Free Republic

I need help with a Windows XP Professional installation. A relative of mine gave me an unused (e.g., unactivated) fully-legal copy of Windows XP Professional (Full Install version) that is still on Service Pack 1, and they also gave me the full Network Install WinXP Service Pack 2 install file (all 275 MB of it!). Given that Windows XP SP2 likely won't allow the installation of all security patches over a copy of Windows XP Professional that has not be activated, can anyone here tell me what are the most critical patch files I should install first so I can...

Microsoft released its official Windows XP Service Pack 2 this morning via its Windows Update Service. Its a 75 MB pack that that will take 3 hours to download on standard-dialup. All comments welcome. Its here!

Automated distribution for XP Pro users put off a week.REDMOND, Wash. - Microsoft Corp. has delayed automated distribution of a major security upgrade to its Windows XP operating system, citing a desire to give companies more time to test it. The update, dubbed Service Pack 2, won't be available to companies that use Windows XP Professional until at least Aug. 25, Windows product manager John Murchinson said Tuesday. The rollout had been scheduled for Aug. 16. Microsoft has told companies it's important to test the update before deploying it throughout their networks, Murchinson said. Earlier, the company released a list...

Flaws in SP2 security features Author: Jürgen Schmidt, heise Security Date: August 13,2004 German Advisory: http://www.heise.de/security/artikel/50046 English Version: http://www.heise.de/security/artikel/50051 Overview With Service Pack 2, Microsoft introduces a new security feature which warns users before executing files that originate from an untrusted location (zone) such as the Internet. There are two flaws in the implementation of this feature: a cmd issue and the caching of ZoneIDs in Windows Explorer. The Windows command shell cmd ignores zone information and starts executables without warnings. Virus authors could use this to spread viruses despite the new security features of SP2. Windows Explorer does not...

Microsoft has issued a list of nearly 50 software applications and games that may encounter problems with its Windows XP Service Pack 2 update. In a document published in the "Knowledge Base" section of the company's Web site, Microsoft details the various issues that people may face when they install the SP2 package, which was released to PC manufacturers earlier this month. A range of applications are listed in the Microsoft report, including several of the software maker's own products, along with antivirus tools, Web server software and a handful of games. Among the primary issues Microsoft highlights in the...

Windows XP Service Pack 2: Install With Care By Frank J. Ohlhorst and Vincent A. Randazzese, CRN 9:00 AM EDT Fri. Jul. 23, 2004 The real surprise with Microsoft Windows XP Service Pack 2 isn't potential compatibility issues, but the mayhem that can occur when SP2 is downloaded onto a system. CRN Test Center engineers evaluated a release candidate two (RC2) version of SP2, and upon completion of the install on three out of five systems, the machines blue-screened. A message stated that "winserv" was missing. The blue screen occurred on both Advanced Micro Devices (AMD) and Intel platforms,...

Microsoft Corp. released a long-awaited security update for its Windows XP program Friday, responding to growing security problems in the market-dominant computer operating system. The free upgrade won't be available to everyone right away. Microsoft said the timing will depend on several factors, including customers' Internet usage, location and language, as well as demand for the upgrade, called Service Pack 2. Customers with computers programmed to receive updates automatically will begin getting Service Pack 2 within days, company spokesman Matt Pilla said Friday. About 100 million customers are expected to receive automatic updates within two months.

JUNE 28, 2004 (IDG NEWS SERVICE) - The major changes to Windows XP included in the upcoming Service Pack 2 are expected to cause support headaches, and analysts, users, PC makers and Microsoft Corp. are all expecting a spike in help desk calls. SP2 is due out in the third quarter, so it could be available as soon as next month. The service pack, which will be downloaded automatically into many PCs through Microsoft's Windows Update service, could break current applications, disrupt networking setups and prompt nontechnical users to make PC configuration decisions that may be beyond their grasp. Meanwhile,...

The code for release candidate 2 finally looks like a real release candidate. And sure enough, it will help you big-time with security. But what sorts of headaches will the eventual final version mean for IT shops? We'll take it piece by piece. Remember when Microsoft said service packs wouldn't deliver any new functionality? That lasted for about six months back in 1997. Windows XP Service Pack 2 is jammed-packed with both invisible and visible improvements to Windows XP. The biggest boon is that the free update, which will probably ship some time in September, does in fact make Windows...

XP and Windows 2000 users soon will get a new version of Windows Update. Here's the full story, and remember, this is beta software, so be careful, Fred Langa says. A new version of Windows Update is about to debut. It first appeared as part of the prerelease versions of Service Pack 2 for XP, which is still in beta as of this writing. But the Update software was separately released on its own in a free public beta about two weeks ago. The new Update process (comprising the software that resides on your PC and a new Update site...

Will this new service pack be compatible with other browsers such as Netscape, Mozilla, etc? I am very curious to know if they have tested this with a broswer other than IE.

Microsoft released the long-anticipated Windows XP Service Pack 2 (SP2) to manufacturing mid-day Friday, just two days after unknown delays temporarily stumped its wrap. Although Microsoft's signed off on SP2 -- a major update to Windows XP that devotes considerable effort toward tightening up the operating system against security threats -- it's not yet offering the upgrade to end users. SP2 will post for downloading next week, said Microsoft, but it's urging users to not flood the Windows Update servers by retrieving the approximately 80MB file on their own. Instead, the Redmond, Wash.-based developer is trying to convince users...

REDMOND, Wash. - Almost since the day Microsoft Corp. released its Windows XP computer operating system nearly three years ago, it has been a favorite target of hackers and critics eager to stress its numerous security shortcomings. Now, more than two years after promising to do something about it, Microsoft is about to release the biggest update ever for Windows. The free upgrade is designed to make computers safer from attack by sealing entries to viruses, better protecting personal data and fending off spyware. Microsoft Chairman Bill Gates said the upgrade, dubbed Service Pack 2, revises less than 5 percent...