SP2 vs. SP1 + firewall/antivirus/antiadware

Given the problems installing and running SP2 that many users are having,
does SP2 for XP have any advantage over SP1 loaded with the appropriate third
party software (firewall, antivirus, adware/malware programs)?

SP2 is a solid, secure release. It is a major "Critical Update"
for Windows XP and updates about 5 million lines of code,
enabling much stronger security, stability, and affords a tad better
performance benefit. I would encourage you to install it.

You may wish to view the following:

Top 10 Reasons to Install Windows XP Service Pack 2 (SP2)
http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/sp2/topten.mspx

List of fixes included in Windows XP Service Pack 2
http://support.microsoft.com/default...t=windowsxpsp2

Learn About Windows XP Service Pack 2
http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/sp2/preinstall.mspx

What to Know Before You Download and Install Windows XP Service Pack 2
http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/s...hattoknow.mspx

Welcome to "Microsoft Windows XP Service Pack 2 (SP2) Chat".
You can get no charge Windows XP SP2 support here:
http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?pr=Wxpsp2chat

Scan your PC for the presence of viruses and spyware before installing SP2:

Download Ad-aware SE and scan your PC for the presence of spyware:
http://www.download.com/3000-2144-10...age&tag=button

Symantec Security Check
http://security.symantec.com/sscv6/d...d=ie&venid=sym

I would suggest performing the following maintenance prior to
installing SP2:

Description of the Disk Cleanup Tool in Windows XP
http://support.microsoft.com/default...&Product=winxp

How to Perform Disk Error Checking in Windows XP
http://support.microsoft.com/default...&Product=winxp

After installing SP2, run the above maintenance utilities again, then perform a Defrag:

HOW TO: Analyze and Defragment a Disk in Windows XP
http://support.microsoft.com/default...&Product=winxp

--
Carey Frisch
Microsoft MVP
Windows XP - Shell/User

Be Smart! Protect Your PC!
http://www.microsoft.com/athome/secu...t/default.aspx

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Dwight" wrote:

| Given the problems installing and running SP2 that many users are having,
| does SP2 for XP have any advantage over SP1 loaded with the appropriate third
| party software (firewall, antivirus, adware/malware programs)?

"Carey Frisch [MVP]" wrote:

> SP2 is a solid, secure release. It is a major "Critical Update"
> for Windows XP and updates about 5 million lines of code,
> enabling much stronger security, stability, and affords a tad better
> performance benefit. I would encourage you to install it.
>
> You may wish to view the following:
>
> Top 10 Reasons to Install Windows XP Service Pack 2 (SP2)
> http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/sp2/topten.mspx
>
> List of fixes included in Windows XP Service Pack 2
> http://support.microsoft.com/default...t=windowsxpsp2

Thanks for your response, but I doubt that all would agree. IBM directed
their employees not to install SP2 (PCWORLD), and the users that lost their
functioning Zone Alarm firewall and McAfee anti-virus programs after
downloading SP2 have lost the security measures they enjoyed under SP1.
Microsoft's top 10 reasons for using SP2 mainly concern security issues
already addressed by third party developers with free products for pop-up
blockers, firewalls, anti-adware, anti-spyware, and start-up monitoring. The
list of fixes in SP2 is also impressive, but I don't recognize any that gave
me trouble under SP1. I'm thinking the risk of installing SP2 for XP is
greater than the benefit until such time as the bugs and compatibility issues
have been fully developed and addressed.