How to Safely upgrade to Service Pack 2--we should have this earlier
- From: <ptusing@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- To: <jfw@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Sun, 6 Mar 2005 19:30:42 -0500
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TOURBUS Volume 10, Number 53 -- 06 Mar 2005
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Today's Tourbus Topics: How to safely upgrade to Windows XP SP2
r
+------------------ CAN YOU PASS THIS MONEY TEST? -------------------+
Do you know that trying to pay off your high interest rate
The deadline for upgrading to Windows XP Service Pack 2 is *rapidly*
approaching. So, I thought it would be a good idea to take another
look at how to safely make the upgrade so that you computer doesn't
fall down and go "BOOM!"
By the way, an abbreviated, HTML-ified version of today's post is
available at
http://www.netsquirrel.com/articles/xpsp2.html
and you are more than welcome to forward either that link or today's
Tourbus post to whomever you think it may help.
On with the show...
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How to safely upgrade to Windows XP SP2
Audience: Every XP user who hasn't yet upgraded to Window XP SP2
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If you have Windows XP Home or Professional Editions, I have a favor
to ask of you. In XP, go to Start Run. Type in the word
winver
and then press the enter key on your keyboard. This opens something
called "About Windows" that tells you exactly what version of Windows
you are running. For example, on my desktop, my "About Windows"
screen shows the following:
Microsoft (R) Windows
Version 5.1 (Build 2600.xpsp2... : Service Pack 1)
Copyright (C) 1981-2001 Microsoft Corporation
I want you to pay particular attention to the end of the second line
of text on your "About Windows" screen. If you see the words "Service
Pack 2," stop reading. Your version of Windows has already been
updated to Windows XP Service Pack 2 [SP2]. There is nothing else you
need to do...except, possibly, running Windows Update [in Internet
Explorer, go to Tools Windows Update] just to make sure your
computer isn't missing any critical updates released over the past
couple of weeks.
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However, if the second line of text on your "About Windows" screen
*DOESN'T* end with the exact words "Service Pack 2," your life just
got a little more complicated.
When Windows XP SP2 was released last August, a lot of respected tech
gurus [and some not-so-respected tech guru wannabees like myself]
strongly recommended NOT upgrading for a while. In fact, I wrote a
Tourbus post last August showing you how to download and install a
free Windows XP SP2 blocker program to prevent Microsoft from
automatically installing SP onto your computer.
Well, that blocker expires on Tuesday, April 12th. After that date,
you're getting Service Pack 2 whether you like it or not. If you have
Windows Update set to automatically check for and install any critical
updates, Microsoft will automatically install XP SP2 onto your
computer sometime after April 12th. And even if you don't use Windows
Update's auto 'call home and download' feature, after April 12th
Windows Update will stop working until you download XP SP2. [Updates
will still be available, but Microsoft won't let you get them until
you first download and install Service Pack 2.] April 12th is pretty
much the drop-dead date for Windows XP Service Pack 2 deployment.
And, honestly, that's not a bad thing. While I've yet to upgrade my
desktop, my laptop has been running Windows XP SP2 since November with
nary a problem. And I'm not alone. Millions of people have safely
made the jump to SP2. And XP SP2's built-in security features are so
beneficial that there's honestly no legitimate reason for you NOT to
upgrade to Service Pack 2.
Reread that last sentence: There's honestly no legitimate reason for
you NOT to upgrade to Service Pack 2. Your XP computer NEEDS this
upgrade. The real question is whether you want Microsoft to install
it for you or if you want to install it yourself. Well, the next six
words are the most important six words in this entire post:
***YOU WANT TO INSTALL IT YOURSELF!***
There are 12 things you need to do in order to ensure that your
computer's upgrade goes as smoothly as possible. The only way you
can guarantee that all 12 of these steps are followed, in order,
is if you do it yourself. And that's why I sending you this post a
full month before Microsoft starts automatically pushing XP Service
Pack 2 to your computer.
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1. Get a copy of Windows XP Service Pack 2 on a CD-ROM
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Trust me on this one, folks: XP SP2 is so large that you don't want to
try to download it over even the fastest Internet connection.
Besides, when your computer crashes sometime in the future and you
have to reinstall Windows, having XP SP2 on CD-ROM will speed your
recovery process.
How can you get XP SP2 on CD-ROM? Well, chances are one of your
friends or co-workers already has a spare XP SP2 upgrade CD lying
around. All you need to do is ask to borrow it. If that doesn't
work, go to the computer section of your nearest big box retailer and
ask for a free copy. Microsoft shipped massive amounts of free XP SP2
CD-ROMs to Circuit City, Best Buy, Office Depot, and places like that.
Again, all you have to do is ask.
If you still can't find a copy of XP SP2 or, even worse, if your local
tech store tries to sell it to you [something that happened to at
least one Best Buy customer in Chicago late last year], hop on over to
http://tinyurl.com/6g675
This page lets you order the XP SP2 CD-ROM directly from Microsoft.
Free.
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2. Once you have the XP SP2 CD-ROM, scan your computer for viruses
------------------------------------------------------------------
Personal experience shows that unwanted stuff on your computer like
viruses or spyware [see step 3] can wreck havoc on ANY software
installation, especially a major operating system upgrade. And while
you may think your current antivirus software is doing a good job of
scanning your computer for and protecting your computer from viruses,
over 60% of broadband users aren't running the latest version of their
antivirus program. [Source:
http://www1.us.dell.com/content/topics/segtopic.aspx/security?
c=us&cs=19&l=en&s=dhs]
So, just to be extra safe, before you even THINK about putting that XP
SP2 CD-ROM into your CD-ROM drive, let's have Symantec scan your PC
for viruses online. Open Internet Explorer and go to
http://www.symantec.com/cgi-bin/securitycheck.cgi.
[Unfortunately, Symantec's free online virus checker only works in
Internet Explorer.] When the page loads, click on the orange Go
button. This opens a pop-up window. Click on the red Start button
under Virus Detection to start the virus scan. You'll be asked if you
want to install and run three small plug-ins. Click Yes all three
times.
The scan will take a while, but it is well worth the wait. If
Symantec says your virus status is safe, continue on to step three.
But, if Symantec finds a problem, expect to spend a lot of time at
http://www.symantec.com/avcenter/index.html
downloading the appropriate removal tools.
---------------------------------------------------
3. Scan your computer for spyware and other malware
---------------------------------------------------
Spyware seems to be the number one cause of problems when upgrading to
XP SP2. So, in addition to scanning your computer for viruses, you
also need to scan it for spyware. But you need to make sure you are
using the latest version of your antispyware program when you do this.
How? Well, in Spybot Search & Destroy, go to Help About. There
you'll see the version number. The latest version of Spybot is 1.3.
If you have an older version, head on over to
http://www.safer-networking.org/en/download/index.html
and download the latest version.
If you have AdAware, look in the bottom right corner of the AdAware
screen. If you don't see "AdAware SE Personal, Build 1.05," you don't
have the latest version and you'll need to download a new copy at
http://tinyurl.com/5kgsl
Once you have the latest version of your antispyware program, check
for updates and then scan your computer. If you find any spyware,
nuke it.
--------------------------------
4. Update your software firewall
--------------------------------
If you are running a software firewall like ZoneAlarm or Sygate
Personal Firewall, you may need to update your software firewall so
that it will fully work with Windows XP SP2. This usually involves
downloading a simple patch that you can get from your software
firewall's manufacturer's website.
-----------------------------------------------------------
5. Get the latest PC manufacturer updates for your computer
-----------------------------------------------------------
If you have a name-brand computer, check the manufacturer's web site
and download any software or driver updates they recommend. For
example, Dell recommends that its users update their BIOS before
upgrading to XP SP2.
For a list of the XP SP2 upgrade sites for most of the major PC
manufacturers, check out
http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/sp2/oemlinks.mspx
If you can't find your computer manufacturer's web site, call the
company or store that sold you your computer and ask them if they know
of any issues with upgrading your make and model of computer to XP
SP2. By waiting to install XP SP2 until today, you've given the folks
in tech support enough time to figure out what computers upgrade well
and what computers have issues.
Sloth pays.
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6. Backup any files you cannot live without
-------------------------------------------
If media and blog reports are any indication, you should be able to
upgrade to XP SP2 without any major problems. But sometimes things go
awry. That's life.
Just to be extra safe, make sure to copy ALL of the important stuff on
your computer to a CD-ROM, DVD, thumb drive, external hard drive, or
whatever. You can never have too many backups.
In particular, make sure to backup your:
- Bank records and other financial information
- Digital photographs
- Software you purchased and downloaded from the Internet
- Software you didn't purchase but still download
- Your illegal MP3s and legal iTunes files
- Personal projects and other "My Documents" stuff
- Your e-mail address book and calendar
- Your enemies list
- Your browser's bookmarks or favorites list
Again, you'll probably not need this backup. But you can never be too
safe.
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7. Make a system restore point
------------------------------
Yeah, I know. The XP SP2 installer does this for you automatically.
Do it by hand just in case.
- Go to Start All Programs Accessories System Tools
System Restore.
- Choose Create a restore point.
- Click Next.
- In the Restore Point Description box, type something long and
descriptive [like "6 March 2005 - Before I installed XP SP2"]
- Click Create.
- Once the restore point has been created, click Close.
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8. Restart
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No, I don't mean go back to step one. I mean restart your computer.
It's usually a good idea to flush the decks, so to speak, before you
install any major program or operating system upgrade on your
computer.
Wait at least five minutes after you restart your computer before you
proceed. That just gives all of those icons down in your task bar
plenty of time to load and call home for updates.
You might also want to disable your antivirus program, but that's
completely up to you. [I accidentally installed XP SP2 without first
turning off my antivirus and nothing bad happ&%$()**NO CARRIER**]
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9. Find a local guru
--------------------
Step nine is probably the hardest step of them all.
If you follow steps one through eight, step nine is probably
completely unnecessary. But, sometimes bad things happen to good
people. And sometimes, although not often, XP SP2 installations go
horribly awry. If that happens, you're going to want to talk to
someone who can help you un-kludge your computer.
You are always welcome to send me email asking for assistance, but I
have to warn you that I get so much email that it is almost impossible
for me to keep up. I wish I was kidding, but it's now March 6, 2005,
and I am currently working on answering the emails sent to me during
the week of February 7th...FOUR weeks ago! If your computer goes
kersplat during the XP SP2 installation process, you're probably going
to want to speak to someone who can help you fix your computer in
minutes not weeks. Hence my recommendation that you find a local guru
who can help you if anything goes awry.
Again, if you follow steps one through eight, finding a local guru is
probably completely unnecessary. But, as I have said throughout
today's post, you can never be too safe.
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10. Install XP SP2
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You've prepped your system. You found a local guru who can help you
if things go wrong. Now it's time to install XP SP2. Pop the CD-ROM
into your CD-ROM drive and follow the on-screen prompts.
That's it.
No, really. That's it. Pretty anticlimactic, isn't it?
Once the upgrade is done, you'll be asked to restart your computer.
Welcome to the wonderful world of Windows XP Service Pack 2.
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11. Run Windows Update
----------------------
After you have successfully installed XP SP2, immediately run Windows
Update. There have been more than a few critical updates released
since your XP SP2 disc was pressed, and you need to download those
updates to ensure your computer is fully protected from the internet
nasties.
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12. Tweak XP SP2
----------------
Finally, after you've installed XP SP2 and run Windows Update, point
your favorite web browser to
http://support.microsoft.com/xpsp2installed
This page contains dozens of handouts and videos covering topics such
as configuring Internet Explorer's new pop-up blocker, using the new
Windows Security Center, and so on. Plan on spending a little time
here getting acquainted with the new security features in XP SP2.
----------------------
Troubleshooting XP SP2
----------------------
What if the XP SP2 installation doesn't go so smoothly on your
computer? As I hinted at earlier, that's what the local guru is for.
But, if you want to try to fix things yourself, check out
http://support.microsoft.com/xpsp2getinstall
This page has links to some of the more popular Microsoft Knowledge
Base articles to help you diagnose and fix the most common XP SP2
setup and installation issues. If that doesn't help, try a Google
search. Chances are you aren't the first person to have this problem.
And, if push comes to shove, you can always uninstall XP SP2 and roll
back your system to that restore point you created back in step seven.
You can find the instructions on how to do this at
http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;875355
I hope this helps! That's it for today. Have a safe and happy week,
and we'll talk again soon.
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