indeed...
It is always when such news is posted that the old stories/rumours are spread again. SP2 is not the most buggy/crappy thing. First of all, the update will never be forced upon you, not with downloading and certainly not with installing, even if auto-update is on to check for updates! And even not in 2006 when Microsoft stops supporting SP1. You can always ignore any update, and even turn off the auto-update completely.
What will happen is that support will not be given anymore when you don't upgrade. Just like support §updates) isn't given anymore for Win95. This means nothing more then that you'll not be able to get other updates as long as you don't install SP2.
Furthermore, SP2 is one of the major updates of Windows XP. Of course this has been tested long and detailed before it was released to the public (more then other updates).
On a normal healthy system, there shouldn't be any problem with SP2. The problems that can occur are not because SP2 is crap, but because the other 3rd party programs already installed on your PC aren't updated properly (yet).
SP2 contains lots of fixes and updates on internal stuff of XP. This means that programs which use these things need to be updated also!!! This does NOT mean that SP2 is crap or buggy!!! Compare it with running a program on Windows95 and after updating to WindowsNT, of course there might by a problem with a program, that doesn't mean NT is shit (not so good example, but you know what I mean, I hope).
Some problems could only surface now, after installing SP2, but this does NOT mean it is SP2 that is buggy. Those problems existing already on the system without you knowing about it. And this goes for almost all the "problems" reported about SP2... (eg: one common problem is with special drivers. But the drivers provided with the hardware are often obsolete and not yet compatible with Service Pack 2. Update them instead of bashing SP2.)
In short, the problem is not with SP2, but with not-updated programs. And as a sidenote, there are very little programs which give problems. Of course, people love it to bash MS, so in no time the word gets spread that SP2 is crap. Well, newsflash, it isn't....
quote:
Originally posted by Chaotic_Shield
My school says that I shouldn't download SP2, and I say that I won't because I don't want to waste my time downloading something that is going to get bypasses in about 6 weeks anyways.
Your school need to get its facts strait... So you're more happy to use a buggy system with many known security leaks instead of updating your system so all known leaks are fixed (even if it is for "6 weeks")????? tbh, that doesn't make any sense...
quote:
Originally posted by DJeX
Not trying to be rude Caboose, but I just think SP2 is riddled with problems. But I do agree with you that It's good for Microsoft to start fixing there problems instead of covering them up but what makes me mad is now there is no choice in whether you want this or not.
Fixing things is NOT covering up problems. Also, as explained (and most logically) there IS a choice whether you want it or not...
quote:
Originally posted by DJeX
quote:
Originaly posted by:Caboose
I use SP2 and there's nothing wrong with it. It's a worthwhile upgrade.
Ahh yea right.... Ermm can someone find my post awhile back, remember that one where I explained why it sucked so much. I'm not good at finding stuff on this forum can anyone help me out here....... 
"
DJeX's reply to Windows firewall [sp2]"
I didn't posted to your posts before about this, but now I will as the subject is again shifted to is SP2 crap or not:
quote:
Originally posted by DJeX
It's either slows your computer until it crashes, and or slows your internet
Configure it properly!!! I'm constantly in wonder how it is that many people don't even know that everything should be configured. This goes for simply programs but also for big system(update)s.
As you (hopefully) know, SP2 enables
Data Execution Prevention by default. This is one of it's ways to ensure that n00bs (sorry for the bad word) will be protected to themselfs. This can indeed slow down your computer a bit and to disable this, again you need to configure it like anything else in the computer-world.
Wether or not Microsoft should have left this option like it was or enable it by default is another question, but they did it, like I said, to protect n00bs to themselfs. The other people should already know about this option and if not should be able to figure it out easly by exploring the new options. In the end, looking at and exploring the new options is something any decent computer user should do before using a piece of software.
If this was the only thing that people say about SP2, then maybe I'd agree with them and jump on the "let's say something bad about SP2"-wagon. But with all the other crap that's said about SP2, I'm very reluctant to "share" the bad words...
quote:
Originally posted by DJeX
or in some cases it will disable or cause problems with your anti virus that has already been installed and was working fine before.
See my comments in the first part of my post. Some programs can indeed have problems with SP2, but it is how it is: those programs have problems with SP2, not the other way around!! Update those programs properly (eg: the Norton/Symantec tools)...
quote:
Originally posted by DJeX
You don’t need SP2 to run the Windows firewall any way, the firewall comes with Windows XP. All’s you need to do is enable it. With SP2 it just gives you a nice little program to work it from.
NOT true. The firewall HAS been updated also! It is not just some configuration-wizard hat has been added.
quote:
Originally posted by DJeX
In my option SP2 is junk. The only way you may get it to work good is on new installations of Windows XP, that’s it! If SP2 is installed on a Windows that’s about a year old forget it, it will screw something up.
On a decent normal system it will work good also. And I emphasises: HEALTHY systems. If your system is crap (configured bad) to start with, of course it's going to give problems in the long run... But that isn't SP2's fault, that's your own fault...
Of course I realize that when something bad CAN be said by Microsoft products that people are very stuborn and will rather believe those false rumours and make their own false conclussions instead of being logical and looking/investigating things for themselfs. Know about what you're talking about, and if not, don't believe anything bad strait away. Talking bad about such things is a international sport...
SP2 is NOT crap and should be installed by everyone who like to have bugs and leakes fixed.
Know what you're installing and explore the (new) options before jumping to conclussions (eg: the slow-down problem, saying that SP2 will be forced upon you, saying that IE should be fixed first while SP2 is half about fixing IE in the first place, the "6 weeks" example while SP2 is already out for half a year, etc... etc...)
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