Thoughts on XP Service Pack 2

I am going to install XP Pro but I just wanted peoples opinions on SP2
and what it has actually changed.

 

It's the biggest bag of shit I have ever seen :-D

100+mb download and what it changes .... well pretty much chnages your system from stable to unstable and from functional to malfunctional.

I'm glad I went back to SP1 (needed the disc space .... + a PC that works...) but there may be a few people who were not so adversely affected.

I suppose a lot of the patches are to stop the average computer illiterate idiot from being exploited by clicking various infections where as gamers usually know their way around a PC and are less likely to get infected. They probably fixed a ton of stuff but probably added new loopholes too so maybe it's not worth it.

You know what they say though - if it ain't broke don't fix it :smt023

 

Installed it with no probs, but no great benefits either - mind you if you use IE id get it since it includes a newer version with popup blocker and download manager....alternatively you could just use mozilla...

 

SP2 is shit. Fucked up download speeds, software compaitiblity and even disabled my DVDRW drive somehow from burning.

 

Killed my soundcard, just spent the last few hours installing a fresh copy on my new HDD and making sure SP2 cant get it!

 

Not really sure if everyone else doesn't know what they're doing (unlikely in at least Tachikoma's case, prolly driver conflict or something) or what the problem seems to be, but I've had XPSP2 since the RTM version was first available, and it's been absolutely fine for me. The only thing I've noticed as far as performance is a helluva lot less popups sneaking past my current browser addon (the IE Popup blocker fixed a lot of the loopholes that popups were starting to use to get around things like Google Toolbar), other than that, there's no problem. Make sure the Windows Firewall doesn't get turned on by mistake, or if it does, make sure that you configure it for your programs - this was the "feature that may 'break' some applications" that Microsoft was talking about on release. A few nice things are a much faster Add/Remove Programs app and a nice little bubble that pops up in your taskbar that informs you when your virus protection needs updating. All in all, something I've found to be highly worth the download, and you probably shouldn't risk being without it.

And fellas, if Metal_4ever is anything like me, he'd probably like some more detailed information than "This is a piece of shit!! It made my computer suck" like, oh, I don't know, what really happened and if you tried actually reinstalling drivers for devices that stop working. I know Tachikoma knows his way around a computer, but to hear the barrage of "It was working and I installed SP2 and now it sucks!" leads me to believe there are a lot of people who aren't as computer literate as they front here.
Bottom line: If you've got a problem with a product and want to warn someone off, why not actually provide them relevant information as to what happened, what (if anything) you tried to get things working again, and any fixes or alternatives you've heard of? You know, useful, intelligent stuff?

 

How's this for useful, intelligent stuff - I installed it - no disc would burn on my OSNY DRU 350 DVDRW drive. I reinstaleld it, reinstalled all the drivers, stil nothing. Instaleld the newest firmware, as wlel as driver updates from SONY, still nothing. Only uninstalling it allowed my drive to work again.



So yes - SP2 does have issues. It was somewhat useful while I had it - particularly the built-in popup blocker in IE - but until it resolbves its issues with its conflicts with my DVDRW drive - apparently not the only peripheral it doesn'e liek judging from Tachikoma's sound card - it HAS issues and is far from ideal for everyone.

 

Don't use Windows's ASPI layer.

 

Will that help? How would I do that?

 

Thing is, I've spoken with Tachikoma on IM before, and for a fellow whose job consists of working with computers, I'd think it was safe to say that he'd know what to try before calling it a waste of space.

That's hardly the point, however, as all I knew from your posting was:

Which doesn't say much. You were a little more concise on the DVD burner thing, but not by a lot. As I said, if someone's looking for info on something, I'd think they'd want to hear a little about the actual problem, not metaphors comparing it to excrement. Could be just me tho.

 

My boyfriend installed sp2 last weekend, it's been total chaos with it.
A lot of P2P software can hardly download anymore because SP2 limits the number of simultanious connections you ca have, basicly crippling P2P programs.
On the hardware front His soundcard stopped working (Creative sb audigy platinum) after 10x reinstall of the drivers he finaly had sound back but couldn't operate his 5,25 bay unit of his soundcard.

So he did a complete reinstall without SP2 and now everything works as it should.
SP2 needs some marjor driver updates and some way to keep using P2P porgrams with as many connections as you like before he or i will install it aggain.

Unfortunately if we want to use IE7 in the future we will need to install it, because M$ has announced that IE7 will only work on machines running windows xp + SP2 meaning if you don't have that it's ano go.

 

Ah well

Well despite the fact that many people are having trouble with it , I will just install it and take it for a spin.

 

The problem with my soundcard was a dodgy driver, the SP2 install insisted on using the driver that it thought was right. I could not force it to use any other driver, no matter what I tried.

I was using the beta SP2 before and it was fine, but the final SP2 was the problem.

 

Can you install the right driver over it once SP2 is installed, or does it block you from doing that?

 

Normally you can, but in this instance it would not let me.

 

Well, I just put it on my computer, and besides it taking about 5000 years to install, I have not had any problems yet.

 

I have yet to download and install it on any systems myself. But I do have a Windows XP install cd with SP2 built in, that I have loaded a number of times for personal friends on new machines. Havent had any problems thus far. So maby it helps if its loaded right from the start rather then an upgrade ?

 

Yes

That is what I plan on doing myself. That way if there are driver issues etc I can pin down the actual issues.

 

I slipstreamed it with my original WinXP install disc and reinstalled windows and everything seems to be good so far. I just turned off windows firewall to avoid all the connection issues that it created. The other added features are nice though, the more prominent ones being the IE updates.

 

I haven't installed it yet, but my friend has and said he didn't notice any problems, but saying that his CD burner recently stopped working, and I'm beginning to wonder if it's related. It's shocking that so many people have had drive issues, I have no idea how they could have fucked up so resoundingly once again.

As far as I could tell, the only other thing SP2 did was boost ie's security and update the firewall. Thanks, but I'd rather use a browser that isn't being targetted directly by every piece of spyware/malware in existence. Same with the firewall, it's only a matter of time before someone figures a way around the SP2's new one. Why choose software that's the number one target for criminals, spammers and fraudsters, when there are equally good (and often superior) alternatives?