Service Pack 2 for Windows XP has finally been released and is now available for people to download and install on their systems. The file, at just over 265 Megs, is a hefty download yet is packed with new updates well worth getting. Microsoft’s new focus on security is paying off, but the company still has a long way to regain its customers’ trust, according to the company’s security program manager.
On Win XP Service Pack 2
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Eugenia Loli
Ex-programmer, ex-editor in chief at OSNews.com, now a visual artist/filmmaker.
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I can’t right-click an executable file without have explorer.exe crash and restart. It’s probably some addon programs that causing it.
Other than that, everything seems faster. And I hate that they took out Professional/Home off the boot screen. It looks empty now.
Jesus Christ, I’ve got a 2 Mbit link most of the time so that’s not a problem for me, but what about the dialup people. AOHell sends out their CDs to me on a seemingly monthly basis. Microsoft should send out this update on a CD for free if someone wants it. Maybe they are but the neowin link didn’t say anything about it.
I think I’ll wait to install this. My system is working fine the way it is, I use FireFox, and I think I know how to keep out viruses and other crap that other users seem to be afflicted with by using IE and installing random crap that they have no idea what it does.
The poster at the neowin link did say there was a slight speed increase (I’ve got a pretty fast computer already with lots of ram), but what other reasons are there to install it.
Why do I get a nagging feeling in my stomach that installing this will FUBAR my system somehow.
Maybe you don’t need a user login and password for the link you posted because you’re at baylor, but looks like the rest of us do.
Does this currently available installer work on localized versions of Windows? I’m using the Finnish version.
in a folder’s Music Task, it also leads to explorer.exe crashing and restarting.
http://download.microsoft.com/download/1/6/5/165b076b-aaa9-443d-84f…
You should try reinstalling your media player and whatever is putting its entries on the context menu because I have SP2 on two computers here, and they aren’t experiencing those issues.
@Hank Powers
There are only English and German language available for now.
use the power of a search engine
http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/downloads/updates/sp2/cdorder/en…
ms is sending cds out free all over the world
@null_pointer_us
Dr. Divx was the culprit. Once uninstalled, the Play All task command worked as expected.
Back to lurking mode…
The removal of “professional” intrigued me too. I’m wondering…when the sp2 edition hits the stores are they losing the professional/home edition variations and just having 1 which includes IIS et al for the price of the once home edition?
better wait until it officially released by MS, at MS download page/Windows Update.
SP2 is about security,
download it sensibly.
I suppose it makes sense trying to support only one version with all the utilities in place instead of having a deliberately crippled XP Home and a full-featured XP Professional.
I’m having the same problem here, I can’t right-click an executable/media/whatever file without have explorer.exe crash and restart.
I don’t have DivX on my PC… Only Media Player and QuickTime/iTune.
Funny thing is, I did not have that problem with the previous build… Now that it’s RTM, I got that bug….
Works fine, been compiling code all morning.
If anything, IMO, it’s slower. My boot time has increased by at least one minute (used to take about 30 sec.)
I’m on a toshiba laptop, 2GHz, 512mb ram…so it’s a fairly good machine.
After disabling all the new security crap (I’ve been taking my own precautions and haven’t had a problem in years) it sped up a bit and was acting normal again.
I got one over on MS, a pirated version of Windows XP and SP2 installed on it and I am running it now. Sorry Microsoft, looks like Im the one that got away
)
the RTM will install on any WinXP install pirated or not, its only the RC1 and RC2, that refused Pirated versions, im just downloading the RTM now :p
noticed that it screws up the SMS 2.0 Admin console (MMC), can’t expand any containers, get the hourglass of death
other than that, so far so good
from what I have noticed on my P4 1.8GHz (512MB RAM).
My old Belkin 802.11b WIFI card (F5D6001_ver1) is working fine now. I used to make Windows XP really unstable. It’s now connected to my Apple Airport router and is fast and stable. I am flabbergasted. lol
That news TCP/IP 10 half connection limit totally sucks. Good thing fixes are already out there…
Installed it.
– screwed stylexp, uxtheme.dll hack didn’t work
– new security center kept popping up w/balloons because i disabled automatic updates, don’t have an anti virus, and want windows firewall off because i have zonealarm
– one more icon in systemtray
– internet seemed slower
– boot time seemed slower
uninstalled
-happy again. I’ll try again in 3 months when hopefuly bumps are smoothed out.
“- new security center kept popping up w/balloons because i disabled automatic updates, don’t have an anti virus, and want windows firewall off because i have zonealarm”
just tell it you are administrating you’re own AV and Firewall, and the AU thing im not sure.
I can see this going to cause trouble at the adsl DIY helldesk I work at.. Time to start looking for a better job! 😉
And where might I find these fixes? and where is it documented about 10 half-connection limit for tcpip on sp2 ? what did it used to be before sp2 ?
I just slipstreamed and installed it, and it’s been mostly smooth sailing. Only a few minor issues were encountered, and then, only from “limited accounts.”
Examples being that I cannot associate a passport with such an account, and Windows Messenger won’t log in automatically for anyone who isn’t an administrator. Funny that.
“After disabling all the new security crap…”
Just out of curiousity what kind “crap” is it that you’re finding unecessary?
FEATURES + Comments:
* Pop-up ads blocked
(Free Google Toolbar available for Internet Explorer blocks ads. also Pop-up blocker in Mozilla/Firefox available last 3 years)
* Revamped firewall on by default
(Would you trust an MS Firewall integrated tightly into the Operating System? try free ZoneAlarm or buy Nortons or Hardware FW, who is most targeted by hackers?)
* Outlook Express, Internet Explorer and Windows Messenger warn about attachments
(Don’t use a Web Browser/Email Client/IRC Client so integrated/embedded in OS – Try Opera/Firefox/Mozilla Suite, GAIM + Virus software. Free Antivirus software is available: AVG or AVAST!)
* Origins of downloaded files logged
(Mozilla/Firefox has a download Manager – has had for years)
Web graphics in e-mail no longer loaded by default
(Mozilla suite/Thunderbird has this preference + more, available feature in Mozilla Browser to block images)
Some spyware blocked
(What about the ‘rest’ of the spyware?? is that blocked too? – ie: don’t trust MS)
Users regularly reminded about Windows Updates: (Poor dialup users..)
(History: People continually ignore reminders until it’s too late..)
Security Center brings together information about anti-virus, updates and firewall
(Could be the one good feature)
Protection against buffer over-runs
(You need an AMD 64Bit processor for this feature, and at the moment they ain’t so cheap $$$)
Windows Messenger Service turned off by default
(“Start” “RUN” “Services.msc” Select ‘messenger’ and ‘properties’ and select “startup type = disabled” REBOOT – SORTED)
SO STILL NEED SP2?
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/3547978.stm
People still use that junk?
Is it necessary to install SP1 or does SP2 cover every weakness
(and unsupported technology like USB2)?
>”After disabling all the new security crap…”
>
>Just out of curiousity what kind “crap” is it that you’re
>finding unecessary?
I suppose he deactived some services manually as e.g. telnet or upnp and so on.
I did the same and works for me without any problems.
My WinXP is kept with various antivirus (all freeware and one fullversion from german magazin c’t “bitdefender) and the kerio personal firewall quite secure.
With this simple config I got never a virus for 99.99% (0.01% is kept for virus I eventually did not notice
).
And ofcourse, run Mozilla. The vast majority of patches you won’t need when not using IE.
As I have no need updating now, I won’t do it.
Remember: Never change a running system!
Ok, for all the others updating: GOOD LUCK!
“- screwed stylexp, uxtheme.dll hack didn’t work ”
Make an attempt at reading neowin’s page, and you’ll see a link for the “Patched UxTheme.dll for Windows XP SP2”.
“Jesus Christ, I’ve got a 2 Mbit link most of the time so that’s not a problem for me, but what about the dialup people. AOHell sends out their CDs to me on a seemingly monthly basis. Microsoft should send out this update on a CD for free if someone wants it. Maybe they are but the neowin link didn’t say anything about it.”
Remember this is the network install, just like SP1, the one you get off WindowsUpdate won’t download the full 200MB. Neowin does say “Microsoft will allow people to order a CD with it on in due course”
You said it! 🙂
Only good argument is the buffer protection, but as having no 64bit processor you also do not get the this protection.
If not using IE, home users should not install any patches/updates from microsoft. They make things much slower.
@mike
to the contrary, it’s much faster now with Service Pack 2 installed.
Installed it on my work machine. Bootup is much slower, (about 1.30 now) otherwise I didn’t notice any big changes. Which is good.
All my custom apps (written in Java) still work. (THANK GOD! Windows updates have broken them before).
So far so good methinks.
@Ronald – why shouldn’t i use zonealarm? what features am I missing out on, or bugs am i opening myself up to, and what alternative would you suggest? Open to suggestions.
The uxtheme.dll hack i downlodaed I get through the neowin fourms… called 6.0.2900.2180.rar … I thought the 2180 referred to the build number of sp2, 2180 being the RTM build that i had downloaded.
Just installed SP2 on my trusty (but ancient compared to todays machines) K6-2+ 450 (o/c’d to 550).
Installed fine, all the apps that I have tried so far are working fine, and it does appear to be a bit faster than SP1.
Of course you should download patches even if you’re not using IE. For one, because IE is used by all sorts of other programs even if you’ve installed another browser. Secondly, not all security patches fix problems in IE. Other components need patching too.
If you’re a home user, you should have Automatic Updates set to scheduled download and install. Very few home users have the attentiveness required to properly manage patches.
Good God! The update is bigger than some entire Operating Systems I use, 2 or 3 of which have no need for these “fixes”.
It’s just me, or someone else is also bored with all the whining retards who complain about a Windows bugs and security flaws, and then after release of a next service pack start complaining about size of the download? And this download includes all OS updates and bugfixes made in almost three years, by the way. Yeah, sure, Linux distributions doesn’t need a service packs, just a five ISOs of a new release every three months
Sorry.. I don’t understand too much dutch, but am in need of the SP. Is there an estimate for the release?
MS *does* send the SP out for free…. stop screaming.
I have installed SP2 on several PC’s and so far it has fixed the xp in many good ways and xp works much faster and boot’s up a little bit quicker, blocks all the unnecessary crap that lurks in the net.
ONLY Problem that i have is that after installing SP2 i can’t connect to the ftp servers
But i’ll solve the issue soon (seems that M$ is afraid of attackers using the ftp data transfer port)
GOOD LUCK to U all
NX bit (buffer overflow) is included with the AMD semprons (that is socket-A 32 bit processors). They are cheap. 64-bit AMD (low end) are cheaper then equivalent pentium 4s. Please know your facts before you say such stupid comments.
there’s a few kool-aid drinkers out there. I’ve had no problems with this installation – it’s all good so far.
admittedly, the Windows default, out-of-the-box experience is great, but this goes a hell of a long way to improving it. good news people.
slurp