XP SP2 Will Break Microsoft CRM Product

Microsoft’s flagship customer relationship management
(CRM 1.2) software will not work properly on systems running Windows XP
Service Pack 2.

The software giant made the disclosure in a note posted on its Download Center
and warned that installing the security-centric XP SP2 will cause disruptions for
mid-market CRM users.

The service pack, which is slated for release
this month, will also prevent Microsoft Business Solutions CRM
Sales for Outlook (the Outlook client) version 1.2 from running
correctly.

“Microsoft CRM version 1.2 requires updates to both the Microsoft CRM
Server and Outlook client and several manual configuration workarounds to
operate properly,” the company said.

Microsoft CRM 1.2 provides a range of customer service tools for
mid-level companies conducting business online. It supports Microsoft Windows
Server System 2003, Exchange Server 2003, Office 2003 and, for small
businesses, Microsoft Small Business Server.

Microsoft has repeatedly warned during the beta testing period that SP2
will break and disrupt
existing applications unless specific code rewrites are made at
the developer end.

The company has also urged Web developers and Web site owners to closely
examine the XP changes and make the necessary code modifications to minimize
disruptions. Microsoft released a detailed document titled “How to Make Your Web Site Work with
Windows XP Service Pack 2” to spell out the code tweaks needed to deal with SP2.