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The message below is about a *major* update from Microsoft. If you use "Automatic Update" then you will get this installed anyway. You may then find that some programs that need access to the net will not work. This is because some settings that are turned off in your existing copy of XP will be turned on by the Service Pack. Service Pack 2 begins its release via automatic update Today is the day that Microsoft's major upgrade to its flagship Windows XP operating system - XP Service Pack 2 - begins to be distributed via the company's Automatic Update system. As we have previously reported, Microsoft has throttled back the release of the massive (up to 80 MB) update. Those on the SP2 beta test program will already have had the chance to have SP2 on their machines, but now the wider distribution is beginning. Everyone who wants it should have the code by the end of the month, said Paul Randall, Microsoft's product manager in the UK. Microsoft hopes that SP2 will be widely adopted and put an end to the flow of embarrassing Windows security flaws. Among the upgrades are an improved firewall and Enhanced Virus Protection which works with the most recent AMD processors to prevent viruses exploiting buffer overflows. Earlier in the week, Microsoft listed applications that will not fully work without amendments to SP2's 'secure-by-default' configuration settings - Microsoft lists applications needing attention after XP update. It has also produced a 'Fix list', in Knowledge Base Article 811113, listing the hundreds of patches or updates in the new release. To be precise, it lists the Knowledge Base articles that describe fixes or updates contained in XP SP2. Its worth noting, however, that service packs are cumulative - XP SP2 contains all the fixes that are included in Windows XP Service Pack 1, hence the high number. Copied from PC Pro Magazine

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