Chicken or the Egg?

[JW]

Help please! I've been asked to help get a church computer ready for the
Internet, and I'm not sure what to do first. A broadband connection has
recently been expanded to the office where this computer is located. The PC
is running XP Home, but has no Service Packs or updates because it has never
been connected to the Internet. There is no antivirus or firewall software
installed.

My preference is to install an Anti-Virus program and use the Windows
firewall in SP2, but I am reluctant to hook it up to the Internet long
enough to manage all the downloads to get ready for SP2 with no firewall in
place. I can install a security suite, but the user is computer-phobic, and
I'm afraid the firewall in that package is going to blow her mind.

Lots of questions -
1) Any chance of installing SP2 without SP1 or other previous updates? (I
have a SP2 CD)
2) Any thoughts on realistic risks trying to get all downloads, including
SP2, installed with no firewall in place?
3) Any words of advice for a confused, lost soul trying to do a good deed?

Thanks,
JW

 

[Tom Willett]

You can install SP2 offline from the cd. It combines everything from SP1.
Then, you can enable the Windows firewall before going online.
Install an anti-virus program while you're offline before going on the
internet.
Once all this is done, you can go online to Windows Update to get the 60+
updates available.


| Help please! I've been asked to help get a church computer ready for the
| Internet, and I'm not sure what to do first. A broadband connection has
| recently been expanded to the office where this computer is located. The
PC
| is running XP Home, but has no Service Packs or updates because it has
never
| been connected to the Internet. There is no antivirus or firewall software
| installed.
|
| My preference is to install an Anti-Virus program and use the Windows
| firewall in SP2, but I am reluctant to hook it up to the Internet long
| enough to manage all the downloads to get ready for SP2 with no firewall
in
| place. I can install a security suite, but the user is computer-phobic,
and
| I'm afraid the firewall in that package is going to blow her mind.
|
| Lots of questions -
| 1) Any chance of installing SP2 without SP1 or other previous updates? (I
| have a SP2 CD)
| 2) Any thoughts on realistic risks trying to get all downloads, including
| SP2, installed with no firewall in place?
| 3) Any words of advice for a confused, lost soul trying to do a good deed?
|
| Thanks,
| JW
|
|

 

[RA]

Help please! I've been asked to help get a church computer ready for
the Internet, and I'm not sure what to do first. A broadband
connection has recently been expanded to the office where this
computer is located. The PC is running XP Home, but has no Service
Packs or updates because it has never been connected to the Internet.
There is no antivirus or firewall software installed.

My preference is to install an Anti-Virus program and use the Windows
firewall in SP2, but I am reluctant to hook it up to the Internet long
enough to manage all the downloads to get ready for SP2 with no
firewall in place. I can install a security suite, but the user is
computer-phobic, and I'm afraid the firewall in that package is going
to blow her mind.
Lots of questions -
1) Any chance of installing SP2 without SP1 or other previous
updates? (I have a SP2 CD)
2) Any thoughts on realistic risks trying to get all downloads,
including SP2, installed with no firewall in place?
3) Any words of advice for a confused, lost soul trying to do a good
deed?
Thanks,
JW

First thing... do not connect the broadband without the Windows XP firewall
turned on.
If you have the SP2 cd go ahead and install it right away; you don't need to
install SP1 first. If you then turn on the Windows XP firewall , you can
connect to the web and get the rest of the updates for XP.

 

[JS]

First install SP2 from a CD, then the AV software, next a good and free
firewall like Zone Alarm, (turn off windows firewall).
Then get the Windows Updates.

Would also suggest an Image Backup software package like Ghost or True Image
( http://www.acronis.com/ ).
Make a backup before you install anything mentioned above, that way if
something fails you can always start all over again with the PC just as it
was when you started. True Image give you a 15 day trial which should be
long enough to get you to where you need to be.
Another piece of software you should consider is Spyware detection software
like Spybot Search and Destroy.
http://www.safer-networking.org/en/index.html

Since this is for the Church, if they plan to use it for anything where the
loss of data could be catastrophic then that backup software may be worth
buying.

JS

 

[Ken Blake, MVP]

Help please! I've been asked to help get a church computer ready for
the Internet, and I'm not sure what to do first. A broadband
connection has recently been expanded to the office where this
computer is located. The PC is running XP Home, but has no Service
Packs or updates because it has never been connected to the Internet.
There is no antivirus or firewall software installed.

Yes there is. Windows XP, since the original release, came with a firewall.
It isn't as good as the improved firewall in SP2, and unlike the one in SP2,
isn't turned on by default, but you *can* turn it on.

My preference is to install an Anti-Virus program and use the Windows
firewall in SP2, but I am reluctant to hook it up to the Internet long
enough to manage all the downloads to get ready for SP2 with no
firewall in place. I can install a security suite, but the user is
computer-phobic, and I'm afraid the firewall in that package is going
to blow her mind.
Lots of questions -
1) Any chance of installing SP2 without SP1 or other previous
updates? (I have a SP2 CD)

Absolutely! SP2 includes SP1 and all previous updates.

2) Any thoughts on realistic risks trying to get all downloads,
including SP2, installed with no firewall in place?

See the two comments above.

 

[JW]

Just a quick thanks for all the patient and very prompt feedback. I'll start
with the SP2 CD and the AV software. You guys rock.

 

[antioch]

Help please! I've been asked to help get a church computer ready for the
Internet, and I'm not sure what to do first. A broadband connection has
recently been expanded to the office where this computer is located. The
PC is running XP Home, but has no Service Packs or updates because it has
never been connected to the Internet. There is no antivirus or firewall
software installed.

My preference is to install an Anti-Virus program and use the Windows
firewall in SP2, but I am reluctant to hook it up to the Internet long
enough to manage all the downloads to get ready for SP2 with no firewall
in place. I can install a security suite, but the user is computer-phobic,
and I'm afraid the firewall in that package is going to blow her mind.

Lots of questions -
1) Any chance of installing SP2 without SP1 or other previous updates? (I
have a SP2 CD)
2) Any thoughts on realistic risks trying to get all downloads, including
SP2, installed with no firewall in place?
3) Any words of advice for a confused, lost soul trying to do a good deed?

Thanks,
JW

Hi JW
If you have any problems with the install of SP2 followed by the other 60-70
criticals, then please post your thread in the windowsupdate newsgroup.
There is some good help in there.
Not wishing to put you off, but go to the group and search for the SP2
updates. It has not been all plain sailing - and you may pickup some good
advance warnings.

WINDOWS UPDATE NEWSGROUP

news://msnews.microsoft.com/microsoft.public.windowsupdate



There is no particular requirement to have AV running when downloading the
additional 60-70 updates - as long as it is the MS site you only go to.
Download to disk as a preference, one at a time and in the order given - or
to your C:\ drive.
Then you can burn/write to the disk, and install at your leisure, with AV
off and disconnected from the net.
Do remember to boot after each install whether asked or not. Then check to
see that the update is in Add/Remove before doing the next one.
When finished, don't forget to enable your AV, Firewall etc before
connecting to the net.
As a guide, I helped a neighbour put SP2 plus all the other stuff onto their
system and it took just under 2 hours.
OR you can go the short way and just get MS to dump the lot on you in one
go?
Below are some links that might help and worth while reading.
Download SP2 installation package:
http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/...-3b8e-4f30-8245-9e368d3cdb5a&displaylang=enor,

Order the CD:

http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/downloads/updates/sp2/cdorder/en_us/default.mspxPlease
Before installing SP2 :

SP Installation Checklist:
http://www3.telus.net/dandemar/spackins.htm

Get Your PC Ready:
http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/sp2/sp2_whattoknow.mspx

XP SP 2 Problem Solver
http://www.michna.com/kb/WxSP2.htm

Windows XP - SP 2 - FAQs & More
http://aumha.net/index.php?c=16

I wish you every success and hope not to see you in the update group.
Rgds
Antioch

 

[Jim]

Help please! I've been asked to help get a church computer ready for the
Internet, and I'm not sure what to do first. A broadband connection has
recently been expanded to the office where this computer is located. The
PC is running XP Home, but has no Service Packs or updates because it has
never been connected to the Internet. There is no antivirus or firewall
software installed.

I updated mine in August of 2005, and I used the procedures that others have
outlined. I would advise that you first::
1. Make certain that the computer is ready for SP2 (i.e. it definitely has
no antivirus or other malware, as contrasted to should not have them).
2. Make certain that the BIOS does not need to be updated.
3. Disconnect everything this not needed for the update.
With all the ducks in line, disconnect it from the outside world and install
SP2.
Install an antivirus (any one but Norton or McAfee).
Activate the windows firewall
Connect to the outside world,
Get the updates that have been issued after SP2.
Install ZA
It is all done. And you can expect to spend a couple of hours at this job.
Contrary what I read, I have had no problems with SP2.
Jim