Column: Resolving Windows XP SP2 application compatibility issues

[Guest]

I too have had similar problems with Windows Explorer after installing SP2!
Its only after installing SP2 that the problems occur, currently I'm running
SP1a and everything is sweet!
I dont use the default view in Windows Explorer, instead i use the
alternative view whereby you click on the little plus signs next to the
directories which opens up the highlighted directory
I too suffer from WE flickering and crashing, 1st when clicking on the plus
signs next to the directorys nothing happens (resulting in me not being able
to open and folders) and 2nd it eventually freezes alltogether causing me to
close down WE and start it up again!!!
Also on occassions i get a complete white screen and i cant do anything but
do a cold boot
also if a program stops resonding and i use the CTL ALT DEL to end program
it takes the whole desktop & explorer with it again resulting me in doing a
cold boot!!!

I cant see how my setup/hardware/software has anything to do with it because
has i said at the start of this msg im currently using SP1a and everything
works a treat

Hi Don, I wasn't aware of problems like that with Windows Explorer after SP2
is installed and certainly haven't experienced them. Do you know a few other
people who have experienced similar problems? If so please email me off-list
so I can try and research this further, but offhand I would suspect it's
either hardware-related or incompatibility with some third-party application,
possibly even your antivirus app. Just a guess though, and I'd like to
collect more facts to track this down. My email addres is
(e-mail address removed)_NOSPAMPLEASE thanks.

Cheers,
Mitch Tulloch
MVP [Windows Server]

1: The ongoing string of people who report Windows Explorer errors.
This is usually blamed on "bad applications" or "bad extensions."
These are where Windows Explorer crashes or takes LONG periods of
time to respond. But there seems to be no tool that scans your
system to identify these known "bad" items and point them out.
There is almost never any event log information to help diagnose
the cause of these failures.

2: The Windows Explorer crashes where the screen "flickers" and
Windows Explorer just restarts itself, never leaving any hint of
what went wrong in the event logs.

I wrestled with a more serious case of this with SP2 support for
months before they just gave up on the problem. In that case Windows
Explorer would simply lock up. I shipped config data, the whole
registry, the user profile, you name it, repeatedly to them. Never
found a solution. Somehow after many months and re-installation
several times the problem did go away.

But it has resurfaced recently with Windows Explorer crashing,
usually each time I close the window. I notice the screen flicker
and hear the floppy seek each time. Trying to track this down has
not found anything yet.

I have firewalls and virus scanning and spyware scanning and and and.
All come up squeaky clean. I Haven't had a virus since 2000 when I
tried to help some poor slob in the office with his Excel sheet and
he gave me a macro virus, but it was not clear that I actually opened
the sheet before other people discovered this and it was sterilized.

Thank you

 

[Guest]

SP2 disabled folder redirection policy, then I found out there was a hotfix
888254 but then after I applied that I cannot do a runas on certain
applications where I need to hold the shift button for the run as option. It
also delayed the reaction time of outlook getting information from exchange.
SP2 I believe broke more things than fixed/secured. Thanks.

Chris

I too have had similar problems with Windows Explorer after installing SP2!
Its only after installing SP2 that the problems occur, currently I'm running
SP1a and everything is sweet!
I dont use the default view in Windows Explorer, instead i use the
alternative view whereby you click on the little plus signs next to the
directories which opens up the highlighted directory
I too suffer from WE flickering and crashing, 1st when clicking on the plus
signs next to the directorys nothing happens (resulting in me not being able
to open and folders) and 2nd it eventually freezes alltogether causing me to
close down WE and start it up again!!!
Also on occassions i get a complete white screen and i cant do anything but
do a cold boot
also if a program stops resonding and i use the CTL ALT DEL to end program
it takes the whole desktop & explorer with it again resulting me in doing a
cold boot!!!

I cant see how my setup/hardware/software has anything to do with it because
has i said at the start of this msg im currently using SP1a and everything
works a treat

Hi Don, I wasn't aware of problems like that with Windows Explorer after SP2
is installed and certainly haven't experienced them. Do you know a few other
people who have experienced similar problems? If so please email me off-list
so I can try and research this further, but offhand I would suspect it's
either hardware-related or incompatibility with some third-party application,
possibly even your antivirus app. Just a guess though, and I'd like to
collect more facts to track this down. My email addres is
(e-mail address removed)_NOSPAMPLEASE thanks.

Cheers,
Mitch Tulloch
MVP [Windows Server]

Hi, what sort of problems are you referring to? AFAIK there are workarounds
now for any application compatibility issues that arose from SP2, and the
inclusion of Windows Firewall has IMO significantly enhanced the security of
the XP platform. Could you be specific about the problems you're still
having? Thanks

1: The ongoing string of people who report Windows Explorer errors.
This is usually blamed on "bad applications" or "bad extensions."
These are where Windows Explorer crashes or takes LONG periods of
time to respond. But there seems to be no tool that scans your
system to identify these known "bad" items and point them out.
There is almost never any event log information to help diagnose
the cause of these failures.

2: The Windows Explorer crashes where the screen "flickers" and
Windows Explorer just restarts itself, never leaving any hint of
what went wrong in the event logs.

I wrestled with a more serious case of this with SP2 support for
months before they just gave up on the problem. In that case Windows
Explorer would simply lock up. I shipped config data, the whole
registry, the user profile, you name it, repeatedly to them. Never
found a solution. Somehow after many months and re-installation
several times the problem did go away.

But it has resurfaced recently with Windows Explorer crashing,
usually each time I close the window. I notice the screen flicker
and hear the floppy seek each time. Trying to track this down has
not found anything yet.

I have firewalls and virus scanning and spyware scanning and and and.
All come up squeaky clean. I Haven't had a virus since 2000 when I
tried to help some poor slob in the office with his Excel sheet and
he gave me a macro virus, but it was not clear that I actually opened
the sheet before other people discovered this and it was sterilized.

Thank you

Cheers,
Mitch Tulloch
http://www.mtit.com/mitch/

:

When are the experts at Microsoft going to release SP3 to cleanup the SP2
mess so we can get back to our computing instead of doing Microsoft's or any
other venders work?

:

New Column: Resolving Windows XP SP2â€â€related application compatibility problems

Columnist Mitch Tulloch identifies common Windows XP SP2–related application
compatibility problems and identifies ways to resolve them.

http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/using/helpandsupport/compat/tulloch_compatxpsp2.mspx

Ask questions or post comments about the article here.

This posting is provided "AS IS" with no warranties, and confers no rights

 

[Guest]

I read your column because I have been trying to resolve a problem with
Windows recognizing my IEEE device for months now. And I am not alone. The
frustration among users trying to move video from a camera or VCR to our
computer utilizing IEEE is universal. Windows says it's a device or capture
problem, software applications say it's a windows interface problem. No one
seems able to come up with a truly correct reply. What say you??

 

[Guest]

Where can i find the right answer for a payment reminder popup wich i dont
want to get anymore. I am getting really frustrated here, it popsup everytime
i enter internet and after that every 30min. I installed the program from
movieland.com by accident and i dont want it!! They send it through my ip
adress but the one they have and show me is not the one it showes me from my
i-net provider. However it looks more like my dns server code in the local
area window. How can i get rid of this enoying popup??? I hope that someone
there can help me solve this problem...

Thank you

Please reply on my e-mail (e-mail address removed)