Still, we are talking about an unofficial update from an obscure source, with limited time and resources for testing across a broad range of machines. The first part of that statement still rings true, but the whole point of the unofficial service pack is to test the fixes against Windows XP and ensure they work properly. “Windows XP customers also run a significant risk of functionality issues with their machines if they install these updates, as they are not tested against Windows XP.”
“The security updates that could be installed are intended for Windows Embedded and Windows Server 2003 customers and do not fully protect Windows XP customers,” the company said in May. Of course, Microsoft advises against Windows XP users installing these fixes, and suggests updating to Windows 7 or Windows 8 instead. As discovered in May, it’s possible to keep getting these security updates through a registry hack, but Unofficial SP4 enables this hack by default and bakes in all of its previous fixes. Windows Xp Service Pack 4 Software Update for Windows Vista Service Pack 2 Management Tools for Hyper-V for 圆4-based Systems (KB970203 v.970203 Install this update on a computer that is running Windows Vista Service Pack 2 (SP2) to enable remote management of a Windows Server 2008 computer that is running the Hyper-V role. More importantly, Service Pack 4 includes additional security fixes that aren’t technically part of Windows XP proper, but are instead intended for ATMs and point of sale machines still running a variant of the aging OS.
Further reading: Windows XP survival guide: How to upgrade (or not)