-=PCTechTalk=- Re: SP2 updates

Here is an article that someone sent me from the New York Times.
 Take it for what it is worth to you as I have yet to load SP2 on my laptop.
***************************************
Weaned on Video Games
A few weeks ago, I reviewed the Service Pack 2. I concluded that this bundle
of security patches for Windows XP doesn't go far enough in protecting your
PC from viruses and Internet attacks, but it's much better than nothing.
(That's true even if you're already using virus, spyware and firewall
software, because SP2 also includes a long list of smaller, underlying
fortifications against attacks.) Everyone, I wrote, should install it.

I don't regret those words, but I do regret the number of people who wrote
to report that SP2 "broke" their computers. They reported everything from
programs that no longer work to PC's that won't even start up. When you're
talking about 200 million customers, even half a percent of fouled-up
installations is a heck of a lot of unhappy campers.

These horror stories leave a lot of people in an upsetting bind. They're
afraid to install SP2 because they've heard of the potential for problems,
yet they're afraid to leave their computers unprotected by its advances.

I spent more time on today's e-mail newsletter than any I've ever written.
It's a step-by-step prep guide for a problem-free SP2 installation. I wrote
it up with the assistance of Windows experts, Windows book authors and, for
final verification, Microsoft's own Service Pack 2 product manager.

Following these steps makes the upgrade take longer, but will greatly reduce
the likelihood that you'll run into trouble with SP2. Clip, save and pass
around.
Seven Steps to a Smooth Service Pack 2 Installation

The best way to avoid problems is to be slow and methodical BEFORE you
install SP2. Proceed through this checklist with all the care of an
archaeologist unearthing a skeleton.

Step 1: Check your hard drive for free space
You need at least 500 megabytes of free space, or SP2 won't even install.
(For the speediest installation, defragment your hard drive first, if you
know what that means.)

Step 2: Remove spyware
Spyware (software that you don't realize you have because it piggybacked on
something else you downloaded, like Kazaa) can gum up the works of an SP2
installation. Scan your hard drive using a free program like Ad-Aware
(www.lavasoftusa.com) or Spybot Search & Destroy (www.safer-networking.org)
to make sure your PC is free of these programs.

Step 3: Uninstall your virus and firewall programs
Installing Service Pack 2 on top of outdated utilities can produce two
different unpleasant side effects. First, the new Security Center doesn't
recognize older versions of these programs. Second, your PC might not even
be able to start up after the installation - which is, you have to admit,
something of a drawback. (Later, after the installation, put your virus and
firewall programs back - updated versions, if possible - one at a time.)

Step 4: Visit the Web page of your PC manufacturer
Search for information regarding SP2. It may turn out that your PC won't
work with Service Pack 2 unless you first update your BIOS (the built-in
software that controls your keyboard, screen, disk drives, communications,
and so on). In that case, you would find, at www.dell.com or www.gateway.com
(for example), a BIOS updater program that you're supposed to download and
run.

Step 5: Back up your stuff.
If you can back up your entire hard drive, do so; but at the very least,
make safety copies of your photos, email, music, documents, and so on. Think
of it this way: Your PC is going in for brain surgery.

Step 6: Visit the Windows Update Web site
A preliminary visit to www.windowsupdate.com is an important prerequisite.
This Web site will actually interactively inspect your PC to see what
condition your copy of Windows is in. If you're missing pieces, they'll be
filled in for you - an important step before the big Service Pack 2
installation.
Click the Express Install link to begin. After a moment of computation,
you'll see a list of updates that Microsoft thinks you need, under the
heading High Priority Updates. Installing them now will ensure that, when
Service Pack 2 comes along, your copy of Windows will be everything the
installer expects.

Step 7: Log off everyone but yourself
In other words, if you have Fast User Switching turned on, make sure all the
other accounts have been signed off. You should now be ready to install SP2
successfully, whether from the Windows Update Web page, a CD that you've
ordered, or from the Automatic Updates dialog box that appears on your
screen one day.

Finally, another tip, courtesy of author David Karp, my own personal Windows
XP guru: If your PC is your life - or your job, at least - you may want to
take one additional, advanced step: Install a SECOND copy of Windows XP.
This arrangement, known by geeks as dual-booting, takes some technical
expertise. But it means that you can install SP2 on the duplicate copy of
Windows to test your most essential programs. That way, you'll know about
any potential crises before committing your "real" copy of Windows to SP2.
----- 

P.S. Last week, I noted that another approach to avoiding the nightmare of
Windows security hassles is to switch to the Macintosh, where practical.
Many of you challenged my assertion that there hasn't been a single a Mac
virus outbreak. I should have explained more specifically that I'm talking
about Mac OS X, the Mac's operating system since 2001.

Even then, many of you wrote to say, "But if everyone switches to the Mac,
it won't remain virus-free for long. The only reason the virus writers leave
the Mac alone is that its market share is so small."

The Mac's small market share ("only" 25 million running Mac OS X) may be
part of the explanation, it's but not the only one; there are some solid
technical reasons the Mac is less susceptible to viruses and Internet
attacks, too. For details, see this earlier column:
http://www.nytimes.com/2003/09/18/technology/circuits/18POGUE-EMAIL.html
Visit David Pogue on the Web at DavidPogue.com.

Life is what happens in between plans.

Virus free email by Norton's
This message is intended for the sole use of the individual and/or entity to
which it is addressed, and may contain information that is privileged,
confidential, and exempt from disclosure under applicable law. If you are
not the addressee, or authorized to receive this on behalf of the addressee,
you are hereby notified that you may not use, copy, disclose, or distribute
to anyone this message or any part thereof. If you have received this in
error, please immediately advise the sender by e-mail and delete this
information. Thank you
----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Glenn Folkvord (Hyperion Media)" <glenn@xxxxxxxxxxxx>
To: <pctechtalk@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Sent: Thursday, October 28, 2004 5:05 PM
Subject: -=PCTechTalk=- SP2 updates


> Hey,
>
> I have heard alot of talk and rumours and frustrations from people who has
> used Windows Update to install Service Pack 2 to XP. Many serious problems
> even. What's the deal with this?
>
> glenn
>
> To unsub or change your email settings:
> http://www.freelists.org/webpage/pctechtalk
>
> To access our Archives:
> http://groups.yahoo.com/group/PCTechTalk/messages/
> http://www.freelists.org/archives/pctechtalk/
>
> For more info:
> http://www.freelists.org/cgi-bin/list?list_id=pctechtalk
>
>
>


To unsub or change your email settings:
http://www.freelists.org/webpage/pctechtalk

To access our Archives:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/PCTechTalk/messages/
http://www.freelists.org/archives/pctechtalk/

For more info:
http://www.freelists.org/cgi-bin/list?list_id=pctechtalk

Other related posts: