I really dislike the direction MS is going/gone. But, what are we to do? Nobody offers a new computer, of any real world use, without XP on it. That being said, Xp is ok. If you going to implement sp2, the best, and most recommended method is by doing a "clean" install from a freshly formatted drive. Next best is updating all of your drivers and software, then do a spring cleaning of your drive by deleting everything you don't want, then empty the trash, and defrag your drive, followed by a good anti-virus run.Reboot to make sure everything is in order, then do a backup or burn an image to cd. Reboot and turn off anti-virus and firewalls, then apply the service pack. If you can't or don't want to do that, then backup your stuff, and take it to a local shop.
Good luck!
"The box said...needs Windows 2000 or better, so I installed Linux!"
Good info. Thanks.