Microsoft delays Service Pack 2, aims at August release

Chicago (IL) - Once again Microsoft has decided to delay the release of its Service Pack 2, a major update for its operating system Windows XP. Company sources still expect the software to be made available for download this month.

The Redmond company never published an official release date of the Service Pack 2 which is considered to be the most critical update for Windows XP yet. Industry sources however pointed to August 5 as likely date for the software to be published. According to media reports, Microsoft has found more work to be done before the software can be published.

While the company declined to comment on a likely release date, a Reuters report on Thursday stated that Microsoft intends to publish its SP2 "soon". According to Canada.com, SP2 is only a few days away. Sources told Tom’s Hardware Guide, that a specific date for release has not yet been set, but Microsoft apparently is working to keep August as a time frame for the publication of the update.

Microsoft said, that it invested roughly $300 million in the development of SP2. The update will include a range of fixes which include an improved firewall, as well as new feature set such as protections for Internet Explorer, a new network setup wizard as well as NX functionality for AMD 64 and Opteron chip as well as Intel’s Prescott processors.