Microsoft gets Windows XP update ready

[Julio Franco]

Microsoft is set to release a test version of the next update to Windows XP, which adds security features as well as improved support for Bluetooth and Wi-Fi networks.

The beta version of Windows XP Service Pack 2 is expected to be made available to testers soon via Microsoft's developer Web site. The final version is expected to be released in the first half of next year, Microsoft said.

Read more: CNet News.

 

[Qun Mang]

First half of next year can still mean six months from now. Then there is the wait to hear if it causes problems on other users' systems. Well, I have no problems with the current SP, so I have no problems waiting.

 

[Nodsu]

No problems waiting?

The MS official bulletin says that a lot of apps may have to be rewritten to keep them working under SP2.

From the looks of it, if you have any third party server type networking software installed, you may be in deep trouble. Plus the memory protection thing.. You can never be sure that there isn't one tiny "tweaked" routine deep inside your favouite app that makes it crash every time you get past level 3 with the big aardvark shaped boss in the end.

http://msdn.microsoft.com/library/default.asp?url=/library/en-us/dnwxp/html/securityinxpsp2.asp

I can imagine all the high performance non-WHQL drivers blowing up and the screams of all the tweaking people out there..

 

[Krugger]

After all the troubles caused by SP1, i don't know that i'd even update. not without a reformat of windows and proper update at least... updates should work seemlessly IMO, and not depend on the order things are updated. SP1 caused problems when it wasnt on a fresh installation IIRC.

 

[SNGX1275]

I'm still not runnign SP1, I did that workaround to that vulnerability that microsoft would only fix in sp1, and I have since just done windowsupdates and unchecked SP1 each time. SP1 rapes my VPN connection and until they fix that (which they openly acknowledge they WILL NOT until SP2) I'm fine with SP0.

 

[Shnig]

Ive never had probloms with SP1.
In fact Ive never had any probloms with windows update except for some nvida drivers.

 

[poertner_1274]

I wish I didn't install SP1, as it has screwed up my VPN as SNGX has said, but at least I still have it on my other 2 machines, so I'm not to worried about getting it back on this one. Other than that my SP1 is working fine.

As far as the SP2 is concerned I just hope they don't rush into this and send out a short cut crappy version of it like Sony is doing with their PSX. That is just my opinion though. I hope they take their time (to a certain extent) and get it done properly. But as always the sooner the better, especially if it is going to have a lot more security updates and such.

 

[Qun Mang]

Hmm. I never had any trouble with SP1, though it is probably because I installed XP from a slipstreamed CD. I did have problems updating Office XP though. I had to unintall Office, slipstream SP1 and 2, then reinstall it in order to update it. If this is what I can expect from Windows XP SP2 then maybe I don't care if it is never released after all.

 

[StormBringer]

I haven't had any problems with SP1 either(though I did have to uninstall Office XP as someone mentioned), and had to re-tweak a few things, though, as some of you may know, my Windows XP is has had the registry hacked from here to tuesday and back, so I don't think I'd call my install typical. I have seen others who had problem, most of them easily fixed with a bit of tweaking, though some are more severe, like the VPN problem mentioned by Poert and SNGX. That one, along with a few others, are well docummented in MSKB. Most of them I ran across said that SP2 would address it.

 

[SNGX1275]

Well aside from VPN SP1 didn't cause any problems on my system. I bet a majority of you guys that are saying it didn't mess anything up on your computer do not use VPN connections. So it may have infact broke that part of your system and you just don't know it.
And this is not some thing I mucked up on my own by not doing whatever - its a known problem and when I looked into it Microsoft was basically saying that they don't know why it happens on some computers and not on others, but at the same time they said they could fix it, but you'd have to be some special thing and call some number and be charged some insane amount of money - or you could just wait for SP2.

 

[Rick]

I've worked on a number of customer's systems that have been victimized by SP-1 and pre SP-2 updates.

Blue screens and freezing are two items which have been popular from installing the latest updates on the systems I've worked on.

I still can't wait for SP2 to come out though. SP1 has went too long without a proper successor... I, personally, have not had any probelms with SP1 or any of the latter updates available. Hopefully SP2 will be slipstream worthy...

 

[BrownPaper]

i had no choice with sp1 (my installation cd already had sp1 on it).

SNGX1275, i don't feel so bad about VPN not working. no wonder i could not get VPN to work with my friend's computer. i should read those technical issues at MS more often.

 

[poertner_1274]

You'd be surprised how much M$ actually knows is wrong with their systems, and say they are working on a fix for it, but like the VPN part of it, we have to wait for something to come out in a 'big' fix. But looking through their Knowledge base and articles you'll find quite a bit of information.

 

[StormBringer]

As SNGX said, there is a fix for the VPN problem that SP1 causes, but you have to contact MS, then probably pay to talk to a tech rep, then pay for the patch. There are a couple of KB articles that outline what you have to do to fix it. There are several other things that have similar fixes available. I guess the demand must not be as high as MS thinks is needed for there to be an openly available patch for these problems at current time. Although, I know several people who are not using SP1 because of the VPN problem. If you ask me, looks like its widespread enough to need a fix now(or back when it was first noticed) not waiting till SP2 to fix what SP1 broke.



BTW, MSKB is pretty easy to find, just look in Rick's or my signature.