WinXP Service pack 2

[Seven]

I've been holding off on installing SP2 on my comps because I hear of the problems people are having with online gaming issues.

I'm behind a router, but it's been rebooting itself or all the lights go out except for the power light for the past 2 weeks now.
I have to unplug it and plug it back in for it to work again.

I have a new one coming in under warranty next week, but was wondering if I'm trying to be hacked and it's messing with the router.

So I updated all my comps with the latest security patches from the Windows Update site, the only thing left is Service Pack 2.


Guess I'll wait for the new router and see if it continues, just wondering if any of you think SP2 is a must have.
Thanks.

[aelfkins]

I think SP2 is great, and I haven't had many problems with it. You'll have to tell the firewall, what you want to have access. It's pretty easy and self explanitory.





:)

[Seven]

Are you able to turn it off completely?

I'd rather just have the hardware firewall in the router to be the only one running.

[reddog]

yeah you can turn it off if you want. either in the security center. or straight from the services. think its called windows firewall and internet connection sharing.

If you turn it of in the security center the center will keep asking for it. which honestly is quiet annoying.

on the other hand i haven't had any problems with it being on. only occasionally it comes to ask if you want to block something.

The only problem i had was with nero who just needed to be re-installed. SP2 did overwrite the Nero ASPI with the roxio one.

[athon]

I've switched off the security center and the firewall completely by disabling the services in the control panel. I've also never had a problem with SP2.

Athon Solo

[Yelly]

No problems with SP 2 here and I install SP 2
for ppl almost every day.If you got problem
it is mostly becaus of really old hardware

[Xeno LARD]

I was going to install it, then I installed it on a friends laptop and left the disk in there :(.

[Endar]

Windows Service Pack 2 has some major problems with some games and software. Eather the games work fine or then they wont work at all.

Like Vampire the Masquerade: Bloodlines, I had to remove SP2 to install it. The SafeDisk seems to think that SP2 is some weird copyprotection passing software or something. I dont know.

Well anyway I dont have the SP2 on my computer now, and I dont have any plans on installing it again eather. Fucking "security update", its making the computer just too secure for me. If I want to install a game I think I should be able to do so.

Oh and by the way my Windows XP Home Edition is legal, same with Bloodlines.

[*Dazz*]

I installed SP2 on my machine, then like a week later, it was gone, and it wants to download it again, but when i say ok, it never downloads....

[Bugs Gunny]

SP2 has the nice popup blocking feature for explorer

[Xeno LARD]

SP2 has the nice popup blocking feature for explorer

Get a proper browser. (http://getfirefox.com/)

[dem0n]

Get a proper browser. (http://getfirefox.com/)

IE is the most proper browser on the market atm, and all that buff about FF is plain BS, it's neither secure or better... and those few miliseconds of loading sites because of less dependancies - does it really matter?

people just don't know how to use IE to it's full extent, imo it's simple the way it should be, practical and can be custimized the way you like it. I have yet to see another browser where you can modify as much security related questions as IE, and some people have bragged how other broswers can disable flash, java, images etc.... IE can do that too :o. tabbed browsing... who needs it? I mean are you going to make other browsers a better solution just cause it has tabbed browsing? and just how much do you need a auto password filler... considering the security risk, that one password can give you access to many, or when people don't even set up a master password.
not to mention firefox uses much more memory than internet explorer, about 3 times more... that utterly negates it being smaller, compact and faster.


as for SP2, I'd go for it. few reasons:

buffer overflow... solved.
open ports [which stay that way if an application crashes]... solved.
better insight into network properties.

I'd go for it, as for games I guess thats just an issue if you have the firewall enabled. in my case I have ISA 2k4 frontend and haven't had any problems, even the firewall client doesn't create any problems [as far as I've heared].

[AlphaGremlin]

IE is the most proper browser on the market atm, and all that buff about FF is plain BS, it's neither secure or better... and those few miliseconds of loading sites because of less dependancies - does it really matter?

people just don't know how to use IE to it's full extent, imo it's simple the way it should be, practical and can be custimized the way you like it. I have yet to see another browser where you can modify as much security related questions as IE, and some people have bragged how other broswers can disable flash, java, images etc.... IE can do that too :o. tabbed browsing... who needs it? I mean are you going to make other browsers a better solution just cause it has tabbed browsing? and just how much do you need a auto password filler... considering the security risk, that one password can give you access to many, or when people don't even set up a master password.
not to mention firefox uses much more memory than internet explorer, about 3 times more... that utterly negates it being smaller, compact and faster.


as for SP2, I'd go for it. few reasons:

buffer overflow... solved.
open ports [which stay that way if an application crashes]... solved.
better insight into network properties.

I'd go for it, as for games I guess thats just an issue if you have the firewall enabled. in my case I have ISA 2k4 frontend and haven't had any problems, even the firewall client doesn't create any problems [as far as I've heared].
I can see this getting ugly really quick, so I'll just say these things.
Don't knock Tabbed Browsing until you've tried it. It's amazingly convenient.
Auto-password filler... well, I just don't use it for those reasons you said, simple as that.
Options... IMO, Firefox has way more options. They're not wrapped up in a fancy GUI, but they're there right here (about:config) for you to get at!
Disabling Java... you need to get (and usually pay for) a seperate program to cripple Java's irritating features like window modifications in IE (why should an applet decide I don't need tool bars?) Can IE selectively hide images like advertising? Not that I know of, feel free to prove me wrong!
Saying that FireFox is flawed and IE has more security options means nothing when you can visit a site with it totally locked down and have some program waltz into your computer and set up shop! I'm not saying FireFox doesn't have any flaws like that, but how many sites will compromise your computer when you're using it?
And as for memory... well, you can't argue with that. FF does use more on average, but I think the added features (and the fact that I have several extensions in FF compared to a bare-bones IE) make up for it.

You should know that Buffer Overflow Protection is only enabled on CPU's that support it. If yours doesn't, then the feature does jack. I haven't heard anything about the open ports stuff... I haven't noticed it ever happening, and I regularly crash programs, being a programmer.

AlphaGremlin

[DigestiveBiscui]

i've turned my Windows update off just to stop SP2 downloading :p

i just check for windows updates manually now :)