Software Update: Windows XP SP2 Laptop Battery Drain patch 4

Microsoft has quietly released a revised version released of the “laptop battery drain” patch, which was discovered in Windows XP early this year. There is a bug in Service Pack 2 that causes laptop batteries to drain up to thirty percent faster than normal when a USB device is connected to the laptop. More information about the patch and the bug can be found in KB918005. Microsoft’s developers describe the new patch as follows:

Install this update to resolve an issue where the battery of a portable computer running Windows XP drains faster under certain circumstances when certain USB 2.0 devices are connected. After you install the update, you may have to restart your computer.[break]