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Microsoft is considering updating Windows XP before it releases Longhorn, the code name for a major overhaul of the industry's dominant operating system that is not expected for about two years.
Issuing an update to XP would represent a significant shift for the software maker, which for months has insisted that it had no plans to create a separate version of Windows before Longhorn. A company executive confirmed to CNET News.com on Thursday that Microsoft is now discussing a product internally referred to as "Windows XP Reloaded."
Any further release would follow Windows XP Service Pack 2, a security-oriented upgrade that is slated to arrive before midyear. The features that would be included in an update are still under discussion, Windows lead product manager Greg Sullivan said in an interview.
"Calling it an interim release is overstating the current plan," Sullivan said. "We are exploring ways to add value to Windows XP."