In August and September 2004, I installed and uninstalled Windows XP Service Pack 2 a couple of times, mostly to see if I could make the Windows Firewall work as a replacement for Zone Alarm. It would've been nice to have a good one as part of the OS instead of something you need to install and run separately. I also wanted to try the new pop-up blocker that's in Internet Explorer.
The first SP2 install froze the computer on reboot. I got the XP logo with "please wait…" under that, and that's how it stayed until I did a hard reset of the computer. Only then would XP boot to the Desktop. Maybe this link would have helped, or even this patch, had they been around at the time.
The new firewall introduced itself by letting programs through when it felt like it, denying access otherwise. And yes, I had Zone Alarm uninstalled at the time. Starting IE to do a Google search or go to my home page, would work once but maybe not the next time, at least not until after a reboot. IE wasn't the only thing acting up; Mozilla and Opera were getting through in that on-and-off kind of way... same with Outlook Express. The only thing that worked consistently was the ftp program, WS_FTP.
…seemed like SP2 had partly wrecked an XP setup that was working fine as it was. Only me to blame for it though. MS and others were advising people to wait before applying the upgrade. Me wait??? azzzifff !! :)
Another problem… The TASKKILL command line tool kept giving the message: "Error: RPC server is unavailable", though Remote Procedure Call was started and set to Automatic. I learned later on that a service called DCOM Server was to blame.
On the second SP2 install, Windows Firewall acted differently again… it was letting everything through without a word or a dialog. According to a port scan at Steve Gibson's Shields Up!, WF was stealthing all the way but it kept giving Gibson's LeakTest utility Internet access. Nothing I did (e.g. in Advanced or Exceptions) would make Windows Firewall work in an ask-me-first manner. Maybe I missed something, somewhere. I'd assumed that SP2's new firewall would work more the way Zone Alarm does, assumed wrong. I wondered if it would have been better if Microsoft had licensed ZoneLabs technology for their firewall. If I couldn't trust Windows Firewall to block something like LeakTest from making outgoing calls, how could I trust it to deal with truly hostile sorts of scumware?
Before the second SP2 install, I took the time to enable every XP service I thought or suspected might be needed. Alas, it didn't keep the new service pack from doing what it did after installation the first time around-- hanging on reboot. It took another hard reset to bring back the Desktop. However, the TASKKILL tool was now working properly.
All in all, I suppose the second try went better than the first.
Back at SP1. There was no big reason for me to upgrade in the first place, beyond my need to play with new software, and hopefully get rid of pop-up ads once and for all. Zone Alarm is solid enough. My antivirus approach is working ok-- that one is written about here, along with other bits. I have a hosts file, a Flash on/off tool, an adware remover, an IE branding remover, an anti hijack utility, an IE window maximizer that doubles as a pop-up window killer, and enough distrust to use them all. Meanwhile, Opera, Mozilla and Firefox have their own tricks for keeping the crud of the Net away from me. With all this stuff going on, I think I'll get by without SP2 for a while… or until I decide to mangle a good thing and go at it again. :)
...later...
I've done the slipstreaming of SP2 as laid out at The Elder Geek. The thing is bootable and will install XP with SP2 in one go... Only now that it's ready, I'm in no real hurry. What was the point then?... Because it was there! :-)
...later still..
I ran the slipstreamed SP2 install CD for real this time, did it on a reformatted hd. After install, a problem came up with a tool called ERUNT (a Registry backup utility) giving errors non-stop... Installing the latest version put an end to these. Now, all's quiet.
Ok... maybe not exactly quiet... just a couple of things that popped up... uh... came up, and they're really only inconveniences: Sometimes when I click a link in IE, nothing happens, unless I right-click the link and choose Open or Open in New Window, or click Tools / Pop-up Blocker / Temporarily Allow Pop-ups. Either those or turn the blocker off altogether... I'd rather not do that though. At another page, someone mentioned that this can happen with links that are external to the page you're viewing... Oh!... well...hmmm... wish I'd thought of that one. :) The other weird thing is the way the display reverts to 1024x768 when the monitor is left off during an XP boot or reboot... more about that here.
For the one or two people who might be reading this, I do have some recommendations for SP2:
1) You could put off getting SP2, if:
- you scan, clean and defrag your disks regularly
- you run a firewall (software or hardware or both)
- your antivirus program is getting a workout and its definitions are kept current
- you have a pop-up blocker (or a browser with one built in)
- you're using anti-malware tools
- you keep Windows current with critical patches/hotfixes (aside from SP2)
- you do most of your browsing with something that isn't Internet Explorer
- you'd sooner delete a scumball email than open it
Contrary to what's been written elsewhere, you don't actually have to install SP2 if you don't want it. I did it mostly because I felt like it. IE's new pop-up blocker is nice but I suppose I'd manage without it, though I'm not in the mood to test drive that statement. :) And the new Windows Firewall may as well not be here at all, for all the time I give it, which is none. Anyway, you'd think that people had absolutely no choice about installing SP2.... There's always a choice. Automatic Updates can easily be shut off or made to ask before downloading or installing anything. Here is a Microsoft article on controlling Automatic Updates, specifically the newer incarnation of AU.
Update (April 13 2005): This could spoil some people's fun, including mine. Microsoft will stop allowing people to pass on SP2. What that means is, you'll have to accept their service pack-- there won't be the option of downloading and installing other updates and skipping SP2. The only other choice is to skip all updates from MS, including SP2. But these days, that's just asking for trouble if you plan to go on using XP. All I can say to this development is, "oh s*it". and move on.
2) If you must install SP2 over an existing setup, make sure that setup is cleaned up first.
- Check your disks for errors
- clean out junk files
- uninstall programs and other extras you don't need
- remove startup items that might interfere with the upgrade
- remove the parasites
- clean and compact the registry
- defrag the whole works
- back it all up <if a full backup is a problem, save whatever is most valuable to you-- your docs, pics, tunes, emails, settings etc
After that, get SP2 here, order it on CD, or let it happen automatically. Many people at Windows forums are having SP2 problems, often because they didn't prepare their systems beforehand. That's like getting dressed up in clean new clothes without having bathed in months... or years for some.
3) If you have the time, a little patience and a touch of geek in you, slipstream SP2 into your original XP cd. Slipstreaming is the process of integrating a service pack like SP2 into an original installation cd like the one for XP, letting you install the operating system and the service pack in one step instead of two. You can come at it the Elder Geek way, the Fred Langa way, the Windows-help.net way, the Tom's Hardware way, the MSFN way, or the Neowin.net way. Or you can see if a tool like AutoStreamer will do it for you. Take the resulting cd and run it on a reformatted hard drive. If you slipstream, I can almost guarantee that you won't be one of the people biting their nails and wearing out their list of swear words.
4) Don't expect to live happily ever after with SP2, privacy or security wise. If your eyes were open before SP2, keep them that way. Never ever let a piece of software do your thinking for you. Same rules as before, just in case you haven't had quite enough of my lists:
- don't open suspect emails
- scan for viruses with an updated antivirus tool
- choose another firewall over SP2's (like Zone Alarm)
- use one of the alternative browsers for most surfing-- keep IE around for things like Windows Update and other places that insist on it
- switch to the free Mozilla Thunderbird emailer if you've had enough of Outlook Express.
Your best WinXP defense is not SP2 (or any other software update) but your own suspicious mind. Hmmm... I feel an Elvis tune coming on. :)
More on XP SP2, stuff I thought worth bookmarking:
- Temporarily Disabling Delivery of Windows XP Service Pack 2 Through Windows Update and Automatic Updates has Expired (Microsoft)
- Windows Security Center (The Elder Geek)
- Windows Firewall (The Elder Geek)
- Top 10 Reasons to Install Windows XP Service Pack 2 (Microsoft)
- What to do after installing Service Pack 2 (Microsoft)
- Fix Windows XP SP2 Installation Woes (PC World)
- Your XP Service Pack 2 Survival Guide (PC World)
- Are Security Vendors Tricking XP SP2? Windows Security Center may not know when your antivirus definitions are out of date (PC World)
- Automatic Update for Windows XP - Includes SP2 Update Section (The Elder Geek)
- Real-Life Experiences With XP's SP2 (Fred Langa): "Forget the ivory-tower pundits--here are first-hand reports from the trenches, relayed by your peers who've already installed the new Service Pack."
- Is XP's Fix Safe? (PC World): "Windows XP Service Pack 2 seems a smooth upgrade for most, but many are putting off installing Microsoft's big security patch anyway..."
- Update for Windows XP Service Pack 2 - KB885894 (Microsoft): "This update helps resolve an issue where Windows Installer running on Windows XP Service Pack 2 stops responding when you install an update." You may only need this if you're having trouble like that freeze-on-reboot I mentioned.
- 60 Useful Windows XP SP2 Links (Scot Finnie): "You have questions about Windows XP Service Pack 2 (SP2), and Microsoft has at least some answers."
- Windows XP Service Pack 2 Help and Tips (Malektips)
- Microsoft Fixes Vexing XP SP2 Incompatibility (Microsoft Watch)
- Changes to Functionality in Microsoft Windows XP Service Pack 2 (Microsoft)
- Your computer stops responding when you restart to complete the installation of Windows XP Service Pack 2 (Microsoft)
- Frequently asked questions about Windows Security Center (Microsoft)
- Tweak Windows XP SP2 Security to Your Advantage (PC World)
- WinXP SP2 = security placebo? (The Register)
- List of fixes included in Windows XP Service Pack 2 (Microsoft)
- The hard disk space requirements for Windows XP Service Pack 2 (Microsoft)
- Getting Your XP Systems Ready for SP2 (The Channel Insider)
- Windows XP Service Pack 2: intro, info, resources (About.com)
- Windows XP Service Pack 2 Network Installation Package for IT Professionals and Developers (Microsoft) (this is the big 266+mb installer)
- Some programs seem to stop working after you install Windows XP Service Pack 2 (Microsoft)
- Can You Live with Windows XP SP2? (PC Magazine)
- Troubleshooting Windows Firewall settings in Windows XP Service Pack 2 (MS)