Microsoft Playing Hide and Seek with Vista SP1 RTM and XP SP3

Microsoft is playing nothing short than a game of hide and seek with Windows Vista Service Pack 1 and Windows XP Service Pack 3. If as far as Vista is concerned the situation of the service pack is clear, since it was released to manufacturing on February 4, not the same can be said about XP SP3. But even if the code for Vista SP1 went gold the past week, availability is a different matter altogether.

"We are moving up the availability date for TechNet & MSDN subscribers. The update & full install bits will be available in Subscriber Downloads by the end of the month. You will see the bits for the update become available prior to full install with the SP. I'll post again as soon as the the update bits are there," revealed Kathy Dixon, from the TechNet Plus subscriptions, on February 11, 2008.

Three days later and a member of the MSDN Subscription program announced that Microsoft was backpedaling yet again on its Vista SP1 availability plans, and that after the service pack's Beta testers got access on February 8, this week would be synonymous with the opening up of Vista SP1 RTM via MSDN and TechNet.

Additionally, Microsoft has even went ahead and started sending emails inviting MSDN and TechNet Plus subscribers to download Vista SP1 RTM. The only problem is that neither website at this point in time is actually offering Vista SP1 RTM.

XP SP3 delivered its latest signs of life with the Release Candidate 2 Build dropped on February 7, 2008. XP SP3 RC2 is available for download only to some 15,000 Beta testers, but it has also been leaked to torrent websites. Microsoft is not offering any word as to when it plans to deliver XP SP3 RTM, but all indications seem to point now to the same period when Vista SP1 RTM will be delivered to the general public.