Microsoft will allow companies to block the automatic download of Windows Server 2003 Service Pack 1 (SP1), thanks to a new tool that the company will provide. The toolkit works in pretty much the same way as the one released last year to block the automatic download and installation of Windows XP SP2. As from the 26th of July, Windows Server 2003 SP1 is set to download automatically to the servers, so the best way to avoid this is to use the new tool.

By using the toolkit, customers could avoid SP1 while still retrieving other critical security updates, Microsoft said in an advisory posted with the blocking tools.

"Customers who require additional time to prepare for the download and deployment of Windows Server 2003 SP1 can use [this] blocker toolkit," Microsoft added in the advisory.