Posted by: CrackersMcCheese
Do I want SP2? - 11/12/2005 14:04
Just wiped my computer and doingthe updates. Do I really need or want service pack 2? Is it going to cause more problems than it fixes?
Do I want SP2?
Posted by: Cris
Re: Do I want SP2? - 11/12/2005 14:14
I have SP2 on 2 machines here (one with MCE) and all seems fine, it does a much better job of blocking unwanted web nasties!
Not sure what the downsides are, I haven't seen them yet.
Cheers
Cris.
Not sure what the downsides are, I haven't seen them yet.
Cheers
Cris.
Posted by: Roger
Re: Do I want SP2? - 11/12/2005 14:19
Quote:
Do I really need or want service pack 2?
Yes, you do.
Posted by: CrackersMcCheese
Re: Do I want SP2? - 11/12/2005 14:20
Thats good enough for me. Installing now.
On a similar note, what codec pack/software should I be installing for my divx/xvid movies?
Is AVG antivirus still the one to have?
Anything else I should be downloading?
On a similar note, what codec pack/software should I be installing for my divx/xvid movies?
Is AVG antivirus still the one to have?
Anything else I should be downloading?
Posted by: Attack
Re: Do I want SP2? - 11/12/2005 14:39
Quote:
Thats good enough for me. Installing now.
On a similar note, what codec pack/software should I be installing for my divx/xvid movies?
Is AVG antivirus still the one to have?
Anything else I should be downloading?
Defilerpak for the Xvid/Divx videos.
Nod32 best virus scanner if you want to buy one since AVG has a free version.
Other stuff to download.
Zoomplayer
Real Alternative
QuickTime Alternative
I have others but need to got get brunch. Defilerpak is put together by Defiler from this form.
Posted by: CrackersMcCheese
Re: Do I want SP2? - 11/12/2005 14:40
Excellent, thanks!
Posted by: matthew_k
Re: Do I want SP2? - 11/12/2005 15:39
The only big problems with service pack two seem to be when upgrading. The only real problems we've seen when upgrading are with spyware infected machines. Once it's there it's not a problem. So when reinstalling is the perfect time to install it.
Matthew
Matthew
Posted by: gbeer
Re: Do I want SP2? - 11/12/2005 17:19
Quote:
The only big problems with service pack two seem to be when upgrading. The only real problems we've seen when upgrading are with spyware infected machines. Once it's there it's not a problem. So when reinstalling is the perfect time to install it.
Matthew
How does that manifest?
I recently (yesterday) did a clean reinstall on my laptop. Half way through SP2's update, one of the cabs failed to checksum. The Error said that the install had partially completed and the system might not restart. Running the install a second time without restart seemed to work. Cause for worry?
For them that might be wondering, I had installed that Firefox extension , mentioned elsewhere (noscript), that gives the ability to block javascript on a site by site basis. I found it caused more problems than it seemed worth and uninstalled it. This left Firefox unstable when execuiting javascript. Reinstalling Firefox didn't help.
Posted by: frog51
Re: Do I want SP2? - 11/12/2005 17:44
You really want ZoneAlarm or similar firewall - MS firewall is very poor, not very configurable, and for most power use (ie anything outside browsing 
) it does not have the granularity I would require.
(my view is that you would then also have a hardware firewall, but I am in the paranoid industry)
) it does not have the granularity I would require. (my view is that you would then also have a hardware firewall, but I am in the paranoid industry)
Posted by: Roger
Re: Do I want SP2? - 11/12/2005 17:50
Quote:
(my view is that you would then also have a hardware firewall, but I am in the paranoid industry)
If you're reinstalling Windows, you need a hardware firewall -- otherwise you're gonna get hacked before you're able to download and install the patches.
Posted by: Roger
Re: Do I want SP2? - 11/12/2005 17:52
Quote:
MS firewall is very poor, not very configurable, and for most power use (ie anything outside browsing
In case you're remembering the original XP firewall, I'll just point out that it's much improved in SP2. If you still don't like the SP2 firewall, fair enough -- it's secure enough, and configurable enough for most people. Personally, I use the firewall in my router.
Posted by: Roger
Re: Do I want SP2? - 11/12/2005 17:55
Quote:
Running the install a second time without restart seemed to work. Cause for worry?
Probably not. What I tend to do is to create a slipstreamed SP2 disk, and then install from that. It has the added advantage that, when you do a repair, it restores the SP2 files, rather than the original ones.
Oh, and the fact that XP with no service pack wouldn't see all of my hard disk, so installing it was a bit of a challenge...
Posted by: tfabris
Re: Do I want SP2? - 12/12/2005 02:03
Quote:
What I tend to do is to create a slipstreamed SP2 disk, and then install from that.
This works really well, by the way. There is a great utility called AUTOSTREAMER that lets you create a slipstreamed SP2 disc from your original Windows XP disc and SP2 files. Very happy I did this.
Posted by: frog51
Re: Do I want SP2? - 12/12/2005 07:01
And it also helps with minimising the risk from being hacked while downloading SP2 
Posted by: Phoenix42
Re: Do I want SP2? - 12/12/2005 13:40
Do any of the slipstreaming programs let you slipstream in hotfixes?
Posted by: ricin
Re: Do I want SP2? - 12/12/2005 14:47
nLite does*, I'm not sure about Autostreamer.
* Only type 1 (post SP2) hotfixes, but since the point of this is to have an SP2 slipstreamed disc anyway, that's sort of a moot point.
* Only type 1 (post SP2) hotfixes, but since the point of this is to have an SP2 slipstreamed disc anyway, that's sort of a moot point.
Posted by: tahir
Re: Do I want SP2? - 12/12/2005 15:04
Autostreamer sounds excellent, I'll have to try it.
Posted by: RobotCaleb
Re: Do I want SP2? - 12/12/2005 16:39
Posted by: gbeer
Re: Do I want SP2? - 13/12/2005 01:02
Quote:Quote:
What I tend to do is to create a slipstreamed SP2 disk, and then install from that.
This works really well, by the way. There is a great utility called AUTOSTREAMER that lets you create a slipstreamed SP2 disc from your original Windows XP disc and SP2 files. Very happy I did this.
Unfortunatly I have no "original disk". Sony puts the restore data on a HD partition then nags the owner to create a pair of CD's Containing the same info. (1CD 1DVD)
I kind of dread trying to install generic MS onto any Laptop.
Posted by: RobotCaleb
Re: Do I want SP2? - 13/12/2005 01:14
If you have the i386 directory and such in the restore directory then you should try nLite. I just built a custom install disk using some disc image of xp that I downloaded because I haven't a clue where my real one is. It seemed to only require the files from a couple of the directories.
Posted by: FireFox31
Re: Do I want SP2? - 14/12/2005 03:04
I had no luck finding a program reliably to slipstream hotfixes. I can't trust any of them to slipstream them in the correct order.
I was presented with the solution of downloading hotfixes from Windows Update behind a Linksys router/firewall. It's a cheap solution to the "first patching" problem.
Though I kick Microsoft for not releasing a hotfix slipstream system. Maybe they assume nobody will reinstall their systems because they'll never get spywared to death because there are no weaknesses in IE.
I was presented with the solution of downloading hotfixes from Windows Update behind a Linksys router/firewall. It's a cheap solution to the "first patching" problem.
Though I kick Microsoft for not releasing a hotfix slipstream system. Maybe they assume nobody will reinstall their systems because they'll never get spywared to death because there are no weaknesses in IE.