Official SP2 Thread

[neb1211]

Well I downloaded sp2 off of MSDN earlier today and finally decided to install it.  The purpose of this thread is for me to record anything that sp2 adds or removes from windows xp.  

Upon booting up windows for the first time after installing sp2, it will ask you if you want to enable automatic updating.

So far in the 10 minutes that I have been using it I haven't noticed a whole lot.  The built in windows firewall is a lot more like Zone Alarm.  Now instead of flat out blocking or allowing program to enter your computer, it asks you if you want to allow or block the program from accessing the internet.  Now it also has the ablity to block outgoing traffic as well, instead of only blocking incomming traffic.  More updates to come.

I have also noticed that sp2 adds a popup blocker to Internet Explorer.  I will have to get back to you on the effectiveness of it...

[neb1211]

Here are a few screenshots that I have taken so far.

The New Security Center





Firewall Options









Popup Blocker Options



Hopefully there will more to come.

[neb1211]

Here are a few more screen shots that I have taken.

Firewall Prompt





Information Bar in Internet Explorer



The information bar will pop display every once in awhile and let you know when a site has added a cookie to your system and when a pop up or active x installer has been blocked.

Well I am going to scan and remove any existing spyware that has managed to get its way onto my system and test out the IE pop up blocker and how good it is at preventing spyware from getting onto my system.

[General]

If you want it for yourself I found the IT version of it here http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details...&displaylang=en

[Picchioni]

& is on windows update right now too

[acemaverick1381]

Is it a mandatory update, or one of the option ones?

[neb1211]

hmm wow!  According to Microsoft they wheren't going to release it until next month sometime to the general public.

Also right now it is an optional update.  Microsoft is going to give companies and end users to update to SP2 before automatic update will automatically download it.  There was a news store on the front page about that at one time.

[acemaverick1381]

Well, I guess I can join in on the fun of SP2. Right now one of my big annoyances is fact that I don't have a new anti virus program. I am using Nortan but my subscription ran out and Windows has alerted me about this, and has put an alert on my taskbar that I can't seem to get rid of. Once I get Grisoft and have it all updated hopefully it will go away.  

[CmptrGk]

you can make the anti virus not monitered, when you click on the recomndations button choose il moniter this situtation my self  

[JsutTechy]

Well, I guess I can join in on the fun of SP2. Right now one of my big annoyances is fact that I don't have a new anti virus program. I am using Nortan but my subscription ran out and Windows has alerted me about this, and has put an alert on my taskbar that I can't seem to get rid of. Once I get Grisoft and have it all updated hopefully it will go away.

If you want to get rid of the notification you should just be able to uninstall norton and be done with it, no?

[acemaverick1381]

Well first off, then I wouldn't have any anti-virus protection at all. That would be really bad. I will do that once I get Grisoft, but not before. The only issue is that the notification will come up with whatever anti-virus program I use. Hopefully it will go away once I get Grisoft. I hate having things on my task bar taking up space.

[AManOfLOP33]

What antivirus are you using neb? I have Systemworks 2003 and it doesn't pick it up right....

[JsutTechy]

Well first off, then I wouldn't have any anti-virus protection at all. That would be really bad. I will do that once I get Grisoft, but not before. The only issue is that the notification will come up with whatever anti-virus program I use. Hopefully it will go away once I get Grisoft. I hate having things on my task bar taking up space.

Oh I thought you meant it was part of norton. Yeah that kind of bugs me everytime there's a new update out for AVG. But it atleast helps me get the updates manually faster. *shrug* You could always get the free version like I have until your full version is shipped.

[acemaverick1381]

There really isn't a huge point to getting the free version. I can survive with Norton for a couple weeks. Its not really worth it to me to download AVG when I am getting the new one soon enough.

[JsutTechy]

I'm downloading SP2 as  we speak.

You know you don't have to announce that you're downloading this or that. You could always wait about 20 minutes after you've downloaded it, installed it, and tryed it out to tell us your thoughts instead. There isn't a prize at the end of the posting maze either.

[acemaverick1381]

Thank you Techy for saying what I have been thinking for the past couple of days.

[neb1211]

I use AVG antivirus and it works jsut fine.

Also Waxon quit posting useless posts.  Your post count doesn't matter.  It doesn't make you any more of a n00b if you only have 10 posts or if you have 1000 posts.  What matters is the quality of the posts and a few of your posts are jsut spam.

[acemaverick1381]

Neb: how is AVG working out for you? My dad uses it on his laptop and we have it on the family desktop. If you ask me, it beats the crap out of Norton and Mcafee.

[DevilMB3017]

I use AVG as well with SP2, works great together.  AVG is honestly the best anti-virus I've found, and its free!

Look for a review of SP2 soon, *hint*hint* Neb...lol

[acemaverick1381]

With the free version you don't get new updates right?

[JsutTechy]

With the free version you don't get new updates right?

No you get updates and all, I think the only thing it's limited to is features. If it didn't have updates I don't think it'd be too useful to download eh?

[acemaverick1381]

What features are limited?

[neb1211]

What features are limited?  I have yet to run into any features that are limited so if there are any then they must not be very important.

Also I would HIGHLY suggest AVG over Norton or McAffee.  A lot of the newer viruses can either hide from or disable both McAffee and Norton.

[JsutTechy]

I don't know what features are limited but when you get the full version of AVG you tell us ace

[neb1211]

That is what I thought.  Just to let you know techy they aren't considered limited if they aren't even in the free version