Windows 2000 SP3 see mighty fine changes

With the first wave of fanatical beta testers already installed with a fresh Windows 2000 Gold code and then the RC 3.140 Service Pack 3 build over that, the newer features that this build brought are the focus point of testing and testers alike.

Some changes include Windows Installer (msi) was updated from 1.3 (SP2 level) to 2.0 rendering some installers completely useless (Trend Micro PC-cillin 2000 are affected)

Others are a direct response to Security concerns and implementation of fixes ASAP with the addition of Automatic Updates to the Control Panel of Windows 2000. This feature was limited to Windows Millennium & Windows XP respectively but has now found its way into Windows 2000 through SP3 making this as significant as SP3 was to Windows NT 4.0 in its day.

Another is a completely new feature also expected to debut in Windows XP SP1 and is also a response to the recent developments in the Antitrust trial against Microsoft. It is called Configure Programs and is sub level to Add/Remove Programs. It lets you decide when you have more than one browser, email, media player, instant messenger, java vm installed which will be the main program used throughout the system. It also lets you "hide" core components like Internet Explorer which will be a useful tool for OEM's no doubt.

It looks like its ripped straight out of XP SP1 (which is yet to go Beta) because it uses the new icon format which is not displayed correctly in Windows 2000, we can live with that cant we.. it is after all a point and click one time configure thing.

Kudos to Microsoft on this.. they actually went ahead and made it possible to disable thier own intergrated apps within its own released OS. Lets hope this is more than enough for AOL/Netscape types and that they dont find a way to configure this app behind our backs (I dread the thought of Netscape configuring my OS wide Media Player to its "Free Real Player" -Yuk). Enjoy the screenshots and thanks to our man behind the scenes Vla for sending them over.

Screenshot: of the Automatic Update Panel within Windows 2000 SP3