Announcement

Collapse
No announcement yet.

Windows XP SP2 is here... what you need to do

Collapse
X
 
  • Filter
  • Time
  • Show
Clear All
new posts

  • Windows XP SP2 is here... what you need to do

    Due to the anticipated overwhelming swarm of people who want SP2, it's not going to be available in Windows Update or as a standalone exe until the end of the month. The way you're supposed to get it is via Automatic Updates -- so enable them now. Even if your copy isn't legal, don't worry, it's safe -- they don't check keys or anything like that.

    If you're using Internet Explorer, click this link to turn on Automatic Updates.

    Otherwise, follow these instructions.

    Information on SP2:
    FAQ: http://www.winsupersite.com/faq/xpsp2.asp
    Review: http://www.winsupersite.com/reviews/windowsxp_sp2.asp

    A summary of some of the new features:
    • Security Center. A
      new front-end, or dashboard, to XP's security features, including
      Automatic Updates, Windows Firewall, and virus protection. Microsoft
      doesn't offer any antivirus protection software directly, but Security
      Center integrates with third party software such as McAfee VirusScan.

    • Windows Firewall. The
      new Windows Firewall replaces Internet Connection Firewall (ICF) and is
      on by default. Windows Firewall boasts several new
      administration-related features, including a full set of configuration
      options, Active Directory (AD) administration capabilities through
      Group Policy, command-line support that's compatible with logon scripts
      and remote management, and multiple-profile support. It is also enabled
      earlier in the boot process, eliminating the possibility that intruders
      could insert errant code over a network before the system fully comes
      up.

    • IE security improvements. XP SP2
      provides an improved Microsoft Internet Explorer (IE) version that
      contains several new features. A new opt-in pop-up ad blocking feature
      announces itself the first time you access a page that tries to open a
      pop-up window. (IE won't block pop-ups you enable by clicking a
      hyperlink.) This feature is configurable, so you can create a list of
      trusted sites if needed. The new IE also removes the capability of Web
      sites to open child windows that have certain features removed. For
      example, it's no longer possible to open a pop-up window with the
      address bar, title bar, status bar, or toolbars removed. Microsoft
      added this feature so that users can close any pop-up windows that do
      open. Furthermore, scripts can't position windows so that the title bar
      or address bar are above the top of the display or so the window's
      status bar is below the bottom of the display. IE also includes a new
      locked-down Local Machine security zone to help prevent malicious
      scripts and other dangerous Web downloads from compromising the system.


      Microsoft has also overhauled IE's add-on subsystem, a move
      that will require plug-in makers to revamp their products. The end
      result, however, is better safety for users. Inadvertently installing
      spyware or malicious ActiveX controls will now be more difficult, and
      the programs will also be easier to remove. The add-on manager also
      monitors IE crashes caused by add-ons, letting you disable unstable
      add-ons. Perhaps most important, the IE add-on manager is fully
      manageable: You can centrally configure IE's crash-management options
      and which add-ons are allowed or denied.

    • Outlook Express and Windows Messenger improvements. The
      Microsoft Outlook Express version in XP SP2 includes more secure
      default settings and isolation of potentially unsafe attachments,
      helping to ensure that email-borne attacks can't affect the system.
      Outlook Express also picks up a neat feature from Microsoft Office
      Outlook 2003: It won't download images in HTML email by default
      (spammers often use tracking devices in HTML images to ensure you're
      getting their email). Like Outlook Express, the Windows Messenger
      version included with XP SP2 isolates any transferred files that might
      be unsafe.

    • Memory protection. Over the
      years, an amazing number of buffer overrun errors have been at the root
      of various Windows compromises. Although Microsoft sought to find and
      remove any potential exploits during its infamous 2002 Trustworthy
      Computing code review, many problems remain. So XP SP2 includes several
      new security technologies, originally designed for Windows Longhorn,
      that battle buffer overruns. Some of these changes are software based
      and will aid all XP users; others require the new "no execute" (NX)
      microprocessor feature that's built in to all modern Intel and AMD
      microprocessors. The NX feature uses the computer's microprocessor to
      separate application code from data, ensuring that an electronic attack
      won't be able to insert virulent code into memory reserved for data.

    • New Windows Update. XP
      SP2 connects to a new version of Windows Update, which offers a
      convenient Express Install feature that automatically selects and
      installs all critical updates. You can also use a new optional updates
      section to choose features, including software updates (e.g., Microsoft
      Windows Movie Maker 2, Microsoft Windows Journal Viewer) and
      system-specific drivers. XP SP2 contains many other
      computer-maintenance-related technologies, but Microsoft says it will
      document them in the future. Expect a second beta release by the end of
      March: I'll have more information about other new features as they
      become available.

    • Network attack protection. In
      addition to the new ICF version, XP SP2 includes a refined version of
      the remote procedure call (RPC) technology, which reduces the attack
      surface of XP machines attached to remote resources. RPC also runs
      under reduced privileges in XP SP2, reducing the chance that errant
      code can gain a foothold in your system and cause problems.
    Oh yeah -- and this is free, not $129 like some other companies would do.
    "The issue is there are still many people out there that use religion as a crutch for bigotry and hate. Like Ben."
    Ben Kenobi: "That means I'm doing something right. "

  • #2
    when I click that link I get this:

    This automated page requires Internet Explorer 6.0 or greater and Windows XP. For information about Internet Explorer, visit the Internet Explorer Web site. If you are not using Windows XP, please go to http://www.microsoft.com/security/protect/default.asp and choose your operating system. If you don't know which operating system your computer uses, go to http://www.microsoft.com/security/protect/checkos.asp.

    I'm assuming that is because I don't use Internet Explorer

    many of those features don't interest me. Except perhaps that memory issue.

    Comment


    • #3
      heres what you really need to know -

      its overpriced and crashes all the time and is inferior to everything apple.
      "Everything for the State, nothing against the State, nothing outside the State" - Benito Mussolini

      Comment


      • #4
        Other misc. enhancements:
        • Completely redesigned wireless internet and device support
        • Enhanced Bluetooth support
        • A cleaner Add/Remove Programs dialog
        • DirectX 9.0a (bugfix release)
        • Windows Media Player 9
        "The issue is there are still many people out there that use religion as a crutch for bigotry and hate. Like Ben."
        Ben Kenobi: "That means I'm doing something right. "

        Comment


        • #5
          Originally posted by Lawrence of Arabia
          heres what you really need to know -

          its overpriced and crashes all the time and is inferior to everything apple.
          There's the Mac user logic:

          $0.00 is overpriced, while $129 is justifiable.
          "The issue is there are still many people out there that use religion as a crutch for bigotry and hate. Like Ben."
          Ben Kenobi: "That means I'm doing something right. "

          Comment


          • #6
            Screenshots!






            "The issue is there are still many people out there that use religion as a crutch for bigotry and hate. Like Ben."
            Ben Kenobi: "That means I'm doing something right. "

            Comment


            • #7
              Ehm, why are you posting this when you can't get it yet?

              Comment


              • #8
                DirectX 9.0a (bugfix release)


                Huh, wasn't 9.0c released just a couple of days ago?

                I just checked my version and it indeed say 9.0c
                Is God willing to prevent evil, but not able? Then he is not omnipotent. Is he able, but not willing? Then he is malevolent. Is he both able and willing? Then whence cometh evil? Is he neither able nor willing?
                Then why call him God? - Epicurus

                Comment


                • #9
                  That sucks, about it not being a standalone exe. I don't need it myself, but there are a few computers to which I wanted to take SP2 and which only have 64 Kbit connections. Guess I'll have to wait...
                  Solver, WePlayCiv Co-Administrator
                  Contact: solver-at-weplayciv-dot-com
                  I can kill you whenever I please... but not today. - The Cigarette Smoking Man

                  Comment


                  • #10
                    How'd you get it so quick?
                    We the people are the rightful masters of both Congress and the courts, not to overthrow the Constitution but to overthrow the men who pervert the Constitution. - Abraham Lincoln

                    Comment


                    • #11
                      They're not my screenshots.

                      You can find SP2 on bittorrent/edonkey/emule/kazaa, or if you're a beta tester you can download it from MS' beta site.

                      There will be a standalone available for everyone, just not til the end of the month.

                      MS plans to push SP2 out to 100M computers via automatic updates over 2 months.

                      The ones that'll get patched first are the ones online the most.
                      "The issue is there are still many people out there that use religion as a crutch for bigotry and hate. Like Ben."
                      Ben Kenobi: "That means I'm doing something right. "

                      Comment


                      • #12
                        Originally posted by Zopperoni
                        Ehm, why are you posting this when you can't get it yet?
                        Because you CAN get it, just via autoupdate (which needs to be enabled), or downloading it from another source like BitTorrent.

                        The standalone EXE is around 260MB.
                        "The issue is there are still many people out there that use religion as a crutch for bigotry and hate. Like Ben."
                        Ben Kenobi: "That means I'm doing something right. "

                        Comment


                        • #13
                          I didn't realize that those were final builds...

                          Comment


                          • #14
                            Build 2180 is the final.
                            "The issue is there are still many people out there that use religion as a crutch for bigotry and hate. Like Ben."
                            Ben Kenobi: "That means I'm doing something right. "

                            Comment


                            • #15
                              Thanks Asher!

                              Comment

                              Working...
                              X