Microsoft Windows XP SP2
What is Service Pack 2?
Every so often Microsoft issues updates to the Windows operating system. Some updates are critical to the running of your computer, and many are designed to plug holes in the security of Windows. These updates, often known as "patches", are issued regularly by Microsoft.
Periodically, Microsoft gathers together a whole sequence of patches and bundles them up in what it calls a "Service Pack". The Service Packs modify the way Windows works and the way it looks. If you choose "Settings" from the "Start" menu, and then "Control Panel", and then double-click on "System" you will see the "System Properties" window, and this will tell you which version of Windows you have. It will also tell you whether you have installed any of the service packs that have been issued for Windows.
So far, two service packs have been issued for Windows XP. Everyone should have installed Service Pack 1 (SP1) by now. If you have a newly installed copy of Windows XP, Service Pack 2 (SP2) will also have been installed by default. When it was first released in August 2004 there was some controversy over whether or not you should install SP2, and at that time we advised against installing it on existing systems. We now advise that if you have not already done so, you should install Service Pack 2 as soon as possible.
What to do before installing SP2
When you install SP2, you must take extreme care and follow the advice on the Microsoft web site - advice, we have to say, which may be not easy to follow. See below for more details of what you should do before installing SP2.
The minimum system requirements for SP2 are a 233 MHz processor, 64 Megabytes of RAM and 1.8 Gigabytes of disk space. If you don't have a considerably more powerful computer than this you should not be running Windows XP in the first place.
To qualify for the upgrade your PC must be running Windows XP Home or Professional (or Media Centre Edition or Tablet PC edition), and it must not already have SP2 installed.
The Microsoft web page lists a number of actions to be taken BEFORE installing SP2.
- Print the page of instructions
- Log on to Windows as an administrator
- Check your computer for spyware
- Get the latest manufacturer updates for SP2
- Get the latest (pre-SP2) Windows updates
- Make sure all other users are logged off
- Perform a full backup of your documents and email
- Create an Automated System Recovery Point (XP Professional only)
- Close all open programs
Of these nine steps above, steps 3 and 4 are the most difficult to carry out.
- Check your computer for spyware and other unwanted software. Microsoft refer you to a third party web site (Lavasoft Ad-Aware) to download and install the Adaware program which will detect and remove spyware. This is a reputable and very useful piece of software, but note that it is not free for institutional use. Copies loaded on the University's computers have to be paid for.
- Get the latest manufacturer updates for SP2. You should check whether the manufacturer of your PC (Dell, Viglen or whatever make of PC you have) has any support advice to offer on SP2. Visit the manufacturer's web-site and search for information about SP2 that is relevant to your model of PC. Components of your PC such as sound and graphics cards could also be affected, so their manufacturers' web sites should also be consulted. In other words, this is potentially an enormous information gathering exercise, with no guarantee that the relevant information will in fact be accessible to you.
The installation process
Actual installation of SP2, once the above preliminaries have been accomplished, should be relatively straightforward. Go to the Windows Update web site (click on "Start" and choose "Windows Update" from the "Start" menu). If you have not recently visited Windows Update you will be told to install the improved Windows Update software. You should do this, following the instructions on the screen. (This improved update interface is not part of SP2, and is not contentious.)
Now when you go to Windows Update you will find that the process is simpler than it used to be. Click "Express Install". If your computer qualifies, SP2 will be one of the listed upgrades (quite probably it will be the only one). Click "Install" to start the installation then follow the simple steps of the Setup Wizard.
When the Setup Wizard is finished you will have to restart your computer.
After the installation
"Now you are ready to start using Windows XP SP2 Advanced Security Technologies," says the Microsoft web site. In the Windows Control Panel there will be a new icon called "Windows Security Centre". This provides a single place to manage the three security essentials: the Windows Firewall, Automatic Updates and your anti-virus software. Microsoft recommends that all three security essentials should be marked as ON.
- If your PC is not already already configured to download and install Windows updates automatically you should ensure that this facility is turned ON.
- You may encounter problems with the Windows Firewall; some people find that they can only get their PC to function with the Firewall turned OFF. Our advice is to turn the Windows Firewall ON, only turning it off if your PC fails to perform satisfactorily.
- The anti-virus option in the Security Centre is now compatible with F-Secure anti-virus product which is widely used in the University so the Windows Security Centre should report that F-Secure is installed.
If you experience problems following installation of SP2
We have found that it is comparatively straightforward un-installation procedure. You can uninstall SP2 either using the "Add/Remove Programs" icon in the Control Panel, or using a special uninstallation icon in the Windows Security Centre.
