XP Automatic Update and SP1a

[Rich]

Hi,
I bought my PC 9 months ago. At that time, I had the
Automatic update set to download updates, but ask me if I
wanted to install them. Every now and then, it would tell
me that an update was available and would I like to
install it. I've always installed every update that it
downloaded. That is what happened recently with SP2. I
installed SP2 and it appeared in my "Add/Remove Programs"
list from the Control Program.

Now recently, because I had a CW trojan infection, I'm
told that these infections are prevented if you install
SP1a. I do not see in the "Add/Remove Programs" list
where any Service Packs (besides SP2) have been installed
on my PC. I'm frustrated why Automatic Update didn't get
this for me. But now I'm faced with:
1) could SP1a be installed on my PC but not appear in
my "Add/Remove Programs" list?
2) is it OK to install SP1a after I've already installed
SP2
3) Are there other Service Packs, SP1 or SP1b perhaps,
that have not been installed on my PC, and
4) what happens if I Remove SP2, so that I can install
previous Service Packs (and then reinstall SP2)? Does SP2
uninstall cleanly?
Thanks,
Rich

 

[Guest]

I just went to the microsoft site and had it scan my PC
for needed High Priority updates. If recommended two
updates:
1) Microsoft .NET Framework 1.1 Service Pack 1
2) Microsoft GDI+ Detection Tool (KB873374)
Is it OK to uninstall SP2 prior to installing these, and
then reinstalling SP2?
Again, I'd like to know why Automatic Update did not tell
me about these High Priority updates!
Thanks
Rich

 

[Michael Pardee]

SP2 includes all the updates from SP1a, and more.
(Microsoft refers to the service packs as "rollups".)
However, none of them guard against Trojans, which are
malware that tricks you into running them. (Like the
Trojan Horse was brought inside the gates of Troy - it
didn't matter how stout the gates were.)

Modern antivirus programs will detect them fairly well,
but you still have to practice safe computing. Never open
attachments you weren't expecting and stay away from free
screensavers.

Mike

 

[Rich]

Thx Mike,
But the problem is with the ByteVerifier bug in the
Microsoft Java VM. It leaves the door open for
CoolWebSearch. So, by closing this stout gate, it does
protect against this trojan. SP1a removes this VM since
it's not supported anymore. Does SP2 also remove the MS
Java VM? Can you tell me how I check to see if the MS
Java VM is on my PC?
Rich

 

[Rich]

Hi Mike,
But the problem is with the ByteVerifier bug in the
Microsoft Java VM. It leaves the gate open for
CoolWebSearch. By closing this stout gate, it is supposed
to protect against this trojan. SP1a removes the MS Java
VM since it is not supported anymore by MS. Do you know
if SP2 also removes the MS Java VM, or at least includes
the patched version that closes this gate? I don't want
to have to keep running CWShredder to clean out these set
of trojans. And I am careful about what what attachments
I open and have never downloaded free screensavers.
However, this trojan comes in via a popup. I now have a
popup blocker, so this should help as well.
Thanks,
Rich

 

[Rock]

-----Original Message-----
Rich you are misunderstanding things a bit. When MS first released XP
an then SP1 it also included their version of java virtual machine. Sun
sued them and as a result MS was not allowed to distribute their virtual
machine. So they released SP1a which is SP1 w/o JVM. It was not
released to to solve a problem of infection by CWS trojans. Same with
SP2. You can still get MS's JVM from various non MS sites on the web
and then update it to the latest release through MS updates. Or you can
remove MS's JVM and go strictly with Sun's version. Either way it has
no impact on your security.

So there is no reason for you t0 remove SP2. It has everything SP1 has
plus more. The additional updates you see were released at about the
same time or after SP2. The .net framework 1.1 SP1 patch is not related
to SP2 per se. Neither is the GDI patch. They can be run either with
or w/o SP2.

 

[Alex Nichol]

Now recently, because I had a CW trojan infection, I'm
told that these infections are prevented if you install
SP1a. I do not see in the "Add/Remove Programs" list
where any Service Packs (besides SP2) have been installed
on my PC. I'm frustrated why Automatic Update didn't get
this for me. But now I'm faced with:
1) could SP1a be installed on my PC but not appear in
my "Add/Remove Programs" list?
2) is it OK to install SP1a after I've already installed
SP2

SP2 includes everything that was in SP1a. But it does not cover a lot
of the ways that things like CW get in; those come with emails or
piggybacking on downloads. SP2 has restricted some of the active
actions from web sites, which helps, but I think your source has been
very misleading - and certainly in referring to SP1. What that did was
block the BLAST worm, not CW