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General => Computers / Internet => Topic started by: Hugh_Jones on September 24, 2004, 22:08:29
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Has anybody here been brave enough to instal the Windows XP Service Pack 2 yet? I`ve had the disk sitting alongside my computer for a couple of weeks now, but can`t decide whether to instal it. Although Microsoft make great claims about the security benefits, press reports all appear to suggest the risk of problems, some serious - particularly as to compatability with other software - and reports on the internet don`t appear to be very much better. Has anybody out there any experience of SP2?
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Got it, installed it, cannot see that it has made any difference at all to the machine. Still get same number of reports of attack from Norton and AVG as I did before. Still get the same number of unwanted things which Adaware and Spybot get rid of.
So far though it has not mucked up the machine, but that may be hubris!
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It's free (that makes a change :o)from the Microsoft updates, I have installed it and touch wood no viruses as yet, Norton let a few through that was annoying as I paid good money for their package. So yes I'd say things are better.
Roy 8)
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Was going to, until I saw 3hr 59min download time.
Since the machine goes off-line every 20min, that's not on! = Tim
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You can send for a disc with it on, but that is not free. And in theory it should carry on from where it stops when you disconnect. OR, you could find someone who has downloaded it and see if their package will work on your machine. I assume it is the same for every version of XP?
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If it were worth all the hassle!! = Tim
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try a download manager
I use www.getright.com.
Basic one is free @ www.getright.com/get.html
Most websites support this sort of program ( or they should tell you if they dont).
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Thanks, Maestro - 'getright' downloaded, & now unsure whether or not to proceed! There do seem to be a lot of ifs & buts to it. = Tim
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Trouble is, tim, that to be sure you`ve done it properly it`s an enormous hassle. Microsoft advise you to check with your computer maker first, then you`re supposed to have Microsoft check your existing XP for critical updates. After that you MUST clean out any suspect stufff with Ad-Aware (or similar) (do that regularly anyway), and you`re advised to back up all your files (quite a few cds in my case).
When you`ve installed it your Nero cd burner won`t work if it`s version 6.3.03 or lower (as mine is), if you use Norton anti-virus Windows won`t recognise it, if you have a Nikkon camera (as I have) the Nikkon software doesn`t work properly, and there`s apparently a whole host of smaller programs that you can`t use until somebody invents a load of new patches.
I`ve now done everything up to actually installing it, and I`m still hesitating - the Internet contains a number of complaints from people who installed it and whose computers now refuse to boot up at all. IF you decide to install, go to
http://support.microsoft.com/kbid=875355
and print off the detailed instructions for recovering your computer if it all goes wrong - even Microsoft admit the possibility.
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Took the plunge, tim, and installed it. Actually 45 minutes including restarting and clicking all the little boxes it asked me to. Seems to be working o.k. but 2 hours of backing up time and several cds wasted.
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Well - I hope your spiel has helped someone, Hugh. I reckon I'll take a rain check. I just know I'd lose something in the backing-up process. = Tim
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Just as a matter of interest, although I regularly use McAfee Quick Clean and Ad-Aware, last week I downloaded a little program called `cclean` and tried it immediately after using the other two. It found a further 97 junk files which the others had missed, emptied the Windows cookie data file (which I`ve never been able to do before) and freed up several hundred ks of hard disk space - I can highly recommend it.
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Well the warning came too late for me and I just downloaded it an it works, can't say more than that. :D
Roy ;D
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I downloaded and installed and have had no problems at all with it. It did recognise my Norton antivirus software phew!
Only change is that I get a message saying "Pop up window blocked" (or some such) occasionally.
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Same here Jill with the pop up thingy, downloaded mine on Sunday.
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Downloaded mine over the week-end too and so far no problems whatsoever. :D
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Yep I get the pop-up stopper thingy-me-bob and find it reassuring, I also have two firewalls now and are unsure if this is a good or bad thing? ???
Roy ;D
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You can`t have too many Firewalls Roy - I`m running McAfee as well as the Windows Firewall, and it still intercepts things that Windows misses - I think Windows only works against incoming, not against outgoing, so any `reporting out` programs could still work despite the Windows Firewall
One problem from SP2, however. As soon as I go into IE the McAfee Firewall informs me that something called `Generic Process for Win 32` is trying to access the internet. It`s a persistent little blighter because although I keep saying NO the damned thing keeps coming back at me until I give in and agree. Can anybody please tell me what this wretched thing is and what it`s for. Personally I think it`s Microsoft`s own spyware, and if it is I would prefer to deny it access.
I previously mentioned NERO (below version 6.3.03) not working, but I`ve now discovered the way to get round this if anyone needs to know.
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Thanks Hugh ;) Ill keep both then. I have just googled your query Hugh and got what may be a long answer to your question, try this
http://www.computing.net/security/wwwboard/forum/272.html
I previously mentioned NERO (below version 6.3.03) not working, but I`ve now discovered the way to get round this if anyone needs to know.
Yes I would be interested in the answer to the above as I too have Nero but alas not tried it since "Windows XP Service Pack 2" being installed and knowing my luck it will fangue.
Roy :)
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Thanks Roy. I`ve read all through the item several times, and it`s still more or less clear as mud. Problem is that the request keeps on coming up unless I allow access, and as long as the request keeps flashing up my computer is blocked. The only way I can continue is by allowing access.
The problem with NERO is that it falls foul of the new DEP Security feature in SP2. However you can disable DEP for specific programs. Go to Control Panel/System/Advanced/
Performance/Settings/Date Execution Prevention. Click `Turn on for all programs and services except those I select` and press `Add` to navigate. Highlight Nero, Open, press `Apply`, then `OK`
You can use this for any other programs which fall foul of DEP
Another problem which has arisen since I installed SP2 is that every time I log off the internet my History of Sites visited is , for some strange reason, immediately and completely deleted, although the setting in IE properties is for 5 days. Can anyone throw any light on this?
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Thank again Hugh I have copy pasted it for future reference, sorry I can't help with the history problem, I clear mine together with the cookies and internet files daily.
Roy
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I think I am blaming that for hiding notepad from me - I have a shortcut which works, but when clicking a txt file - notepad not on list of programs to open. Problem solved, but it meant looking in folder options, file type, then advanced and editing the "open" and found that windows thought notepad was in the system32 folder.
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Your ccleaner, Hugh...brilliant.....found about 2 dozen that RegCleaner missed...and hopefully got rid of CATZFIR.exe...an animal shelter screensaver who wrote 'donate or else'. Thank you.
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What is it that determines how much c..p you get. A local friend gets 10s of nasties a day. And many of you seem to suffer a lot more than we do - which is almost nothing. Is it the amount one uses the net - or what you use it for?
One of the few things we do get is an occasional e-mail from a different person's name each time - 're (5)' etc - the figure is different each time.
We have Panda & Stopzilla. = Tim
PS Still too scared to get SP2, despite having downloaded Getright. The thought of losing something in backing up is too much of a threat.
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tim, it depends entirely on what sort of c..p you mean. However, almost every site you visit on the internet, even the most innocent sounding ones, deposits a cookie in your computer, and except for those sites you visit regularly and for which you want your password remembering it`s all c..p. Unfortunately many of these cookies also contain adware or spyware whose purpose is to record your internet use and report back on it, and the more unscrupulous may contain diallers which can re-route your link to your ISP through a premium rate line, or trojans which literally `open the gates` from inside your computer. Your anti-virus and firewall should intercept trojans, but they don`t intercept cookies and diallers. This is what programs such as Ad-aware, Spybot and ccleaner are for - to get rid of them, and in the case of ccleaner to clear out Microsoft`s own private record of your internet use.
As to dodgy emails, you only get these from people who have got your address from somewhere, but again, many sites who obtain email addresses perfectly legitimately simply sell them on to the highest bidder, just as the catalogue companies and the charities do with your name and address - subscribe to one and they`re all after you.
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Hi Hugh, can I refer you back to this previous thread
Just as a matter of interest, although I regularly use McAfee Quick Clean and Ad-Aware, last week I downloaded a little program called `cclean` and tried it immediately after using the other two. It found a further 97 junk files which the others had missed, emptied the Windows cookie data file (which I`ve never been able to do before) and freed up several hundred ks of hard disk space - I can highly recommend it.
Can you please post me the link to cclean as I'm getting nowt out of Google and my PC is running below par even with Ad-aware6 & SpywareBlaster plus it needs a good scrub.
Many thanks
Roy. ;D
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Hi Roy.....cclean(er) is another registry cleaner like RegCleaner. The latter has a feature that lets you see the hidden files in Add/Remove. i.e. IE4 data (not sure if this means index.dat).Not dared to tick the box yet altho' backup provision.
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Roy,
http://www.ccleaner.com/
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Did find that ccleaner removed my password for A4All, so make sure you know it before you run it!! Was amazed at what it found though, especially as I had run both adaware and spybot the same day! :o
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Gee Wizz Hugh that cleaner has wiped up 142.4MB :o 8) and the old puter is sailing along now, 8) not too bothered about losing passwords as it is worth the time and effort typing them back in, I dare say there is probably a way to save your favorite cookies for passwords, I'll have a closer look tomorrow, in the mean time thanks for the link. ;)
Roy. ;D
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'PC running slow' - what is 'slow'? = Tim
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'PC running slow' - what is 'slow'? = Tim
Not very fast!!! ? But who said that? ???
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Haha!!
I define slow as........ time to brew a coffee, drink it, and smoke a cig whilst strolling around the garden.........and returning well before the Gallery loads up !! ::) ;D
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Di, you need to buy a new puter!!! ;D ;D ;D ;D
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Or clean the old one up a bit.
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Seriously - one minute forty two point eight from start-up to a4a. Windows XP.
Is that good, bad or indifferent?? = Tim
PS Looking at MD's note - no pics - timing is from Switch On - on line - select a4a - a4a's page comes up.
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Sorry Tim, a partial jest, as pace depends upon size of pics posted ! ( John's foliage took forever ! )
Will use Hugh's 'cclean' recommendation, then do a test.
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I have just downloaded and installed 'SP2' and am currently 'testdriving ' it.
I made sure i had set a 'restore point' on the PC before instaling it, to make sure i could go back and get rid of it if nessesary. there was no need to back stuff up since most things were already backed up from an earlier problem ::).
So far no problems with the computer, at least nothing new caused by SP2.
To those whose computers are slow to load web pages, are you narrow band (dial up) or broadband. If narrowband then the problem is too slow a connection. If broadband, the problem is the computer i am afraid (too slow or suffering a different problem.
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OK - dead easy?? But I still have the problem that, unless I see someone else load a page, or send a photo or whatever. I have no idea whether my thingy is slow or nor. This why, earlier, I gave an example time.= Tim
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OK - dead easy?? But I still have the problem that, unless I see someone else load a page, or send a photo or whatever. I have no idea whether my thingy is slow or nor. This why, earlier, I gave an example time.= Tim
Dead easy? Hardly Tim. Even i dont understand computers and the internet sometimes.
Mind you i can tell by the time you gave that either your machine or your connection to the internet is quite slow.
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Like 44kbs?? = Tim
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Richard - PS - if not the connection, how do you assess the machine's capability? Is it something to do with the CPU? And what is a good or bad spec? = Tim
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Hi Tim
Have picked my son's brains ( A level ICT student ) , and apparently there are far too many variables to do a proper comparison !!
e.g. speed of processor, type of modem, ISP and time of day accessing the web, storage on hard drive, etc, etc.
But, for what it's worth, I have 2.2 GHz processor, 56k modem, Freeserve ISP, and loads of son's games clogging up the hard drive, and test result was 48 secs !!
Hope this helps a little ! :)
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OK - so 44 is worse than 56, obviously. But is the speed of the processor the 2.2 figure? Ours is 2.4, so no blame there? Server? BT. Who knows. And it's always slow, if slow it is! Thanks, MD = Tim
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More brain picking for you Tim! ;D
The CPU is the main microchip, or the 'brain' , and yes, the processor speed is measured in MHz or GHz.
Think I might browse through son's coursework, seems quite interesting ! :)
Just a thought, do you log on at approx same time every day? A friend has found that the server she uses definitely runs faster at 2am compared to 2pm !!
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Thanks.
So I'm average?
Good.
No - anyhing from 5.30 am to 3 am! We have an owl for a daughter. Talking of which, they're out in force tonight! = Tim
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Tim! dunno if this helps but Pit stop will test your speed free give it a go and let us know (I'm a poet) ;D
http://www.pcpitstop.com/
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Oddly enough, the fact that it has a higher speed rating does not necessarily mean that a computer will actually boot up any more quickly. Quite apart from that fact, the length of time to boot up will also depend on the programs other than Windows which are part of the start up. Obvious ones are Anti-virus and Firewall, which can delay final start up, particularly if the Anti-virus runs a quick check on your temporary and internet files first - a large and complex program such as McAfee 7 slows down booting quite considerably; other (such as Messenger, Quick Time, etc) instal themselves in start up as you instal the main programs
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Thanks for both of those.
I only gave booting up as a measurable example - it's more the up & down-loading of photos or text that tests ones patience.
Pitstop? One can't get out of there in the average F1 time of 10 secs - fascinating!! It seems that we're not to bad - but should 'remove spyware'. Should we??
Since stumbling upon it last night, I've had a lot of fun with
http://www.seniornet.org/php/default.php - especially the 'Courses' bit. = Tim
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I`m surprised at you tim. That`s for old people.
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Nice for those who know nothing, though? The way it takes you through an exercise? = Tim
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yep, speed of a connection to a website depends on lots of things. Even on broadband internet (around 500 kbps), things can be slow if the site you are accessing is busy for example, or not working properly maybe.
Of course a slow connection (56kbps or less) will make even a superfast computer (2 Ghz or more processor), seem like a slowboat when accessing the internet.
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True Richard.
Often encounter 'server too busy', hence the wander into backgarden with cig and camera to take photos of lightening storms and full moon ;D Haha !
Unfortunately, Broadband still isn't available to those of us who live far away from civilization ! ::)
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Wonders never cease?
Held back on getting SP2 because I was frightened of losing valuable photos. There was 'so much to do & to read before downloading'. And I'm not checked out in backing up etc. But this am, the box told me that there was an update available - did I want it? - of course - so the thing rushes off & downloads SP2 without any help from me - setting new restore point, archiving info etc. Hope this helps someone who, like me, was chicken.
Then I immediately had to download a 'Cumulative Security Update'.
But we seem to be getting there?? = Tim