Microsoft said Monday that the long-awaited update of Windows XP will be sent to manufacturing in August, a month later than expected. Windows XP Service Pack 2, or SP2, will contain a number of new features. Most of the improvements 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.
This is the second time that Microsoft has delayed SP2, which was originally expected in June. Earlier this year, Microsoft said that the update would be delayed until July. The company gave no reasons for new delay. Last month, a number of Windows enthusiast Web sites reported that Microsoft had run into compatibility problems between SP2 and other software. Microsoft representatives were unavailable for comment.