Microsoft has finished work on Service Pack 2 (SP2) for
Windows XP. The software maker now begins the process of delivering
the large, security-focused update to users.
The English language version of the service pack will be
released first, followed by 25 other language versions over the
course of a couple of months.
SP2 will be available through downloads, retail distribution and
free CDs, as well as on new PCs. For most users, the download will
be between 80Mbytes and 100Mbytes in size and the English version
of SP2 should be available on Windows Update in the coming days,
Matt Pilla, a senior product manager for Windows at Microsoft,
said.
Microsoft advises consumers to switch on Automatic Updates in
Windows XP so the download will be delivered to them once it
becomes available. New Windows Update technology will allow the
large file to "trickle" down to the user's PC and the download can
be interrupted and resumed.
Enterprise customers will be able to use a network installation
package, which Microsoft plans to offer in the coming days. The
network installation package allows businesses to control and
tailor the installation of the update.
SP2 for Windows XP is more than bug fixes and updates. It also
makes significant changes to Windows to improve security of the
operating system. Analysts have called the service pack a Windows
upgrade instead of a simple update.
Changes to Windows XP made by SP2 fall into four main areas:
network protection, memory protection, e-mail security and browsing
security. For example, the service pack will install and turn on
the Windows Firewall, an improved successor to the Internet
Connection Firewall.
Internet Explorer (IE) users will receive alerts when visiting
websites that use potentially malicious ActiveX scripts and IE now
has a pop-up blocker that is switched on by default.
The Windows Security Center shows users the status of their
firewall and anti-virus applications.
Microsoft has warned that Windows XP SP2 could break existing
applications because of the changes that are made. Last week the
company released an update for Microsoft CRM (Customer Relationship
Management) 1.2 because SP2 will prevent the application from
running correctly, it said.
Service Pack 2 has been a major effort for Microsoft. Work on
the XP update has caused the delay of several Microsoft products,
including 64-bit editions of Windows XP, Windows Server 2003
Service Pack 1 and the development of Longhorn, the next release of
Windows.
Joris
Evers writes for IDG News Service