Service Pack 3 for the Windows client was released to manufacturing on April 21, 2008, and made generally available for download on May 6. Seven months later, the Redmond company has released Service Pack 3 yet again, but this time for the embedded version of the Windows XP operating system. Windows XP Embedded SP3 is now available for download via the Microsoft Mobile & Embedded Communications Extranet.

“The November 2008 - Service Pack 3 for Windows XP Embedded Optional Update is now available on the ECE for Microsoft Windows XP Embedded with Service Pack 2 and/or Feature Pack 2007,” revealed the Site Manager for the Mobile & Embedded Communications Extranet (ECE) on the OEM (Original Equipment Manufacturer) Communications Team.

Just as it is the case with XP SP3 for the Windows client, the embedded version of SP3 brings almost nothing new to the table. According to Microsoft, the users will not notice even a minor change in Windows XP Embedded following the integration of SP3.

Even before the availability of SP3 for Windows XP Embedded, Microsoft delivered its successor Windows Embedded Standard 2009. With the next release of Windows Embedded, the Redmond giant announced that it would jump straight to Windows 7, and skip Windows Vista altogether. Windows Embedded Standard 2009 continues to be based on Windows XP code.

“Windows XP Embedded Service Pack 3 (SP3) is a roll-up of hot-fixes and security updates Microsoft has released since Service Pack 2 (SP2). It also includes select out-of-band releases, and a small number of new enhancements, which do not significantly change customers’ experience with the operating system. Windows XP Embedded SP3 provides a new baseline for customers deploying Windows XP Embedded. For customers with existing Windows XP Embedded installations, SP3 fills the gap in the updates they might have missed,” the Windows XP Embedded team representative added.