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Enough SP1 Out There to Reach 18 Percent of Windows 2003 Machines

Microsoft has distributed enough copies of Service Pack 1 to update nearly one-fifth of the installed base of Windows Server 2003, the company estimated on Thursday.

According to Microsoft, there have been more than 1.2 million downloads of SP1 since the service pack was released to manufacturing on March 30.

Citing IDC research estimates, Microsoft said the current installed base for the two-year-old server product is 6.73 million. "The more than 1.2 million SP1 downloads in less than two months represents about 18 percent of the total Windows Server 2003 installed base," a Microsoft spokesperson said in a statement e-mailed to reporters.

The service pack, laden with new security features such as the Security Configuration Wizard, Windows Firewall and Post-Setup Security Updates, is the foundation for several other operating system releases, including the x64 editions and the upcoming Windows Server 2003 "R2."

About the Author

Scott Bekker is editor in chief of Redmond Channel Partner magazine.

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