Microsoft offers more time to test XP Service Pack 2
560016
Faced with concerns from IT professionals, Microsoft Corp. gave users more time to prepare for Windows XP Service Pack 2 by doubling the time a special registry key will prevent PCs from automatically downloading and installing the mammoth update.
327004
Aug. 23, 2004. Microsoft has offered up yet another way for businesses to block the automatic update of Windows XP to the big-deal Service Pack 2 (SP2) upgrade.
618250
Although it's not saying yet when the public will get Service Pack 3 for Windows XP, another seed of the update to the aging OS has been given to a closed-set group of testers.
574399
(InfoWorld) - Microsoft has finally broken its silence on the timing of the release of theÂ highly anticipated Windows Vista Service Pack 1, saying the software updates should be in final release in the first quarter of next year with the company shipping off a beta next month to 10,000 to 15,000 testers. The company stressed that SP1, "is not a delivery vehicle for new features," said David Zipkin, senior product manager for Microsoft. SP1 will include OS updates strictly to fix bugs and enhance the performance, reliability, and application compatibility of Vista, he said. Zipkin acknowledged that Microsoft has "a reputation of sneaking fixes into service packs in the past." For example, Windows XP SP 2 included a host of new security features after XP was exploited by the Blaster worm and other serious attacks. However, the service pack also was incompatible with many applications running on XP, which caused massive headaches for a lot of users. Vista SP1 will not break any applications already running on the OS. "Anything that works on Vista is going to keep on working on SP1," he said. Vista SP1 will include the 20 updates for the OS already released over Microsoft's automatic update services as well as ones that are new to the update. In all, thousands of Vista files will be changed as part of the release, Zipkin said. However, Vista SP1 will be a significantly smaller download than Windows XP SP2 was, he said. XP SP2 was more than 100MB in size, while Vista SP1 will be about 50MB, he said. Microsoft will deliver SP1 over its automatic update services to consumers running Windows Vista. Business customers can use this service as well or roll out a stand-alone version of SP1, which has a bigger footprint, through whatever software a company uses for pushing updates to desktops, Zipkin said. The stand-alone version of SP1 will be bigger than the one automatically pushed out through Windows update services for several reasons, one of which is it contains all of the 36 language updates, Zipkin said. The SP1 pushed out over the Web can detect what language a PC is running and only install that update. Specifically, SP1 will fix performance features, such as allowing for the computer to resume functionality after being in the Hibernate or Standby state, and also reduce the time it takes between a user hitting CTRL/ALT/DELETE to get the log-in prompt so they can log on to Windows, Zipkin said. Microsoft also in SP1 will improve the performance of Internet Explorer 7 to speed Javascript processing and reduce CPU utilization so sites running AJAX (Asynchronous Javascript and XML) can run faster, he said. On the reliability side, the update will reduce the likelihood of Vista crashing from a vague "search protocol handler" error message that users have reported happens frequently, Zipkin said. The company also fixed other common crashes users have reported through Microsoft's automatic reporting service. Many businesses have held off on updating to Vista until the arrival of SP1. Zipkin said that while Microsoft supports their decision, the company is recommending they test applications with Vista now so that they are ready to deploy immediately when SP1 is available. For consumers that may be waiting, Microsoft recommends they go ahead and install Vista or purchase a Vista machine now, and they will receive SP1 via automatic updates. To date, Microsoft reports that about 60 million consumer licenses for Vista have been sold, and 42 million licenses have been sold to businesses through its volume licensing program.
630454
Still waiting for full version, though Microsoft has flung open the door for anyone interested in getting their mitts on release candidate 2 of Windows XP SP3.â¦
387199
Microsoft has issued a patch for a compatibility problem between the recent Windows XP Service Pack 2 and an advertising application run on many users&#39; machines.
15812
Microsoft has quietly released an update to Windows XP to fix a potentially serious configuration problem in the firewall that ships as part of Windows XP Service Pack 2. Users who installed SP2 on their Windows
239488
Microsoft Corp. is giving users more time to prepare for Windows XP Service Pack 2 (SP2) by doubling the time a special registry key will prevent PCs from automatically downloading and installing the mammoth update.
456744
Last week Microsoft finally released the much-anticipated Service Pack 2 (SP2) for Windows XP. This update represents a fundamental change in many aspects of Windows XP security and could reasonably be called the next release of Windows XP as much as a ...
80841
SOFTWARE FIRM Microsoft has revealed how many fixes and updates are under the bonnet of its megapatch Windows XP Service Pack 2.
632901
(Article Central) Microsoft has doubled the time that businesses can block Windows XP Service Pack 2 from downloading automatically, giving them until next April to test the update.
84287
Microsoft (Quote, Chart) has pushed back the deadline for the complete delivery of its Windows XP Service Pack 2 (SP2) to April 2005.
330543
Although Monday was supposed to be the day when Microsoft began pushing Windows XP Service Pack 2 (SP2) to enterprises, it changed its mind at the last minute and delayed the automatic updating for more than a ...
273664
Many enterprise IT managers are delaying for months any rollout of Microsoft Corp.&#39;s long-awaited and often-delayed Windows XP Service Pack 2, saying it is breaking too many of their applications.
601581
Although Microsoft has recommended consumers turn on Windows&#39; Automatic Update feature to get Windows XP Service Pack 2, PC makers are reminding Windows XP users to do their homework before installing the security update.
194991
Now that Windows XP Serviced Pack 2 (SP2) is available at Windows Update for online update of both the XP Home Edition and XP Professional Edition platforms, you need to be prepared for the changes youâll see as a result of the security controls XP SP2
549545
Microsoft's (Nasdaq: MSFT) Service Pack 2 for Windows XP is one of the company's most ambitious operating system updates ever, and -- as expected -- some experts already have discovered security vulnerabilities in the giant patch.