For you XP users that also happen to be MSDN subscribers, the CD ISO image for XP SP3 is now available for download. If you don't have an MSDN subscription, look for the new service pack on Windows Update sometime in early May (if I were to hazard a guess I'd say on or about May 5th, a.k.a. "Patch Tuesday"). If you want to check out what is going to be in this service pack you can download an overview from here.
This is probably all my fault since I just spent the better part of a week repaving not one, but two Windows XP machines (don't ask). After doing a clean install of XP with SP2 included, the very first hit on Windows Update included 95 OS patches and security updates. Of course, you still need to hit WU about a dozen more times or so to get an XP PC to the point that no further updates are required. If Microsoft Office is installed this number goes up significantly. Between the hardware and software updates I'd bet the number of patches I installed on each of my "fresh" XP+SP2 builds went well into the high 100's.
Grrrr. Thanks Microsoft, an XP SP3 CD would have come in mighty handy about a week ago.
Fair Warning: I am going to get my car washed this afternoon, so count on rain...