Microsoft Windows XP Service Pack 3 (SP3) Release Candidate (RC)

Overview

SP3 functions primarily as a collection of past fixes with a few security additions. SP3 is most certainly essential for anyone who hasn't applied SP2, and for those who haven't kept up with the Windows Update downloads, but if you've been on top of things, SP3 won't do much for you.

http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2200774,00.asp

Remarks from Microsoft

"This pre-release software is provided for testing purposes only. Microsoft does not recommend installing this software on primary or mission critical systems. Microsoft recommends that you have a backup of your data prior to installing any pre-release software."

My Recommendation

Download and install SP3 only if you are very curious about this update. Microsoft should release a stable version of SP3 by first quarter 2008. So, just be patient.

Download Link from Microsoft
http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?FamilyID=75ed934c-8423-4386-ad98-36b124a720aa&displaylang=en