On its Web site, Microsoft recommends that users download a 'critical update' if TV Media is running on their system and they wish to install SP2.
The company initially recommended that people remove Velocity's Software TV Media application by themselves, but later released a tool to delete the program before issuing the update.
TV Media runs adverts, and some users have had trouble uninstalling it. The program embeds itself in the registry and boot files to prevent people from removing it. This feature has clashed with SP2 installations and caused machines to display the blue screen of death message, which reads:
"A problem has been detected and Windows has been shut down to prevent damage to your computer... Technical information: STOP: c0000135 {Unable To Locate Component} This application has failed to start because winsrv was not found. Re-installing the application may fix this problem."
Media reports from the US stated that Microsoft had issued a patch to solve the problem, but the company denied this today, insisting that this was simply a bug fix.
"It's not a security patch, it's a critical update," said Stewart Okin, chief security advisor for Microsoft UK. "I can see how it's been confused. The only way to get people to download it was to class it as Windows Udate, but it's a work-around for a very small number of people."
Okin added that the update removes the program from the registry and commands from the boot files. He said that as yet there had been no security patches for SP2.
ZDNet UK's Dan Ilet reported from London. For more coverage from ZDNet UK, click here.
The amusing thing,or not so amusing, is I just upgraded to SP2 on my new computer and thanks to Microsoft not doing its job correctly I am now unable to access my computer. I am awaiting a reply to an email I sent them regarding the issue given they knew two months previous to them upgrading my computer and obviously have done nothing about it when it comes to Auto updates or informing us of the issues.