Is SP2 required

  • Thread starter Thread starter tmcgp
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tmcgp

Hi
I hope that someone can be patient with a newbie to this
computor world. I am new to computors, and I keep my
computor updated regularly, and automatically. I have
read alot of people have problems with SP2. I am not
that great when it comes to fixing program problems etc.
so I was wondering if one really needs SP2? (I ask that
because in alot of newsgroups people are asking how to
uninstall due to problems etc.) Does one really need
SP2? I am a little leary about installing it. Though I
have it dowloaded but have not installed it yet. Thanks
so much for any help you can give.
 
Yes, service pack 2 is very important, and for a self-admitted newbie it is
extremely important. SP 2 strengthens Windows against attacks from the
Internet and compels you to adopt safe computing practices that a great many
users were not previously adopting. As time goes by you will find that
manufacturers' technical support will not offer you any assistance if your
computer is not patched.

You will encounter no problems with SP 2 - and you will rarely encounter any
problems at all in your computing life - if you follow this simple advice:

1. Do not make any changes to your computer, ever, until you understand
what you are doing and have thoroughly prepared. This common sense rule will
save you many hours of frustration.

For example, there is an enormous amount of easy to read information about
SP 2 on Microsoft's web site, to say nothing of the computer press. Read it.
You may start here:

"What to Know Before You Download and Install Windows XP Service Pack 2"
http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/sp2/sp2_whattoknow.mspx

2. Protect Your PC (www.microsoft.com/protect) and learn about the threats
to your computer coming from the Internet and how to avoid them.

3. Learn how to maintain your system in good condition. For example, learn
about error checking, defragmenting, disk cleanup and the many other tools
XP provides to help keep your computer running smoothly and get you out of
trouble when it strikes

4. Backup. Often.

5. The key to a stable system and good performance is to not make your
system any more complicated than it really needs to be.

There is no 'silver bullet' to computer nirvana, no matter what hype you
hear to the contrary. It takes time to learn how to operate a computer
properly, but it is time well spent. It took me exactly 21 minutes from
beginning to end to install SP 2 and my system works quickly and flawlessly.

Ted Zieglar
 
Thanks Ted for your advice. I actually do all the
defrag, diskcleanups etc regularly, I guess the only
thing I havent done is backup.....how do I do that, I am
going to read....again....about the SP2 and prepare to
install. I read also on another newsgroup that people on
dialup should not install SP2 due to all the problems it
causes. Is this true. I recently went on dialup cause
we moved and high speed is not yet avail. Thanks again
 
Hi TMCP,

Before you do install SP2, what Ted suggested is needed,
but also there are other things you need to do as well.
Several other MVP`s, like Jupiter Jones has other
information on pre-install steps you need to do prior to
installing SP2. If you follow all the Pre-install steps,
you really shouldn`t have any problems. I have installed
SP2 on 130 computers and haven`t had any problems because
I followed the advice for preparing the computers for SP2

One of the major problems for SP2 is spyware, if you read
many of the user problems, none of them state if they did
a spyware check before installing SP2. One spyware
checking program is not enough though, sadly enough, you
will need to use several to insure your system is safe. I
personally use 5 different Spyware checking/protecting
programs on my 3 personal computers and my work computer.
I hope this information helps some.

Jeff
 
SP 2 is just as important for dial-up: Viruses and other malware don't care
how you connect to the Internet. The only reason a home user shouldn't
install SP 2 - yet - is if their system is not stable. The number two rule
for upgrading an operating system, after backing up, is "don't upgrade over
a problem." Solve the problem first, then upgrade.

Backup is a huge topic, beyond the grasp of a newsgroup post. In its most
basic form, backup means copying important files to a CD. You need to do
more than that. You need to be able to recover your entire system if it goes
down. You should read about backing up on the Internet. Start with the major
computing e-zines (PC World, for example.) Windows has a pretty decent
backup program, but you can get more features and convenience with a third
party program.

"Windows XP Backup Made Easy"
http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/using/setup/learnmore/bott_03july14.mspx

With a current backup you will never suffer a PC disaster. Unless your house
burns down.
 
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