Testers Receive 64-Bit Beta Invites

Microsoft has sent out new invitations for the Windows Server 2003 Service Pack 1 and Windows XP Professional 64-bit Edition beta tests. The new XP iteration is designed to operate with the AMD Athlon 64 and Opteron processors, as well as the Intel processors with EM64T.

The service pack fortifies Microsoft's flagship Windows Server line with a plethora of new security and bug fixes, while providing the underpinnings for the company's upcoming 64-bit Windows Server product series. The final version of SP1 is expected to be released in early 2005.

Microsoft has been ramping up its support for 64-bit Windows distributions. Last week, the company began a series of live Web seminars it calls "Resources for the Next Wave: 64-bit Processing Power." The seminars outline what Microsoft has referred to as "sweeping changes" in technology that are enabled by 64-bit computing.

Redmond had also previously established a consumer preview program that offers copies of Windows XP Professional 64-bit Edition for evaluation.