Microsoft said Monday that it will send its Windows XP Service Pack 2 to manufacturing next month, a bit after the "late July" target it's been touting for months.

Will Poole, senior VP of the Windows Client group, made the announcement at the Microsoft Worldwide Partner Conference in Toronto.

Customers will have access to Service Pack 2 shortly after the code goes to manufacturing via Windows Update 5, a new version of the Web-based service that Microsoft uses to deploy updates and security fixes. The new update service includes a smart download feature that lets users resume where the download left off after an interruption, an especially handy tool for dial-up users.

Although the final size of Service Pack 2 is not set, the most recent beta was a beefy 264 Mbytes. Because of that size, the service pack will also be available as a free CD mailed to users who request it, Poole promised.

Windows XP SP2 includes the typical bug fixes and updates seen in Microsoft's service packs, but it also offers new features--chief among them security enhancements to better protect Windows from Internet and E-mail threats.