SP2 is out

Don't get too excited, its currently only available in certain areas right now via the automatic updates feature in Windows.

 

ADVICE? If we can download it we should download it???
We should wait 'til it's been out longer and....?

 

damn, i can't wait for it to get out, its gonna have so many new physical appearance changes, and i could always use one of those for my comp. not to mention the added secuirity.

 

BACK UP YOUR DATA.

I can't express that enough.

And I would get it, yes.

 

No it won't.

Or should I say, doesn't.

 

Thanks

 

yes it will, the new secuirity center in control panel is just one of them.

 

That is not a new physcial appearance change.

That is a new feature.

 

well i meant that is something you can see. not a lot of updates besides service packs change that kind of stuff. most of it is like in the workings lol

 

BTW, were there any changes between the official release and the RC2?

 

Yes.

 

cool

 

Let me rephrase that.

I believe there were some small changes, but possibly not.

I've not had time to look over the new info given to me earlier.

 

Adrynalyne,
As I'm aware that you are a Microsoft tech., could you please tell what sort of applications - if any - won't work, or will have problems with the installation of the service pack? I'm a maintenance supervisor where I work, and I like to keep all of my shifts computer's up to date and functioning properly. I'm just wondering if there are any specific programs that may have a negative reaction!

 

How much of a difference is there between the final and the beta? Do I have to uninstall and then reinstall the final? Or can it be patched?

 

If you have any McAffee or Symantec product, there were some issues during beta. I've no idea if those have been resolved.

Security products I've heard will be the biggest problem.

Shoddily coded applications may crash due to the new Data Execution Protection built into the OS, especially with CPu that support this as a hardware function. There is allegedly software DEP, but I've not seen for sure if it works. It should. I would suspect these applications may be the in house ones, most likely.

If you are in a business environment, I would wait, to be honest.

I wasn't a beta tester, so I can't be for certain what works and doesn't.

best bet is to wait and see if any of your apps will come out with an update for Sp2.

I believe Nirvana_CN on this board was/is a beta tester, you might want to try PM'ing him for more info.

 

I'm using norton and I had the beta version for a while and I had no problems with it.

 

Is that the AV or the Security suite?

I wasn't really referring to the AV.

Of course, I heard it was fixed a while back in a previous build.

I have no way to know for sure.

 

av......

 

first question:

Probably nothing you will notice, if at all.


second question:

I'll let you know when I try it myself

 

Thanks for your quick reply. I will have all my personell turn off the automatic update feature Monday, and wait and see!

 

Good deal man

 

im probably getting a new laptop inside 6 months, is it worth gettin sp2 on this machine, and risking data loss, or should i just wait.

 

If you are getting a new laptop, I would wait.

Machines from September on should be shipping with SP2.

 

I'm definately feeling the "only in certain areas"

My automatic updater is silent as can be.

I've no idea if that has to do with me having RC2 or not.

 

An XP SP1 machine I have at home, too, is silent.

 

as is mine. but just in case, Acronis True Image here I come

 

Damn MA, those download sites are being hit HARD.

I'm gettting an average 4k/s here

 

OK - here I go...Uh, what do you mean is silent...my guess is: you're keeping it from automatically downloading????

 

No, I mean, there is nothing coming through.

 

Sure, rub it in

 

I'd warn people to not udate for a few days yet. SP's include so much stuff bugs and errors are bound to exist. There is a reason companies normally wait until 6 months or so have passed before taking the plunge.

 

Yes im one of the MS testers.

The last i heard was that Symantec and Network Associates/Mcafee had updated their software for the PC's that Upport this Feature on chip. I beleive that only the Athlon 64 supports it currently.

I beleive what this does it force some Stack executions to run in CPU, and not in memory, eliminating one of the most common hacks around, the Buffer overflow.

The last build i tested was maybe 5 or 6 before this final version, so i cant completely say with confidence it is fixed. For non techy people, dont upgrade just yet, give it a few weeks and see how it goes.

MS HAVE officially sent us testers the final build, however i have seen many fake links out there, linking to files with incorrect MD5 Hashes, and incorrect file Sizes. Most of the fakes seem to be coming from Chinese Sites. These appear to be Old builds, with Hacked Explorer.Exe 's to fake the real build. So be warned.

 

Damn 3 minute edit feature!

Last i heard is that the Software varient was not released due to the ammount of crashes it caused in 3rd party Firewall and AV software. It also was a bit of a CPU hog, and thus was not a popular feature

As soon as i get the final RTW from the windowsbeta site i will let you know. I doubt they incuded it however.