Two weeks after it last handed a new build of Windows XP Service Pack 3 (SP3) to several thousand invitation-only testers, Microsoft today posted that version for public downloading.

Microsoft published the first version of the XP SP3 release notes to its Web site. The SP3 RC2 download will be posted on the Microsoft Download Center today at 5:00 p.m. Pacific time.

Problems with Vista SP1

Microsoft also aknowledged today that a specific update released last week to prepare PCs running Vista for the upcoming SP1, caused some problems to users during installation.

Microsoft said that immediately after receiving reports of this error, it temporarily suspended automatic distribution of the update to avoid further customer impact. The company is working to identify possible solutions and will make the update available again shortly.

"Customers who may be experiencing this issue can use system restore to correct it or contact 1-866-PC-Safety for help troubleshooting," Microsoft said.