This means that the XP SP2 copies can be used for approximately three months, as they will all expire in September 2008, more specifically on September 9. The only catch is that all three downloads are time-bombed. Microsoft informed that all the XP clients had been pre-activated, and in this context, users no longer have to deal with the activation process or with a license, other than the one provided by default with the releases.
Users will essentially be able to build three virtual machines under Virtual PX 2007, and run each version of XP SP2 as a guest operating system. All versions of the operating system are served as Virtual Hard Disk images designed for integration with Virtual PC 2007, Microsoft's also free virtualization solution.
The VPC label is a clue pointing to the packaging Microsoft has chosen. IE6-XPSP2_VPC.exe, IE7-XPSP2_VPC.exe and IE8B1-XPSP2_VPC.exe are the XP SP2 releases made available for download. No less than three different versions of Windows XP SP2 can be downloaded from Microsoft without users having to empty their pockets. In this context, both XP SP2 and Vista RTM can be downloaded side by side, with Microsoft steering clear so far of offering the two operating systems, plus their latest service packs, namely SP3 for XP and SP1 for Vista. The Redmond company is simply marking a new chapter of what has become a tradition of free Windows client offerings.
The free variants of XP SP2 have been made available together with a version of Windows Vista RTM, also up for grabs at no charge. Free, pre-activated copies of Windows XP Service Pack 2 are available for download straight from Microsoft.
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