Reconfirmed by Microsoft

May 22, 2007 15:35 GMT  ·  By

Just to be on the safe side, Microsoft has never officially canceled the third service pack for Windows XP. Still, SP3 was initially scheduled for 2006. In fact, at the debut of 2006, Windows XP SP3 was scheduled for availability no later than the summer of that year. In mid January however, Microsoft's plans changed, and the Redmond Company introduced a quiet change to the Windows Service Pack Road Map.

Since the first month of the past year, SP3 was moved all the way into the second half of 2007. The fact that the third service pack for XP got postponed after the general availability of Windows Vista did not look good. Speculations surrounding the subject were only too quick to call XP SP3 history, and to predict that in the context of Windows Vista, Microsoft has no reasons to introduce a major update to a six years old operating system.

But 2007 came and brought with it not only Windows Vista, but also another delay for XP SP3. From the second half of 2007, Microsoft pushed SP3 all the way towards the end of 2008. In the post-Vista era, Microsoft has only confirmed that the first service pack for its latest operating system is scheduled for the end of 2007 and Windows XP SP3 will be delivered in 2008. "SP3 for Windows XP Home Edition is currently planned for 1H CY2008, SP3 for Windows XP Professional is currently planned for 1H CY2008," are the only clues delivered by Microsoft.

Pushed from 2006 to 2007 and then to 2008, Windows XP SP3 seemed nothing more than an illusion, scheduled for launch after the end date for the operating system's direct OEM and retail license availability, and only months before System Builders would no longer be able to handle XP. But there is hope yet for the service pack.

Yesterday, May 21, 2007 Microsoft announced the inking of an interoperability partnership with Trusted Computing Group. Hidden in the press release is a reference at Windows XP SP3: "Single agent included in Windows: Computers running Windows Vista, Windows Server 2008, and future versions of Windows XP will include the NAP Agent component as part of the core operating system. The NAP Agent will be used for both NAP and TNC."

And if the "future version of Windows XP" sounds just a tad to ambiguous for your taste Henry Sanders, General Manager, Core Networking and Collaboration Group, Windows Networking cleared up this detail. "The SoH protocol now allows "client standardization," as organizations can now standardize on the (SoH) client protocol, regardless of their NAC infrastructure. The SoH client is available in Windows Vista, will be available in the next service pack of Windows XP, and through NAP partners for non-Microsoft operating systems," Sanders said. So Windows XP Servioce Pack 3 is indeed coming in 2008...