Microsoft Fixes Technical Glitch In Vista Update

Microsoft on Tuesday will resume automatic distribution and installation of a software update that nearly two months ago was reportedly causing technical headaches for Vista users looking to download service pack 1.

The so-called Servicing Stack Update (KB937287) is one of two updates that Microsoft requires Vista users to install before downloading service pack 1, and includes tools that handle the installation and removal of software updates, language packs, and service packs.

Microsoft in mid-February stopped offering the Servicing Stack Update through Windows Update after several users complained that their PCs were entering an endless reboot cycle during the installation process.

The problem with the Servicing Stack Update stemmed from "a few unknown and rare events" during the installation process, and not the actual update files, which means that users who've already successfully installed it won't need to re-install the updated version, according to a Monday blog post on the Windows Update Product Team blog.

"The [Servicing Stack Update] has special code to check whether there are any pending reboots or other updates to install. If it sees either of these circumstances, it prevents the install from starting," according to the blog post.

In a separate Monday blog post, Chris Flores, a director on the Windows Client team, said Microsoft remains on track to begin distributing the English, French, Spanish, German and Japanese versions of Vista SP1 through its Automatic Update system in mid-April, the same time it plans to roll out the initial release of Vista SP1 in the remaining languages.