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Release Notes for Microsoft Windows Server 2003 Service Pack 2

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Applies To: Windows Server 2003 with SP2

These release notes address late-breaking issues and information about the Microsoft® Windows Server® 2003 operating systems with Service Pack 2 (SP2) and Microsoft Windows® XP Professional x64 Edition operating system with SP2. Unless otherwise specified, these notes apply to the following operating systems:

  • Windows Server 2003 with SP2

  • Windows Server 2003 R2 with SP2

  • x64-based versions of Windows Server 2003 with SP2

  • x64-based versions of Windows Server 2003 R2 with SP2

  • Itanium-based versions of Windows Server 2003 with SP2

  • Windows XP Professional x64 Edition with SP2

Additional information

Active Directory

If you are running the initial version of Active Directory Application Mode (ADAM) that was available as a download, you will not be able to directly update the computer to Windows Server 2003 Service Pack 2 (SP2). If you do so, the ADAM instances may stop functioning.

Preventing the issue

To prevent this, do one of the following before you update the computer to Windows Server 2003 SP2:

  • Download and install Windows Server 2003 Active Directory Application Mode Service Pack 1 (ADAM SP1). Follow the instructions provided in Microsoft Knowledge Base article 902838 (https://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=82253). Then, install Windows Server 2003 SP2.

  • If you have the first release of Windows Server 2003 R2, then update ADAM as follows. (Disc 1 contains SP1. If the product discs that you have do not specify which service pack is included, then the discs contain SP1.)

    1. Install both disks.

    2. Update the ADAM instances by installing ADAM using Add/Remove Windows Components in Add or Remove Programs in Control Panel.

    3. Install Windows Server 2003 SP2.

Correcting the issue

If you have already installed Windows Server 2003 SP2 (for example, from Windows Update or by using Update.exe) without first updating ADAM, you can correct this issue with the following procedure:

To repair ADAM

  1. Uninstall Windows Server 2003 SP2.

  2. Download and install ADAM SP1 by following the instructions provided in Microsoft Knowledge Base article 902838 (https://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkID=82253).

  3. Reinstall Windows Server 2003 SP2.

Updating ADAM

If you have already installed the integrated version of Windows Server 2003 with SP2 (for example, if you installed Disc 1 of the second release of Windows Server R2, which contains SP2), and you did not update ADAM first, the ADAM instances will continue to function properly.

However, you can update ADAM by doing one of the following:

  • Download and install ADAM SP1 by following the instructions provided in Microsoft Knowledge Base article 902838 (https://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkID=82253).

  • Install Windows Server 2003 R2 Disc 2, and then install ADAM by using the Add/Remove Windows Components in Control Panel.

    Note

    For more information about the options for upgrading to the second release of Windows Server 2003 R2, see the upgrade diagram in Upgrading When You Have the SP2 Version of Windows Server 2003 R2 (https://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=85407).

Installation

This release note applies to you if you are upgrading to SP2 from a computer running SP1 or installing a different edition of Windows Server 2003 with SP2 on a computer already running SP2.

If you are installing SP2 on a computer running SP1, to ensure that certain applications and components (such as Windows .NET Framework 2.0) function properly, install SP2 by using Microsoft Update (https://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=85856).

If you are installing a different edition of SP2 on a computer already running SP2 (for example, if you are installing Windows Server 2003, Enterprise Edition with SP2 on a computer running Windows Server 2003, Standard Edition with SP2), there is no workaround. If any applications or components stop functioning, you may need to reinstall them.

Internet Explorer

You do not need to uninstall Internet Explorer 7 prior to installing Windows Server 2003 SP2.

If you have previously installed Internet Explorer 7 on a computer running Windows Server 2003 with SP1 and are now installing Windows Server 2003 SP2 using Microsoft Update, the downloadable SP2 update from the Microsoft Download Center, or the SP2 update CD, your computer will retain Internet Explorer 7 as expected.

If you have previously installed Internet Explorer 7 on a computer running Windows Server 2003 with SP1 and are now installing the integrated version of Windows Server 2003 SP2 (that is, the full operating system integrated with the service pack), the computer will have Internet Explorer 6 as the default browser in Windows Server 2003 SP2. You will need to reinstall Internet Explorer 7.

For more information about options for installing Windows Server 2003 SP2, see https://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=85899.

Microsoft Management Console

If you start certain snap-ins for Microsoft Management Console 3.0 and then subsequently uninstall Windows Server 2003 SP2, you may not be able to start some or all of the snap-ins in Microsoft Management Console 2.0 afterwards. If this occurs, remove all the files in the %APPDATA%\Microsoft\MMC\ folder.

Migration

If you use Active Directory Migration Tool (ADMT) version 2.0 to migrate Windows 2000 Professional domain accounts between computers that are running Windows Server 2003 SP1 or Windows Server 2003 SP2, you may encounter an "RPC server unavailable" error message.

To avoid this, download and use Active Directory Migration Tool version 3.0 from https://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkID=68791.

Printing

To avoid interrupting print services, schedule the installation of Windows Server 2003 SP2 for a time when the print spooler will not be in high demand.

For more details about interruption to printing, see article 832219 in the Microsoft Knowledge Base (https://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=82276).

Scheduled tasks

If you uninstall Windows Server 2003 SP2, scheduled tasks may subsequently fail because of the loss of administrative credentials. To verify that this issue is the cause of tasks failing, check the Task Scheduler log for error 0x8004130f.

Preventing the issue

To avoid this issue, ensure that you stop the Task Scheduler service before you uninstall Windows Server 2003 SP2.

A hotfix for this issue is available in article 933550 in the Microsoft Knowledge Base (https://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=85408). The hotfix only applies to certain configurations and scenarios, so be sure to read the hotfix documentation carefully.

Correcting the issue

If your scheduled tasks have already failed as a result of this issue, you can restore them by re-entering the appropriate administrative credentials for each task using the Task Scheduler.

Windows Small Business Server 2003

Before you install Windows Server 2003 SP2 on a computer running Windows Small Business Server 2003 (Windows SBS), see article 939421 in the Microsoft Knowledge Base (https://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=93765).

Windows Media Player

If you uninstall Windows Server 2003 SP2, you may not be able to access some Windows Media content that is protected by Digital Rights Management. If this occurs, you can restore access by doing the following:

Operating system Action

All Windows Server 2003 versions

Reinstall Service Pack 2

Windows XP Professional x64 Edition

Do either of the following:

  • Reinstall Service Pack 2

  • Install Windows Media Player 11

For more detailed information about this issue, see article 932542 in the Microsoft Knowledge Base (https://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=83575).

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