Shop OBEX P1 Docs P2 Docs Learn Events
Want Windows XP SP4? Unofficial versions are on the way — Parallax Forums

Want Windows XP SP4? Unofficial versions are on the way

Ron CzapalaRon Czapala Posts: 2,418
edited 2014-08-29 01:57 in General Discussion
http://www.zdnet.com/want-windows-xp-sp4-unofficial-versions-are-on-the-way-7000033030/
Some five months after Microsoft ended support for Windows XP, a developer is preparing to make an unofficial service pack for the 12-year-old OS available on general release.

Using the project title of Unofficial Service Pack 4, Greece-based developer harkaz started work in September 2013 on bringing together all the official updates from Microsoft in a single package.

Unofficial SP4, which is available in a third beta version, is soon to be finalised in a release candidate, according to harkaz, who said in a blogpost this week, "I have already started working on the SP4 RC build."

Comments

  • LoopyBytelooseLoopyByteloose Posts: 12,537
    edited 2014-08-27 11:18
    From what I understand the Chinese pirated versions cleaned up SP1 through SP3 mostly by removing NOP instructions that seemed to run rampant in some sort of anti-piracy solution. Or maybe to slow down XP so that people would buy a faster machine with Vista.

    I will try to find a link to substantiate this. Of course, XP is still property of MS. So I suspect this SP4 attempt is going to get squashed post haste.

    Here is the link.
    http://uncyclopedia.wikia.com/wiki/User:Simsilikesims/Windows_XP_Pirate_Edition

    IMO, a lot of nonsense.. just move on to Linux if you want free and stable.
  • PublisonPublison Posts: 12,366
    edited 2014-08-27 11:55
    Do I wait for Threshold or SP4? I'll sleep on it.
  • Heater.Heater. Posts: 21,230
    edited 2014-08-27 11:57
    I'm not sure but this sounds like it involves a big lot of copyright infringement. I'm almost certain promotion of such ilegal activity is not appropriate for this forum.

    On top of that would anyone be dumb enough to trust such a package from a questionable supplier?
  • Ron CzapalaRon Czapala Posts: 2,418
    edited 2014-08-27 12:02
    Heater. wrote: »
    I'm not sure but this sounds like it involves a big lot of copyright infringement. I'm almost certain promotion of such ilegal activity is not appropriate for this forum.

    On top of that would anyone be dumb enough to trust such a package from a questionable supplier?

    Nobody is "promoting it" here.

    Of course we know that you believe that promoting any version Windows is inappropriate...
  • Heater.Heater. Posts: 21,230
    edited 2014-08-27 12:10
    Ron,

    What? You are the one who came here to advertise the fact that it is available.

    I can make very good arguments in favour of pirating such things but I would think twice about promoting it here.

    In fact the availability of such an XP release would be very helpful to many people I know who need to keep XP running for one reason or another. That link may be useful. Thank you.
  • Ron CzapalaRon Czapala Posts: 2,418
    edited 2014-08-27 12:18
    Heater. wrote: »
    Ron,

    What? You are the one who came here to advertise the fact that it is available.

    I can make very good arguments in favour of pirating such things but I would think twice about promoting it here.

    In fact the availability of such an XP release would be very helpful to many people I know who need to keep XP running for one reason or another. That link may be useful. Thank you.

    I am not "advertising" anything - I just thought it was interesting that someone is going to so much effort for what remains a very popular Operating System.

    Even though I plan on keeping XP running on alt least one PC, I would not consider using an unauthorized version.

    It is fun to yank your chain though! :smile:
  • Heater.Heater. Posts: 21,230
    edited 2014-08-27 14:45
    Ron,

    OK, you don't like the word "advertising". What about "disseminating information that could enable or encourage illegal activity"?

    Web sites have been shut down for such things. Crazy but true.
    It is fun to yank your chain though!
    Please continue yank away. I have a very long and elastic chain and it makes an interesting twanging effect at this end. :)
  • Ron CzapalaRon Czapala Posts: 2,418
    edited 2014-08-27 15:03
    Heater. wrote: »
    Ron,

    OK, you don't like the word "advertising". What about "disseminating information that could enable or encourage illegal activity"?

    Web sites have been shut down for such things. Crazy but true.


    Please continue yank away. I have a very long and elastic chain and it makes an interesting twanging effect at this end. :)

    Maybe you should warn the article's author (Toby Wolpe - senior reporter at ZDNet in London).


    Or Neowin too: http://www.neowin.net/news/windows-xp-unofficial-service-pack-4-brings-updates-to-microsofts-obsolete-os
    Or this guy: http://www.crystalxp.net/galerie/en.id.20027-windows-xp-service-pack-4.html
    Or Torrent http://www.torrentfunk.com/all/torrents/windows-xp-sp4.html

    You can bet that Microsoft will take some action if they are concerned about the unofficial SP4.

    Slipstreaming XP has been going on for many years to update legal install disks with current updates.
    Could be that this SP4 is a how-to on slipstreaming XP
    According to harkaz, Windows XP Unofficial SP4 is a cumulative update rollup for Windows XP x86

    Doesn't sound illegal at all - does involve modifying or illegally distributing MS code/products.

    http://www.bleepingcomputer.com/tutorials/slipstreaming-windows-xp-to-create-bootable-cd/
  • Heater.Heater. Posts: 21,230
    edited 2014-08-27 15:38
    This whole thing is about somebody called "harkaz" in Greece.

    You know what they say:

    "Beware of Greeks bearing gifts"

    Or as Virgil put it in his Aeneid:

    "Do not trust the horse, Trojans. Whatever it is, I fear the Greeks even when they bring gifts."

    Trojans sounds like a legitimate worry here.
  • Ron CzapalaRon Czapala Posts: 2,418
    edited 2014-08-27 15:48
    http://www.pcworld.com/article/2599290/enthusiast-developer-keeps-windows-xp-alive-with-unofficial-service-pack-4.html

    PC World - Enthusiast developer keeps Windows XP alive with unofficial 'Service Pack 4'
    ... Service Pack 4 includes additional security fixes that aren't technically part of Windows XP proper, but are instead intended for ATMs and point of sale machines still running a variant of the aging OS. As discovered in May, it's possible to keep getting these security updates through a registry hack, but Unofficial SP4 enables this hack by default and bakes in all of its previous fixes.

    Of course, Microsoft advises against Windows XP users installing these fixes, and suggests updating to Windows 7 or Windows 8 instead.

    ...
    the whole point of the unofficial service pack is to test the fixes against Windows XP and ensure they work properly
  • Oldbitcollector (Jeff)Oldbitcollector (Jeff) Posts: 8,091
    edited 2014-08-28 08:37
    Even if the developer of this is on the level, there has got to be a huge temptation to plant some malware/trojan software in the release.
    (But, Hey, I don't really trust Microsoft these days either....)

    I wouldn't use this on anything that needed to be connected to the Internet.
  • potatoheadpotatohead Posts: 10,261
    edited 2014-08-28 08:42
    This is just news. And it is, in fact, news that people are going to continue working to support XP. In other news, one can turn the XP POS registry key on and get updates that way too. XP Embedded is still available, and it's getting support as well.

    It's very highly likely this person is packaging up various things like this, driver updates, etc... They could also go and create the files needed for hardware support and package those too, essentially keeping XP current with whatever hardware device manufacturers do, and they will continue with XP and often DOS drivers for dedicated systems.

    Agreed on avoiding networking. My one XP machine isn't on the network, and it's in "get stuff off it" mode now. Almost done! I think I'll put Linux on it, once I've gone through it. Man! Doing that takes a loooong time! Ran that one for something like 7 years. Who knows what I did? Worse, do I care? Don't know, until I go looking and there is a lot to look at...
  • bill190bill190 Posts: 769
    edited 2014-08-28 08:58
    Seems to me Microsoft could create a LOT of goodwill with its customers by reacting to this by bringing back XP and supporting that product - Not by attacking anyone who wants to continue using it!

    Duh!!!
  • Ron CzapalaRon Czapala Posts: 2,418
    edited 2014-08-28 13:34
    bill190 wrote: »
    Seems to me Microsoft could create a LOT of goodwill with its customers by reacting to this by bringing back XP and supporting that product - Not by attacking anyone who wants to continue using it!

    Duh!!!

    Heck - they are already trying to push Windows 7 off the cliff even though it is the most widely used version!
  • LoopyBytelooseLoopyByteloose Posts: 12,537
    edited 2014-08-29 01:11
    Well, I think it is a bit foolish to expect an XP revival.

    A friend brought me a North American OEM copy of Windows7 Professional 64bit that is useless for me to attempt to install in Taiwan. It is in English. It has never been opened. It is the real thing. I think it was acquied from Egghead.

    If anyone desires it, send me a PM. I am willing to send it back to the USA. And someone can have their Windows.

    ++++++++++

    I learned my lesson. Windows users are simply attached to all the software they bought or stole and can't seem to let go. In Linux, software is just software and value is based on utility and task.... not greedy and materialism.
  • RDL2004RDL2004 Posts: 2,554
    edited 2014-08-29 01:57
    If the rumors about Windows 9 are true, then it seems to me that Microsoft is making an effort to ease the Windows XP problem by offering it for a very low cost or possibly free. Anyone using XP really should have upgraded to something better by now anyway. It's closing in on 15 years old after all.

    For those who have software or hardware devices that won't work on any version of Windows newer than XP, then just keep using XP for that. Nothing is broken, it still works. Just don't get on the internet.


    Seems to me Microsoft could create a LOT of goodwill with its customers by reacting to this by bringing back XP and supporting that product - Not by attacking anyone who wants to continue using it!
Sign In or Register to comment.