Service Pack 2 for Windows XP, originally planned to ship in the first half of the year, will now at best be released in July. The major, security-focused operating system update doesn’t yet ...

Microsoft has delayed the release of Windows XP Service Pack 3 after discovering compatibility issues between the SP3 release and its point-of-sale application for small and midsize retailers.

Windows XP SP2 is more than the usual roll-up of bug fixes and updates. It is also being used to make significant changes to the software that are designed to improve security.

Windows XP SP3, which is scheduled to include security patches, bug fixes and other housekeeping updates as well as some new add-ons, was until recently scheduled for release sometime next year.