Microsoft Releases Windows XP Service Pack 3
Microsoft Corp. said today that it would post the release candidate of Windows XP Service Pack 3 to its download site tonight.
The move marks the first opportunity for all users of the six-year-old operating system to try out its final upgrade. Previously, several thousand users were given access to test builds of SP3 only by Microsoft’s invitation.
According to a company spokeswoman, the version that debuts today, dubbed a “release candidate” to note progress from earlier betas, will be available from the Microsoft Download Center. She was unable, however, to say when the service pack would post to Windows Update so users can download and install it with the company’s update service.
The final version of Windows XP SP3 remains slated for delivery sometime in the first half of 2008, the spokeswoman said. She also warned off casual users from trying the preview. “As this is a release candidate, we strongly encourage only those who are comfortable installing prerelease code to download Windows XP SP3,” she said.
