An update package for Background Intelligent Transfer Service (BITS) is now available for Windows Server 2003 and for Windows XP

This article contains information about the update package for Background Intelligent Transfer Service (BITS). The article describes the following topics:

• New features and improvements in BITS 2.5
• How to download and install the update for BITS
• How to remove the update package for BITS
• How to verify that the update package for BITS is installed

An update package for BITS is now available for Microsoft Windows Server 2003 and for Microsoft Windows XP. This update package updates the current version of BITS to 2.5. The update is a required component for Microsoft System Center Configuration Manager 2007 and for Microsoft Security Essentials. The new features of BITS 2.5 help improve security. If you use BITS to transfer data, the new features also improve flexibility.

New features and improvements in BITS 2.5

BITS 2.5 transfers files between a client and a server. BITS 2.5 also returns to the client progress information about file upload operations and about file download operations. BITS 2.5 provides the following features in addition to the BITS 2.0 feature set:

• Support for custom HTTP headers.
• Support for certificate-based client authentication to help secure HTTP transports.
• Support for Internet Protocol version 6 (IPv6).
• Improved upload performance.

BITS 2.5 provides a set of application program interfaces (APIs) so that developers can access the new functionality. For more information about the new API in BITS 2.5, visit the following Microsoft Web site:

Update information

The following files are available for download from the Microsoft Download Center:

Download the Background Intelligent Transfer Service (BITS) 2.5 for Windows XP (KB923845) package now.

Download the Background Intelligent Transfer Service (BITS) 2.5 for Windows XP x64 Edition (KB923845) package now.

Download the Background Intelligent Transfer Service (BITS) 2.5 for Windows Server 2003 (KB923845) package now.

Download the Background Intelligent Transfer Service (BITS) 2.5 for Windows Server 2003 for Itanium-based Systems (KB923845) package now.

Download the Background Intelligent Transfer Service (BITS) 2.5 for Windows Server 2003 x64 Edition (KB923845) package now.

For more information about how to download Microsoft support files, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base: Microsoft scanned this file for viruses. Microsoft used the most current virus-detection software that was available on the date that the file was posted. The file is stored on security-enhanced servers that help prevent any unauthorized changes to the file.

Note If you have disabled the BITS service, it is automatically enabled when you install BITS 2.5.

How to remove the update package for BITS

To remove the update package after you install it on a computer that is running Windows XP, follow these steps:

1. Click Start, click Run, type appwiz.cpl, and then click OK.
2. Double-click Add or Remove Programs.
3. In the list of currently installed programs, click Update for Windows XP (KB923845), and then click Remove.
4. Follow the instructions to remove the update package from the computer.
5. Restart the computer.

To remove the update package after you install it on a computer that is running Windows Server 2003, follow these steps:

1. Click Start, click Run, type appwiz.cpl, and then click OK.
2. Double-click Add or Remove Programs.
3. In the list of currently installed programs, click Update for Windows Server 2003 (KB923845), and then click Remove.
4. Follow the instructions to remove the update package from the computer.
5. Restart the computer.

An administrator can also use the Spunist.exe utility to remove this update package. The Spuninst.exe program file is in the %windir%\$NTUninstallKB923845$\Spuninst folder.

How to verify that the update package for BITS is installed

To verify that the update package for BITS is installed, compare the files on the computer with the following file information.

The English version of this hotfix has the file attributes (or later file attributes) that are listed in the following table. The dates and times for these files are listed in Coordinated Universal Time (UTC). When you view the file information, it is converted to local time. To find the difference between UTC and local time, use the Time Zone tab in the Date and Time item in Control Panel.

Windows Server 2003, x86-based versions

Windows Server 2003, x64-based versions

Windows Server 2003, Itanium-based versions

Windows XP

You can also use the following registry subkey to verify that the update package is installed. To do this, follow these steps.

Important This section, method, or task contains steps that tell you how to modify the registry. However, serious problems might occur if you modify the registry incorrectly. Therefore, make sure that you follow these steps carefully. For added protection, back up the registry before you modify it. Then, you can restore the registry if a problem occurs. For more information about how to back up and restore the registry, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

1. Click Start, click Run, type regedit, and then click OK.
2. Locate and then click the following registry subkey:
   HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\Hotfix\KB923845
   If the update package is installed, this subkey contains the Installed registry entry. The value of this registry entry is 1.

For more information about BITS, visit the following Microsoft Web site: