Microsoft preps security-minded Windows update
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The company issued Release Candidate 2 of Windows XP Service Pack 2--a mouthful that amounts to a host of improvements designed to make PC users more likely to employ stronger security settings on their machines. Microsoft had been expected to reach the RC2 milestone lastmonth, but apparently ran into some compatibility issues, according toseveral Windows enthusiast sites.
The delay raised questions about question whether Microsoft will be able to meet itslatest timetable, which calls forthe final product to be ready by July. The company has said it does not yetknow whether a third release candidate will be needed before finalizing the code, a stage known as "released to manufacturing." Thefirst release candidate version was offered in March.
"Windows XP SP2 is entering its final testing stages on its way toward a release this summer," a Microsoft representative wrote in an e-mail.
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Work on Service Pack 2 has consumed a far greater amount of resources than the software maker originally intended. Company executives have said that work on SP 2 required the company to pull engineers off of Longhorn--the code name for the next major release of Windows that is not expected until 2006.
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