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The pack includes some security fixes. These involve a bug that allow malicious code to execute within Excel, PowerPoint, or Word. Under normal circumstances, you receive a warning when you open a document containing a macro. It is possible, however, for macros to be modified to escape a warning being issued. The update ensures that notice is always given.

Another fix addresses a problem in the Microsoft Outlook View Control. While this ActiveX control allows

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mail folders to be passively viewed via Web pages, it also exposes a function that could allow the Web page to manipulate Outlook data. What this means in practice is that hackers could delete email, change calendar information or executables code on the user's machine.

Other fixes include performance enhancements. For example, there is improved execution of Outlook 2002 when Instant Messaging is enabled and there are a number of optimisation tweaks for running Office XP on Windows XP.

You can read about the issues fixed in Excel 2002 here, Word 2002 here and PowerPoint 2002 here.

The free download of Office XP SP-1 starts here.