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Microsoft has acknowledged and patched a glitch with its Windows XP Service Pack 1 update that can cause system slowdowns, but has not yet made its still-developing fix widely available.

Because of changes made in SP1 to Windows XP's memory management system, programs that affect large blocks of memory may take up to ten times longer to load on a system running SP1 than on one without, Microsoft said.

The company detailed the problem on its support Web site in a recently posted Knowledge Base article, "Programs Run Slower After You Install Windows XP SP-1" (article #815411).

Bugs and Fixes

The bug affects both the Professional and Home Edition versions of Windows XP. Released in September, SP1 includes fixes for a number of security flaws and bugs discovered since Windows XP's debut.

For now, the only official way to obtain Microsoft's fix is to contact the company's Product Support Services department.

Although Microsoft charges customers for some support calls, customers requesting this patch will not be charged, according to a company spokesperson.

Because the problem is rare, Microsoft has chosen not to offer the patch for download on its support site, the spokesperson said.

Unless users are severely affected by the problem, Microsoft recommends that they wait for a broad release of the SP patch or until the next Windows XP service pack is released.

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