We are pleased to announce the availability of Microsoft® Windows® XP Service Pack 1 build 1079 for testing.

An updated beta version of Microsoft Windows XP Service Pack 1 is now available for testing. Please help us by installing this service pack and promptly reporting any problems. You can download from . Login, choose "Download" and "Download Now" from the menu.

This build is NOT RC1, though as we approach RC1 we would like to use this build as a checkpoint to ensure that no new, major issues have been introduced. This means we are interested solely in the following types of problem reports on build 1079:

·        Failure to install or upgrade.

·        System failures such as bugchecks, hangs and other crashes.

·        Data loss or data corruption.

·        Unusable systems or devices that were previously working.

We ask that you file bugs immediately that meet this criteria on build 1079. Please refrain from filing other issues at this time. We will open the window for less serious issues when we release RC1.

Before you install:

You should uninstall the previous service pack to return your system to Windows XP RTM then apply the new version. If you installed the slipstream version previously you may apply this update over the top, but please remember to tell us about it in any bugs you file.

Please read this entire announcement as it contains an abundance of important information about the product.

Review the pre-release license agreements carefully during installation. By installing this release, you agree to the terms and conditions of these license agreements. As a reminder, all licenses associated with the product will expire when the product becomes commercially available.

Please choose the option to back up your system files when installing the service pack. You will need to remove any installed version at a later date when you wish to install a newer beta, or the final product.

Please join us in the newsgroups to discuss various aspects of the beta. Detailed newsgroup information is available at

Note: This is a beta release and as such, may exhibit problems, it's important that you back up your data before installing.

Available versions:

·        Standalone - This is the 'traditional' service pack. It's an approximately 120Mb self extracting executable file that includes all the files needed to install the service pack on an existing Windows XP build 2600 machine. If the machine you want to install the service pack on is not connected to the internet or you want to install the service pack on multiple machines at your location then this is the file you will want to download.

·        Patch and Slipstream versions will not be made available for this build.

Applying the standalone version of the service pack to an existing Windows XP machine does not require a new product key.

Problem Reports:

Again, this is a checkpoint build and at this time we ask that you only file problem reports on the following types of issues:

·        Failure to install or upgrade.

·        System failures such as bugchecks, hangs and other crashes.

·        Data loss or data corruption.

We ask that you file bugs immediately that meet this criteria on build 1079. Please refrain from filing other issues at this time. We will open the window for less serious issues when we release RC1.

Thanks for helping us release a solid, secure, high quality service pack for Windows XP.

Windows Product Team