Service Pack 2 Articles
Originally Published: July 18, 2005
Last Reviewed/Updated: July 18, 2005

This site first started when XP was initially released back in October of 2001. As with all operating systems it was expected a number of patches and updates would be released as the months passed. First came Service Pack 1 and eventually Service Pack 2 was released. Like most articles that were once the front page news of the day, interest fades and the topics fade into the background. Such is the case with Service Pack 2 for Windows XP. That's not to say SP2 doesn't still crop up as newsworthy, and occasionally something happens to vault it back into the headlines, but for the most part it is becoming an accepted part of XP without much fanfare these days. Rather than clutter up the homepage of the site with old SP2 news, I keep it here and just add to the page when something new happens.

It has been a few months since Service Pack 2 for Windows XP rolled out of Redmond. I thought it might be interesting to take a look back and see what has taken place during those past months, where we are today, and how XP is shaping up for the future. I guess it really comes as no surprise to anyone that I was an ( here comes the phrase I dislike ) early adopter of SP2. Partly because I make my living writing about Windows operating systems, but also because I can't resist the lure of a new release. As much as SP2 was touted and rolled out as a Service Pack, it made so many changes and altered so many items within XP Home and Professional that it was almost like having a new operating system. Sure, it still looked pretty much the same, but the underpinnings experienced some significant changes; some for the better and some - well, not so much so for the better according to many XP users. Not surprisingly, as more time passes, more problems have reared their heads and there are already a slew of patches and updates available for systems running XP/SP2.

After three months, the most popular question is still whether or not users should go ahead and install XP2. I'm not going to tell you that all is right with SP2 and that you won't experience some problems. What I will say is that as more users install SP2 the percentage of users that are experiencing problems seems to be dropping. What I said when SP2 first appeared is still true; if your system is functioning to your satisfaction and you have top quality, current firewall and anti-virus programs installed, there really isn't a compelling reason to make the jump to SP2. In spite of that advice, a lot of users do go ahead and install SP2 and that brings up another point. Is it better to go with an online installation of SP2 via Windows Update or is it preferable to use the network installation that is a 266MB download? If you have broadband, it's really a no-brainer; go with the network installation that can be downloaded here, or if you're on dial-up and want the full network install CD it can be ordered here. In almost all of the user feedback I've received where there has been an SP2 installation problem, the upgrade was performed via the online installation using Windows Update.

Security has been tightened in SP2 and that alone has stirred up a lot of users. There are new default firewall settings, Internet Explorer has some new features that many users find annoying, and Security Center ( which I found to be very annoying in earlier versions of SP2 ) is still present. All of those items just simply take getting used to and perhaps making a few settings adjustments to fit your personal style. What really gets users annoyed is when an application that was functioning perfectly well before an SP2 installation suddenly breaks and starts returning errors, loses some of its functionality, or in extreme cases fails to load and run at all. Some investigative research on your part before installing SP2 can go a long way to avoiding these situations. Microsoft is aware of many of the problems and early on published a list of applications that will likely experience problems under SP2. According to the list, it was last reviewed and updated on September 28, 2004 which seems like a long time ago to me, but it's the best there is at the moment. The loudest squawking was heard from the online gaming communities where the new firewall and security measures really caused some havoc. Microsoft also published a help page for multiplayer online games that experience issues under SP2. The difference between this page and the one mentioned previously is most gaming issues are directly related to firewall issues and not the game itself.

So, with all that said about applications breaking and games not performing as expected, what can and should you do before installing XP2? Take an inventory of every single application and game you have installed currently or intend to install in the near future. Once that's complete, visit the website of the manufacturer and see if there are any updates that have been issued, and especially look for ones dealing with SP2 issues. Now that three months have passed, many developers have issued updates dealing with reported SP2 issues. Some companies have set up special pages dealing with SP2, Symantec being one that comes immediately to mind. Even with companies that address the SP2 issues diligently, there is going to be a lag between the time an issue arises and when the fix is made available. I strongly suggest that while you're on the manufacturers website, see if they have a user forum and visit it. These forums are often where the issues are first reported by users in the field looking for help, so even if the manufacturer hasn't addressed a certain problem, many times a user developed fix or workaround is available simply by reading the forum posts.

What's ahead for XP relative to SP2? Expect a lot more patches and updates to continue flowing out of Redmond as more issues with SP2 are identified. The reality is that SP2 was just a little stop along the XP path that attempted to close some holes already present and prevent some problems in the future. It made some things more secure and raised convenience issues for usability, but overall I think it has been a fairly successful rollout. Love it or hate it, computing life goes on and the order of the day for those with any type of connectivity is to keep on patching and updating. It's the only chance we have for survival.

A Little More SP2 Info

There are so many XP 'news' sites churning out volumes about every twitch involving SP2 that I'll just toss out a couple of relevant tidbits along with a reminder. That will save you having to read about how Wilbur in Podunk thinks SP2 is just so golly gee great that even his hairline has stopped receding.

First, the reminder; I said this the day SP2 was released and it bears repeating. As long as you are current with Windows Update, have a firewall installed, and your virus protection is up to date and enabled then there is no rush to get SP2 installed. Issues with SP2 are being reported daily and the problems are being addressed quickly. If you wait one to three months before installing SP2 you'll end up with a better result and the application developers will have had time to tweak the software applications. If Martha Stewart wasn't so busy deciding whether she wants stripes or plaid for her jail cell decor, she'd probably say, "Wait a month. It's a good (and smart) thing."

Microsoft has issued Knowledge Base Article 842242 listing a number of programs and games encountering problems as a result of the changes made to Windows Firewall in SP2. The article deals with how to open ports manually so the applications will work properly.

Monday, August 16, 2004 was supposed to be the day SP2 was released to Automatic Updates for XP Professional users. That's been pushed back to at least August 25th to give corporate customers more time to block the automatic download of SP2 using a set of tools that was distributed via the Microsoft website last week.

As of this writing, to the best of my knowledge, SP2 is still scheduled to begin the rollout to XP Home users starting Wednesday, August 18, 2004 via Automatic Updates. Go back to the top of this section and re-read the reminder, but if you insist on going ahead with it, make sure Automatic Updates is enabled.

Is It Time to Reinstall XP?

The long wait for Windows XP Service Pack 2 (SP2) is over. As much conversation and controversy as it has generated over the past year or so, I don't think we've seen anything compared to what's likely to occur in the coming months. It's a fact there are a lot of changes in SP2. Some programs will break, and the added focus on security will confuse some users and irritate others. Whether we're willing to admit it or not, the majority of Windows users just plain don't want to be bothered with security. Given the choice of spending $50 on a few cases of beer, a night out at the movies, or a combination antivirus/firewall program, which do you think is going to win out? I would be willing to bet the antivirus/firewall combo finishes dead last. Very few users take any steps to secure their systems until they are personally inconvenienced by a security or privacy issue. A virus or worm that shuts down the system, or a notice from the bank that the checking and savings accounts have been drained tends to get folks attention.

Is SP2 the be all and end all that will solve all the security issues? Of course it isn't, but it is a step in the right direction. Accept the fact that there will be some degree of irritation involved with SP2. Get it installed, and then move on with life. Simple enough, right? Yes and no. I've looked at a lot of XP systems in the past 33 months since XP was released to the retail market and I've got to tell you; the majority of them were in terrible shape. Thousands upon thousands of dead files, programs that aren't being used, shareware, adware, and spyware galore, utilities that are outdated and virtually worthless, antivirus programs that have never been run or seen an update since they were installed, firewalls that are disabled, disk drives that are horribly fragmented, and registries that are so bloated with junk that it's a miracle the systems even boot.

What's going to happen with the release of SP2? A lot of those systems are going to visit Windows Update and go through the SP2 update process. With a little luck the update will complete, the system will boot again, and there will be a lot of unhappy users grumbling that SP2 made the machine work worse than it did before the update. That's one scenario, but it's not the only one.

Here's a thought I hope everyone running XP will consider. Rather than piling the SP2 update on top of a poorly performing system, use this as an opportunity to return to a clean, leaner system similar to what you had when XP was first released. How is that accomplished? Take a deep breath and vow to do a complete reinstall of the operating system and get rid of all the junk that has accumulated to slow down system performance. [More...]
 

Windows XP Service Pack 2 (SP2) Final Release

It's Friday, August 6, 2004 and the final release of the long awaited Service Pack 2 (SP2) has finally taken place, but it's a far different scenario than when SP1 was first released. In spite of all the announcements and hoopla, this 'release' was more of an announcement to get users to turn on automatic updates in hopes of getting SP2 sometime in the future. Unless you're a beta tester for SP2 or have a MSDN subscription you don't have access to SP2 yet; at least not access through an official Microsoft channel.

The rollout of SP2 is going to take place over a number of weeks and in various ways. According to the best, most reliable sources I have, your best best for receiving SP2 is to enable the Automatic Updates feature in XP then sit back and wait. When SP1 was first released XP had a much smaller installed base so giving everyone immediate access proved not to be problematic. Now, two years later, the installed base has grown considerably and Microsoft will have to supply millions upon millions of updates. Obviously this is going to have to be spread over a longer time period. I've read many postings in the Microsoft Newsgroups by those supposedly in the know that there is little you can do to hasten the process. You can also check Windows Update manually to see if SP2 shows as being available.

I suspect many users with a broadband connection will opt to download the full SP2 installation or what is often referred to as the network installation. It's approximately 266MB in size which pretty much precludes it from being of much use to those on dialup unless you have the patience of a saint. Even if you do have that kind of patience, I really think you'd be better off ordering the SP2 CD directly from Microsoft.

How many of you were around when SP1 was released? If your memory of that event has faded, allow me a moment to remind you about all the problems that accompanied the SP1 release. After installation some things broke, others didn't work as expected, and the winds of user discontent were howling. In all fairness I'll be the first to admit that it's normally only those users that have a problem that say anything. Those that experienced no problems, by far the majority, just keep on working quietly.

The point is that as long as you are current with Windows Update, have a firewall installed, and your virus protection is up to date then there is no rush to get SP2 installed. For crying out loud, it has been almost two years already so what's another month or so? Let the early adopters and fools such as myself go ahead and install it and be the guinea pigs. Believe me, it won't take long for new problems to surface. They will be addressed quickly and a month or so down the road you'll get a much more stable and well tested product.