JL said:
My name is Barry. I have Windows XP Home edition SP 1. 2.4 GHz
Pentium 4 processor, 1 gig memory.
Hello Barry. My name is Shenan.
When Win XP SP 2 first came out I let the automatic update download
and install the service pack. This was about a year ago, maybe a
little less. Anyway with SP 2 installed it totally destroyed my
computer.
That sucks. Did you properly prepare for the install? Did you try and
troubleshoot after the problem occurred? What did you do?
What to Know Before You Download and Install Windows XP Service Pack 2
http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/sp2/sp2_whattoknow.mspx
It was stuck in a reboot loop. I could not stop the loop. To make a
long story short I finally had to reformat and start over as a last
resort. Good thing I believe in keeping backups of my files.
Good on the backups, bad on the format/install. Likely a driver issue or
something.
Anyway I would like to take advantage of the new service pack. But
needless to say I am concerned that it will cause a crash again.
If you properly prepare - no, it should not cause trouble. It will take
some time to properly prepare, but in the end you have a better system and
more knowledge about how to properly maintain it. Fair trade, if you ask
me.
Has there been any improvements made to the SP to prevent problems?
SP2 in August is SP2 now. If it had changed, there would have been a change
in the name (for example, when MS JVM was taken out of SP1, you got SP1a.)
Should I just leave well enough alone?
You will get some discussion on this one - maybe (if everyone is not burned
out on the whole thing - but they seem to be able to discuss licensing to no
end, why would SP2 be different? heh)
My opinion - no - not in this case. SP2 adds a lot of useful differences
and security enhancements.
Let's make sure we have the same notes of reasons given
to patch with SP2..
(Also, I would recommend either getting the free CD or downloading
the entire SP2 install file.)
First, there is of course Microsoft's own "Top 10" list of reasons:
http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/sp2/topten.mspx
Well, that's a pretty generalized list.. but this ones gives you a more
detailed version..
http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/sp2/features.mspx
And then going another level and explain the specific "additions" to Windows
XP that SP2 provides...
http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/sp2/technologiesoverview.mspx
You may want to read this article as well:
http://www.eweek.com/article2/0,1759,1724107,00.asp
If I was to give one personal reason for someone to upgrade to SP2, it would
be simple.. Stay up to date. If you do not stay ahead of those who would
just as well ruin your computer as anything else, then you are inviting them
in. Sooner or later (September 17, 2006 or so) support for your OS will be
terminated, and while you believe (and you are likely correct) you do not
use the support from Microsoft, you do in a way by applying patches - and
many patches will begin requiring SP2 to install..
But - you don't HAVE to upgrade.. It's not my responsibility to convince you
(or really anyone's) to upgrade. If you feel you are safe, then there will
be no changing your mind anyway. All I can do is tell you that it's not a
bad thing to upgrade, you do get improved security and functionaility (for
free) that many would PAY for when it comes to other operating systems. You
should prepare your system for the worse *if* you decide to upgrade - as
things can and do go wrong with major upgrades all the time, don't be a
victim either way.
Is there any suggestions anyone can give me on installing SP 2 to
avoid problems?
The above link gives you a starting point. You want to run several
different AntiSpyware applications, a couple of different AntiVirus
applications, upgrade your hardware drivers to the latest versions available
from each respective manufacturer web page, check each software package you
have/use for patches and install those, check if your motherboard BIOS needs
an upgrade, uninstall unused applications from Add/Remove programs, chkdsk
your hard drive, defragment your hard drive and backup your importand
documents, pictures, email, contacts and other data/non-recoverable
information (an imaging application to an external hard drive or a networked
system is ideal.) Then - download the full version of SP2 and install it.
Direct Download of Service Pack 2 (SP2) for Windows XP
http://snipurl.com/8bqy
Order the Free Windows XP SP2 CD
http://snipurl.com/8umo
Protect your PC
http://www.microsoft.com/security/protect/
I have a whole list of tips for people to follow - but lately people have
been a bit prickly about me posting the thing in its entirity - so.. If you
want it, just email me or seach the newsgroups for my name.. =)
