Just a little heads up for those that haven't installed it yet. I installed the update yesterday and it completely screwed up my system. It caused almost all of my programs to work incorrectly or not work at all. I asked around and it happended to alot of other people as well. I used system restore to get it uninstalled and my system seems to be working fine now
I've actually heard quite good things about it, as it's suppose to fix a whole bunch of security flaws in XP. Of course, I'm running 2000 Pro and don't intend to switch, so no worries.
XP 2 is going to force people to learn more about how their computers work. This is both good and bad. Those with the wherewithal to do so will figure it out and use it. Those without are going to, like Spartak, take one look and roll it back. I think a lot of software vendors got caught flat-footed. Even though the developer's specifications and beta have been out for months, people are only getting around right now to putting up patches. Basically, if a program you use does some sort of network communication and it isn't made by MS, SP 2 is probably going to break it. First,go to the program vendor's website and see if they have a SP 2-related patch. If not, try a google search such as "MyApp TCP port" This shows you how to open those ports: http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;875356 IANA's well-know ports page is your friend: http://www.iana.org/assignments/port-numbers First hint: For most apps you need to turn on both the TCP and UDP ports. TCP establishes the session, UDP transports data.
i'm testing it on my test pc and have no problem so far. my friend on the other hand had it installed and according to him screwed his whole system. i don't know how it happened nor do i care.
From what I've read and heard from friends, it seems to screw with computers that have a lot of smaller name software on it. If you're running a less than mainstream product there's a good chance SP2 could affect your computer.
According to reports (including from MS itself), SP2 is breaks even some MS apps. Also, SP2 introduces new security problems: http://www.eweek.com/article2/0,1759,1639465,00.asp http://www.eweek.com/article2/0,1759,1637596,00.asp One has to give MS a lot credit for putting out the comprehensive, free, update. However, with the problems being reported, it's a big risk to install it. Sure, some users won't have problems (MikeLastort, for instance), but many will.
let's go back to windows me. there's no service pack for the os and its product support already ended after 3 years from its berth. that means win me is the most stable os in the world.
If only I had read this thread earlier. Once I downloaded SP2, when I used the internet explorer it would freeze suddenly, which led to me having to use the restore point. Probably just wait a month while they sort the bugs outs.
Joe, I'm not saying this is the case in your, case, but just in case...case Other than the small name software Chicago1871 was talking about, problems like yours mean your system (say, your IE) is infected with spyware/adware already. So, you installed SP2 and it blocks all those ports + the firewall that gets turned on by default. Next time you start IE, the spyware clogging into it starts too, tries to dial home or do whatever thing they do, no luck and causing the whole thing to freeze/crash. I'd use Spybot: http://www.snapfiles.com/get/spybot.html and Adware http://www.lavasoft.de/ along with your fav anti-virus First, run them one after the other cleaning the system up then re-install SP2.
Mine never finished downloading and F*ed up my whole computer. Of course I had to reformat my computer. Thanks SP2!
Na got one of those spyware things installed before, i thought it may be my personal firewall conflicting the windows firewall or something. But hey if it aint broke don't fix it.
Running 2000 Pro SP 4. I never, ever, ever have problems...Don't plan on switching to anything else unless I decide to go with linux on all my boxes.
sp4 on w2k, too, had many compatibility issues (symantec, cisco aironet, outlook, wmp, etc etc) like sp2 on winxp. time will fix it one day. i used to deny installing sp4 on my w2k machines but now they're all working just fine.
i had to format my hd yesterday,and basicly started a new with my xp system.anyway haveing seen this thread before i had always avoided sp2,and now i know why. my p.c. apon final re-booting after installing a freash copy of xp and sp1,decided to auto update from microsoft and downloaded sp2,which totally fcuked up my broadband and e-mail settings,makeing both un-useable. anyway long story short un-installed it and now everythings back to normal.except the auto update is still on,so each time i re-boot it trys to download sp2 again.any ideas were i turn it off
I can't remember where you set that - and I don't have admin rights on my work machine. I do find it puzzling that so many people have problems with SP2. Not me. My biggest complaint is that SP2's firewall automatically allows all outbound comms, and it's impossible to make any security changes as a normal user (which is understandable, but it's a PITA to have to log out to change users - which is required with Pro and a domain controller)
thanks anyway mate the worst thing is that file downloading in the background is slowing my broadband down,aagggghhhhhh seriously i just spent ages reading all the faq & troubleshooting guides on the update site and guess what? they tell you how to turn it on but not off,f.f.s.
Before I got a new PC, I questioned a few knowledgeable people I knew about SP2. They informed me that problems usually arose if you installed the service pack. They reccormended that I purchase a new copy of XP with SP2 on it instead of downloading it later. I did, and immediately turned off the firewall and pop-up blockers and installed my own programs. Haven't had a problem yet.
I also wish I had read this thread before installing Service Pack 2. The above posters seem to have their finger on the pulse of the situation. Chicago1871, your assertion is correct. My boss ordered a XP machine with XP and SP2 pre-installed. The machine runs flawlessly. I purchased a work computer with XP, but without SP2. Immediately after registering the machine, I downloaded SP2. It runs flawlessly. That's where my luck ran out. Trux, I didn't know about the spyware problems. So I went ahead and loaded SP2 on my home machine. I seem to have only one problem at startup: "Windows has encountered a problem with NVidia and needs to close." I report the error, but nothing else happens. I'm not a gamer with a turbo charged video card. The video card is the standard card that comes with an HP Pavillion. I've cleaned the drive with Microsoft Anti-Spyware, but I still get the same error message. I installed SP2 months ago and I guess I'm stuck with it.