RSSWindows 2000 Update Rollup Tested
by Nate Mook
Microsoft has released to testers a pre-beta copy of Update Rollup 1 for Windows 2000 SP4. The update rollup encompasses all security-related fixes made to Windows 2000 from SP4 to the time the package ships.
In November, Microsoft said it would ship a collection of critical updates for Windows 2000, rather than issue Service Pack 5.
Microsoft cites a number of reasons for choosing the rollup, including less of a need for testing, as most of the updates have been available as individual hotfixes. The company also says many of the fixes relate to obscure problems, which are not likely to affect the majority of customers.
"Because every update to Windows introduces the possibility of system instability at the customer's site (for example, an update to one part of the system causes some other part of the system--or an application--to fail), an Update Rollup will provide the maximum utility at the minimum risk of instability at this point in the Windows 2000 life-cycle," Microsoft says.
Update Rollup 1 for Windows 2000 SP4 is likely to finish its beta cycle in late March, with a public release in April, according to testers.
3 Comments
So why offer an SP5, issue a rollup for all the updates since SP4 and then drop the support as planned. You cant keep offer warrenty forever. Everything must end somewhere and so shall 2K. Yes I am testing this beta, official tester, Its nothin grand at the moment. I hate 2k but I use it on my laptop. Im an XP fan all the way. I cant wait for Longhorn either.
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...Win2k is far from dead. In fact the number of Windows 2000 licenses outnumbers that of Windows XP Pro, at least as of October last year. In fact, several businesses still use NT 4.0!
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If people would quit wining about service packs causing problems we could have an SP5. In my experience with service packs including the (in)famous XP SP2, 99 times out of 100 it is something that is not even the SP's fault--adware, trojan, and spyware infections cause 80% of the XP SP2 install problems I've seen, and I've really only seen one true incompatability in the real world where an organization used Command AV and could not update to SP2 for that reason. Service packs are sort of like re-releases--SP2 is Windows 2000 third edition, etc. It rewrites the entire core OS, including all vital system files, so OF COURSE there can be issues, but it's worth it.
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