Windows XP SP2 helpful hints

[Guilbert]

As some of you may be aware, Microsoft have now released
Windows XP Service Pack 2. It includes load of security fixes
and is supposed to make Windows XP less open to attack.

The file is huge, over 250Mb, so even download via broadband
would take a while.

For those that can wait Microsoft have announced that it will
be shipped on the cover CDs and DVDs of many computer
magazines over the next few months.

The full list is of magazines is available here:


They also say it will be available for free from PC World from
3rd September, but I went in one today (6th September) and
they were still waiting for it.

You can order SP2 direct from Microsoft at this web site:


There are some programs that stop working, or behave differently,
after the install of SP2, and Microsoft provide more information
here:



Guilbert

[Deuce Bigolo]

Looks like their aiming for world domination AGAIN

Fancy writing a program thats aimed squarely at disrupting your competitors software....just my cynical view

cheers
B....OZ

[rrankin]

Yep, IBM told their staff not to install it as it f*cked up so many applications.

I wouldn't touch it with a barge pole until it has time to be patched properly.

[Deuce Bigolo]

Will have to be a bloody big patch and even then I'd doubt it would be a 100 percent safe

I would have thought saving all that for the next Windows Edition after XP would have been smarter but then well domination waits for no one

The basic law of computing is one type of program is fine....2 of the same is trouble

Try running 2 anti-virus programs and watch the problems unfold over time

cheers
B....OZ

[IdolDroog]

do you guys reckon theres any chance me not having downloaded SP2 could be the reason ive had problems accessing MSN messenger and hotmail? i have been able to get on a few times now, but just not again at the moment.,,same with the insurance quotes sites...i get some message about certificate verification or something...

deuce - i followed the instructions on that link u showed me, and others from google and it still hasnt worked
dunno what else to do, last night i found uninstalling MSN and then reinstalling it allowed me to get back on the first time but its not even doing that now.....i think ive got some kinda malicious spyware/adware that i cant trace on adaware 6.0 or spybot or winpatroll..........ARGH

[rrankin]

I doubt if NOT having SP2 will bugger up anything yet as there are soo many people who do not yet have SP2 or intend to install it soon.

If things are really still not working I would consider purging your cookies and , temporary internet files. In theory it should do no harm and has solved the problem in the past for me.

For web browsing (eg insurance sites) I recommend dumping Internet Explorer and using something like Mozilla Firefox. I "uninstalled" IE as I kept getting so much crap on my PC, but it is still there if I type a URL into Windows Explorer.

If you want to keep track of quite how screwed up the world of IT is sites like The Register are always a good resource.

When using the Spyware (and virus checkers) make sure you have downloaded the latest updates before running.

[Deuce Bigolo]

I had a hell of a probem with yahoo & cookies which lasted 6 months

Erased all traces of internet surfing,ran the mr fix program did all sorts of diagnostic checks and finally had a tech look at

As he said to me
Some problems have only one solution- complete re-install of windows
Solved what ever the bug was in my system

I doubt it that your problem is malware/spyware related but the one way to know for sure is to run Hijack This and post the log for an expert to look at...see the other thread for the link

Its not going to be related to some update you haven't uploaded...thats a given

cheers
B....OZ