The online documentation on these changes isn’t clear. Microsoft is deploying SP3 automatically via the Microsoft Update service so you might be in for an unwanted ‘surprise’ when using Office 2003. Most of them might be considered minor but they might cause a problem if you’re not aware. So before you rush off to install SP3 you need to be aware of the changes it brings. Microsoft had a pile of security problems with Office 2003, the corporate answer is to disable features with security risks instead of fixing them. It’s cheaper for Microsoft to disable a feature instead of making it work properly.

SP3 is full of blatant Microsoft cost-cutting measures. Instead of making Office 2003 more secure and fully functional the company chose to block existing Office 2003 features that would have been too expensive for them to fix.

They aren’t immediate or obvious but might strike you in the future. There’s nothing wrong with Office 2003 Service Pack 3 but you need to be very aware of the limitations imposed on SP3 users. There’s a big question mark over the third service pack for Office 2003 – should you install it or not? Microsoft has chosen to make that decision a difficult one for all Office 2003 users.

Office 2003 service pack 4