Microsoft: XP SP3 an 'Update Roll-up'

Although Windows Vista Service Pack 1 is the big news of the day, Microsoft is concurrently preparing the third service pack for Windows XP. But SP3 won't introduce much of anything new for XP users, and will simply serve as a roll-up of already released fixes, Microsoft says.

Essentially, SP3 will provide a new baseline for the aging operating system, which was released to the public six years ago. As XP nears its end-of-life, Microsoft can ensure customers are up-to-date by telling them to upgrade to SP3, as opposed to SP2 with 85 or more additional patches. The first beta release of XP SP3 will reach testers mid-September, with final availability scheduled for the first half of 2008.