Microsoft has patched a glitch with its Windows XP
Service Pack 1 (SP1) update that can cause system slowdowns, but
has not yet made its still-developing fix widely
available.
Because of changes made in SP1 to Windows XP's memory management
system, programs that affect large blocks of memory may take up
to 10 times longer to load on a system running SP1 than on one
without, Microsoft said.
The company detailed the problem on its support website in a
recently posted Knowledge Base article, "Programs Run Slower After
You Install Windows XP SP-1".
The bug affects both the Professional and Home Edition versions
of Windows XP. SP1, released in September, and includes fixes for a
number of security flaws and bugs discovered since Windows XP's
release.
For now, the only official way to obtain Microsoft's fix is to
contact the company's Product Support Services department. Unless
users are severely affected by the problem, Microsoft recommends
waiting for a patch until the next Windows XP service pack is
released.
