Automatic distribution of critical patch finally arrives for business users After a nine-day reprieve, Microsoft plans to start pushing out Windows XP SP2 (Service Pack 2) this week to PCs running Windows XP Professional Edition.Caught off guard by the large number of enterprise customers who rely on the Windows Automatic Updates feature for patches, Microsoft last week postponed automatic distribution of the mammoth service pack. The software maker sent a note to corporate customers saying the delay was in response to customer requests for more time to install a registry key that will block the automatic delivery of SP2.“When we designed Automatic Updates, we had consumers and small businesses in mind. We have been surprised by the number of enterprises who use Automatic Updates,” said Jon Murchinson, program manager at Microsoft. Faced with concerns from business users, Microsoft two weeks ago made available a tool that allows users to set a Windows registry key that will instruct the system to skip downloading and installing the service pack for 120 days but still download other critical updates.SP2 is more than the usual rollout of bug fixes and updates; it makes significant changes to Windows in the name of increased security that could render existing applications inoperable. Because of those changes, many businesses want to hold off on installing the update and are taking time for testing. Automatic Updates initially did not give users that flexibility.Aras Memisyazici, systems administrator at Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, is testing SP2 and has disabled Automatic Updates. “If it was enabled, it would cut my network performance almost in half because of all the traffic,” he said. Memisyazici plans to start updating the approximately 140 PCs in his department in about a month by applying new software images. Technology Industry