Finally a release date for Windows XP Service Pack 3 (SP3) was announced. According to tech website Neowin, this is the way Microsoft set up the schedule:

- April 14, 2008: Support is available for the release version of Service Pack 3 for Windows XP;
- April 21, 2008: Original Equipment Manufacturers, Volume License, Connect, and MSDN and TechNet subscribers;
- April 29, 2008: Microsoft Update, Windows Update, Download Center;
- June 10, 2008: Automatic Updates.

According to the NeoSmart Technology website, Microsoft had reportedly released a Windows XP SP3 beta version in October 2007, for beta testing. This version was said to include four brand new features that had been borrowed from Windows Vista.

These aforementioned features now come along with more than 1,000 individual patches and fixes that have been issued since XP2’s debut.

The upcoming XP SP3 will include all previously-launched Windows XP updates, therefore no other installation items will be required when dealing with a clean install of XP. Windows Internet Explorer 7 however is not part of the package and users must download and install it separately.

In its six years of existence, Windows XP has managed to reach an incredible range of users; even though some are turning towards Vista or other companies’ competing operating systems, XP is still going strong and therefore, continuous efforts are being put into its updating and improvement.