After you click Next on the "Identify the SMS Package" page in the Distribute Software Updates Wizard, you may experience a long delay in SMS 2003 (900257)

SYMPTOMS

You are using the Distribute Software Updates Wizard in the Microsoft Systems Management Server (SMS) 2003 Administrator Console to deploy software updates. When you deploy software updates that are 200 megabytes (MB) or larger, you experience one or more of the following symptoms:

A long delay occurs after you click Next on the Identify the SMS Package page in the Distribute Software Updates Wizard. The delay may last for several minutes.
The Distribute Software Updates Wizard shows duplicate entries for the same update. The properties of the updates are the same.
When you import updates that have file names that are longer than 64 characters, the long file names are truncated. The Windows Update Service (WUS) cannot verify the truncated file names. Therefore, the updates that have long file names are not installed.

RESOLUTION

Service pack information

To resolve this problem, obtain the latest service pack for Systems Management Server 2003. For more information, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

885643 How to obtain the latest Systems Management Server 2003 service pack

Hotfix Information

Hotfix information

A supported hotfix is now available from Microsoft, but it is only intended to correct the problem that is described in this article. Only apply it to systems that are experiencing this specific problem. This hotfix may receive additional testing. Therefore, if you are not severely affected by this problem, we recommend that you wait for the next Systems Management Server 2003 service pack that contains this hotfix.

To resolve this problem immediately, contact Microsoft Product Support Services to obtain the hotfix. For a complete list of Microsoft Product Support Services telephone numbers and information about support costs, visit the following Microsoft Web site:

http://support.microsoft.com/contactus/?ws=support

Note In special cases, charges that are ordinarily incurred for support calls may be canceled if a Microsoft Support Professional determines that a specific update will resolve your problem. The usual support costs will apply to additional support questions and issues that do not qualify for the specific update in question.

Prerequisites

No prerequisites are required.

Restart requirement

You do not have to restart the computer after you apply this software update.

Hotfix replacement information

This hotfix does not replace any other software updates.

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 tool in Control Panel.

   Date         Time   Version            Size    File name
   --------------------------------------------------------------
   25-Oct-2004  14:00  2.50.3174.1161    151,552  Patchdownloader.dll  
   25-Oct-2004  14:00  2.50.3174.1161    200,704  Pwiz_res.dll     
   25-Dec-2003  13:30  2.50.2726.154      40,960  Smsse.dll        
   25-Oct-2004  14:00  2.50.3174.1161    135,168  Sms_nptc.dll     
   25-Oct-2004  14:00  2.50.3174.1161    618,496  Sms_pdw.dll      
   03-Aug-2005  21:17                        514  Smsconfig.inf
   25-Dec-2003  13:30  2.50.2726.154      40,960  Smsse.dll

Installation instructions

You must install this hotfix on all computers that are running the SMS 2003 Administrator Console. To install this hotfix, follow these steps:

Create a new folder, and then copy the SMS2003-SP1-KB900257-v2-x86-xxx.exe file to the new folder.

Note xxx is ENU, ICP1, or ICP2.
Share the new folder that you created in step 1, and then make sure that the computers that are running the SMS 2003 Administrator Console can access the new folder.
On each computer that is running the SMS 2003 Administrator Console, log on as an administrator, and then connect to the folder that you created in step 1.
Quit the SMS Administrator Console if it is running.
Run the SMS2003-SP1-KB900257-v2-x86-xxx.exe file, and then follow the instructions in the wizard.