Neowin.net reports that Windows update users and prudent sys admins might have installed the latest Windows patch without a thought. That might not have been such a good idea. The patch is meant to fix a hole in Windows Messaging but can end up causing a severe performance degradation.

To remove the patch: Start > Control Panel > Add/Remove Programs > Find Windows XP Hotfix (SP2) Q811493 > Click Remove > ignore Warning > Reboot by clicking Finish

Note: The patch will be listed again on Windows Update when you next check for updates.