XP SP2 has been released.

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Here's the story:
http://zdnet.com.com/2100-1104_2-5300317.html

 

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cool. well with the download size and broadband, i can download it in a pretty short time, but i dont think i will straight off, i think ill wait to see how it fares in the general public!

 

The final was only released to beta testers this morning, RTM got pushed back a few days ago from what i heard
but it will be here soon, and shouldnt cause many people problems if they are not in any kind of enterprise environment or an environment with intranets that use IE zones and stuff

 

Guess I wont risk it on my work PC just yet then

 

Cool well here's hoping eh.

 

you use software that uses custom ie zones? lol, it just borks them up so you have to change the zones round, not a big deal, but it can cause havoc on a corporate intranet with hard coded security settings and other such poor programming examples

 

Those of you responsible for maintaining your patches in a production environment, I highly recommend that you test SP2 on a lab network first to work out all the bugs. The last thing you want to do is hose your users and there's been so much hype about the potential "gotchas" on SP2 that you could hardly claim ignorance. Be careful. Good luck.

 

amen to that trip

 

haven't most of the patches that have already been released a part of SP2 anyway?

So if you've automatically updated windows with the patches, is it necessary to upgrade to SP2?

 

yeah you do. sp2 isnt really a collection of previous patches, its a complete overhaul of the security in xp! massive changes (though it probably includes at least a few of the previous patches!)

Fergal

 

it contains all the previous patches since SP1, along with other security changes (major) so yes i would upgrade as soon as possible

 

Here's a little article I found:
IT Managers: Windows XP Update Not a Priority

 

From Slashdot:

| Windows XP SP2 Goes Gold |
| from the I-think-I'll-let-you-install-it-first dept. |
| posted by michael on Friday August 06, @20:15 (Windows) |
| http://it.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=04/08/06/2015257 |
+--------------------------------------------------------------------+

writertype writes "PC Magazine [0]reports that Microsoft has released
Windows XP SP2 to PC OEMs after a two-day delay. A package of stories,
complete with an exploration of the new update, is [1]here. The best way
for users to get the update, according to Microsoft, is to have Windows
Update turned on; a CD version will be made available." Reader Critical_
writes "With all the news of SP2 being delayed, it seems like Microsoft
may have pulled a rabbit out of its hat by releasing RTM on its
[2]WindowsBeta site. [3]Neowin has a [4]screenshot of the download page
and [5]MSFN has the [6]release information. The final build is 2180. For
those who can't download it for whatever reason, Microsoft is giving away
free CDs [7]here. Happy installing."

Discuss this story at:
http://it.slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid=04/08/06/2015257

Links:
0. http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,1759,1631268,00.asp
1. http://www.pcmag.com/category2/0,1738,2878,00.asp
2. http://windowsbeta.microsoft.com/
3. http://www.neowin.net/comments.php?id=23102&category=main
4. http://www.neowin.net/staff/Toxicfume/SP2/SP2.JPG
5. http://www.msfn.org/
6. http://msfn.org/comments.php?shownews=9212
7. http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/downloads/updates/sp2/cdorder/en_us/default810.mspx

 

darn still cant find the network instlal version so i can slipstream my XP CD with it

 

I tried to order the CD via one of the links I found at Slashdot but the message said that "when" it becomes available, it can be ordered at that site. Guess it isn't out on disk yet. I most certainly am going to load SP2 on an XP machine in VMWare before I actually trust it with my production computers.

 

from the bbcnews website
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/technology/3547978.stm

Thats crap! i had heard previously that microsoft had decided that this update was so important that it was going to allow pirate copies to install it. i think that was a great move. shows microsoft is committed to security.

(course it wont work. im sure people will find a way. they always do.)

Fergal

 

IBM goes slow on XP update
By Martin LaMonica
CNET News.com
August 9, 2004, 8:54 AM PT

Microsoft says that the code for its update to the Windows XP operating system is finally ready. But IBM's internal technology department disagrees.

On Friday Microsoft released Service Pack 2 to PC manufacturers after a number of delays. That means it will be available to customers before the end of the month.

But IBM last week told employees to hold off installing SP2 until Big Blue can fully test and customize it. The company's technology department said the delay is "due to known application problems and incompatibility with IBM workstation applications."

Along with various bug fixes, SP2 adds a new "security center" that is intended to provide a beefed-up firewall as well as easy ways to tell whether a PC is updated and protected against viruses. In addition, SP2 includes a pop-up blocker in the Internet Explorer browser and updated support for Wi-Fi and Bluetooth wireless technologies.

In the memo to employees, seen by CNET News.com, IBM's internal technology department stated that Windows XP SP2 will "change the behavior of Internet Explorer and cause some application incompatibilities." The memo also noted that some "high-profile, business-critical applications are also known to conflict with SP2."

IBM's Global Services consulting arm, which works with many companies to design and build information systems, has not yet issued any recommendations to its customers.

One IBM employee in the company's internal technology department characterized the decision as routine. The person said that IBM will need to test and customize the new version of Windows before installing it throughout the company. Big Blue's internal technology department maintains about 380,000 desktop PCs.

Microsoft Chairman Bill Gates has described SP2 as the most extensive free update to Windows ever, and executives have acknowledged that work on the update has delayed other projects, including Longhorn, the next major version of Windows.

The update should be distributed to approximately 100 million PCs through automatic updates during the next two months, Microsoft said. Customers who choose to download manually will be able to do so by the end of August.

While some businesses, such as IBM, are deciding to test the update throroughly before installing it, consumers buying new PCs are likely to get SP2 soon. Microsoft said it is working with computer manufacturers to get them to start using SP2 as soon as possible.

The company had planned internally to release the software earlier last week but pushed it out to fix some unspecified quality issues.

Last week, Microsoft warned that customers using Microsoft Business Solutions CRM Sales for Outlook 1.2 will encounter problems with the software if they install SP2. Microsoft posted a patch to its Web site that it says fixes the problem.

 

I'd heard that too Fergal - way to important.

 

This may be the most important piece of information you'll need in the upcoming weeks...just in case.

 

I think we'll all be using that Trip in the coming weeks when we realise what we have done!!! aaarrrggghhhh!!!