Latest Windows XP patch can slow down PCs

IDG News Service - Microsoft Corp.'s latest security patch can cause computers running Windows XP to slow down to a crawl, according to affected users.
Windows XP can take up to 10 seconds to start an application after installation of the patch released April 16 with Security Bulletin MS03-013, users wrote in dozens of postings on several online discussion boards. Removing the patch brings system speed back to normal, according to those users.
Microsoft is aware of the issue and is investigating, said Stephen Toulouse, a security program manager at Microsoft's security response center.
"We have been made aware of some isolated cases of customers experiencing performance issues after applying the patch," he said, referring to the online reports. No customers have called Microsoft's help desk with the problem, according to Toulouse.
The patch, which Microsoft calls Hotfix Q811493, was distributed via Microsoft's security Web site and the automatic Windows Update service. It fixes a security flaw in the Windows kernel, the core of the Windows operating system. The vulnerability is rated "important" by Microsoft, one notch below the highest level in the vendor's severity rating scheme.
The flaw could allow an attacker to raise his privilege level on a vulnerable system. However, to exploit the flaw, an attacker must be able to log onto a system, either at the computer or via a terminal connection, mitigating the risk.
Users offering online advice suggested that home users experiencing system slowdowns remove the patch because corporate environments with terminal servers and client systems accessed by multiple users are most at risk. Microsoft, however, urged all customers to apply the patch and to call the Microsoft help desk if there are any performance problems afterward, Toulouse said.