SP4 Last Service Pack for Windows 2000

No service packs will ship for Windows 2000 before it leaves Mainstream support in Mar. 2005, Microsoft has announced. Instead, the company will ship a final “update rollup,” a selective package of patches that has been tested to a similar level as a service pack. The decision could simplify updating Windows 2000 for both Microsoft and its customers but also means that customers will be running a more diverse set of Windows 2000 configurations, which could complicate product support.

Diminished Role for Service Packs

The planned update rollup represents a shift in the Windows group’s policy for supporting recent product versions like Windows 2000. In particular, the decision reduces the role of service packs.

Microsoft generally issues consolidated and integration-tested fixes for recent Windows versions in the form of periodic “service packs.” Service packs normally include a cumulative set of all fixes, security updates, critical updates, and other updates since a product was released. Service packs also frequently include new product features.