Legal Stuff:
This document is provided for informational purposes only. The information contained in this document represents the current view of Shipps Consulting Service as of the date of publication. Information provided in this document is provided "as-is" without warranty of any kind, including fitness for a particular purpose. The user assumes the entire risk as to the accuracy and the use of this document.
This document may be copied and distributed if all text is copied without modification; all copies contain Shipps Consulting Group copyright notice; and it is not distributed for profit.
All trademarks acknowledged.
Copyright Shipps Consulting Group 2001-2009.
Vista, XP Upgrade Blockers On
the Chopping Block
Microsoft is cautioning customers about the upcoming expiration of tools designed to prevent automatic installation of service packs.
Microsoft is dumping a tool that prevents upgrades from automatically self-installing to encourage users of its Windows operating systems to move to upgraded versions of the software. Microsoft's resident Windows blogger, Brandon LeBlanc, wrote on Friday, January 30, 2009, "I have some important information for those of you who have installed the Service Pack Blocker Tool for Windows XP or Windows Vista."
What does the Service Pack Blocker Tool do? Once a Service Pack is generally available, the blocker tool temporarily prevents Windows Update from installing it, usually for one year after it becomes available. LeBlanc said the blocker for Vista SP1 will expire on April 28, while the blocker for XP SP3 will expire on May 19.
LeBlanc says that companies that don't want to upgrade to the Windows service packs won't be forced to do so. Users that have the Automatic Updates feature turned on will receive an alert from Windows Updates indicating that an important update is available for installation. They can then elect to install the service packs or ignore the update.
Users that don't have Automatic Updates turned on will receive the alert only after manually checking for updates in Windows Update.
LeBlanc said Microsoft is urging enterprises that haven't already done so to install the service packs. "Microsoft strongly recommends all customers move to Windows Vista SP1 if they are running Windows Vista or Windows XP SP3 if they are running Windows XP," he wrote.
Service packs are distributed by software makers to improve security, stability, and other product attributes.
"Our goal in announcing the removal of the blockers early is to provide you with an early notification to ensure you're prepared to deploy the appropriate service pack when the blockers expire," wrote LeBlanc.
Windows 7, Microsoft's newest operating system, is expected to be released in final form late in 2009 or early 2010.