Microsoft: Windows XP SP2 downloads 'on target'

Microsoft is still confident of hitting its target of 100 million Windows XP Service Pack 2 (SP2) downloads by the end of next month.

The upgrade is designed to greatly increase the security of the Windows XP operating system, and so far 20 million copies have been downloaded and installed.

"We are ramping up the distribution and speeding up the amount of installs per day and are on target for next month," said Paul Randle, product marketing manager for Windows XP SP2.

"We're expecting the bulk of new installations to come from small businesses and home users."

Many larger companies are delaying the rollout of SP2 until full application testing has been completed, he added.

Microsoft has advised that companies should block individual office users from downloading SP2 piecemeal, and is recommending instead that companies test the upgrade before rolling it out to everyone.

Randle said a factor in the early slow take-up had been that few foreign language versions of SP2 had been available. But the upgrade is now available in 15 languages, and more will be coming out over the coming month.

But Microsoft's bullish attitude concerning more downloads of SP2 is not universally shared.

"I don't think the 100 million [target] is achievable," said Professor Neil Barrett of Cranfield University's computer science department.

"From a change management point of view, SP2 is effectively an operating systems upgrade for companies. From the home user point of view, even with broadband it's a big download and that too will slow take-up."

Around 80 per cent of the 80MB of code contained in SP2 is aimed at improving system security. Internet Explorer is the main beneficiary, with the addition of the blocking of pop-up ads, windows that are bigger than the computer screen and frameless windows, among other new features.

The company is relaxing its moratorium on use of cover-mounted CDs for a 90-day period, and CDs will be available in the high street in an effort to get the maximum number of users patched.