Windows XP service pack to be posted today

IDG News Service - Microsoft Corp.'s first service pack update to Windows XP -- sporting dozens of security and bug fixes, additional driver support and interface changes, plus one minor change to the Windows XP activation feature -- is scheduled to be available for download today.
Although the download wasn't immediately available, Microsoft said it would be posted this afternoon.
For corporate customers wary of initial releases, the appearance of a first service pack often represents a green light for upgrading. But the debut of Service Pack 1 may be a nonevent for home and small office users, especially if they have kept their versions of Windows XP up to date through the Windows Update site.
However, Microsoft has also modified its controversial Windows Product Activation antipiracy mechanism with a small but still welcome change. The Windows Product Activation function was intended to prevent people from installing the same copy of the operating system on several PCs, by checking certain hardware specifications. Users had worried that upgrading their system memory or adding hardware would prompt Windows XP to assume it was running on a new PC and lock them out.
Now, if Windows XP detects changes that may indicate installation on a new system, Windows Product Activation will have a three-day grace period before it locks up your machine. This is intended to prevent unexpected hardware changes from rendering a legitimate PC installation inoperable and gives you a few days to contact Microsoft by phone and assure the company that you just have a new motherboard, not a new PC.
Many noncritical parts of Service Pack 1 add support for Microsoft's still-emerging .Net Web services platform and for new hardware platforms, including Windows XP Tablet PC Edition, Windows Powered Smart Displays and XP Media Center Edition. Other elements, including a restoration of Microsoft's Java virtual machine (which Microsoft says it removed from Windows XP in response to a lawsuit by Sun Microsystems Inc.), are unlikely to arouse much interest from the average Windows XP user. The service pack also includes interface changes meant to satisfy government antitrust lawyers.
In addition, Service Pack 1 includes support for Universal Serial Bus 2.0 devices, an enhancement already available as a downloadable add-on from Microsoft's Web site.
The 133MB Windows XP service pack will be downloadable in its entirety from Microsoft's Web site. It can also be ordered on CD for about $10, plus shipping and handling.
A test installation of Windows XP Service Pack 1 was painless and error-free. Unless users know where to look, they will