Although Microsoft kept quiet about the hotfix pack released last week, it appears that the company does plan to make it the official base for the upcoming Windows Vista Service Pack 1, apparently slated for November.

The hotfixes, called “Performance and Reliability Pack" and "Compatibility and Reliability Pack" for Windows Vista, weren’t allegedly supposed to be released for the public until August 14, because of the thorough testing involved before their official debut.

However, beta-testers of Windows Server 2008 had tipped Neowin.net about their existence and one (or more) generous individual(s) even offered the hotfix pack for download last week.

Microsoft finally decided to offer the software pack on one of its official Web-pages, but declined to comment on when legal Windows Vista owners will get it through the Automatic Update program. Microsoft requires validation of the operating system, using the Windows Genuine Advantage tool, before allowing the downloads. A Microsoft spokesperson confirmed that the updates are not beta releases, and the media speculated they will be available for the masses on August 14, Microsoft’s last Patch Tuesday from this summer.

All updates are specifically designed for Vista and do not replace existing patches or fixes, but, as usual, a computer restart is needed for them to be applied. None of the hotfixes addresses security issues.

Speaking of restart, Microsoft said one of these patches addresses a bug that causes the system to freeze: "The computer stops responding or restarts unexpectedly when you play video games or perform desktop operations."

The long list of performance improvements includes patches for Vista's resumption after sleep or hibernation, for a speed-boost at copying or moving large directories, for the prevention of some memory corruption problems, for bolstering the reliability of systems upgraded from XP to Vista and for increasing compatibility with video drivers.

"These issues have been reported by customers using the Error Reporting service, product support or other means," the two packs' release notes said. "Installing this update will improve the performance and responsiveness of some scenarios, and improves reliability of Windows Vista in a variety of scenarios."

The performance pack update weighs in at 10MB, while the compatibility pack is considerably smaller, at around 2MB.

Along with the Vista updates it seems details about a private beta of Service Pack 3 for XP have also hit the Web, although the whole deal could very well be a fake. Service Pack 3 for Windows XP has long been believed to be planned for mid- to late-2007 release. It is basically going to be a collection of cumulative fixes and patches, IE 7, and .Net 3.0, although the full content is still an enigma.

However, Microsoft quietly pushed back the third official SP for Windows XP to 2008, without further comments: "We're currently planning to deliver SP3 for Windows XP in the first half of CY2008. This date is preliminary, and we don't have any more details to share at this time."

The delay of SP3 for XP could be a consequence of the old operating system’s success on the market in detriment of Windows Vista, which has determined Microsoft to modify its forecasts for the new fiscal year. Analysts are saying the Redmond behemoth tries to push Vista in front of XP with the SP 3 delay, since the major update would certainly slow Vista sales (customers trust XP more than they trust Vista, according to Acer's president Gianfranco Lanci).

Although Microsoft’s recent financial reports indicate that the 13% increase in revenues registered in the first quarter of 2007 (compared to the same period last year), is mainly due to the strong sales of Windows Vista, the company also claims that Windows XP-related revenues are expected to rise beyond expectations.

Chris Liddell, MS’s chief financial officer, estimated during a meeting with analysts that XP will generate 22% of the company’s revenues in the new fiscal year, up from the previously anticipated 15%. But that means that Vista’s remaining 78% are actually inferior to the internal estimates which indicated that 85% of all Windows-related revenues will be generated by the new OS.

Michael Cherry, analyst with Directions at Microsoft, said part of the problem is that users prefer lower-cost machines that might not work well with Vista.