Download Service Pack 1 for Windows XP

Microsoft released Windows XP as a successor of Windows 2000 or Windows ME. The Windows was a huge hit back then and was considered as best of the best. The Windows had a great journey and lasted for years.

Users just loved to upgrade their system from Windows ME to Windows XP. Users who were using Windows 2000 upgraded to Windows XP Professional and ME users to Windows XP Home.

During the lifetime of Windows XP, three service packs were released. All the service packs were major updates to improve your current Windows XP.

SP1 was released back on September 9, 2002. After downloading and installing the SP1, you won’t notice any major upgrades. There wasn’t a great change in interface that you will notice on first look. In fact, changes made to the interface were almost to none.

So, why was the Service Pack 1 of Windows XP released? Well, the OS was released to increase reliability, performance, and improve security.

There were also updates made to other sections like applications. Now those built-in applications were faster and more reliable.

Updates were made, so that compatibility won’t be an issue. After the SP1, you will be able to run the latest software and hardware on market.

Different issues were touched on in SP1 including bugs and security patches. These fixes were made by Microsoft after Microsoft’s internal testing team reached the officials.

One of the major improvements in the Windows XP SP1 update was support for USB 2.0. before SP1, users were using USB 1.1. even though USB 1.1 was fast back then still it was nothing in comparison to USB 2.0.

In comparison, USB 1.1 was around 12 Mbit/s whereas USB 2.0 was 480 Mbit/s. The speed differences were drastic. Likewise, other sections of USB were different too. Here you can learn more about USB 1.1 and 2.0.

Compatibility to USB devices was upgraded. Other USB devices such as headphones were now able to be used on Windows XP. Back then, this was a great thing and was viewed as a great innovation.

New updates in Windows XP SP1

Here is a quick overview of new changes made in Service Pack 1 of Windows XP.

• Support for USB 2.0 was made. Now users can use both USB 1.0 and USB 2.0.
• Users were able to install Java on their Windows XP.
• Microsoft added MSN Explorer in Windows XP.
• A grand total of 300 different bugs were fixed with this major update.
• And last, they have major security updates. These security patches have improved Windows security from threats such as malware, spyware, and attack from third parties.

Download Service Pack 1 for Windows XP

As we mentioned before, you won’t notice major improvements. However; improvements were made, and they were great. On downloading, you will notice the size of SP1 is around 133 MB which is quite big in comparison to other Windows updates.

Mostly other updates are around 20-30 MB in size. since it was a major update then you will find up to 300 MB in size.