I need a test machine for testing on Windows XP. I have a copy of 32-bit Windows XP I purchased years ago. The Operating System installed fine on some old hardware.
I'm now trying to update the OS to Service Pack 2 or 3. The best I can tell, Microsoft has broken all the public links for the product. For example, I can't find a download for XP Service Pack 2 or 3 in the download area. And all the links provided on TechNet at Installing Windows XP Service Pack 3 (SP3) are broken. The Windows XP Service Pack 2 website is also dead.
Its probably worth noting that Windows Update is also broken at the moment, so I can't use it to update the machine. Its one of the reasons I want to get to the SP2 mark. Microsoft's FTP site also appears dead. I have not used it in years, but I know it used to work.
Where are the downloads for 32-bit Windows XP SP2 or SP3? Where does Microsoft provide the archives?
Best Answer
I use an archive I built from an outdated version of WSUS offline update - in case I need to stand up a windows XP system. You need version 9.21 or older as its the last version that supported XP. Since its downloading the updates directly from MS, and gets the full/offline installers and automatically applies them, these are the official updates and you don't need to rely on windows update for at least the initial update.
This should get your XP box completely up to date, and as of mid december 2016 (when I'm posting it), it seems to update still. This is the best option since it should get your system as patched up as possible, and lets you do so even if XP patches are no longer hosted if you already downloaded them.
It also has lovely logging, and lists of file locations and it lists http://xpsp.dlservice.microsoft.com/download/d/3/0/d30e32d8-418a-469d-b600-f32ce3edf42d/WindowsXP-KB936929-SP3-x86-ENU.exe as the location for windows XP SP3. Of course, this link is likely to die at some point, and I have no XP boxen to test it from. I strongly recommend building your own offline update archive if you think you need it
As of 2017, WSUS offline update v9.21 can't seem to download XP patches. The link for XP3 is still valid.