Do I need Service Pack 2 ?

richard burton · Post by **richard burton** » 17 Sep 2004 10:25 am

Has anybody had experience of Service pack 2? I'm hesitant to install it until I'm better informed.
R B

George Rozak · Post by **George Rozak** » 17 Sep 2004 10:38 am

Well I just picked up a new 'puter & it already had SP2 installed on it. No problems that I can see so far, but this is my first time running XP so I cann't really compare it to earlier versions. I did visit the infected site that hosed up so many forum members' systems and so far, I've had no apparent problems. But I had installed Zone Alarm & an updated antivirus program first, so I don't really know if SP2 played any role in saving my rear end.

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Sho-Bud: Professional & Fingertip

Steinar Gregertsen · Post by **Steinar Gregertsen** » 17 Sep 2004 10:58 am

I installed it yesterday, it fixes quite a few bugs and security holes in XP. Not just by adding the firewall (which I'll disable anyway since I use ZoneAlarm), but there are lots of important security fixes that we don't notice in our everyday use. WinXP, even under SP1, was like a Swiss cheese regarding security, so I believe it's wise to install SP2.

Steinar

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www.gregertsen.com

Joey Ace · Post by **Joey Ace** » 17 Sep 2004 12:59 pm

I installed on our XP - Pro computer.
No problems that I notice, but my wife says it boots a bit slower. She's the one that uses that PC the most, so I believe her.

It's a small price to pay to have your security up to date.

Will Holtz · Post by **Will Holtz** » 17 Sep 2004 8:48 pm

I've put it on several machines at this point without a problem.

Dan Dowd · Post by **Dan Dowd** » 18 Sep 2004 4:38 am

I did'nt have a problem until I tried to update my CD burner using a flash from the manufacture. The pgm was zipped and won't open. Windows says to be able to open the file it needs to be right clicked on to bypass the security and open the file, but it still wont open. Also I got a email from my son which had a link to E Bay and it said that OE deleted the attachment,however he sent me the picture of the item and it let me view the pecture. Maybe there is too much securrity for average users.

Jonathan Cullifer · Post by **Jonathan Cullifer** » 18 Sep 2004 5:30 am

I've put it on two computers without any problems. The first thing I did on both was disable the firewall; I run a third-party firewall. I also disabled the other new security stuff. Whether you keep it enabled or not is up to you. I just chose to disable it.

I've not put it on my two XP home computers, nor my dad's laptop, but it's working great for me and I'd recommend it.

Jonathan

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www.cullifer.com

b0b · Post by **b0b** » 19 Sep 2004 8:24 pm

The IT department where I work has forbidden it. Apparently it's incompatible with some of our critical business systems.

richard burton · Post by **richard burton** » 21 Sep 2004 9:18 pm

Thanks everyone for your replies. I think I'll sit on the fence for a while longer.
R B

Bill Terry · Post by **Bill Terry** » 22 Sep 2004 6:25 am

The IT department where I work has forbidden it. Apparently it's incompatible with some of our critical business systems.

Ditto...

Bobby Lee · Post by **Bobby Lee** » 23 Sep 2004 1:04 pm

Apparently SP2 breaks some "Help" files. This is from Adobe's site: http://www.adobe.com/support/techdocs/330621.html <BLOCKQUOTE>quote:<HR>When you try to open or search Help in an Adobe application, Help returns no results [...]

By default, Windows XP Service Pack 2 blocks frames in HTML files as a security precaution, even in files stored locally on the computer, such as the HTML Help files used by most Adobe applications. The Adobe Help files pose no security risk. This problem occurs in all Adobe applications under Windows XP with Service Pack 2, except for those that don't use a browser to display Help files. The Adobe Acrobat family of products (including Acrobat Capture, Adobe Acrobat, and Acrobat server products) aren't affected by this issue.<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

Steinar Gregertsen · Post by **Steinar Gregertsen** » 23 Sep 2004 8:07 pm

After using it for a week, I notice that my PC has become slower, especially when surfing the web. Checking the performance meter shows that with Explorer and Outlook open, it peaks at almost 300Mb,- that's a lot!
Of course, a firewall, spyblocker and antivirus also contribute to this, but I had those running before I installed SP2 too. I've deactivated the XP firewall, so it can't be that one that is so hungry..

Steinar

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www.gregertsen.com