SemiOT: problem with XP Service pack 3

A month or so ago I applied Service Pack 3 to Windowns XP home from a
download and started getting a message that Automatic Updates was
turned off. I tried to change the Automatic Updates setting but it
was locked (all of the choice buttons were greyed out). I think I got
the message that I didn't have the authority which was peculiar since
I was logged on to the account with administrator privileges. This
was annoying but since I normally apply the updates and don't use
automatic update, I ignored the problem hoping a subsequent update
would cure it. On Wednesday, I downloaded and tried to apply the
latest upgrade to Zone Alarm Internet Security Suite which normally is
a very simple exercise. The upgrade didn't work because I did not
have the administrator privilege for installing the True Vector
component. After making various attempts and checking the Zone Alarm
site, I went to the Microsoft site. There I found that for at least
some people Service Pack 3 fouls up some entries in the registry and
there is a fix. I have an e-mail into Microsoft right now verifying
that the fix only restores full administrator privileges to the
administrator logons and not the user logons and that the download
program mentioned also works on XP home as well as PRO.

I suspect the simplest way to tell whether you have the problem is to
logon on to an account with administrator privileges and try to change
the Automatic Updates setting. If you can't change it, DON'T try to
install any systems software (Microsoft updates seem to work) like
Zone Alarm. Go to www.microsoft.com and from support go to the page
for Service Pack 3. You will find that there is free e-mail, chat AND
toll-free free support in North America for Service Pack 3 issues.
Apparently there have been a number of them.

Before those of us who are in the mainframe environment feel
completely smug, there are PTF's and hiper alerts for a reason. While
I haven't read about anything like the DF/EF catalog problems that I
heard about or DFP PE chain problems that I experienced, no vendor is
free of major glitches. Given that Microsoft fixes and updates for
home users are to be installed by people who are not system
programmers or systems administrators, it is in a sense amazing to me
that the process works as well as it does. I might add that I read
the KB letters for all of the fixes I apply and have found them useful
in understanding why I am putting on the fix.

I'm sending this because for many of us, Windows XP is the operating
system of choice or affliction.
.