Windows XP SP3

Rumor has it that Microsoft is planning to release a Windows XP Service Pack 3. Microsoft France’s technical and security director Bernard Ourghanlian said last week that
a third service pack for Windows XP will become available after the
next version of the client OS, Windows Vista, ships at the end of 2006.
I don’t think he was supposed to tell us. Before his slip-up, Microsoft was not confirming the Service Pack’s release; but today the official announcement was made."Unofficial" information on what SP3 will include is available at The Hotfix. Ethan Allen (yes, that’s really his name), creator and administrator of The Hotfix, is a beta tester for Microsoft. He discovered the technologies that were to be in SP2 before its release and posted those updates on his site prior to the release of SP2 in August 2004.

You can download the pre-release version of SP3 if you register on The Hotfix forums. According to the website, the updates include Windows log-on improvements and features that fix current problems with connecting Windows XP computers to various networks. There is a possibility that Windows Media Player 11 will be included when MS releases SP3, but IE7 will not be included. Bummer.