Currently it is not necessary to install SP2 if you keep your system updated
with Critical Updates, update your AV, use a popup blocker as well as run a
firewall.

--

Harry Ohrn MS-MVP [Shell/User]
www.webtree.ca/windowsxp


"SteC" wrote in message
...
| When I installed SP2 I started having numerous problems, it tried to
| reinstall Microsoft applications, I started having hardware driver
crashes,
| hardware acceleration on the sound card failed and gave terrible sound
etc.
|
| But the main problem was that is made my PC virtually unuseable, it took
| upto 10 minutes to boot up and although it is a P4 2.6ghz with 1gb of RAM
it
| ran like my old Pentium 75mhz, constantly chugging away with the hard disk
&
| CPU running at full speed and getting nowhere fast.
|
| The only solution was to uninstal SP2 and reinstall XP, defragging etc
only
| makes thinks a little bit better.
|
| My PC now runs fine, I would love to know when Microsoft will be sorting
| this out and until then SP2 is going nowhere near my PC.