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Thread ID: 47962	2004-08-10 07:57:00	So What Exactly Are SP1 & SP2?	Winston001 (3612)	Press F1

Post ID	Timestamp	Content	User
260203	2004-08-11 03:26:00	> > SP2 introduces the Security Center (Monitoring of > Firewall, Antivirus and Windows Update status), as > well as a better firewall, better IE and Outlook > Express security amongst other things. Does this mean that AVG, ZONE ALARM . ADAWARE and SPYBOT etc., become redundent ?	heaton (3697)
260204	2004-08-11 03:32:00	> Cynicism becomes you, Susan. ;-) Ask IBM, who have > a lot of PCs. They have ordered their staff > not to install SP2. They want their business > to continue. Now this is the sort of comment that makes the average computer user like me get paranoic. Could the poster be more specific or could some of the other experts clarify. If I am going to load something that will upset the applecart in windows XP then I think we are entitled to know the facts and not vague assertions. No offense to you Graham but would like to know more.	heaton (3697)
260205	2004-08-11 03:56:00	> > Cynicism becomes you, Susan. ;-) Ask IBM, who > have > > a lot of PCs. They have ordered their > staff > > not to install SP2. They want their > business > > to continue. > > Now this is the sort of comment that makes the > average computer user like me get paranoic. Could > the poster be more specific or could some of the > other experts clarify. > If I am going to load something that will upset the > applecart in windows XP then I think we are entitled > to know the facts and not vague assertions. have a read of this heaton www.infoworld.com from there: IBM tells employees not to install Windows XP update Big Blue internal memo warns users of compatibility issues with SP2 By Joris Evers, IDG News Service August 09, 2004 While developers at Microsoft Corp. may be celebrating that they finished work on Service Pack 2 (SP2) for Windows XP, IT departments around the world now face the question on whether they should update their systems, or not. IBM Corp., for one, is holding off on installing the security-focused update for Windows XP. In a note headlined "To patch -- or not to patch" posted Friday on its corporate intranet, IBM tells its employees not to download SP2 when it becomes available because of compatibility issues. A copy of the note was obtained by IDG News Service. "While this patch may be good news for other Microsoft Windows XP owners, IBM is directing XP users not to install SP2," the note states. With close to 400,000 desktops, IBM is a very large Microsoft customer. "IBM's large number of Web applications will need to be tested and some modified to work correctly with SP2. Currently, some high profile, business-critical applications are also known to conflict with SP2," IBM tells its employees in the note. "When the current issues and concerns have been addressed, IBM will deploy a customized version of SP2." An IBM spokeswoman declined to comment on the company's internal IT issues. IBM alerted its users on the same day Microsoft started the process of delivering SP2 to end users by announcing release to manufacturing (RTM) of the service pack. The Windows XP update will be available soon through downloads, retail distribution and free CDs, as well as on new PCs. A network installation package will be available for enterprise users. SP2 for Windows XP is more than the usual roll-up of bug fixes and updates. Microsoft has made something of a trade-off, focusing on security at the expense of compatibility. As a result, SP2 can render existing applications inoperable. Microsoft has urged developers and IT professionals to test the update. Not only IBM is showing evidence of compatibility issues with XP SP2. Microsoft's own software is also affected. Earlier this week the software vendor released an update for Microsoft CRM (Customer Relationship Management) 1.2 because SP2 will prevent the original application from running correctly. Because of the broad changes, analysts have compared the XP service pack to a Windows upgrade instead of a simple update. Business users typically take much longer to install a new version of Windows than a service pack because of compatibility testing. Thomas Smith, manager of desktop engineering at a large Houston-based company, hopes to be able to equip his 5,000 desktops with a customized version of the service pack before Microsoft pushes it out on Windows Update, he said. Many of the desktops Smith manages are scattered throughout North America and connected using common high-speed Internet connections such as DSL (digital subscriber line) or cable. While the company uses a remote management tool supplied by Altiris Inc., Smith said he relies on Windows Update for patching. If the standard Windows XP SP2 distribution is applied to his machines, it will block access to several corporate Web applications, Smith said. Microsoft will help users in Smith's position, said Barry Goffe, a group manager in Microsoft's Windows group. The software maker plans to offer simple ways to set a unique registry key on XP desktops that will instruct the systems to skip Service Pack 2, but still download other critical updates through Windows Update and Automatic Update, Goffe said. "We want to give customers some breathing room," he said. Nevertheless, Microsoft urges all users to install SP2 as soon as they can, Goffe said. "This is not about fun and games. SP2 is about improving the security of our customers' infrastructure. We have spent a lot of time making sure that this delivers a lot of value to all our customers. We're urging all customers to deploy SP2 as soon as possible," he said. Business users obviously need to test, but Microsoft can't be blamed if users are now unpleasantly surprised by SP2, said Michael Cherry, a lead analyst at Directions on Microsoft Inc., in Kirkland, Washington. "Microsoft has been more than forthcoming about the number of changes in this service pack and making it available for testing," Cherry said. "I would say to IT departments that they want to get their testing done quickly because there are significant improvements in this service pack and I am not sure you would want to forego those." A first beta of Windows XP SP2 was released in December, followed by Release Candidate 1 in March and a second release candidate in June. Hundreds of thousands of developers and IT professionals have already tried out the software. The service pack represents one of Microsoft's most broadly tested products to date, the company has said.	stu120404 (268)
260206	2004-08-11 03:59:00	> > SP2 introduces the Security Center (Monitoring of > > Firewall, Antivirus and Windows Update status), as > > well as a better firewall, better IE and Outlook > > Express security amongst other things . > > Does this mean that AVG, ZONE ALARM . ADAWARE and > SPYBOT etc . , become redundent ? Nope, as you will still need them as it will not be long before some one finds a bug in SP2 & a new virus or spywere comes to life . . . .	stu120404 (268)
260207	2004-08-11 06:04:00	> Does this mean that AVG, ZONE ALARM . ADAWARE and SPYBOT etc . , become redundent ? No . Keep using those . > Now this is the sort of comment that makes the average computer user like me get paranoic . Could the poster be more specific or could some of the other experts clarify . Graham is a stirrer, I wouldn't take too much notice of what he said there . :p :D IBM and other big businesses would need to be cautious when it comes to upgrading/updating their software as it costs them a lot of money when things get broken . As far as you and I are concerned we have to do our own research and see what others (the risk takers :D) have been experiencing then weigh up the options . So far it is looking good but I will be making a Ghost image backup before I install it, just in case I have problems . :-)	Susan B (19)
260208	2004-08-11 07:07:00	> Cynicism becomes you, Susan . ;-) Ask IBM, who have > a lot of PCs . They have ordered their staff > not to install SP2 . They want their business > to continue . I too read the story about IBM holding off . I can't say that I blame them for that attitude either . Now some people on forums have mentioned that SP2 ( Service Pack 2 ) for WinXP has broken things like some applications . These in the main seem to be legacy applications and peer to peer programs . Most newsletters I have signed up for suggest wait as well . Others say it works fine . I did install SP2 RC2 on a machine earlier and then removed it . I found at that time that there were issues that left me wondering . I just could not wait though to download SP2 which I did this morning . After downloading I used Ghost ( Courtesy of a prize from PressF1 and thanks ) to image my working WinXP Pro to a second physical hard drive . As some people may know I have two 120Gig Seagate hard drives partitioned the way I want . I just Ghost an image as I want and more importantly will use that method for backup rather than use System restore . Previously I went on record in this forum as saying I was going to wait to install the SP2 but I must have lied . I am now running it . The other hard drive is not currently in my computer but it does contain a working WinXP Pro SP1 before the upgrade . Unfortunately I can't advise all members on this forum to install as this is a help forum . I could not say it works with Callista for example as I don't actually use this one . I can now say it works as far as I have checked it out . A legacy application I had problems with under RC2 earlier now runs quite happily . If any of you want you can email me on elephant at lakes net nz Hope you know where to put the dots in . :-) Still testing this SP2 and if Members here want feedback from me I will try to help . For proof I will do a capture and upload to Sal's site	Elephant (599)
260209	2004-08-11 07:10:00	Will SP2 load successfully if I don't have IE or OE loaded on my PC? I don't want to have to add them either. I am using FF and TB :)	Zippity (58)
260210	2004-08-11 07:27:00	> > Does this mean that AVG, ZONE ALARM . ADAWARE and > SPYBOT etc., become redundent ? > > No. Keep using those. I agree with you. I am not using AVG currently but I had no issues with AVG while I was. Zone Alarm, Adaware and Spybot continue to work on my WinXP Pro SP2 computer. At the moment I have turned off the XP firewall and use Zone Alarm. > > > Now this is the sort of comment that makes the > average computer user like me get paranoic. Could the > poster be more specific or could some of the other > experts clarify. Errrrrkkkkk. You are an EXPERT I would have thought. Personally I have never discounted your advice on this forum. > Graham is a stirrer, I wouldn't take too much notice > of what he said there. :p :D Your opinion.... I find that some people including myself at times can't help themselves from butting in and saying some person is wrong. I admit to saying what I think. I try to respect an honest question and an honest reply. >and other big businesses would need to be > cautious when it comes to upgrading/updating their > software as it costs them a lot of money when things > get broken. As far as you and I are concerned we have > to do our own research and see what others (the risk > takers :D) have been experiencing then weigh up the > options. So far it is looking good but I will be > making a Ghost image backup before I install it, just > in case I have problems. :-) Well today have been there and done that. I can't say I blame you for being cautious either. :-)	Elephant (599)
260211	2004-08-12 04:50:00	> Now some people on forums have mentioned that SP2 ( > Service Pack 2 ) for WinXP has broken things like > some applications. These in the main seem to be > legacy applications and peer to peer programs. Most > newsletters I have signed up for suggest wait as > well. Others say it works fine. What are legacy applications and peer to peer programmes please ???	heaton (3697)
260212	2004-08-12 05:04:00	> Will SP2 load successfully if I don't have IE or OE > loaded on my PC? I don't want to have to add them > either . Zippity Please see this thread: . pcworld . co . nz/thread . jsp?forum=1&thread=50157" target="_blank">pressf1 . pcworld . co . nz Thanks :)	stu120404 (268)
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