With just two days to go before the expiration of mainstream support for Microsoft's Windows 2000 operating system, the software giant has provided an update rollup with more than 50 security patches and system reliability fixes. The update rollup, which replaces Windows 2000 SP5 (Service Pack 5), ships as a high-priority update on the Windows Update site, where it will be listed in the "Critical and Service Packs" category. In a security advisory posted Tuesday, Microsoft Corp. said the rollup is applicable to Windows 2000 client and server releases and requires the prior installation of SP4. "[It] contains additional important fixes in files that have not previously been part of individual security updates [and] additional enhancements that increase system security, reliability, reduce support costs and support the current generation of PC hardware," the company said. But the company said the rollup initially will not be distributed over Automatic Updates because Windows 2000 customers are being transitioned to a new version of Windows Update. "Once the transition is complete, which is expected in early July, Automatic Updates will be enabled for the update rollup." Download the rollup here. source: Eweek
