The Tech Report

"Not all Windows XP users enjoyed a smooth upgrade to Service Pack 3. Shortly after the patch appeared on Windows Update, folks were storming message boards with complaints about endless reboot loops and other show-stopping bugs. Microsoft exec Jesper Johansson later shed light on the cause for one issue: HP mistakenly pre-loaded its AMD-based computers with an operating system image containing an Intel processor power management driver.

eWeek now says Microsoft is working together with HP on a fix. An HP spokeswoman told eWeek, "We are of course working diligently with Microsoft on a software update and will be proactively distributing a patch to customers this week through our automated HP Update service that will prevent this error from occurring." Users will also be able to head to hp's website and search for patch SP37394. "When the update is available, the search results screen will list the update with instructions for downloading and installation," she added.

In the meantime, HP has posted an article in its Customer Care knowledge base with workaround instructions for users running into the problem. Those looking for a pre-installation workaround can check Johansson's post, too."

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