Microsoft Releases XP Update Rollup 1, First Monthly Security Fixes

   Last night, Microsoft unveiled Update Rollup 1 for Microsoft Windows XP, an integrated set of the critical security fixes and other software updates that the company has released since XP Service Pack 1 (SP1). Microsoft also released the first set of security fixes--to be released each month--for various Windows versions.
   The rollup is a result of Microsoft's recent decision to switch to more predictable product updates. Update Rollup 1 for XP is a response, of sorts, to customer complaints that arose after Microsoft quietly noted (on a Web page) XP SP2's delay from late 2003 to early 2004; customers had asked the company for an easier to way to install the cavalcade of security patches that Microsoft had released since last year's XP SP1 release.
   "Microsoft has released Update Rollup 1 for Microsoft Windows XP," the company noted in a security posting this week. "An update rollup is a cumulative set of hotfixes, security patches, critical updates, and updates that are packaged together for easy deployment." The package includes 22 previously released fixes; installing one update rollup has the same result as installing the individual updates.
   Update Rollup 1 for XP is available from Windows Update and by direct download from the Microsoft Web site. Two download packages are available: a full installer that weighs in at 9.2MB and an express installation version that dribbles in only the fixes that your particular system needs, saving bandwidth and time. More information and the free downloads are available from the Microsoft Web site.
   Microsoft also released its first planned set of security fixes yesterday. The set consists of five critical security fixes--four for Windows and one for Microsoft Exchange Server--and two noncritical fixes. For more information and the patch downloads, visit Microsoft's Security Web site.
   In related news, on Tuesday, a Microsoft executive reportedly told Citrix iForum 2003 attendees that the company is fast-tracking XP SP2 for a December release, months earlier than the company had previously promised. According to my sources, however, that news is incorrect. I'll try to get a definitive answer to this question today.

Microsoft last night unveiled Update Rollup 1 for Windows XP, an integrated set of the critical security fixes and other software updates released since XP Service Pack 1 (SP1), and the first set of monthly security fixes for various Windows versions, as promised by the company's recent decision to switch to more predictable product updates. XP Update Rollup 1 is a response, of sorts, to customer complaints that arose in the wake of news that the software giant was delaying XP SP2 from late 2003 to early 2004; customers had asked the software giant for an easier to way to install the cavalcade of security patches that have been released since last year's XP SP1 release.

"Microsoft has released Update Rollup 1 for Microsoft Windows XP," the company noted in a security posting this week. "An update rollup is a cumulative set of hotfixes, security patches, critical updates, and updates that are packaged together for easy deployment. Update Rollup 1 for Windows XP is a single package that includes many previously released critical updates for Windows XP." Indeed, the package includes 22 previously released fixes, and installation of the single update rollup provides users with the same results as installing the individual updates.

Update Rollup 1 for XP is available from Windows Update and via direct download from the Microsoft Web site; there are two download packages available, a full installer that weighs in at 9.2 MB, and an express install version that dribbles in only the fixes that your particular system needs, saving bandwidth and time. More information and the free downloads are available from the Microsoft Web site.

Additionally, on Wednesday, Microsoft released its first planned monthly set of security fixes, which consists of five critical security fixes and two non-critical fixes. The critical fixes include four for Windows and one for Exchange Server. For more information and the patch downloads, please visit Microsoft's Security Web site.

And finally, in related news, a Microsoft executive reportedly told attendees at the Citrix Forum in Florida on Tuesday that the company was fast-tracking Windows XP SP2 for a December release, months earlier than the company had previously promised. According to my sources, however, that is incorrect. I'll try and get a definitive answer to this question, however, today.