14 DAY TRIAL // Following the availability of the first fully-fledged beta for Windows Vista Service Pack 1, Microsoft is now also delivering the beta for Windows XP Service Pack 3. In addition, a public beta of the service pack is also cooking, but with no estimated release date so far. Initially, the Redmond company dropped the pre-beta build of Vista SP1 and XP SP3 in the laps of a select pool of testers in mid July. At that time, Microsoft was not ready to discuss details related to either of the two refreshes. At the end of August 2007, the Windows Omerta was lifted off Windows Vista SP1, and Jon DeVaan, Senior Vice President of the Windows Core Operating System division at Microsoft discussed the beta build of the refresh planned for release by the end of September. Concomitantly, Nick White, Microsoft Program Manager was pointing to the release of the Windows Vista Service Pack 1 Beta White Paper. At the same time, Microsoft completely ignored Windows XP SP3 Beta.
Microsoft is pushing Windows Vista SP1 to the foreground, and with good reason, because the service pack will most likely contribute to fueling the adoption of the operating system, or at least drive up the limping momentum of its uptake. At the same time, XP SP3 has faded into the background, and the Beta with it. But this is no longer the case. David Sebban, a Consultant with Microsoft France announced that Windows XP SP3 Beta is live. Apparently, just like it was the case with Windows Vista SP1, Microsoft is also targeting some 12,000 testers with the release. Below, you will be able to find the translation of Sebban's post; be advised that my French is a tad rusty:
"In the move of the "2008 wave" which will contain the SQL Server 2008, Visual Studio 2008 and Windows Server 2008, two Service Packs will be released around the first quarter of 2008: Windows Vista SP1 and Windows XP SP3. The latter is also available starting today for 12,000 beta testers invited (mostly developers and retailers) and won't contain any new functionalities other than the adjustment of the NAP client. The SP3 of Windows XP will integrate the currently released security updates and a few new hotfixes and a public beta will soon be available," Sebban stated. (emphasis added)
At the beginning of August, users had confirmation of the pre-beta release of XP SP3. The release was a 350MB download, containing fixes to a reported 900 issues that have been piling up since the availability of SP2 in 2004. The prior version of Windows XP SP3 featured the full build tag 5.1.2600.3180 xpsp.070718-2058. And also in August, XP SP3 was leaked to per-to-peer file sharing networks. Torrents for the .EXE standalone installer of XP SP3 artificially extended the testing pool of the pre-beta version of the service pack.