. Except for the SP4 package installer main executable (update.exe) and a cosmetic resource modification sysdm.cpl no other binary file has been modified, everything is original from Microsoft Corporation.

Microsoft .NET Frameworks 4.0, 3.5, 1.1, 1.0 are included in this package. .NET Framework 1.0 will be installed only with Tablet PC Edition or Media Center Edition (Upgrade only). .NET Framework 4.0 is disabled by default.
It's possible to split the slipstreamed installation source into two 650 MB CD-ROMs, which can be essential for older computers. You can also create 6 Bootable Floppy Disks to install Windows XP on older systems which cannot boot from CD-ROM.

Furthermore, Windows XP SP4 includes security enhancements that address issues not fixed by Microsoft Updates. It also includes performance tweaks that should make your PC run blazingly fast.

 

NOTE:  Before installing SP4 on a system with many post-SP3 updates installed, follow the steps described here (do not restart your PC after applying these steps, just run the SP4 installer and then reboot):

http://www.rarst.net/software/failed-install-catalog-files/

This will prevent a common error message: "Failed to install catalog files"

Although SP4 installer takes steps to automatically delete these files, it may require manual intervention in some cases.

 

Download at official Internet Archive repo: https://archive.org/details/xp-unofficial-sp4-jan2022_20220113

View contents of ryanvm-archive-xpsp4-posts.7z on the Internet Archive download location for additional information. (Current version: Version 3.1b Released on 08 March 2016 23:00:00 UTC).

Enjoy Windows XP Service Pack 4.

 

1 - UPDATE [June 7, 2019]: Post-SP4 Update Pack released!

This final update pack should be applied to Windows XP installation media immediately after slipstreaming SP4 v3.1b to a Windows XP RTM/SP1/SP2/SP3 source. This will update installation media to May 2019, including every single update released until the POSReady 2009 end-of-life in May 2019. Download available at RyanVM.net.

2 - UPDATE - 15 OCT 2018:
For novice users that do not want to wait for 20-30 minutes after installing XP SP4 AND rebooting
For all .NET haters...

A NEW RELEASE OF UNOFFICIAL SP4 3.1B WITHOUT .NET FRAMEWORK

This release will not install .NET Framework in both live and slipstreamed install, unless:
- Media Center Edition is used -> .NET Framework 1.1 SP1 is installed
- Tablet PC Edition is used -> .NET Framework 1.0 SP3 is installed
Users can still install .NET FWs of their choice from the Add/Remove Components wizard in Control Panel
This alternative SP4 release is called:
WindowsXP-USP4-v3.1b-NODOTNET-x86-ENU.exe

In addition, XP SP4 OEM Preinstallation Kit ISOs with SCSI drivers, and an updated MUI ISO have been released!

3 - IMPORTANT NOTICE FOR XP SP4 USERS [08/03/2016]: Microsoft has changed its WU update detection strategy. The following key must be removed to continue receiving automatic updates from WU:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\WindowsEmbedded

Use the sp4_march16_wufix.reg found inside the respective zip file at my Google Drive in order to automate the process. Version 3.1a users don't need to do anything more than that.

A new v3.1b version has been released with this change, just for new installs. No other updates have been added.

Edited by harkaz
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I appreciate what you are doing, but why do you need an SP4 for XP? XP SP3 itself is very usable and can run almost any app. Are you going to start unofficial support for XP, since MS is finally discontinuing it, like some people have done with 2K?

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I appreciate what you are doing, but why do you need an SP4 for XP? XP SP3 itself is very usable and can run almost any app. Are you going to start unofficial support for XP, since MS is finally discontinuing it, like some people have done with 2K?

Its all the post sp3 security updates and hotfixes, including updated ie, etc...

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Two advantages to the SP approach vs the update pack is that this can be applied to either an installed running system or to an install medium, whichever you prefer, and it definitely takes less time to install a SP compared to applying all of the updates one at a time, even if you used an automated method to do so.

Cheers and Regards

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It's again this time of the century when another Windows OS dies and the community makes it immortal. :) I'm happy with SP3 but well done for your work. XP will continue to be alive here.

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@harkaz I see. So this would simplify all the updates for the people that want to upgrade their SP3 system. I bet the updated IE is IE8.

This seems to be pretty useful, though. Some people still use XP, and they don't want to have to buy windows 8/Mac OS X.

Edited by ironman14
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@ vinifera: I plan to include all updated Windows components in the SP4. Microsoft .NET Frameworks are removable components in this Unofficial Service Pack 4, the same goes for XPS Viewer and Windows Search 4.0. .NET Frameworks and XPS Viewer enabled by default, however, while Windows Search 4.0 is disabled by default. Media Center and Tablet PC are installed only when Windows XP SP4 is installed/slipstreamed in MCE/Tablet PC system or installation disk, respectively.

Edited by Yzöwl
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No one will ever make a "perfect" SP that will satisfy everyone. There will always be just as many folks that complain that there is not enough in it as those who complain that there is too much. By all means make comments, suggestions and express your opinions, but please don't criticize the author for his decisions. It just ends up making you look bad.

Cheers and Regards

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Harkaz ... sounds to me like a nice project with a good future and will benefit people making the switch to XP after April 2014 and beyond. I'm sure there will be tweaking along the way but it's a beginning that may lead to many new XP projects as Windows XP officially comes to an end.

Look at the excitement in the Windows 98/98SE forum and improvements that have happened over the years. This is just the beginning of a continued or second life for Windows XP ... Windows 98/98SE needed some tweaking with USB and software (KernelEx) and so forth. Windows XP is beyond all that already and may not need much tinkering or tweaking but every so often someone might make a nice discovery or solve an ongoing problem.

We have a very good OS in Windows XP but others will possibly make it better down the road.

...

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Very good job. I might just want to reinstall xp again just to try this out. (and drive M$ crazy :sneaky: ) as bphlpt said there will always be hate.

Sometimes we do good things, believe in people, or try our hardest, we seem to get nothing in return...not even a thank you. While this is very disheartening, please don't think it was a waste of time. Maybe you were not appreciated immediately, but maybe one person will look back and realize how kind you were to them. Maybe. Until then, please accept a sincere Thank you from me on their behalf.
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I truthfully think this is a great idea. Windows Update on the web feels extremely broken these days and half the time I can't even get it to work on a Windows XP machine so having an update pack like this is for sure an awesome idea. It's almost like Autopatcher used to be many years ago before MS shut them down except it's basically a Service Pack, not just an update script so much. This will save a boat load of time when it comes to bringing a Windows XP machine up to date in short order. I say keep going!

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I'm fixing a couple of bugs in the SP4 Alpha version. One of them is the Kabul Time Zone Syndrome": in CD-ROM installations, you always get Kabul as the selected time zone no matter what you choose.

I have narrowed down the cause of this issue, so expect an Alpha 2 release very soon..

By the way, I got my hands on Windows Embedded POSReady 2009. It is Windows XP SP3 and it will be supported until 2019. In Windows Embedded POSReady 2009 Service Pack 3 I could find almost everything present in the Windows XP SP3 package. Even the \ic folder was there (is there a "Home/Personal" version of WEPOS that I don't know?).

There are only a few binaries different in XP Home and Professional, as one sees in the service pack: dpcdll.dll and pidgen.dll. Dpcdll.dll is the only one which has been affected by updates (winlgon.exe updates I think affect this one).

As for the INF files, I can do everything I want with them and nothing at all will complain.

It's highly likely, after all, that April 2014 won't be the end for Windows XP x86...

Edited by harkaz
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And while I'm testing the Windows XP SP4 Alpha 2 Build, which fixes the Kabul Time Zone syndrome but adds no new updates/features to the SP4 package (for the moment), I thought about performing a "weird" test that would show me whether POSReady 2009's post-April 2014 updates would need special porting to run on Windows XP.

Simply put, I ran Windows XP SP4 Alpha 2 installer on top of Windows POSReady 2009.

The result? Well, pictures speak louder than words...

2m48u4h.png

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