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The company had planned to launch the software later this year, although it insists that the code will still be finished by the end of 2007.

However, the company will now launch Windows Server 2008 alongside Visual Studio 2008 and SQL Server 2008 at an event in Los Angeles on February 27. Given Microsoft's propensity for missing deadlines, one member of the Windows Server Division speculates on his blog that "since February 2008 has an extra day (it's a leap year), I wonder if we considered the launch event on February 29... that would've been something."

The delay casts enormous doubt over rumours that Microsoft will launch a beta of Vista Service Pack 1 next week, which was originally planned to launch with Windows Server 2008 in November.

A Microsoft spokesperson told PC Pro earlier this week that "the team is working hard on the service pack, and our current expectation is that a beta will be made available sometime this year."