Installing WinXP SP2 is a risk

For Carey
see inline

Jason,

Consider yourself fortunate that your PC never started at all. For some
of us it started alright but it also started sending private matters to
Microsoft HQ so that the FBI and CIA can scrutinise whether I am into
some form of terrorism!! The new SP2 contains a spyware to send info to
Microsoft about your habits, likes and dislikes includig what sites you
visit etc etc

I would sure like to know where you get that info. That sp2 is
spyware. If so, spybot would detect it. My firewall would also
report outgoing connection. It actual the email they look at. That
your isp not Microsoft anyhow. Also, aren't you the one telling
eveyone to install xpsp2.


Why do you think M$ wants everybody on this planet to have SP2 installed
whether or not they want it or not. Even if you are using your PC for
mundane tasks such as word processing or spreadshheet, you are required
to have SP2 or you will not be entitled to get further updates to your
windows system to rectify crashes.

Actual the do that with all oses.

Greg R
http://www.angelfire.com/in4/computertips/

Jason wrote:
Hi,
I want to put out a general warning to users to not
install SP2. Yes, I realize that there are many security
advancements and all that, but the risk is not worth it.
I have just installed SP2 on a clean install and my PC no
longer boots up. Not in Safe-mode, not "last known good
configuration". I am now restarting the installation
again.
I do not know why it doesn't work, and I'm sure for
many users it did work, but I know it is not 100% solid.
The fact that there is a risk should be enough for you
not to do it. I should add that I do this for a living so
it's not like this is the first time I work with Windows.
It is the first time I have installed SP2, and it will be
the last until Microsoft can get it right.
For all users out there who are debating, do not
install it. Keep the regular updates going, but do not
install this as a complete update or you may be stuck
with 4 hours of work and lost data.

If only Microsoft could do things right the first time.

Best of luck to those who attempt it, you'll need it.

Sincerely,
Jason


And my " general" recommendation..

1: Made sure I had all the latest drivers for my peripherals
2: Made sure I had all available updates for my software
3: Did a thorough disk cleanup
4: Did a thorough virus scan
5: Imaged my hard drive using Powerquest Drive Image
6: Installed SP2 - stand alone network install.
7: Did a complete defrag of my system partition

System is running great, in fact somewhat more robust than before.
I have had 1 issue to date, my flight sim IL2 Forgotten Battles w/ Ace
Expansion Pack - cannot get it to run. I'll keep trying things and reading
forums and hopefully eventually find a fix or workaround, in fact, I find it
somewhat of a challenge.

Any operating system upgrade, always take care to prepare - be as well
prepared as possible, and definitely image or back up hard drive. I image
my drive on a weekly basis anyway just in case something does happen - it
usually is not if, but when. Hard drives do fail, bad clusters develop, but
certainly not because of an OS upgrade. I value my data, so I make sure i
keep an image of everything available.

There's a risk in everything. I have had hard drives fail for no apparent
reason at all. I have had expansion cards blow because of a lightning strike
creating a power surge nearby. I had a motheboard go bad once, I had taken
it out to put in a new processor, and somehow I must have fried it - I think
I bent one of the capacitors enough to screw it up.

But, I am not going to put my head in the sand and never upgrade my
software, install new software, never upgrade my computer, because of a
slight risk. In particular, if something does go wrong, I am bound and
determined to find out why, one way or the other, rather than giving up and
not doing it.

I hate your install did not go cleanly Jason, however I suspect after a
little time your either going to figure out why and learn from it, or find
out why from someone else that has experienced the same thing.

Who knows, it could simply be a bug that gets triggered by a system having a
particular kind of chip on the motherboard, that combined with a specific
driver for a specific sound card, and a specific version of bios for the
videocard, causes a conflict that gets magnified when SP2 installs certain
..dll files. Obviously, I am grasping here, but you get the drift - and if
others with the same combo report the same thing, eventually the bug will be
identified and fixed.





Regards,


Don Burnette





--

Ummm, I thought it was pretty obvious that Carey was joking.

"Greg R" wrote in message
...
For Carey
see inline

Jason,

Consider yourself fortunate that your PC never started at all. For some
of us it started alright but it also started sending private matters to
Microsoft HQ so that the FBI and CIA can scrutinise whether I am into
some form of terrorism!! The new SP2 contains a spyware to send info to
Microsoft about your habits, likes and dislikes includig what sites you
visit etc etc

I would sure like to know where you get that info. That sp2 is
spyware. If so, spybot would detect it. My firewall would also
report outgoing connection. It actual the email they look at. That
your isp not Microsoft anyhow. Also, aren't you the one telling
eveyone to install xpsp2.


Why do you think M$ wants everybody on this planet to have SP2 installed
whether or not they want it or not. Even if you are using your PC for
mundane tasks such as word processing or spreadshheet, you are required
to have SP2 or you will not be entitled to get further updates to your
windows system to rectify crashes.

Actual the do that with all oses.

Greg R
http://www.angelfire.com/in4/computertips/

Sorry then. Didn't relize she was joking,


Greg R


http://www.angelfire.com/in4/computertips/

Jason,

Consider yourself fortunate that your PC never started at all. For some
of us it started alright but it also started sending private matters to
Microsoft HQ so that the FBI and CIA can scrutinise whether I am into
some form of terrorism!! The new SP2 contains a spyware to send info to
Microsoft about your habits, likes and dislikes includig what sites you
visit etc etc.

Why do you think M$ wants everybody on this planet to have SP2 installed
whether or not they want it or not. Even if you are using your PC for
mundane tasks such as word processing or spreadshheet, you are required
to have SP2 or you will not be entitled to get further updates to your
windows system to rectify crashes.

--
Carey Frisch
Microsoft MVP
Windows XP - Shell/User

Be Smart! Protect Your PC!
http://www.microsoft.com/athome/secu...t/default.aspx

---------------------------------------------------------------------------

Jason wrote:

Hi,
I want to put out a general warning to users to not
install SP2. Yes, I realize that there are many security
advancements and all that, but the risk is not worth it.
I have just installed SP2 on a clean install and my PC no
longer boots up. Not in Safe-mode, not "last known good
configuration". I am now restarting the installation
again.
I do not know why it doesn't work, and I'm sure for
many users it did work, but I know it is not 100% solid.
The fact that there is a risk should be enough for you
not to do it. I should add that I do this for a living so
it's not like this is the first time I work with Windows.
It is the first time I have installed SP2, and it will be
the last until Microsoft can get it right.
For all users out there who are debating, do not
install it. Keep the regular updates going, but do not
install this as a complete update or you may be stuck
with 4 hours of work and lost data.

If only Microsoft could do things right the first time.

Best of luck to those who attempt it, you'll need it.

Sincerely,
Jason

- Jason -
I was only making others aware so they can make a better
decision when choosing whether or not to install SP2 by
letting them know of the problems I have had. These
forums are great places to exchange knowledge,
experiences, and get some help from your peers. There was
no help for my problem besides reinstallation. Hopefully
not too many others will have to do the same.

- Nehmo -
I don't know if I have the *same* problem as you, but I can't boot-up
either. An XP repair-install stops with error code
0x0000007B
http://support.microsoft.com/default...b;en-us;324103

You think it's a BIOS problem? I have

Shuttle AN35(N) Ultra m-board

Award BIOS Type Phoenix - AwardBIOS v6.00PG
Award BIOS Message (AN35S00L) NVIDIA nForce2 Ultra 400 + MCP
System BIOS Date 12/05/03
Video BIOS Date 05/06/03
Company: Phoenix Technologies Ltd.
Product Information http://www.phoenix.com/en/products/default.htm

Regarding the message of your opening post, I agree. The system I had
that died form SP2 was, I'm sure, more up-to-date than 99 out of a 100
machines out there. I've been trying to slove the problem for almost two
days. I'm getting ready to fresh-install XP, but I won't install SP2
after that - not until I understand what it is that I have that's
incompatable with it.
--
*********************
* Nehmo Sergheyev *
*********************

- Phil -
Just because your
computer has an issue doesn't mean other will.

- Nehmo -
If the other computer has the same incompatibly, yes. And it's unlikely
his arrangement is unique.


--
*********************
* Nehmo Sergheyev *
*********************

- Huskers -
read the following from Microsoft
http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/s...hattoknow.mspx

- Nehmo -
Unfortunately, that, along with a lot of other MS stuff on this subject,
was written with marketing and corporate-image taking precedence over
technical content. For example, what if restore doesn't work after SP2?

I'm a fan of MS, but it's beginning to get irritating that it is
pretending everything is fine. 888 SP2 HELP must be overwhelmed with
calls.
SP2 support:
http://support.microsoft.com/default...s;windowsxpsp2


--
*********************
* Nehmo Sergheyev *
*********************

Please be informed that the authentic Carey Frisch did not
post the above message! It is the apparent work of a cowardly
imposter! Proof:

Imposter's Posting Host:

NNTP-Posting-Host: 217-72-173-86.pool.access.hc.th.virtelco.com 217.72.173.86

My Posting Host:

NNTP-Posting-Host: cpe-066-061-051-082.midsouth.rr.com 66.61.51.82

--
Carey Frisch
Microsoft MVP
Windows XP - Shell/User

Yes, if he gave a warning, but he didn't. He was telling people not to
install it. That's not a warning, that's trying to convince people not to
install it. If he wanted to post a warning, he whould have posted his
experience with the install and that's it. So the info on his experience
could be read by others, so they can decide for themselves whether to
install sp2 or not.

"RonK" wrote in message

Jason is not spreading Foolishness.
I also think that there should be a warning that XP might not boot
after installing SP2.
Your comment "There's a risk in driving your car, like dying. Do you
tell everyone to not
drive cars?" - not the same catagory.
Everyone knows before they drive cars that Dying is a possibility.
Installing SP2 should be risk free or a least have the warning that
it could fail with the result of a no boot condition.
I can see computer repair shops will be very busy in the near future
because of SP2. Most computer user's don't have a clue how to repair
their own machines. Most computer user's don't even know about these
XP newsgroups or computer forums.

Ron



"Phil" wrote in message
...
There's a risk in driving your car, like dying. Do you tell everyone
to not drive cars? Of course not. Spreading foolishness is not what
a good IT professional does.

"Trent©" wrote in message

On Wed, 25 Aug 2004 19:47:44 -0400, "Phil"
wrote:

There's a risk in driving your car, like dying. Do you tell everyone
to not drive cars? Of course not. Spreading foolishness is not what
a good IT professional does.

There have been instances where auto manufacturers failed to inform
the general public of safety issues...because it would be cheaper to
pay out claims for wrongful deaths than it would to do a recall.

I think we have that kind of hidden issue here.

I wonder if anybody might start a class-action suit...in behalf of all
the neophyte computer owners who have no idea what a BIOS even
is....and do the automatic update and ultimately have boot problems.

And I certainly don't think he was spreading foolishness. If you do,
you need to grow up.



When his info is based solely on one experience, then it's bad advice to
tell people not to install sp2.
If he gave a warning, that would have been fine, but he didn't. He was
telling people not to
install it. That's not a warning, that's trying to convince people not to
install it. If he wanted to post a warning, he whould have posted his
experience with the install, and that's it. So the info on his experience
could be read by others, so they can decide for themselves whether to
install sp2 or not.

ROFLMAO

"Mark" NONE wrote in message

I just want to warn everyone that you should not turn on your
computer. No matter what, under no circumstances should you turn it
on. If you do turn it on, there is a risk that you may do something
that messes it up. However if you do decide to ignore this warning,
at the very least do not go online with it, ever. There are tons of
viruses and spyware programs out there; going online puts you at risk
of getting one of these. I work at both NASA and CompUSA so I know
what I'm talking about. Just play it safe, unplug your computer.

"Jason" wrote in message
...
Hi,
I want to put out a general warning to users to not
install SP2. Yes, I realize that there are many security
advancements and all that, but the risk is not worth it.
I have just installed SP2 on a clean install and my PC no
longer boots up. Not in Safe-mode, not "last known good
configuration". I am now restarting the installation
again.
I do not know why it doesn't work, and I'm sure for
many users it did work, but I know it is not 100% solid.
The fact that there is a risk should be enough for you
not to do it. I should add that I do this for a living so
it's not like this is the first time I work with Windows.
It is the first time I have installed SP2, and it will be
the last until Microsoft can get it right.
For all users out there who are debating, do not
install it. Keep the regular updates going, but do not
install this as a complete update or you may be stuck
with 4 hours of work and lost data.

If only Microsoft could do things right the first time.

Best of luck to those who attempt it, you'll need it.

Sincerely,
Jason

Please post your hardware configuration. If you happen
to have a Prescott CPU installed, please read the following:

Microsoft and Intel have been made aware that some systems appear to have an invalid configuration.
This configuration may result in issues after Windows XP SP2 is installed.


If your machine is using Intel Prescott processors, the BIOS on the machine may have not supplied an appropriate (production - level) microcode update for your processor(s). You will need to get an updated BIOS for your machine that supplies at least the minimum production level microcode update as shown in the table below (contact your machine vendor if necessary). The machine should not have been shipped with less that these minimum (production level) microcode updates provided in the machine's BIOS.



Family 15 (0xF), model 3, stepping 4: Must have a microcode update signature of at least 8. Latest microcode update signature is E.



Family 15 (0xF), model 3, stepping 3: Must have a microcode update signature of at least 7. Latest microcode update signature is B.



Family 15 (0xF), model 3, stepping 2: Must have a microcode update signature of at least 7. Latest microcode update signature is A.



Check your processor details using the utility from Intel:



http://support.intel.com/support/pro...s/frequencyid/



The field reported as "Revision" is the microcode update signature.



After you install correct BIOS on your machine, the machine will then boot up and your install should proceed.



The best advice is to run the frequencyid utility from Intel before installing XP SP2. If your processor does not have a revision of at least the minimum shown in the table above, get a new BIOS for your machine and then run the frequency utility again.



An installation of Windows XP SP2 should not be attempted if you are affected by this and do not have the correct BIOS installed.


For additional information, visit: http://forum.aumha.org/viewtopic.php?t=7447

--
Carey Frisch
Microsoft MVP
Windows XP - Shell/User

Be Smart! Protect Your PC!
http://www.microsoft.com/athome/secu...t/default.aspx

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------


"Jason" wrote:


| Hi,
| I want to put out a general warning to users to not
| install SP2. Yes, I realize that there are many security
| advancements and all that, but the risk is not worth it.
| I have just installed SP2 on a clean install and my PC no
| longer boots up. Not in Safe-mode, not "last known good
| configuration". I am now restarting the installation
| again.
| I do not know why it doesn't work, and I'm sure for
| many users it did work, but I know it is not 100% solid.
| The fact that there is a risk should be enough for you
| not to do it. I should add that I do this for a living so
| it's not like this is the first time I work with Windows.
| It is the first time I have installed SP2, and it will be
| the last until Microsoft can get it right.
| For all users out there who are debating, do not
| install it. Keep the regular updates going, but do not
| install this as a complete update or you may be stuck
| with 4 hours of work and lost data.
|
| If only Microsoft could do things right the first time.
|
| Best of luck to those who attempt it, you'll need it.
|
| Sincerely,
| Jason

Thane of Lochaber wrote:

Ummm, I thought it was pretty obvious that Carey was joking.

He ought not to say such things - even in jest, and even if he omits the
[MVP] in his handle. People are only too likely to take it at face
value



--
Alex Nichol MS MVP (Windows Technologies)
Bournemouth, U.K. (remove the D8 bit)

This a bit of a late reply, but can you possibly use System Restore to go
back to a date prior to the installation of SP2? I set a Restore Point on
both of my laptops before installation as an insurance policy. Incidentally,
after 8 days running the full program, I have had absolutely no problems.

"David" wrote:

I am currently working on a friends system that
encountered problems with Messenger, Outlook Express, and
severe performance degradation after installing SP2. We
attempted to remove SP2 using the add/remove programs and
now the PC will boot partway and then go into and endless
cycle of startup and shutdown on its own. Any suggestions
to help correct this would be appreciated.
tks...
-----Original Message-----
Hello Jason,

No offense, but this post of yours is stupid. Even when
you first install an OS, doesn`t matter if its XP, 2000,
or even (if you still have the floppies) DOS 6.22 & Win
3.1, there is no guarentee it will start up properly. I
have installed XP SP2 on 2 of my 3 computers, 3rd comp
is
W2K. I have had no problems on the computers. My W2K
has
given me more problems then my XP machines. There are
days when I have to reboot my W2K and I would get BSOD 5
to 7 times in a row, then after that no problem.

So even with a stable OS, you have risks of it not
starting up. As a computer tech, there is all kinds of
things that can cause your comp to not work one time and
other times to work with no problem. Instead of
complaining about SP2 not working, why don`t you
troubleshoot and try to determine what is causing the
problem and then inform others, so they know what to
look
for as well and try to formulate a solution.

As for the risk, you don`t know if your computer will
start the next day, you don`t know when your motherboard
decides to crap out on you, or your hard drive decides
to
die. Everyday is a risk, there are healthy people who
die
when going to sleep, so should I just stay awake cause
the
risk of not waking up? So it doesn`t matter if people
install SP2 or not, they face the same risk with their
computer everyday just as you face the risk of not
waking
up in the morning or just drop dead from reading a book.

Jeff

-----Original Message-----
There is a chance that your computer will not function
after visiting one of
many of hundreds of off-color web sites also.


--
Regards:

Richard Urban

aka Crusty (-: Old B@stard :-)

"Jason" wrote in
message
...
Are you kidding? If there is a risk of this happening
to
others, then I think I should let people know in the
hopes that they won't go through what I went through.
I'm
glad to hear there are so many success stories, and
I'm
sure the success stories out-weigh the disasters by
100-
1, but the fact of the matter is there is still a
chance
that your PC will not function after this update. For
the
average home user, this is a risk they should be aware
of. As an IT professional I believe I am doing my due
dilegence.
All this being said, based on an earlier post, maybe
the
bios update is the answer, but again I refer back to
the
avergae home user. If Microsoft is going to put out a
service pack, then everyone should be able to install
it
problem-free, otherwise they should advise the general
public.

Jason

-----Original Message-----
On the basis of sample of one you are willing to
advise
all users? And, you
have even done problem determination? Sorry - shame
on
you.
"Jason" wrote in
message
. ..
Hi,
I want to put out a general warning to users to
not
install SP2. Yes, I realize that there are many
security
advancements and all that, but the risk is not worth
it.
I have just installed SP2 on a clean install and my
PC
no
longer boots up. Not in Safe-mode, not "last known
good
configuration". I am now restarting the installation
again.
I do not know why it doesn't work, and I'm sure
for
many users it did work, but I know it is not 100%
solid.
The fact that there is a risk should be enough for
you
not to do it. I should add that I do this for a
living
so
it's not like this is the first time I work with
Windows.
It is the first time I have installed SP2, and it
will
be
the last until Microsoft can get it right.
For all users out there who are debating, do not
install it. Keep the regular updates going, but do
not
install this as a complete update or you may be
stuck
with 4 hours of work and lost data.

If only Microsoft could do things right the first
time.

Best of luck to those who attempt it, you'll need
it.

Sincerely,
Jason


.



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