Corporate customers who have delayed installing Microsoft XP Service Pack 2 will be assimilated on April 12. Resistance is futile.
Beware unplanned SP2 downloads on April 12 (InformationWeek)
On Tuesday, April 12, Microsoft will turn off the blocking feature that has made it possible for some enterprises to block Windows XP Service Pack 2 downloads by employees who use Automatic Update. That means in companies that used the blocking tool, SP2 will be downloaded automatically to desktop computers that use Windows’ Automatic Update feature. In its April 4 report on business adoption of Windows XP SP2, AssetMetrix warned that a surge of SP2 downloads on April 12 could stress IT help desks and cause “productivity brownouts” among employees. But a Microsoft spokesman downplayed that scenario, saying fewer than 1% of Microsoft’s enterprise customers ever used the blocking tool anyway. Small businesses and consumers will be unaffected by the change, he says, because the blocking tool was not available to them.
AssetMetrix advises companies that did use the blocking tool, yet now want employees to upgrade to SP2, to do so gradually before April 12 in order to avoid a big-bang support problem. It’s worth noting that April 12, as the second Tuesday of the month, is the same day that Microsoft is scheduled to release its monthly software patches, if any are forthcoming.
My work network force feeds me software updates at log-in, often causing me to have to sit idle for 15-30 minutes without giving me the option to simply do the install at the end of the work day. Whoever came up with this system should be given a stern talking to.
