Gregg Keizer of Computerworld U.S. filed this report:
Microsoft confirmed Wednesday that it delayed the rollout of Windows
XP Service Pack 3 (SP3) because changes to the operating system can
corrupt data in the company’s retail point-of-sale and store management
software.
The company has also suspended automatic distribution of Vista SP1
as well as XP SP3. “Yes, we are temporarily holding any additional
automatic distribution of Windows Vista SP1″ said a spokeswoman.
Tuesday, Microsoft postponed the expected release of XP SP3 because
of what it called a “compatibility issue” between the OS and Microsoft
Dynamics Retail Management System (RMS), point-of-sale and store
management software designed for small and midsize retailers. When it
announced the service pack’s delay, however, Microsoft did not spell
out the specifics of the bug.
In fact, a Microsoft representative had outlined the problem in a
post to the RMS support forum five days earlier, on April 24. “The
Microsoft Dynamics Retail Management System (RMS) Development team has
identified problems when Windows Vista SP1 is installed,” said Tom
Berger, who identified himself as a Microsoft online support engineer.
“Windows Vista SP1 may cause data loss and corruption in Microsoft
Dynamics RMS databases.”
According to Berger, Windows Vista SP1 changed the way Microsoft SQL
Server handles some database records, specifically those that include
information from multiple tables. “All users who have applied Windows
Vista SP1 will be affected,” he added.
A Microsoft spokeswoman on Wednesday acknowledged that the same problems affected RMS users running XP SP3.
The company is also working on filters to block machines running RMS
from being offered either Vista SP1 or XP SP3; it will resume automatic
delivery of Vista SP1 and add XP SP3 to Windows Update once those
filters are in place.
In the meantime, Windows Vista users can upgrade to SP1 by manually
selecting it from Windows Update — it hasn’t been removed, only
suspended from automatic download and installation — or downloading a
standalone installer from the Microsoft site.
Although Windows XP users have no similar official alternative, some
have uncovered a standalone installer for SP3 buried on Microsoft’s
servers, and have been posting links on the TechNet support forum.
Although the installer — available in several languages, including
English, German and French — was vetted by numerous users who said it
was identical to the finished version released earlier to TechNet and
MSDN subscribers, Microsoft would not confirm that the links led to
sanctioned files.
“In this particular case, it’s possible that some third-party
websites are linking to the Windows XP SP3 software that we have
published for MSDN and TechNet subscribers,” a spokeswoman said in an
e-mail. “Since we cannot confirm the source of every link that
third-parties provide, our recommendation is that customers wait until
we’ve published Windows XP SP3 to Windows Update and the Download
Center.”
Microsoft’s record with Windows service packs has not been
impressive. Vista SP1, for example, was held from most users for six
weeks because of balky device drivers, and the company initially
blocked paying subscribers of its TechNet and Microsoft Developer
Network (MSDN) from downloading either Vista SP1 or XP SP3.
Microsoft has not divulged a timetable for resuming Vista SP1 on
Windows Update, or offering XP SP3 for the first time. It also has not
set a schedule for delivering a fix for the RMS bug.