Installing Windows XP Service Pack 2

[Jeanette]

I need to install the above in order to install Norton Antivirus 2008. When
I go to do that it says that I should back up all my files. Actually what
files should I back up and do I really need to do that? Has anyone out there
downloaded it and not backed up their files? Is it possible that I could
lose my files if I don't back them up? Is it talking about Microsoft Office
software and all my files associated with that, plus any pictures I might
have on my computer or other files. I don't have to back up the ENTIRE
COMPUTER Hard drive do I? Please help. I am a novice at this type stuff.
Thanks so much.

 

[JS]

I always backup my hard drive (C: partition which has Windows installed on
it) before I install any software or Microsoft Updates such as SP2. Logic
is, if anything should go wrong I can always get back to where I started
using the 'Image' backup I made of the C: partition/drive. Keep in mind that
unless you have a second hard drive (internal or external) or have multiple
partitions (C:, D:, E:, Etc) on the only drive in your PC, you can not
create an 'Image' backup.

If you have a second drive or a second partition then you can use 'True
Image' (it has a 15 day trial version you can use) to create an image
backup. See: http://www.acronis.com/homecomputing/products/trueimage/

Next best thing is to backup all your data files (Office files, Pictures,
Music, Etc.) to another drive or DVD media.
Then download Windows XP Service Pack 2 (to a newly created folder on your
PC) directly from Microsoft's download site.
http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/...8e-4f30-8245-9e368d3cdb5a&DisplayLang=enAfter the download has completed, double click on the file(WindowsXP-KB835935-SP2-ENU.exe) to install.Note: This file is 266MB in size but will only install the components thatyou need.JS"Jeanette" <[email protected]> wrote in messageneed to install the above in order to install Norton Antivirus 2008.When> I go to do that it says that I should back up all my files. Actually what> files should I back up and do I really need to do that? Has anyone outthere> downloaded it and not backed up their files? Is it possible that I could> lose my files if I don't back them up? Is it talking about MicrosoftOffice> software and all my files associated with that, plus any pictures I might> have on my computer or other files. I don't have to back up the ENTIRE> COMPUTER Hard drive do I? Please help. I am a novice at this type stuff.> Thanks so much.> --> Jeanette

 

[Colin Barnhorst]

If possible back up your C: drive with an imaging program. If you do not
have a backup program and are using XP Pro there is a backup program in All
Programs>Accessories>System Tools. If you are using XP Home you may need to
add Backup from the XP Home cd by navigating to Control Panel>Add/Remove
Programs>Add/Remove Windows Componenets and then insert the cd when
requested.

The essential thing is to back up your My Documents folder so that if
something goes very wrong you can recover your personal files if you have to
reinstall Windows and your apps. This is very rare but can happen.

There is nothing to prevent you from just installing SP2 without the
precautions but the unlikliest can happen and when it does things get very
messy.

 

[Ed Metcalfe]

I need to install the above in order to install Norton Antivirus 2008.
When
I go to do that it says that I should back up all my files. Actually what
files should I back up and do I really need to do that? Has anyone out
there
downloaded it and not backed up their files? Is it possible that I could
lose my files if I don't back them up? Is it talking about Microsoft
Office
software and all my files associated with that, plus any pictures I might
have on my computer or other files. I don't have to back up the ENTIRE
COMPUTER Hard drive do I? Please help. I am a novice at this type stuff.
Thanks so much.

It means it's advisable to backup anything you cannot afford to lose.
Program installation files almost certainly don't fall into this category,
but family photos, documents you've created yourself, etc may well do.

Personally I took the gamble and installed SP2 without backing up (at the
time I had files on my PC I'd *prefer* not to lose, but it wouldn't be a
major problem). I had no problems whatsoever. I'd imagine the likelihood of
a failed SP2 installation causing you to resort to a backup is fairly low.

Ed Metcalfe.

 

[Shenan Stanley]

I need to install the above in order to install Norton Antivirus
2008. When I go to do that it says that I should back up all my
files. Actually what files should I back up and do I really need
to do that? Has anyone out there downloaded it and not backed up
their files? Is it possible that I could lose my files if I don't
back them up? Is it talking about Microsoft Office software and
all my files associated with that, plus any pictures I might have
on my computer or other files. I don't have to back up the ENTIRE
COMPUTER Hard drive do I? Please help. I am a novice at this type
stuff. Thanks so much.

Windows XP Serbvice Pack 2 was released back in 2004. I am surprised you
are just getting around to getting it installed.

In any case- you should ALWAYS backup your stuff - periodically and on a
schedule. It's just the wise thing to do. It's wise to backup before any
major change in the system as well - and this is definitely a major change
(SP2 fundamentally changed Windows Xp in many ways.)

The question whether or not anyone has ever done it without backing up their
files would be 'sure' - and most of the time there is likely no problem.
But there is a chance and it has happened to others - that something goes
wrong and you lose everyhting and/or have to pay someone to get your stuff
back for you.

When people talk about backups - consider it anything you have
made/created/saved. Documents, spreadsheets, pictures, emails, downloaded
files, internet explorer favorites, contacts, etc...

 

[HeyBub]

I need to install the above in order to install Norton Antivirus
2008. When I go to do that it says that I should back up all my
files. Actually what files should I back up and do I really need to
do that? Has anyone out there downloaded it and not backed up their
files? Is it possible that I could lose my files if I don't back
them up? Is it talking about Microsoft Office software and all my
files associated with that, plus any pictures I might have on my
computer or other files. I don't have to back up the ENTIRE COMPUTER
Hard drive do I? Please help. I am a novice at this type stuff.

Backup what you cannot afford to lose.

Another important issue, however, is Norton AV.

Don't do it.

No long-term visitor to this group would recommend Norton.

Norton AV is a resource hog and interferes with many, many operations. For
example, there are several applications that cannot be installed if Norton
is running. Further, Norton is the barnacle of the software world in that it
is difficult to remove.

There are alternatives to Norton that, in all respects, do a better job.
Avast and AVG are two of the more popular replacements and both are free.

 

[John H Meyers]

If you do not have a backup program and are using XP Pro
there is a backup program in All Programs>Accessories>System Tools.

You seem to be recommending the (elsewhere disparaged) NTbackup program
(originally by Veritas); do you happen to know whether "System State"
completely backs up and restores all registry hives,
including that of the user who originally runs (and who later restores)?

Also, do you know what happens if a complete backup (System State + drives)
made on one computer is completely restored to another identical computer
(ignoring that any extra files on second computer will still remain);
what I mean is, does the restored system then keep the "product key"
of the original system, or assume that of the completely restored system?

Thank you.

--

 

[Colin Barnhorst]

I'm not recommending it but advising the OP what is available in Windows
without going to additional expense. It is sufficient for backing up user
files but not for transferring the system. For that an image backup program
is needed. Otherwise a reinstallation of Windows and apps followed by
restoration of the backed up files using ntbackup should suffice.

System state backs up all but the dynamic portion of the hives (the portion
in a running system that would be meaningless to save anyway).

An image backup would backup and restore everything, but when the system
boots it builds a new hardware device list, compares it to the hardware
device list saved on the hard drive, and determines whether the new hardware
hash differs from the one at the last activation sufficiently to require
reactivation. It has nothing to do with "saving" the product key, which is
always part of the hardware hash.

Another computer can be identical physically, but things like the MAC
address of the NIC will differ because each NIC has a unique MAC. Identical
hard drives have different serial numbers. And so on.

 

[John H Meyers]

System state backs up all but the dynamic portion of the hives (the portion
in a running system that would be meaningless to save anyway).

An image backup would backup and restore everything, but when the system
boots it builds a new hardware device list, compares it to the hardware
device list saved on the hard drive, and determines whether the new hardware
hash differs from the one at the last activation sufficiently to require
reactivation. It has nothing to do with "saving" the product key, which is
always part of the hardware hash.

Another computer can be identical physically, but things like the MAC
address of the NIC will differ because each NIC has a unique MAC. Identical
hard drives have different serial numbers. And so on.

Thank you very much for the detailed information.

I was particularly interested (for myself as well) in the case that the "other"
computer is in fact the very same computer, particularly in the idea of using
*any* Windows CD (with any product code that it accepts)
that will put XP on the computer and enable running NTbackup,
followed by restoring the entire computer (including "System State"),
from what was originally written as a complete backup
of that very same system, by that very same program.

The above does not completely nail down that this will work,
but certainly makes it seem likely that this "bootstrap" procedure would work,
even if the "interim" version of XP, installed solely for doing a restore,
would _not_ "activate" successfully, so long as the results of
_restoring_ the _backup_ would again be accepted as "genuine."

As I asked elsewhere, on XP Pro it is claimed that a complete system backup
can be fully restored anyway, using ASR -- aside from the extra recovery disk(s)
made by ASR, is there anything more than a normal full system backup (with System State)
that is needed to enable ASR to restore the entire system?

If ASR can in fact achieve a complete recovery, from such a backup,
then how can it continue being argued that such a recovery isn't possible,
without using other sorts of independent "disk image" backups?

Thanks for any help in getting to a final, true conclusion about this point,
which is whether a complete built-in System backup can be restored or not,
without any additional or separate "disk image" cloning or other backup system,
as seems to be an assertion of what comes built into XP Pro.

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