OT: New Windows XP Service Pack 2 update

[westkoast]

First off if you havent heard about the update and you are running Windows XP  I suggest you search google, goto Microsoft.com, or drop questions in here.  Pretty important update all the way around.  Not only to protect your information and your system but to protect others as well.  Part of the problems of the big virus/worms that have been floating about lately is lack of security and patching.  Microsoft is hopping to curb some of that with this update.

I know some of you have been hearing about the new Service Pack 2 update for Windows XP, some of you may have even went ahead and installed it.  I was hopping to get some comments from you guys about how its worked for you, if you are hitting any bumps, and in the meantime help anyone who might be having problems with the new features such as the new built in firewall or any other kinds of problems.  I dont know about the companies everyone works for around here but ill tell you out here in our IT dept we are trying to soak up every bit of information (good or bad) about sp2 on top of our own testing before we deploy it to our 500+ machines company wide.

Hopefully I can help you guys out, improve my troubleshooting at the same time, and get some feed back on how it has effected all the differenet systems we  have.

[Derek Bodner]

Thank gawd I threw away that Internet Explorer hogwash long ago.  Been using Mozilla/Firefox for quite some time now and can't imagine ever going back.  Active X....ick.  Stupid Stupid Stupid.

Since IE updates are a big part of this patch, I haven't yet installed it.  And I'm incredibly leary of their firewall.  This is something I'd MUCH rather go to a 3rd party for.  That can be disabled, right?

I haven't looked into it too much, but I will, eventually.  Not so much because I've been burned with Virus' (I'm typically pretty good at avoiding them), but because my girlfriend is a magnet and gets 'em all the time on my machines.  They need a friggin Internet IQ tests before allowing people to go online.

[SPURSX3]

Thank gawd I threw away that Internet Explorer hogwash long ago.  Been using Mozilla/Firefox for quite some time now and can't imagine ever going back.  Active X....ick.  Stupid Stupid Stupid.

Since IE updates are a big part of this patch, I haven't yet installed it.  And I'm incredibly leary of their firewall.  This is something I'd MUCH rather go to a 3rd party for.  That can be disabled, right?

I haven't looked into it too much, but I will, eventually.  Not so much because I've been burned with Virus' (I'm typically pretty good at avoiding them), but because my girlfriend is a magnet and gets 'em all the time on my machines.  They need a friggin Internet IQ tests before allowing people to go online.

i have been mozilla/firefox part time, i have to get used to the add ons, there are soo many, but i have to say in a way it is great to be able to pick and chose options of what i will and wont use...

[westkoast]

Thank gawd I threw away that Internet Explorer hogwash long ago.  Been using Mozilla/Firefox for quite some time now and can't imagine ever going back.  Active X....ick.  Stupid Stupid Stupid.

Since IE updates are a big part of this patch, I haven't yet installed it.  And I'm incredibly leary of their firewall.  This is something I'd MUCH rather go to a 3rd party for.  That can be disabled, right?

I haven't looked into it too much, but I will, eventually.  Not so much because I've been burned with Virus' (I'm typically pretty good at avoiding them), but because my girlfriend is a magnet and gets 'em all the time on my machines.  They need a friggin Internet IQ tests before allowing people to go online.

There is a whole list of small fixes included.  Microsoft has the list posted on their site.  There is a good number of IE updates, one of the most important ones being a built in pop up blocker which works very well (so far at least).  The main part of the update really is the Windows Firewall and this memory/data protection feature .  You can disable the firewall though.  In fact alot of the companies who make the software firewalls similar to this one are turning Windows Firewall off during installation and turning it back on after you uninstall it.    

My  recomendation is if you do already have firewall software from a 3rd party then dont bother to use the Windows Firewall.  Still download the sp2 update, just disable the built in firewall.  My other recomendation to everyone outside of the office, because we (and your company probably does too) already have security up the wazoo this update just reinforces it, is to hold off on running the Windows Firewall UNLESS you dont have any firewall software.  Dont get me wrong, the Windows Firewall, the data protection, and the patches totally beefs up the security of your PC.  My only problem is Microsoft's track record.  I give it a month or two before a hole in the software is found and someone writes something to exploit it.  On the postive side some of the bigger viruses like the Sasser would not have spread at the rate it did if this was built into the first service pack.  I am still iffy on the firewall, theres alot of compatibility issues.

It is always a good idea to download a service pack ASAP.  It includes alot of fixes/patches for the operating system.  Even if you dont want to use the new features.

[Reality]

A superb tech person use is one of the best geeks i have ever met.  Gets home from the computer convention in Vegas, the big one, and every year has a check waiting from some company trying to lure him into their security force.  Well now they stopped having it in Vegas cause the geeks didnt gamble drink or elsewhile spend like other conventions do.  Seriously they raised the hotel rates 3Xs on them and finally starting this year said "Vegas dont want you no more."  Ok, anywho....

He says fully 1/3rd of installers are crashing.

He recommends:
If possible do it on an entierly different computer to start, one that if crashed will not send you into tears.  See if it works.  If so fine feed it to the rest of your computers.  If you only have one computer its best if you have two hardrives, (which many do nowadays.)  If you have two, back it all up, then install it on the one hardrive only 1st, use mirrors to transport it to the other.

[westkoast]

A superb tech person use is one of the best geeks i have ever met.  Gets home from the computer convention in Vegas, the big one, and every year has a check waiting from some company trying to lure him into their security force.  Well now they stopped having it in Vegas cause the geeks didnt gamble drink or elsewhile spend like other conventions do.  Seriously they raised the hotel rates 3Xs on them and finally starting this year said "Vegas dont want you no more."  Ok, anywho....

He says fully 1/3rd of installers are crashing.

He recommends:
If possible do it on an entierly different computer to start, one that if crashed will not send you into tears.  See if it works.  If so fine feed it to the rest of your computers.  If you only have one computer its best if you have two hardrives, (which many do nowadays.)  If you have two, back it all up, then install it on the one hardrive only 1st, use mirrors to transport it to the other.

Ratio is a lil bit high to me but ive installed it on 5 different systems and it completly f'd up one.  So much so it wouldn hang at the Windows XP splash screen.  The thing is that you can uninstall the update in safe mode, but who wants the headache?  MS had alot of pressure to hurry and get this out and like usual it seems like they rushed it.  His recomendation isn't a bad one but ive done something similar and it installed perfect on my laptop.....but caused a brand new custom built desktop to lock up (see above) when I did it right after.

If he is a security buff he will at least be happy to see that you are prompted multiple times to download software and to run it.  Plus if you know what you are doing the firewall can be customized to suit your needs.

[westkoast]

Heres a good little article about how XP has been treating the guys who have been trying to beat it up in every which way possible to test it for the companies they work for.

http://www.eweek.com/article2/0,1759,1635084,00.asp

[Derek Bodner]

You subscribe to eWeek?  Nice little free weekly mag, IMO.

[westkoast]

You subscribe to eWeek?  Nice little free weekly mag, IMO.

I like it too...id pay a couple bucks a month for it.  Its got good articles all the time.