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In this context, when XP SP3 Build 5503 started to pop out on torrent trackers and on warez websites there was a lot of speculation that the release was in fact a fake. First of all, the jump from build 3311 all the way to 5503 pointed to the fact that the latest build could not come from Microsoft. Especially as the Redmond company said nothing on the matter.

Well, this is no longer the case. I contacted Microsoft and asked whether XP SP3 Build 5503 was an official release. "The XP SP3 5503 build was a minor interim build released to address one specific issue for a subset of private beta testers," revealed a Microsoft spokesperson in an email to Softpedia. And it looks like I wasn't the only one who asked since Mary Jo Foley got the same official response to a similar inquiry (via WinBeta).

But at the same time, although XP SP3 5503 is an official release from Microsoft, I advise you not to touch the downloads on torrent trackers or other sources. As soon as it has left Redmond and ended up being made available for download, despite the fact that it was a private release, there's really no telling what XP SP3 5503 brings to the table. The best thing that you can do is wait for official releases of XP SP3. And from the signals that I'm getting it will not be a long wait.

"This build was not intended for public release and anyone who has that build and is not part of the private beta is working with bits that Microsoft can't verify the integrity-it's possible the bits may have been modified with malware or other bad code that Microsoft hasn't tested. That's why we advise customers to check the Microsoft's download centers for product updates, to ensure they're getting valid code for their systems. The final version of XP SP3 is still on target to be released the first half of calendar year 2008," the Microsoft spokesperson.