Get ready for a lot of your stuff to not work
Microsoft to Begin Shipping Major Update to Windows
Thu Aug 5, 2004 01:17 AM ET
SEATTLE (Reuters) - Microsoft Corp. (MSFT.O: Quote, Profile, Research) said on Wednesday that it soon will deliver to computer makers a long-awaited update to its flagship Windows XP operating system which promises to boost security for personal computer users.
The world's largest software maker said that Service Pack 2 (SP2), an update to Windows that it has been touting for months, will also be distributed online to PC users over the next few weeks, while packaged Windows CD-ROMs with the update will ship to store shelves in October.
Microsoft, which spent more than $300 million on SP2, said the update will be completed "imminently" after a two-month delay.
Service Packs are free major updates to Windows used to fix bugs and add features to the operating system.
Rich Kaplan, a Microsoft vice president, said that SP2 will make Windows more resilient against worm and hacker attacks and also improve the stability of the software.
Kaplan urged users to activate the Automatic Update feature in Windows by going to Microsoft' Web site at www.microsoft.com/protect.
"Our hope and goal is that a 100 million people will get Windows SP2 (through Automatic Update)," Kaplan said
