Microsoft handed out details about its upcoming Windows XP Service Pack 1 this week. The free download will apparently show the first signs of the company's antitrust settlement with the Justice Department.
The service pack, available publicly as a release candidate this summer and completed later this year, won't contain many other surprises, according to Microsoft. Expect a bevy of security updates, many of which will already be available courtesy of Windows Update. Microsoft promises an updated version of the XP messenger client, Windows Messenger, with improved security, along with support for Mira, Freestyle, and the upcoming Tablet PC.
The service pack, available publicly as a release candidate this summer and completed later this year, won't contain many other surprises, according to Microsoft. Expect a bevy of security updates, many of which will already be available courtesy of Windows Update. Microsoft promises an updated version of the XP messenger client, Windows Messenger, with improved security, along with support for Mira, Freestyle, and the upcoming Tablet PC.
Service Pack 1 will finally implement the long-awaited .Net framework, as well, but as an optional upgrade; you won't be forced to download the additional 20MB .Net package. Interestingly, while SP 1 will include already-released support for USB 2.0 drivers, it will not, as previously expected, support the Bluetooth wireless standard. However, with a Microsoft- manufactured wireless keyboard and wireless mouse to be available in the fall, you can expect Bluetooth support by the end of the year.
Jumping through justice hoops
By far the biggest changes you'll find in Service Pack 1 revolve around the Microsoft consent decree--changes the company was ordered to make as part of a proposed settlement with the Justice Department.
Among the changes you'll notice, Microsoft will allow PC manufacturers to "hide" bundled apps, such as Windows Media Player, Internet Explorer, Windows Messenger, Outlook Express, and Microsoft's Java Virtual Machine, and replace them with alternative programs, such as Real or AOL. The service pack will include options--under the Add/Remove control panel, in a dialog currently dubbed "Set programs access and defaults"--that let you control which applications are available. For example, you can choose to restore access to all Microsoft apps or hide those programs so that their icons will not appear on your desktop, program list, Start menu, or system tray.
Activate me...tomorrow
In addition to the compliance changes, Service Pack 1 will slightly change XP's product- activation scheme. Though Microsoft says that very few users were forced to reactivate their systems, Windows XP SP 1 will allow a three-day grace period for reactivation if you make major system changes or reinstall your copy of XP. If you're using a pirated copy of XP, forget about any SP 1 improvements. Microsoft says it will block illegitimate copies of XP from downloading both the service pack and future updates from Windows Update.
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