Several messages previously referred to this problem in this forum. I had to do system restore several times to get rid of a non-European character set that appeared when I had a bad shutdown (e.g., I hit the power button when the box was already on) Later, the system restore points calendar showed this title 'Software Distribution Service 2.0'. But what is that? There's no file for it and it isn't the Service Pack, though it seems similar in name. What is it?

If your Windows Update is configured to automatically receive updates from M$ on the second Tuesday of the month, they will be delivered to your PC in the form of a SDS package. i_XpUser

Could you please explain this a little further? My brother has this showing on his system restore log and since then none of the restore points work and his email keeps receiving previously deleted emails - 192 every time he opens his email in both Opera and Outlook Express. Have posted an extensive thread on pcworld forum. Thanks.

SDS 2.0 is Microsoft's 'Software Distribution Service'. It is used to receive software updates from MS. It is also used to verify the authenticity of the OS. There are several known issues with the applet in SP1. Now for the bad news, there is no way to get rid of it. The best thing I can tell you is to update to SP2 if you have not done so already. This will most likely solve your issue. I wish you all luck. I work for a company that does not want to install SP2 till it goes through the test lab. I have several laptops with serious processor related issues pertaining to SDS 2. I have not been able to get anywhere yet. If I do, I'll let everyone know. Good Luck. Chris Neutson