"As we warned you in April, Microsoft has again delayed Windows XP Service Pack 2,"

http://www.theregister.co.uk/2004/07...to_august_rtm/

As part of the development team at a software company where XP compatibility is a big deal, I would like to say "Hooray - thanks for the good news"

Delayed Windows SP2 Denies Access to Illegal CD Keys
Nikhil Rastogi
July 12, 2004
Microsoft's latest security update, Service Pack 2 has been delayed to August coming down hard on security issues.

SP2 will include an enhanced Windows Update feature. The new update service includes smart downloading technology that will allow users to interrupt the large SP2 download and resume it later, especially useful for users of dial-up Internet connections. The latest test version of SP2 is 264MB, though the final version is expected to be smaller, insiders say.

The new version addresses a lot of issues including worm outbreaks, network protection, memory protection, email security and browsing security. The auto update will download SP2 without the knowledge of the user or interfering browsing experience as it utilises about 40% of the bandwidth.

This time around Microsoft may have found a much more destructive way to get rid of illegal copies of WindowsXP than Service Pack 1. Users installing SP1 on illegal copies would simply get a 'This is a pirated copy' error message. But now Microsoft has armed itself with a huge list of illegal CD keys ensuring that SP2 does not install. CORRECTED: It has been rumoured that the boot sector of the OS would be modified rendering the OS unusable.

Along with the release of SP2, Microsoft is offering the update on a CD free of charge for those who cannot download the update.

Microsoft claims that the Service Pack will represent one of its most broadly tested products to date, with numerous people having tried out the Service Pack since a beta version was first released in December 2003. Microsoft has warned that Windows XP SP2 could play havoc with existing applications.

ERRATA: Though the story holds true, the following line is an inadvertent error -"but also destroys the computer hard drive by rendering it unusable."

http://www.dozleng.com/updates/index.php?showtopic=1273

____________________________________________
To make the new Microsoft system work smoothly with Norton, customers will need to download a Norton update. The company is already bracing for the change, working with its customer support staff and making plans to increase phone support.

"We don't want consumers to panic," Moynahan said.

He's not alone. As Microsoft prepares to launch its biggest security upgrade ever to Windows, dubbed Service Pack 2, the company is trying to strike a difficult balance between making things safe and making things work.

http://apnews.myway.com/article/20040718/D83TANI00.html

As Windows users who are plagued by security problems eagerly await Microsoft's oft-delayed Windows XP Service Pack 2 (SP2) release, signs have finally started to indicate that the wait, at long last, is coming to an end. First, Microsoft Australia mistakenly reported that the company had released SP2 to manufacturing, then quickly retracted the announcement. Then, this morning, sources told me that Microsoft Windows Update V5, the next-generation version of Microsoft's software-updating service on which SP2's software-updating features are based, has been completed. Taken together, these two events suggest that we'll see the Web release of XP SP2 within a week.

As with earlier service packs, Microsoft will release SP2 in stages. The product will first be available for download to premier customers, then to the general public on the company's Web site (the so-called release to Web--RTW), at which time Microsoft will also begin taking orders for the free CD-ROM-based version of the product. Then, 2 weeks later, SP2 will be available through Automatic Updates and Windows Update. By early September, PC makers will begin shipping new PCs with the software installed.

Although XP SP2 offers much-needed security improvements over the currently shipping versions of the OS, you shouldn't take the release lightly. Some of the upgrade's new security features will break existing Web sites, intranet sites, and custom applications. Customers, particularly corporate customers, should evaluate SP2 carefully before deploying it. Nevertheless, my advice is to install SP2 as soon as possible. Regardless of potential incompatibilities, simply installing this release will result in a more secure environment.

http://www.winnetmag.com/windowspaul...ott_43497.html

[August 6, 2004]
UPDATED: Microsoft Finally Ships Windows XP Service Pack 2; Public Release Next Week

At long last, Microsoft has shipped Windows XP Service Pack 2 (SP2). The final build is 2180.



In a letter to testers, Microsoft described the final release. "Final testing is complete and at 10:08am [PST] this morning we signed off on build 2180 as Windows XP Service Pack 2, releasing it to manufacturing," the note reads. "The final build will be available to beta sites immediately ... You will find both English and German versions there, [and] Japanese will follow early next week. Next week the service pack will be available on the Microsoft Download Center for general download. In the interim we're making the update available to you via the beta Web site. If you are running RC2, or any other build released to beta sites, we invite you to turn on Automatic Updates, and starting on August 10th your system will automatically download the express version of Windows XP SP2. For typical home users this is about a 75 MB download; for those on RC2 it should be less than 30 MB."

http://www.winnetmag.com/Article/Art...542/43542.html