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Topic: service pack 2? |
Jerry Warner
From:
Charleston, West Virginia, USA
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Posted 17 Oct 2004 5:45 pm |
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| I HAVE WINDOWS XP HOME AND I KEEP GETTING THIS UPDATE WINDOW THAT POPS UP SAYING UPDATE TO MICROSOFT SERVICE PACK 2, MY ? IS IT SAFE TO DOWNLOAD THIS OR JUST LEAVE XP JUST LIKE IT IS AS TO I HAVE ALL THE OTHER STUFF, FIREWALL, VIRUS PROTECTION, POP UPS JUST WOULD LIKE TO KNOW IF I SHOULD DO THIS OR NOT, I AM NOT SURE AND EVERTHING IS WORKING OK W/ WHAT I GOT. THANKS. |
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Bill Bosler
From:
Schwenksville, Pennsylvania, USA
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Posted 17 Oct 2004 6:30 pm
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| Jerry: Go to Microsoft.com and you can find a list of software that isn't compatible with SP2. It's mostly high zoot gaming software and some commercial CAD programs. There seems to be more of an issue with XP Pro SP2 than XP Home SP2. I've downloaded XP Home SP2 onto three computers so far and haven't had any trouble. Just remember to turn OFF all the stuff in the "Security Center" that comes with the service pack if you already have virus and firewall software installed. |
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Jerry Warner
From:
Charleston, West Virginia, USA
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Posted 17 Oct 2004 6:53 pm
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| Thanks Bill but if i download SP-2 what does it do to help what i allready have w/ windows home that i have. Or can i just keep what i have and still be ok. |
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Al Marcus
From:
Cedar Springs,MI USA (deceased)
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Posted 17 Oct 2004 7:48 pm
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I have been trying to download it and after it takes a hour, It is never finished and hangs up. I have run it through 3 or 4 times and got disgusted and just cancel it . I seent the error report to MS, heard nothing.....al 
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My Website..... www.cmedic.net/~almarcus/
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Bill Bosler
From:
Schwenksville, Pennsylvania, USA
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Posted 18 Oct 2004 1:43 am
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| Jerry: In answer to your second question, "What does it do for me?" Good question. There's some internal system stuff that's been improved, but I'm not up on what it is. |
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John Bresler R.I.P.
From:
Thornton, Colorado
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Posted 18 Oct 2004 7:37 am
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You can also just order the free cd from Microsoft. I got mine in about 3 days even tho they say it can take 6-8 weeks.
Mine loaded easy on my HP, but can't get it loaded on an older Compaq.
It's supposed to give you better internet protection. All the hype can be read at microsoft.com.
JB
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Bobby D. Hunter
From:
USA
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Posted 18 Oct 2004 8:20 am
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XP SP2 not only turns on the built-in firewall (a good thing), but includes all previously released critical patches and Hotfixes.
Don't worry about having too much protection. You may need it someday soon. I recently upgraded a customer's XP computer to SP2 (using the free CD from Microsoft). I had already installed Kerio Personal Firewall 2.15, before upgrading it. The computer uses a dialup modem to connect to the 'Net, therefore, it bypasses my D-Link DI-604 Broadband Router/Firewall. When I first tested the computer the KPF was blocking all manner of incoming flak. After upgrading to SP2 I reconnected to the dialup service and let it run online for a while. I left the XP Firewall ON, as recommended. I kept seeing occasional red arrows in the Kerio icon. After reading the firewall log I discovered that there were packets that went right through the XP firewall, and were blocked by KPF (because I configured it to block all undefined incoming packets). Most were UDP or ICMP packets, some of which were using known Worm Ports, and sent from other infected computers. I identified some as Slammer Worm propagation attempts.
I recommend keeping your firewall and adding the XP firewall, just to be safe. If you have a broadband connection do yourself and the rest of us a favor and buy a broadband router, with a built-in hardware firewall. I use the D-Link DI-604, which can be had for as low as thirty bucks US.
Anybody in the USA can order the XP SP2 CD for free, from Microsoft. They even pay the Postage! It is not limited to use on one PC. Microsoft even urges you to share it or burn copies. The security enhancements are worth the trouble. But, do read the documentation before upgrading. There are many programs that will malfunction after upgrading, until you download new drivers, or new versions of said programs. These are mostly programs that need to access the internet.
B.D.H[This message was edited by Bobby D. Hunter on 18 October 2004 at 09:24 AM.] |
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Ron Page
From:
Penn Yan, NY USA
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Posted 19 Oct 2004 4:51 am
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I've loaded it on my own XP Pro system with no problems. I also cleaned up my father-in-law's XP Home system (getting rid of the spy-ware and ad-ware, as perscribed in another thread here) and applied SP 2. When I loaded Norton Anti-Virus I had to run the Live Update twice to get it fully functioning under SP2; the Norton install wizard told me to do that.
Both of these systems are broadband connected but mine is through a router so it may be a little safer. Next I'll update my daughter's XP Home system which is on my router.
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HagFan
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b0b
From:
Cloverdale, CA, USA
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Posted 19 Oct 2004 7:15 am
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| I'm biting my tongue here. Wiz is Mr. Security. I'm an amateur when it comes to "security upgrading" PCs. |
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Dave Horch
From:
Frederick, Maryland, USA
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Posted 23 Oct 2004 3:17 am
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SP2 - DO NOT DO!!!
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| There's some internal system stuff that's been improved, but I'm not up on what it is. |
Improved? Not in my experience with it! The word from the computer pros at my shop is "don't even think about applying SP2!"
In my case, SP2 hosed my system up so bad that even going back to a "restore point" wouldn't fix it. My machine ran very very very slowly on almost every task, especially my Internet Explorer browser! Looking at the task manager, I could see CPU at 100% and system task just looping and looping - then after a time it would exit the loop. In other words, the system would "hang" alot.
In the end, after trying every "fix" I could find or think of, I ended up reformating the drive and reintalling XP. Now everything runs faster than ever, and I'll never touch SP2 until it's "cooked" a bit longer. Best, -Dave |
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Bill Ford
From:
Graniteville SC Aiken
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Posted 23 Oct 2004 5:24 am
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I just purchased a laptop and SP2 is already installed, also included is an SP2 CD. Is this the same one that MS sends when you order online?
Thanks, Bill |
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Doug Rolfe
From:
Indianapolis, IN
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Posted 23 Oct 2004 5:41 am
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| I have loaded service pack 2 on my computer and it is working fine. Since I have been bitten twice by viruses and the last time was devastating, I am using two virus checkers, a firewall and the service pack to hopefully keep the virus problem from getting to me again. We also do not open any attachments, regardless of who they are from. |
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Dave Potter
From:
Texas
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Posted 23 Oct 2004 7:07 am
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<< Improved? Not in my experience with it! The word from the computer pros at my shop is "don't even think about applying SP2!"
C'mon! You have "computer pros" who frown on software upgrades? That's a first.
There were folks who, when the first autos showed up, said, "Don't even think about having one". There were folks, who, when the first airplanes were built, said, "Don't even think about flying on one". And on and on.
WinXP SP2 fills gaps in the previous code, adds new features, enhancements and stability to the OS, and installs seamlessly and harmlessly.
My PC hasn't so much as hiccuped since I downloaded the upgrade and installed it, and I'm running 3 hard drives, 1 EIDE and 2 SATA, I sync Outlook to both a PDA and a cellphone, and I have numerous other USB devices connected (in other words, mine is not a barebones system - I make Windows XP work)  .[This message was edited by Dave Potter on 23 October 2004 at 08:12 AM.] |
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Al Marcus
From:
Cedar Springs,MI USA (deceased)
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Posted 23 Oct 2004 8:11 am
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Dave Horch-My computer was running slow and hanging up too , when I tried to install SP2. I'll wait until they come out with SP2-A to correct their problems.....al
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My Website..... www.cmedic.net/~almarcus/
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Gene Jones
From:
Oklahoma City, OK USA, (deceased)
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Posted 23 Oct 2004 8:22 am
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I downloaded and installed SP2 when it was first offered, and the only problem "after" was that my computer would not download images from my digital camera.
I went back to a previous time and reinstalled some files and then reinstalled SP2, and have had no problems since....(or that I have found so far).
www.genejones.com |
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Dave Horch
From:
Frederick, Maryland, USA
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Posted 23 Oct 2004 6:39 pm
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| Quote: |
| C'mon! You have "computer pros" who frown on software upgrades? That's a first. |
Well, not where I come from, and that's a place with stable problem free operating systems. I don't like having to answer a pager at 2:00 AM when a business critical system has problems. To that end, I adopted a policy about 20 years ago to never apply program updates until that they have "aged" for about three months. I've done this IBM MVS & AIX, DEC, HP, SUN, and Microsoft OS's. I have nothing against fixing bugs and adding some enhancements, I just don't like being the first on the block to apply them. I'd rather let other more eager folks find the bugs in the patch. I get more sleep this way, and have happier users.
And surely, code from Uncle Bill does not have a reputation for being the worlds cleanest stuff. You must be a very trusting soul, or just ever hopeful.
For me, I'll get back to looking at SP2 in the 1Q05 time frame. Cheers, -Dave |
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Dave Horch
From:
Frederick, Maryland, USA
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Posted 24 Oct 2004 2:55 am
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There... Now that that rant is over with...
Full discloser: I applied SP2 to the three PC's on my home LAN. The LAN sits behind a hardware based firewall with internet broadband on the other side. All PC's run Symantec Internet Security - which, among other things, provides software based (and user configurable) firewalls at each PC.
Of the three PC's to which I applied SP2, only one had serious problems (but MAN!, it was a total core reactor meltdown!). The other two seem to be doing fine, so for now, I'll leave them with SP2 applied.
Your mileage... as they say... If you have a need for Uncle Bill's Firewall, go ahead and give SP2 a try. Happy Holloween. If you already have some sort of firewall, I suggest skipping SP2 for a while until it's cooked a bit longer. The SP2 "security center" (the major "feature" in SP2) even suggests, on screen, that running two firewalls at once could cause unexpected problems with internet and other communications. So on the two PC's which have SP2, I've turned off Uncle Bill's Firewall.
Now that I've spend a day rebuilding one of my PC's, I can finally get back to practicing my steel! Best, -Dave |
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Dave Potter
From:
Texas
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Posted 24 Oct 2004 5:44 am
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<< And surely, code from Uncle Bill does not have a reputation for being the worlds cleanest stuff.
Yes, everyone knows software bugs can an do occur, but MS has no monopoly on that. And when MS does find an issue in one of their releases, they fix it *free*, in stark contrast to some other software houses, Adobe, for example, who make users *pay* for bug fixes.
<< You must be a very trusting soul, or just ever hopeful.
Hope may be a four-letter word, but it's not a bad thing. I do have a reasonable level of trust in Microsoft products/upgrades, and, as I noted, my upgrade to SP2 was a non-event.
IMO, SP2 upgrades which have issues afterward are situations where the OS had a pre-existing condition waiting to surface. WinXp users who insist on trying to stretch the lifespan of legacy hardware and obsolete drivers are prime candidates for these types of issues.[This message was edited by Dave Potter on 24 October 2004 at 07:19 AM.] |
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Mark Ardito
From:
Chicago, IL, USA
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Posted 24 Oct 2004 9:10 am
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I have deployed SP2 to over 500 machines at my job. I have not had one complaint yet, or witnessed any error with SP2.
What kind of issue's are you experiencing? I can more than likely help you out with these issues if you post specifics for them.
Cheers!
Mark
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Sho~Bud Pro I, Fender D-8 (C6&E13) http://www.darkmagneto.com
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Ron Page
From:
Penn Yan, NY USA
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Posted 25 Oct 2004 6:19 am
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One thing to be aware of is they recommend that you clean your system of spy-ware /ad-ware prior to doing the install. I had just done that one my father-in-law's system so it seemed like a good time to apply SP2. Maybe that stuff is causing some of the problems...
To do the cleaning, I used the latest downloads of the Ad-Aware and Spybot programs discussed here in an earlier thread.
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HagFan
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