Windows Service Pack 2
Jun 17, 2004 | 06:49 PM
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Windows Service Pack 2
Will be out sometime after some of the bugs get worked out.
I received this email today from a freind in the PC industry who is also a supervisor for Comcast in charge of their truck rolls for service calls.
He's always sending me PC related tech stuff.
__________________________________
Windows XP Service Pack 2 Part I
What's happening with the much-heralded Windows XP Service Pack 2?
Currently it's available in a "Technical Preview Program", which is essentially late-stage beta testing. Its official release has been delayed and delayed again -- and that's very good news for all of us.
http://www.microsoft.com/technet/pro...p2preview.mspx
Major updates to operating systems are not always occasions of unalloyed joy, as experienced readers of WWW know full well. Service packs often introduce almost as many new wrinkles (to put it kindly) as fixes.
Service Pack 2, more than any of its predecessors, is a seriously risky patch job. That's because Microsoft's almost exclusive focus in SP2 is security. Security first. Ahead of backwards compatibility.
In this and the next issue of WWW we'll give you an overview of what to expect in Windows XP SP2. There's major changes though many are not obvious and we feel you should be ready for SP2's contents because the changeover may not be as smooth as Microsoft is hoping.
What does that mean?
It means I can almost guarantee you that some of your existing applications are going to break when you install the service pack. Some may break just a little and will be easily fixed; others will break hard. Even some of your hardware may not work correctly once you install SP2..
The delays we've seen so far are partly to give Microsoft time to respond to feedback by beta testers, and partly to ensure that third-party software makers test SP2 thoroughly and ensure it works with their software.
Those delays are good for you and me, as the extra testing and tweaking will hopefully minimize problems when SP2 hits the real world. Don't think it's going to eliminate the problems -- it won't -- but Microsoft is doing the right thing by taking its time over releasing SP2.
Even so you should ensure that any major programs you have are certified by the makers as compatible with Windows XP SP2. Especially any anti-virus, diagnostic, firewall or networking programs. Microsoft's own programs are not necessarily certain to be SP2 compliant in the first instance.
What's in SP2?
This edition, I want to introduce you to the major new features and fixes in SP2. Next edition, we'll deal with the crucial issues of should you install it, when you should do so, and how to go about installing it with the minimum amount of disruption and heartache.
In the meantime, don't try the Technical Preview version unless you have a spare machine sitting there with Windows XP and nothing of importance on it; a machine which you're happy to trash and then reformat if necessary. As it stands, the Technical Preview is not ready for real-world PCs.
Security central
The first change you'll notice when you install SP2 is a new Security Center icon in the notification area of the taskbar. Right-click it and choose Open Security Center to check out the new operational headquarters for XP's enhanced security features.
The Security Center owes a lot in looks to anti-virus and system utility software such as Norton Internet Security and PC-cillin. The central control panel tells you at a glance whether your firewall is on or off, whether Automatic Updates are enabled, and the status of your virus protection. From the Center you can also access security settings for your system and for Internet Explorer.
SP2 is cluey about almost two dozen anti-virus programs, so the status displayed in the Security Center reflects how up-to-date your existing anti-virus software is. Or, so the theory goes. In practice, it figured out I was using Norton AntiVirus, but couldn't work out its status (for example, whether I'd performed a full system scan recently). Hopefully that will be fixed in the release version of SP2.
The Security Center is truly clueless about non-Microsoft firewalls. Who knows whether that will change in the release version, but right now, if you're using a program such as ZoneAlarm, the Security Center's firewall status is of no use. I guess Microsoft is so keen on its newly revamped firewall (see below) it can't get its mind off it.
The revamped firewall
"Shields up!" is the catch phrase for SP2. The default settings for many of the new security features is on, not off, something you need to be aware of if you already have alternative security measures in place. If you do, you're likely to need to make adjustments to ensure everything works smoothly.
The new Windows Firewall, formerly known as Internet Connection Firewall (ICF) is switched on when you install SP2. This is a protect-the-new-chums setting, designed to maximize protection for the masses, but likely to cause it's own problems. Things to watch out for include clashes with any alternative firewalls you have installed and disappearing hardware, such as print servers or network storage devices, on a network.
ICF was not much of a firewall, although it did a good job of stealthing ports to render PCs invisible from outside. But it had almost no options and little flexibility. Windows Firewall is much more configurable and has the added advantage of springing into action during Windows boot up, protecting your system right from the start.
The firewall monitors incoming traffic and stops any which is either unsolicited or is not on an exception list. 'Unsolicited' traffic is anything which is not in response to a request from a program on your computer, such as your browser requesting a remote Web page The exceptions list is entirely configurable, or you can ramp up security by allowing no exceptions whatsoever.
If you have multiple connections on your PC -- both a local area network and a modem, for example -- you can make global settings which will affect all connections or adjust settings on a connection-by-connection basis.
I ran Windows Firewall, in its default configuration, through Steve Gibson's Shields Up! and Probe My Ports security tests https://grc.com/x/ne.dll?bh0bkyd2 and it came up with a perfect score.
A (somewhat) better browser
Microsoft has let Internet Explorer languish for years. The company managed to trounce its opposition through a combination of marketing muscle, a deep pocketbook (so it could afford to give IE away) and some pretty good features, features which had IE leading the browser pack for a while.
Well, once the browser wars were won and most of the opposition was off licking its wounds, Microsoft promptly abandoned development of its browser.
The result is that almost every other browser on the market leaves IE for dead. IE lacks basic elements such as tabbed browsing, pop-up blocking and password management that most decent modern browsers wouldn't be seen dead without.
SP2 fixes some of that. At last, Internet Explorer gets a pop-up blocker. It handles the job nicely, too. IE automatically blocks pop-up windows, but alerts you by sound and by a subtle but easily accessible Information Bar at the top of the displayed page. Click the Information Bar to see options which include: Show Blocked Pop-up, Allow Pop-ups From This Site, Turn Off The Pop-up Blocker, Turn Off Information Bar For Blocked Pop-ups and Pop-up Blocker Settings.
IE not only blocks pop-ups, it also blocks "software." That means things like ActiveX components and other scripts. This should put a major hurdle in the way of those sites which try to take over your browser or download spyware onto your computer. Script blocking will also prevent Web authors from positioning IE windows off-screen or creating windows without address or status bars.
Other subtler improvements include the reinforcement of browser zones, to ensure only truly safe sites operate at the lowest security settings, and a new Add-On Manager to give you control over programs which change or expand IE's behavior.
No tabs, though; no password manager. IE still has some catching up to do.
Automatic Updates
Despite SP2's focus on security, you and I both know that more security "vulnerabilities" are likely to appear in Windows in the not-too-distant future. Microsoft knows that, too. That's why during installation SP2 prompts you to switch Automatic Updates on.
I'll talk about whether you should switch this setting on in the next edition. Having it on will ensure you receive the latest patches and fixes as soon as they're released. With Automatic Updates on, you'll also find that when you go to switch your computer off, XP will offer to install any updates it has already downloaded before it closes down.
More...
There are plenty of other fixes and features in SP2. Some of the more notable include:
An overhaul of wireless networking. It's now much easier to use and includes its own Wireless Network Setup Wizard, which smoothes the process of setting up a wireless network. An icon in the taskbar indicates wireless network status and the Wireless Connection window shows the security status of all available wireless networks.
A more secure code base, with much of the code recompiled to help deflect the infamous buffers overruns which have been responsible for many security vulnerabilities in the past.
Outlook Express and Windows Messenger have been updated to block unsafe attachments. I understand the impulse that makes Microsoft do this, but I'd much rather have a simple tool for controlling permissible/blockable attachments, than a blanket block. I hate it in Outlook and I can't see myself liking it anywhere else. Woody's Watch gets more complaints about this 'feature' than almost anything else.
Windows hot fixes and Office updates no longer appear in the Add/Remove programs list by default. This step is designed to prevent inexperienced users from removing these updates by accident, and it also keeps the Add/Remove list from becoming a kilometre long. You can still see the patches in the list: Simply check an option box and -- nice touch, this -- all the patches appear neatly grouped beneath the relevant program.
I received this email today from a freind in the PC industry who is also a supervisor for Comcast in charge of their truck rolls for service calls.
He's always sending me PC related tech stuff.
__________________________________
Windows XP Service Pack 2 Part I
What's happening with the much-heralded Windows XP Service Pack 2?
Currently it's available in a "Technical Preview Program", which is essentially late-stage beta testing. Its official release has been delayed and delayed again -- and that's very good news for all of us.
http://www.microsoft.com/technet/pro...p2preview.mspx
Major updates to operating systems are not always occasions of unalloyed joy, as experienced readers of WWW know full well. Service packs often introduce almost as many new wrinkles (to put it kindly) as fixes.
Service Pack 2, more than any of its predecessors, is a seriously risky patch job. That's because Microsoft's almost exclusive focus in SP2 is security. Security first. Ahead of backwards compatibility.
In this and the next issue of WWW we'll give you an overview of what to expect in Windows XP SP2. There's major changes though many are not obvious and we feel you should be ready for SP2's contents because the changeover may not be as smooth as Microsoft is hoping.
What does that mean?
It means I can almost guarantee you that some of your existing applications are going to break when you install the service pack. Some may break just a little and will be easily fixed; others will break hard. Even some of your hardware may not work correctly once you install SP2..
The delays we've seen so far are partly to give Microsoft time to respond to feedback by beta testers, and partly to ensure that third-party software makers test SP2 thoroughly and ensure it works with their software.
Those delays are good for you and me, as the extra testing and tweaking will hopefully minimize problems when SP2 hits the real world. Don't think it's going to eliminate the problems -- it won't -- but Microsoft is doing the right thing by taking its time over releasing SP2.
Even so you should ensure that any major programs you have are certified by the makers as compatible with Windows XP SP2. Especially any anti-virus, diagnostic, firewall or networking programs. Microsoft's own programs are not necessarily certain to be SP2 compliant in the first instance.
What's in SP2?
This edition, I want to introduce you to the major new features and fixes in SP2. Next edition, we'll deal with the crucial issues of should you install it, when you should do so, and how to go about installing it with the minimum amount of disruption and heartache.
In the meantime, don't try the Technical Preview version unless you have a spare machine sitting there with Windows XP and nothing of importance on it; a machine which you're happy to trash and then reformat if necessary. As it stands, the Technical Preview is not ready for real-world PCs.
Security central
The first change you'll notice when you install SP2 is a new Security Center icon in the notification area of the taskbar. Right-click it and choose Open Security Center to check out the new operational headquarters for XP's enhanced security features.
The Security Center owes a lot in looks to anti-virus and system utility software such as Norton Internet Security and PC-cillin. The central control panel tells you at a glance whether your firewall is on or off, whether Automatic Updates are enabled, and the status of your virus protection. From the Center you can also access security settings for your system and for Internet Explorer.
SP2 is cluey about almost two dozen anti-virus programs, so the status displayed in the Security Center reflects how up-to-date your existing anti-virus software is. Or, so the theory goes. In practice, it figured out I was using Norton AntiVirus, but couldn't work out its status (for example, whether I'd performed a full system scan recently). Hopefully that will be fixed in the release version of SP2.
The Security Center is truly clueless about non-Microsoft firewalls. Who knows whether that will change in the release version, but right now, if you're using a program such as ZoneAlarm, the Security Center's firewall status is of no use. I guess Microsoft is so keen on its newly revamped firewall (see below) it can't get its mind off it.
The revamped firewall
"Shields up!" is the catch phrase for SP2. The default settings for many of the new security features is on, not off, something you need to be aware of if you already have alternative security measures in place. If you do, you're likely to need to make adjustments to ensure everything works smoothly.
The new Windows Firewall, formerly known as Internet Connection Firewall (ICF) is switched on when you install SP2. This is a protect-the-new-chums setting, designed to maximize protection for the masses, but likely to cause it's own problems. Things to watch out for include clashes with any alternative firewalls you have installed and disappearing hardware, such as print servers or network storage devices, on a network.
ICF was not much of a firewall, although it did a good job of stealthing ports to render PCs invisible from outside. But it had almost no options and little flexibility. Windows Firewall is much more configurable and has the added advantage of springing into action during Windows boot up, protecting your system right from the start.
The firewall monitors incoming traffic and stops any which is either unsolicited or is not on an exception list. 'Unsolicited' traffic is anything which is not in response to a request from a program on your computer, such as your browser requesting a remote Web page The exceptions list is entirely configurable, or you can ramp up security by allowing no exceptions whatsoever.
If you have multiple connections on your PC -- both a local area network and a modem, for example -- you can make global settings which will affect all connections or adjust settings on a connection-by-connection basis.
I ran Windows Firewall, in its default configuration, through Steve Gibson's Shields Up! and Probe My Ports security tests https://grc.com/x/ne.dll?bh0bkyd2 and it came up with a perfect score.
A (somewhat) better browser
Microsoft has let Internet Explorer languish for years. The company managed to trounce its opposition through a combination of marketing muscle, a deep pocketbook (so it could afford to give IE away) and some pretty good features, features which had IE leading the browser pack for a while.
Well, once the browser wars were won and most of the opposition was off licking its wounds, Microsoft promptly abandoned development of its browser.
The result is that almost every other browser on the market leaves IE for dead. IE lacks basic elements such as tabbed browsing, pop-up blocking and password management that most decent modern browsers wouldn't be seen dead without.
SP2 fixes some of that. At last, Internet Explorer gets a pop-up blocker. It handles the job nicely, too. IE automatically blocks pop-up windows, but alerts you by sound and by a subtle but easily accessible Information Bar at the top of the displayed page. Click the Information Bar to see options which include: Show Blocked Pop-up, Allow Pop-ups From This Site, Turn Off The Pop-up Blocker, Turn Off Information Bar For Blocked Pop-ups and Pop-up Blocker Settings.
IE not only blocks pop-ups, it also blocks "software." That means things like ActiveX components and other scripts. This should put a major hurdle in the way of those sites which try to take over your browser or download spyware onto your computer. Script blocking will also prevent Web authors from positioning IE windows off-screen or creating windows without address or status bars.
Other subtler improvements include the reinforcement of browser zones, to ensure only truly safe sites operate at the lowest security settings, and a new Add-On Manager to give you control over programs which change or expand IE's behavior.
No tabs, though; no password manager. IE still has some catching up to do.
Automatic Updates
Despite SP2's focus on security, you and I both know that more security "vulnerabilities" are likely to appear in Windows in the not-too-distant future. Microsoft knows that, too. That's why during installation SP2 prompts you to switch Automatic Updates on.
I'll talk about whether you should switch this setting on in the next edition. Having it on will ensure you receive the latest patches and fixes as soon as they're released. With Automatic Updates on, you'll also find that when you go to switch your computer off, XP will offer to install any updates it has already downloaded before it closes down.
More...
There are plenty of other fixes and features in SP2. Some of the more notable include:
An overhaul of wireless networking. It's now much easier to use and includes its own Wireless Network Setup Wizard, which smoothes the process of setting up a wireless network. An icon in the taskbar indicates wireless network status and the Wireless Connection window shows the security status of all available wireless networks.
A more secure code base, with much of the code recompiled to help deflect the infamous buffers overruns which have been responsible for many security vulnerabilities in the past.
Outlook Express and Windows Messenger have been updated to block unsafe attachments. I understand the impulse that makes Microsoft do this, but I'd much rather have a simple tool for controlling permissible/blockable attachments, than a blanket block. I hate it in Outlook and I can't see myself liking it anywhere else. Woody's Watch gets more complaints about this 'feature' than almost anything else.
Windows hot fixes and Office updates no longer appear in the Add/Remove programs list by default. This step is designed to prevent inexperienced users from removing these updates by accident, and it also keeps the Add/Remove list from becoming a kilometre long. You can still see the patches in the list: Simply check an option box and -- nice touch, this -- all the patches appear neatly grouped beneath the relevant program.
Jun 17, 2004 | 06:52 PM
#2
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Joined: Jun 2002
Posts: 1,896
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From: Arkansas
Usually I tend to wait a couple of months after a service pack comes out b\c usually there are bugs in it as well 
I had the XP SP2 RC when I attened MS TechEd, but I dunno what I did with the disk. I probalby threw it away. 
I had the XP SP2 RC when I attened MS TechEd, but I dunno what I did with the disk. I probalby threw it away.
Aug 12, 2004 | 05:23 PM
#3
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Here is an update to the CNet article I posted about earlier.
They are still telling you to wait.
Big review
They are still telling you to wait.
Last week, we got the jump on Windows XP Service Pack 2 coverage with a quick-and-dirty look at the then-forthcoming release.
Now that it's come out, our reviewer's had a chance to really beat up on the thing and render our complete verdict.
Want to know if you should upgrade ASAP or wait it out?
Read the review for our final judgment.
Speaking of judges, the Olympics are steaming toward us like a freight train. Don't miss our "Go for the gold" fitness technology special, coming this weekend.
Now that it's come out, our reviewer's had a chance to really beat up on the thing and render our complete verdict.
Want to know if you should upgrade ASAP or wait it out?
Read the review for our final judgment.
Speaking of judges, the Olympics are steaming toward us like a freight train. Don't miss our "Go for the gold" fitness technology special, coming this weekend.
Aug 15, 2004 | 12:56 PM
#4
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iTrader: (1)
Joined: May 2002
Posts: 32,242
Likes: 21
From: Auburn, Washington
Info on the new firewall that comes with SP2.
http://www.snpx.com/cgi-bin/news5.cg...66941170?-2622
http://www.snpx.com/cgi-bin/news5.cg...66941170?-2622
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