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Ready or Not, Here comes Windows XP SP2

Posted by timothy on from the peek-a-boo dept.

TheViffer writes "Beginning April 12, 2005 Microsoft will remove all temporary blocking of Windows XP SP2 by automatic update and Windows update which it has granted to those organizations that requested it. So unless you run Software Update Service (SUS), chances are you will get a mix of SP1 and SP2 running at the same time. Let's just hope you have these programs that are known to experience a loss of functionality when they run on a Windows XP Service Pack 2-based computer and these programs that seem to stop working after you install Windows XP Service Pack 2 patched, upgraded, or removed. Might be a good time for help desk personal to pencil in a week (or two) of vacation."

19 of 580 comments (clear)

  1. Never mind the fact.... by MSFanBoi · · Score: 5, Insightful

    That nearly all the programs on that list are very old, or already have updates for SP2. Hey what the hell, it's Microsof so lets bash them anyways. Sp2 does a LOT of good things for the average Joe in protecting him from his own stupidity.

    1. Re:Never mind the fact.... by jacksonj04 · · Score: 5, Insightful

      Looks like moderators are on form today.

      This is absolutely my argument. If applications use shortcuts which are blocked the instant security is applied, more fool the programmers. There are documented ways to do things, if you use shortcuts then don't blame the OS vendor when those shortcuts are locked down.

      --
      How many people can read hex if only you and dead people can read hex?
  2. They don't deserve vacation by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Insightful

    They've had plenty of time to complete any migration. The application issues have been known for enough time, that if this is still an issue, they've been slacking off for too long.

  3. SP2 is actually a good thing. by bigtallmofo · · Score: 5, Informative

    I know that it breaks some programs and has caused some people problems, but the alternative of ridiculously insecure Windows boxes running rampant is worse.

    I've been running Windows XP SP2 on all of my computers (which admittedly is a small population of 3) with no problems. The built-in popup blocker is more rigorous than anything else I've seen and itself breaks many things (most amusingly Outlook Access for Web), but for the most part is plays fairly nice.

    --
    I'm a big tall mofo.
  4. At least this time by 2names · · Score: 5, Informative

    we have a list we can refer to. So many times in the past it was just a "try it and see" situation.

    --
    "I'm just here to regulate funkiness."
  5. A Good Thing by Skuggamara · · Score: 5, Interesting

    In my humble opinion, this is a good thing. I run a decent sized IT shop, and I feel that not upgrading to SP2 is akin to connecting your computer/network to the internet without a firewall.

    1. Re:A Good Thing by Caiwyn · · Score: 5, Insightful

      "Better than nothing" isn't much of a selling point, except for very small values of nothing.

      That's bull. "Better than nothing" is the only selling point, for any application. A Cisco PIX firewall isn't perfect, either, but it's better than nothing. The entire issue at hand is the fact that most Windows users are clueless enough to be connected to the internet without any sort of firewall protection. SP2 will install a firewall that by default blocks all incoming new connections, which is what you want a firewall to do in almost all general cases. "Better than nothing," particularly in this instance, is a huge leap from "nothing." Compatibility be damned, I say it's nice to see Microsoft making a decision to break compatibility for the sake of security, for once.
  6. Last Post! by AtomicSnarl · · Score: 5, Funny

    I'm going to upgrade XP now.... ummm....

    --
    Pacifist paratroopers yell, "Ghandi!" when they jump.
  7. Why SP2 by Beetjebrak · · Score: 5, Interesting

    What does SP2 seriously add to the corporate desktop? Admittedly I haven't been in charge of windows desktops since Win2K, but I can't immediately see any advantage. Only support nightmares concerning the builtin firewall. Is a personal firewall really needed on every secretary's desk? I would hope not... they're not supposed to run any unauthorized services other than those required for remote control/remote software deployment.

    --
    Learn from the mistakes of others. There isn't enough time to make them all yourself.
    1. Re:Why SP2 by smash · · Score: 5, Insightful
      I'd say a desktop firewall is still a good idea.

      Scenario: Manager takes his laptop home on the weekend, or (even better), takes it on a business trip, and plugs into the wireless lan at the airport.

      He picks up a copy of MyDoom version super alpha turbo+.

      2 days later, he gets back and plugs it into the corporate network in your office.

      How many of you can say that *every* windows machine you have on the corporate network is up to date? Thats assuming there's already a patch for Mydoom version supera alpha turbo+ at that point?

      The days of the perimeter firewall being all you need are well and truly over (and some would say they were never apparent anyway).

      smash.

      --
      I run: Windows, OS X, Linux, FreeBSD. Just because you have a hammer, doesn't mean everything is a nail.
  8. Don't use windows firewall, update your software by Zed2K · · Score: 5, Insightful

    How many of those programs in the list are either old versions, have been updated for awhile now, or can be fixed by just disabling windows firewall?

    I bet the majority of them.

    I'm still waiting for a slashdot post to strike fear into the hearts of everyone about the end of the world being near.

  9. "help desk personal" by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

    I am looking for a SWM that can keep his call times down to 5 minutes.

  10. Ready or not, here comes the FUD by TrappedByMyself · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Might be a good time for help desk personal to pencil in a week (or two) of vacation.

    Give it up people. I run at least a half dozen of the applications on those lists on a few XP machines with SP2, and have had exactly 0 problems.
    When will the "bashing Microsoft makes me feel good" trend end?

    --

    Help me take back Slashdot. When did 'News for Nerds' become 'FUD and Conspiracy Theories for Extremist Nutjobs'?
  11. Re:help desk "personnel" by AndroidCat · · Score: 5, Funny

    Maybe it's "help desk personnels" with dating ads? "M tek sks F 4 lvl 2 sprt"

    --
    One line blog. I hear that they're called Twitters now.
  12. The Real Story by mslinux · · Score: 5, Informative

    SP2 will not automatically be installed. It will download automatically, but someone still has to accept the license agreement and manually install the service pack. There is nothing automatic about the install. Please stop spreading FUD about SP2!

  13. Re:help desk "personnel" by Jon_E · · Score: 5, Funny

    Tech: Hello, help desk ..
    User: Hi, I'm having problems with my hard disk .. I'm about 5'4" with dark hair, brown eyes, and a petite slim build .. I like walks on the beach, romantic dinners, poetry, science fiction, and smart geeky guys ..
    Tech: hold on, I'll be right there ..

  14. Re:Hrmm by rebill · · Score: 5, Interesting

    The simplest program ever was a 0-byte file in IBM's MVS operating system. (That O/S had some utilities that could only be accessed by running a "program" - and to get the utility to run without actually doing anything ... well, the solution was a program that literally did nothing).

    The funny thing was, someone wrote a Problem Tracking Report (i.e. "Bug") about this, and had the MVS team change the program - the flaw was that the return code register was being set in the utility, but the 0=byte program was not copying this result code into it's own return register, so the program was returning a "success" evem when a failure had occurred.

    We co-ops got a chuckle out of it because of the "bugs per line of code" calculation would have had a div-by-zero problem :).

    --

    Chivalry is not dead, it's just frequently misspelt. - M. Langley

  15. Bleeding edge != bug fix. by khasim · · Score: 5, Insightful

    You are comparing "bleeding edge Linux distros" to a service pack to fix bugs in existing software.

    Now, either the apps that broke were depending upon bugs in the OS (in which case, it is the ISV's fault)
    -or-
    Microsoft's approach to "patching" is wrong.

    And please learn the difference between a bug fix and "bleeding edge".

  16. Re:Scientific software is disproportionally affect by LurkerXXX · · Score: 5, Informative

    If SP2 is breaking stuff, 99% of the time is because it's trying to use some network port that is now blocked with the firewall. Just sniff the traffic going in/out of one of the SP1 boxes, see what ports the apps seems to require, then open those ports after installing SP2 (or turning on the firwall in SP1)