Mainstream Support for Windows Vista Ends Today

You can get Windows XP install media that includes SP3. I'm not sure if XP mode is patched to that level but while searching for an answer I found this.
Windows Virtual PC: FAQ
Windows XP Mode frequently asked questions.
Is Windows XP mode supported thoughout the lifecycle of windows 7?
No. Windows XP Mode is a full virtual version of Windows XP and follows the same support lifecycle as
Windows XP. Windows XP extended support phase ends in 2014.

According to this XP Mode includes SP3 so I guess you don't have to worry about downloading it.
Windows 7: What You Should Know About XP Mode | PCWorld Business Center
Even if it didn't its not like service pack 3 is going to disappear from Microsoft downloads any time soon.

alphanumeric:

Thanks for your post. I used the link you provided for Windows Virtual PC: FAQ. I did not know tht XP Mode is not available in Vista Ultimate. I have the latter installed on a back up pc. It would be useful to have it on that pc as well as this one because of some older hardware driver issues.

Yeah, for Vista you'd have to go the Virtual PC route instead of XP mode. XP mode is windows 7 only and I do believe you need pro or better to use it. I know for sure its not an option for Home Premium. Virtual PC is a free download but you have to install XP into it manually yourself and supply your own image or XP install media.

Right. I have some time today so while it’s on my mind I will download Virtual PC and the XP Mode and save it for future use.

With the absence of the XP Mode in the upcoming Win7 Ultimate replacement there is one less reason for me to upgrade to Win8.

With the current price increases of just about everything I do not forsee an unneeded hardware purchase. Everything is running just fine and I have the WinXP Mode.

I just duo boot win 7 and win xp and don't plan to buy win 8 at all. I did try win 8 but it didn't give me a good enough reason to want to upgrade and buy it,will wait until another windows release that might appeal to me. For now i'm good with win 7 which will be supported until 2020 which is a good long way from now. Happy atm don't need to upgrade. Vista I didn't get to use much but when I did it was having black screen and slow downs even after 3 reinstalls so I just upgraded my uncles pc to win 7 and the problems are gone and the computer is alot faster now. Now I know some didn't have any problems but this was my experience, so far have ended up fixing 4 vista machines and upgraded 2 of them after suggesting if they wanted to buy the upgrade to get rid of the vista problems and both have been happy with there win 7 install which they say was a great improvement in performance and similar interface so they didn't have any problem adjusting to win 7.

I have twice used dual boots on other computers. Both times I did not appreciate it and attempted deletion. The latter resulted in troubles in the boot manager and that required the downloading, installing and use of a third party software. Thus, if I can avoid that route again I will.

As for Vista, the only problem I experienced was with a few software manufacturers not willing to provide drivers. Running the softwares under Vista would have required me purchasing “the newer software version”. I am now running these older softwares (and hardwares) in the Win7 XP Mode.

Even though I will not being purchasing Win8 I am curious to see what MS will be offering in the final versions comparable to Win7 Pro and Win7 Ultimate. I had always thought that MS would do more in the way of extras for their Ultimate version. I thought, “this cannot possibly be ALL that they will offer; after all, ultimate means the top, the very best that you can do.” I was disappointed but not grievously so. With Win7 Ultimate I get to use the XP Mode which is a seamless integration and thus far problem free way of using older softwares and hardwares in Win7.