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Microsoft Monday said that it would begin pushing Windows XP Service Pack 3 (SP3) to most users "shortly."
The announcement, made by Nick MacKechnie, a senior manager for Microsoft's New Zealand operations, was not unexpected, as the company had previously said it would release Windows XP SP3 to Automatic Updates sometime in the "early summer."
"We would like to remind you that Windows XP Service Pack 3 (SP3) will be released to Automatic Updates shortly," said MacKechnie in a post to a company blog Monday.
Windows XP SP3, which was released to the general public in late April, has plagued some users with problems after they updated the aged operating system.
Immediately after Microsoft posted XP SP3 for download, for example, users reported that PCs powered by Advanced Micro Devices' processors were rebooting endlessly, a bug that Microsoft addressed by blocking AMD machines from downloading the update.
Later, other users complained that their Internet and wireless connections had been deleted after installing XP SP3, and blamed a flood of corrupted registry keys added during the update. The problem, Microsoft later argued, was the fault of certain security software, a contention that at least one vendor, Symantec, disputed.
Microsoft issued a fix for systems affected by the registry corruption less than two weeks ago.
The announcement that Microsoft would release XP SP3 to Automatic Updates came just a week after the company started the operating system on its road to retirement last Monday by halting sales of the OS to retail outlets and barring major computer makers from installing it on most new PCs.
When Microsoft flips the Automatic Updates switch for XP SP3, users who have the Windows Update client software set to the "Automatic (recommended)" option will see their machines automatically download and install the service pack.
Individuals or companies that want to block the automatic deployment of Windows XP SP3 can download and use the Windows Service Pack Blocker Tool Kit, which provides the means for stopping the service pack from reaching client PCs through April 2009.
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Prioritizing Services with IT Service Management (ITSM)
Computerworld Live Webinar
Wednesday 20th, August 2008
11:00am EST (Sydney, Australia)
To be repeated on:
Thursday 4th, September 2008
11:00am EST (Sydney Australia)
Sign up and receive a free copy of The Forrester WaveTM Service Desk Management Tools, Q2 2008 at the conclusion of the Webinar.
Attend and discover:
- How to deliver value to your business through ITSM
- Best practice ITSM implementation
- Why emphasis is changing from optimizing IT management processes to better servicing customers and demonstrating real dollar value
- If service-oriented ITSM is best for your business
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Computerworld Live Podcast #97: The Future of Enterprise Networking 25/07/2008 09:45:36
This week CW Live chats with Mark Thompson, global sales and marketing manager for HP ProCurve, on the future of the enterprise networking. Mark discusses the trends we can expect to see in the near future and how the right infrastructure can ensure your enterprise network is secure. - +
Computerworld Live Podcast #96: Security at the Edge 11/06/2008 09:22:22
CW Live speaks with Amol Mitra, HP ProCurve Director of Marketing for Asia Pacific and Japan. Today's topic: how enterprises are starting to shift away from simply controlling security via server logins, firewalls and moving to more adaptive security frameworks. - +
Data Management Edition #10: Multi-Petascale Systems 02/05/2008 09:12:33
This week we look at sustainability and the development of multicore technologies to build multi-petascale systems. - +
IT Security Edition #11: How to poison the Storm botnet 01/05/2008 08:51:55
This week CW Live presents a case study on how to poison the notorious Storm botnet . Plus we take a look at Cisco's plans for Ironport. - +
IT Security Edition #10: Cyber-battles fought and won 24/04/2008 11:09:47
Vendors bow to end user pressure to improve product security, and we take a look at the latest concepts shaping the cyber-battlefield of the future.
Tumbleweed appoints O2 Networks to its Australian Channel Partner Program 2008-08-29 12:31:00+10
HP ProCurve Brings Big Business Gigabit Switching Features to Small Businesses 2008-08-29 12:00:00+10
Nortel and LG Electronics are First in World to Demonstrate Mobile LTE Handover 2008-08-29 11:30:00+10
GlobalConnect Provides Treatment for Healthcare Provider’s Contact Support Requirements 2008-08-29 09:59:00+10
Sybase and Logica Partner To Mobilise The Supply Chain 2008-08-29 09:47:00+10
Unified Communications: Justifications and Predictions
Building a business case for Unified Communications is currently more of an art than a science. However, the difficulty of building a business case for UC does not mean that there is none - just that we need to view (and measure) UC's benefits in accordance with the stage of maturity of the technology's adoption. Read on to find out more.
