Update: Microsoft releases XP Service Pack 2 to manufacturing

Computerworld - Microsoft Corp. today announced the release to manufacturing of the security-focused Windows XP Service Pack 2 (SP2).
The company said the easiest way for users to get SP2 is to turn on the Automatic Update feature in Windows XP. Microsoft will start pushing out SP2 within days, according to Matt Pilla, a senior product manager in the Windows division. Corporate users, however, typically do extensive testing before distributing service packs to users.
At about 265MB, the full SP2 package is no small download. But Microsoft, in a prepared statement, said it expects the average file size to be much smaller because of the "smart download" technology that installs only what the user needs. That means users who already have SP1 and have regularly updated their computers with patches shouldn't need to worry about the full 265MB.
The average download for Windows XP Professional is expected to be about 100MB, according to Microsoft. The average download for customers with Windows XP Home Edition is estimated at 80MB. Customers who need SP1 can expect the download to be 20MB larger, Microsoft said.
IT managers, however, may opt for the full 265 MB network installation package that contains the bits for all of the different versions of Windows as well as tools to help them preconfigure the package they want to distribute to company PCs, according to Barry Goffe, group manager of Windows client product management. Using the tools, IT pros will be able to pre-set configuration options such as adding a set of exceptions to the Windows Firewall or Internet Explorer Pop-up Blocker, he said.
"We discourage end users from going up and downloading the full network install. It's more than they need," said Goffe.
For users getting SP2 via Automatic Update or by manually navigating to Windows Update, the timing for receiving the download will depend on their Internet usage, location, language and the level of Internet demand for SP2, according to Microsoft. The company said it expects to distribute SP2 to about 100 million PCs through Automatic Update, wherein SP2 will be downloaded gradually in the background whenever a user is online.
An icon will appear in the system tray when the download of the SP2 bits begins, according to Microsoft. To find out how much of the download has been completed, users can move their cursors over the icon.
Goffe acknowledged that it could take days, weeks or even months for a user to get SP2 downloaded. He said Microsoft has a "throttle" that will allow it to control