With a pre-Release Candidate build of Windows XP Service Pack 3 available for download, the imminence of the final version of the refresh is starting to take contour. Until this point, Microsoft has flailed to point to the official availability date for the third and final service pack, and is still just offering the abstract first half of 2008 as a deadline. However, the intimate connection between Vista SP1 and XP SP3 indicates the possibility of a concomitant release for the two service packs in the first quarter of 2007. When it comes down to the deployment of Windows XP SP3, the similitudes with that of Vista SP1 are indisputable. However, it still remains to be seen if Windows XP SP3 and Windows Vista SP1 will be joined at the hip early next year.

"Fundamentally, deploying Windows XP SP3 works the same as deploying SP1 and SP2 for Windows XP. SP3 is cumulative, so users can install SP3 on top of Windows XP SP1 or SP2. Windows XP SP3 supports the same languages as Windows XP did in its initial release. You can run the SP3 update package on any SKU of Windows XP SP1 or SP2. For example, you can run the SP3 update package on a computer running the Windows XP Media Center Edition with SP1", Microsoft added.

According to Microsoft, the standalone packages of Vista SP1 weight in at 450 MB (5 language package) and 550 MB (full 36 language package). The variant of the Vista Service Pack 1 served via Windows Update will be just 65 MB. The Redmond company will additionally offer Vista SP1 via Connect, MSDN, TechNet, pre-loaded on original equipment manufacturers computers and through new copies of the operating system. The same is valid for XP SP3.

"Windows XP SP3 will be available through Windows Update and the Microsoft Download Center. The service pack will also be available to Volume License customers, TechNet subscribers, and MSDN subscribers. Through Windows Update, the download size varies, but it is typically 70 megabytes (MB), depending on the computer's configuration. Through the Download Center, the download size is approximately 580 MB", Microsoft revealed.