NEWS Microsoft has again delayed a long-awaited update to Windows XP, citing quality concerns.
The company had planned to wrap up development this week on Windows XP Service Pack 2, but a Microsoft representative said late yesterday that the software giant had decided more work was needed on the update before if could be released to manufacturing.
Microsoft has been forced to push back the update's release on several occasions, most recently moving the release date from July to August. Windows XP Service Pack 2, or SP2, was originally set for release in June. However, Microsoft still expects to release the update this month, the representative said.
SP2 will contain a number of new features, most of which deal with security. One new feature, for example, is a Security Center that provides a view of a PC's key protection settings. An improved firewall and other tweaks are also planned.
Among the challenges Microsoft faces is maintaining compatibility with existing software while boosting the reliability of the core operating system.
Earlier this week, Microsoft issued a warning that the newest version of its software for managing customer relations will not work with SP2. Customers using Microsoft Business Solutions CRM Sales for Outlook 1.2 will encounter problems with the software if they install the forthcoming Windows XP Service Pack 2 (SP2) update, the company said.
Microsoft has posted a patch to its Web site that it says fixes the problem.
Ina Fried writes for News.com
Comments
There are 2 comments. Join the discussion
1. Adrian Lee
If the delays mean that the SP doesn't screw a load of stuff up, I'm not so fussed. If they're delaying and its still going to cause a lot of problems for a lot of machines, I'm not going to be terribly chuffed.
2. Richard Earll
Agreed.
Ive been running beta XP SP2 on a XP home box. So far so good, I'd rather they take a little more time and get things right !