****** Microsoft

La_Fenice

Installed SP2 couple of weeks ago after hanging back to see what experiences other people had. Read up on it and prepared thoroughly beforehand. Install went fine. Since then has been a nightmare. Three progs badly affected and practically impossible to use and various glitches cropping up all over the place, (including MSE!).

After a very frustrating couple of weeks tweaking to try to get things to work properly finally gave up last night and uninstalled the blooming thing. Today, everything running along just ticketty boo. Phew ::)

Just wondering what the consequences of being SP2-less might be now apart from possible security vulnerabilities, (got AV+firewall+Spybot+AdAware+Spywareblaster). I guess there will come a stage when MS XP updates will only work if you have SP2 installed?

Anyway...for now just don't care...just so glad to have everything running properly again.

Praps this should be in the tekkie bit but I just needed a moan at the mo...thanks for listening

worldtraveller

..in my experience, after downloading SP2 my Epson R300 printer suddenly "decided" to print all photos much darker than they should have been (when using the Windows Printer Wizard on XP). It was impossible to adjust with the printer software and I ended up having to download a new driver for the printer. Apart from that I have not had any other problems (yet!), but hearing from other people it sounds like it can cause some real headaches!

culpepper

havent had any probs with it.
The firewall thing can muck up progs but if you have a firewall already you can just turn it off.

raeble

Oh yes I had problems with that sp2. I installed it and everything was running fine until I deleted a program, nothing to do with it mind - it seems to have it's little tentacles in everything. >:( But more on that later. My computer started crashing, wouldn't restarted unless it was in safe mode and they it wouldn't accept system restore. In the end after several frustrating hours, I deleted sp2. Then my computer started without a hitch, of course I had to reinstall all my ati drivers ??? and direct x 9. Direct X ok I'll accept that it is a microsoft program but why the heck did it remove my ati drivers.

I have been sent a disk and if I have to install sp2 I shall be doing the full install from the disk not the cut down web version.

robnye

I have been sent a disk and if I have to install sp2 I shall be doing the full install from the disk not the cut down web version.

i was reluctant to install sp2 due to all the adverse publicity re problems encountered.

I ordered the upgrade cd and recently installed it..... no problems at all, had it installed for 4 weeks now....

i can only think that there is a difference between what has been released on cd to what is available on download....!

bumspot

My 1st Post, Anywhere on any forum ;D ;D

Synopsis, XP Pro installed - perfect, no prob, ;D
Reluctantly installed SP1, (steering wheel drivers required it) - Perfect, nice & stable etc. ;D
everything I threw at it worked perfectly, for so long that the time came for a format, the best way for a good clear out & get rid of old games & all the other stuff that gets put on, taken off etc over time (& the ultimate Defrag!!!!). So, methinks, lets really hit it, & having read all the horror stories of SP2 decided it was a sure fire way of completly trashing the system. ;D ;D
Installed it, It works. Absolutley rock solid. I can't make it go wrong in a big way at all . Messages about "something awful having happened but sit tight & i'l restart myself" & it does & it works. I can't go into everything I have tried but plenty of adware & such like has gone on (courtesy of file sharing programs) & all been none to gracefully removed, hopelessly incompatible hardware that halts the system with the message "something really, really horrible has happened, but never mind, reboot me & I will be ok" & It is. ??? ??? So now I have a system that is full of rubbish & stuff that I dont want & the thing works perfectly & It is far too much bother to format a system that gives no trouble.

Why does it work ?? No Idea ;D ;D ;D I expect you thought I had the answer. No, but a suggestion. Reading all the posts, the cd is mentioned - no idea whats on it so dont know. The download file is the one that interests me. Assuming its from Microsoft, as far as I know there two types of SP2. If I recall one is for single users & is a smaller d/l or live update type of thing, & the other is noted (in capital letters, underlined & bells & whistles), as for multiple installations & network stuff, NOT SUITABLE FOR SINGLE UPDATES or some such horror warning. Thats the one I got. (well I was trying to make it go boobies uppermost after all).
Maybe it was the file I got, Maybe its XP Pro, who knows, But one thing I have learnt is dont faff about with the mickey mouse stuff, go for the full Monty every time.

Be warned: those poor saps (hee Hee) with Dial-up will have to put some serious coal into the modem & build up steam, Its a staggering 270 Meg (ish) D/L.

Be warned again: Its not my fault if horrible stuff happens to your system :P

Sorry it was a bit long, I'l try to make any future posts shorter

taxi97w

Be warned: those poor saps (hee Hee) with Dial-up will have to put some serious coal into the modem & build up steam, Its a staggering 270 Meg (ish) D/L.

Could that be converted into English please. I'm thinking of upgrading from 98 to XP - but now I'm getting concerned.

culpepper

Could that be converted into English please. I'm thinking of upgrading from 98 to XP - but now I'm getting concerned.

He/she means 270mb is a lot to download if you only have 56kbs modem to download with.

Dont worry! XP is more stable than win98.

bumspot

Sorry for the geek speak, regarding D/L. :-[
XP is much more stable than 98, & much better too, (never thought I would be saying that about anything Microsoft ).
I would have no qualms about recommending the the change to XP, BUT, the best way to go about it by far is a Clean Install Not an Upgrade.

Upgrade is Installing XP "over" win 98. ie an up & running system, most problems see to occur this way.

Clean Install, is a Formatted (empty) hard drive, nothing to get in the way & Windows just gets on & does it.

Big step tho', &dont forget those backups.

Oh, I am a he

taxi97w

culpepper & Blue Skies

Thanks for replying - I've been looking for this thread all morning (didn't check 'notify of replies'). Have asked people at work and have also posted another thread on the tech board - still scared.

DI_Regan

I started to have trouble with Bluetooth which previously worked fine prior to SP2 installation. Anyone else have BT probs after SP2 installed ?