Neowin.net

Microsoft has issued a software patch that will reanimate frozen notebook PCs running Windows XP.
The patch, according to Microsoft's Web site, resolves a problem affecting notebooks based on Intel's Pentium III processor and 440MX chipset and running the Windows XP operating system. The laptops appear to hang when their internal modem is put into use.

Notebook users whose machines exhibit the problem can download the patch via Microsoft's Windows Update Web site. An update to the machine's BIOS (Basic Input Output System) software--special software that loads the operating system when you boot up your PC--may also be required on certain machines.

The issue is somewhat limited, affecting only machines with the 440MX chipset. The chipset is used widely by PC makers, but only in a specific class of machines known as "ultraportables." Ultraportables generally weigh less than 4 pounds. The class represents a relatively small portion of the notebook market as a whole, about 10 percent to 15 percent.

The problem has not been seen with other versions of Windows.

News source: ZDnet

Found this in the MacNN forum and on Slashdot, explains the problem quite nicely!!!

The original installer script has the lines

# if iTunes application currently exists, delete it
if [ -e $2Applications/iTunes.app ] ; then
rm -rf $2Applications/iTunes.app 2> /dev/null
fi

while the replacement (2.0.1) has

# if iTunes application currently exists, delete it
if [ -e "$2Applications/iTunes.app" ] ; then
rm -rf "$2Applications/iTunes.app" 2> /dev/null
fi

Thanks to a tip in an email about the cause of the problem (spaces in volume names), I went digging into the package installer and think I found the source of the problem. The following code is in a file called 'preflight' inside the iTunes.pkg installer (in Contents/Resources):

# if iTunes application currently exists, delete it
if [ -e $2Applications/iTunes.app ] ; then
rm -rf $2Applications/iTunes.app 2< /dev/null
fi

So what's the problem? If your volumes have spaces and are named similarly (let's say "Disk", "Disk 1", and "Disk 2"), then this bug could bite you. The '$2' variable that's passed in contains the path to your selected iTunes installation destination. In our example, let's assume it was headed for "Disk 1". So '$2' should contain /Volumes/Disk 1 (notice the backslash for the space). However, if it instead contained /Volumes/Disk 1, then the "rm -rf" command would execute TWICE. It would look like this:

rm -rf /Volumes/Disk 1/Applications/iTunes.app 2< /dev/null

One of the commands (the second half, 'rm -rf 1/Applications/iTunes.app') would probably not do anything, since the path is invalid. The second command, though, could be brutal. 'rm -rf /Volumes/Disk' would delete the entire volume 'Disk' used in this example.

For those that had a problem, do you meet all the following criteria?

1. Did not delete iTunes 1.1
2. Had multiple volumes
3. Had similarly named volumes with spaces in their names

Any replies could help determine if this is, indeed, the cause of the problem.

I can't see how the "$2" variable is built, so this is all conjecture based on the evidence and looking at the "preflight" file. Obviously, there's an issue with the installer, since Apple has now pulled it ... but if you grabbed it already, I would highly recommend you do not use it, even if you don't appear to meet the criteria listed above. Just wait for a new installer from Apple, and keep your data safe!