One thing that always used to bug me before I joined MS was the problems getting hold of a Hotfix. You're smart, you've worked out the problem and checked everything in the KB article and you know it's what you need. But then you have to make a phone call or fill in a big form and all the while time is ticking by.

Of course working here and living a life on the bleeding edge (us brave dogfooders get to play with really early bits to make sure what you get is safe and stable) access to Hotfixes become less of a frustration, but over lunch yesterday I discovered that the situation is much improved...

Hotfixes are pretty much delivered on-demand now (and have been for a couple of months). Simply go to the KB article and click on the link to "get hotfix". It takes you to a form where you confirm some simple details and a short while later you get an email back with the link to your required Hotfix.

I tried it out for an issue I've had with one of my personal machines at home and today the Hotfix is applied and everything is running happily.