Unfortunately, the official Windows support XP ended in April 2014: for operating system Regular updates and fixes are no longer released. However, if you still don't have Service Pack 3 installed, which combines older updates, now is the time to install it.
To update Windows XP to SP3, download the package from the official Microsoft website. Before installation, it is recommended to create backup copies of important files and disable the antivirus, just in case. After that, double click on the downloaded SP3 file to run it. Follow the installation wizard's instructions, and once completed, click Finish to restart your computer. Don't forget to turn on your antivirus later if you disabled it.
Unofficial Windows XP update
Advanced users have come up with a way to prolong receiving updates for Windows XP by editing the registry. This allows you to automatically install updates to the system for Windows versions Embedded POSReady 2009, which is based on Windows XP but is designed for cash registers and ATMs. However, it is worth considering that such updates have not been tested directly on Windows XP, so it is impossible to guarantee their reliability 100%.
To use this update method, open Notepad and copy the following code into it:
- Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00
- "Installed"=dword:00000001
Then select “Save” from the File menu. In the save window, select the “All files” option from the “File type” menu and assign any name to the new file suitable name with a .reg extension, for example “update.reg” (without quotes). Click the “Save” button, then find the saved file and double-click on it to automatically make the necessary changes to the registry. If you are prompted to confirm the operation, click Yes.
Unofficial Service Pack 4
In addition, an unofficial service pack 4 was recently released for Windows XP. It contains all the updates released by Microsoft since Service Pack 3, and also automatically makes the changes described above to the registry. You can download the package from Softpedia.com. It is installed in exactly the same way as SP3. But, of course, you need to remember that this is an unofficial update, so it cannot be guaranteed to work properly. However, after the end of official support, this is one of the few remaining ways to update your Windows XP system.
Support for Windows XP ended in April 2014, however, many users still actively use this version of the operating system. It may be needed for test runs of applications and games, or simply due to human habit. In order for such a relatively old system to run all modern games and applications, you need to update it promptly. In this article, you will learn what you need to do to update Windows XP, support for which has long been discontinued.
How to set up automatic updates for Windows XP
As it turned out, Windows XP continues to live to this day in a special version of the OS called “Windows OS Embedded POS Ready 2009”. This software for terminals and some devices. Its support continues to this day, so you can use a little trick and trick the system by installing updates for a different OS version.
To start setting up, you need to create an empty text file in a specific format.
Go to the Start panel and find Notepad in your preferred way. It is located in the “Service” section, or can be found through the search bar.
Save the current document immediately, do not write or change anything in it.
On the second line, change the file type to “All files”. Click “Save” to finish creating the document.
Now find the created file in the folder where you saved it. Click on it right click mouse and select “Change”.
Now you need to paste the code into this file. Please note that you must first save an empty document, only then enter lines of code into it, otherwise the operation may not start.
Make the following changes to the document:
Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00
"Installed"=dword:00000001
All you have to do is copy and paste them.
Save all changes. Double click on this executable file with your mouse. The computer may restart on its own. If it didn't, then reboot.
Now your system will be updated like a working modification of Windows XP.
To configure updates, go to Start again and select the “Control Panel” line.
This is where you need the Center Windows updates. Click on the title to enter.
If on this moment If you have updates waiting to be installed, this will be displayed as an “Install updates” button. Clicking on it will begin the update process followed by a reboot. Windows XP will now perform these updates on a schedule.
If you want to change this, go to the “Settings” panel, which is located on the left side of the window. In this section, you can configure the frequency of updates, or select a completely manual mode. Customize all settings to suit your personal comfort.
There is nothing else you need to do, this support for Windows XP will last until 2019, after which it will also cease to be supported.
How to download Windows XP updates manually
If you don't want to install a whole package of automatic updates for modifications, you can download the updates directly from the Microsoft website, however, you need to know the name of the update in advance in order to download it.
Go to the website https://www.microsoft.com and enter the name in the special field in the middle of the site. Click “Download” and the full package will be downloaded immediately.
This method takes longer, but does not require any tricks from the user: just download the file and run it.
A Windows Service Pack is a large collection of patches and tools to improve the reliability of the operating system. In the case of Windows, there are 3 versions: sp1, sp2 and sp3. It is strongly recommended to use the latest one - it is the most stable and secure, supporting many even modern applications. If you still have sp2 or sp1, you can download all the necessary updates for Windows XP to get the sp3 version.
How to find out the current version
First, users need to find out what version of the operating system Windows systems XP is currently installed. This can be done using the computer properties panel:
If sp2 or sp1 is installed, follow the further instructions.
Windows XP Update
The easiest way - automatic update. The computer will automatically download all the necessary packages and install them in background without interfering with your work. If auto-update were active - Windows system XP would have already installed sp3. Since this did not happen, it is necessary this function enable (at least temporarily):
Now you just have to wait until all the necessary packages are downloaded from the Microsoft server and installed on your PC. In case you encounter any problems and nothing works, try Alternative option described below.
Download the update package from Microsoft
You can also download everything necessary files With Microsoft servers and install them in manual mode. Despite the fact that support for Windows XP has already ended, all the necessary packages are freely available on the official website:
After these steps, the sp3 package will be downloaded to your Personal Computer.
More than 2 years have already passed since Microsoft company stopped releasing updates for the legendary version of the Windows XP operating system. However, to this day it is used by many office workers and owners of weaker PCs. And everything would be fine, but these users are deprived of the opportunity to receive bug fixes, improvements in system performance and security.
However, as it turned out, Microsoft will be releasing updates for Windows XP even before 2019. However, only government agencies, banks and other services can receive these updates. They have Windows XP Service Pack 3 installed and the necessary changes have been made in the Registry Editor. How can you update Windows XP for free and improve the performance of your own PC?
Updating Windows XP Service Pack 3
You can update Windows XP only if you have Service Pack 3 installed and a 32-bit operating system. You can check this data by right-clicking on the “My Computer” icon and selecting “Properties”.
A window will open with information about the Windows XP system.
If your system meets the above requirements, you should follow these steps. Open Notepad and copy the following text into it:
Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00
“Installed”=dword:00000001
We save the file with any name, the main thing is that its extension is reg. Set the file type to “All files”.
After that, run the file and agree to make changes to the registry. Reboot the PC. The Windows XP operating system will begin receiving updates. However, it is worth warning that operations with the Registry Editor are quite complex, so before performing these steps, you should do backup copy systems.
A Windows Service Pack is a large collection of patches and tools to improve the reliability of the operating system. In the case of Windows, there are 3 versions: sp1, sp2 and sp3. It is strongly recommended to use the latest one - it is the most stable and secure, supporting many even modern applications. If you still have sp2 or sp1, you can download all the necessary updates for Windows XP to get the sp3 version.
How to find out the current version
First, users need to find out which version of the Windows XP operating system is currently installed. This can be done using the computer properties panel:
If sp2 or sp1 is installed, follow the further instructions.
Windows XP Update
The easiest way is automatic updating. The computer will automatically download all the necessary packages and install them in the background without interfering with your work. If auto-update were active, Windows XP would have already installed sp3. If this does not happen, you need to enable this function (at least temporarily):
Now you just have to wait until all the necessary packages are downloaded from the Microsoft server and installed on your PC. In case you encounter any problems and nothing works, try the alternative option described below.
Download the update package
- https://yadi.sk/d/84Fc1c7p3FfqWy
After these steps, the sp3 package will be downloaded to your personal computer.
Installing the update
Open the downloaded file. 
Download and install .NET Framework 3.5 SP 1
- Go to the download page at https://yadi.sk/d/9CSy-TKy3Ffs4i
- At the top of the page on the right you need to click “Download”.
- Launch dotnetf x35setup.exe and follow the instructions on the screen.
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