Windows XP Service Pack 2

Creamy Goodness

http://www.arstechnica.com/wankerdesk/04q1/sp2-beta-1.html

a first look at new features included in this service pack.

looks good i think with good improvements to Windows update and the ICF

Capt'n Midnight

SP2 weighs in at a hefty 222MB

The largest problem that the Windows NT-based OSes have had are their susceptibility to buffer-overrun attacks. Now, the RPC mechanism in Service Pack 2 has been overhauled. No longer does it live with complete privileges and with the default firewall behavior RPC will no longer be as great a target. With improvements in Microsoft’s compiler a lot of the OS’s core components will be recompiled to help protect against buffer overruns.

One major change in the core is the addition of support for hardware-enforced no-execute. CPUs that support this feature can protect application code from data, which will help prevent attacks from viruses that work by attacking memory marked for data. Execution protection
Unfortunately the only known XP-compatible processors that support this feature are the Athlon 64/Opteron family.

The biggest change in Internet Explorer is the pop-up blocker. I find it remarkable that it has taken Microsoft so long to add this functionality to its browser, but now it is here and fully functional. Outlook Express, which has long since been a culprit in the spreading of worms and viruses finally has its preview window on lockdown. No longer will it execute html attachments and display pictures linked to external files.

Creamy Goodness

lol how i miss that bit about the size it's fooking massive esp for non-broadbanders

Tivoli

i just heard an ad on the radio for microsofts security webpage

GUI

well its an integrated service pack..

and autopatcher xp is about 180megs of updates
and it only updates xp systems with sp1a.

also do conside the architectural changes and security refinements
that have gone in since last summers nightmare with the rpc exploits not been patched properly..

so the service pack was always gonne be a biggie

daveirl

This post has been deleted.

L1011

MSFT have banned magazines from putting Service Packs, DirectX and Office Viewers on cover CDs.... so its not gonna be on cover cds.

Zaphod B

Originally posted by MYOB
MSFT have banned magazines from putting Service Packs, DirectX and Office Viewers on cover CDs.... so its not gonna be on cover cds.

Why do they feel the need to balance any good act (new SP) with one of unmitigated evil (banning from cover CDs)?... ah such are the benefits of not having to give a flying **** what your customers think :rolleyes:

oneweb

Originally posted by daveirl
I presume it will be on cover disks and you'll be able to buy it off MS also.

Eh? Buy it? I've never had to pay for a Service Pack disk from MS. Give them a ring and ask for the latest SP CDs for the products you have. They mightn't have the XPSP2 yet but give it a try anyway.

Originally posted by Zaphod B
Why do they feel the need to balance any good act (new SP) with one of unmitigated evil (banning from cover CDs)?... ah such are the benefits of not having to give a flying **** what your customers think :rolleyes:

Apparently it was for the benefit of consumers, to ensure that they had the latest updates by downloading them direct from the M$ site*. Of course, everyone's connected to the net, everyone has broadband, and everyone loves fixing problems that never should have been there in the first place! :rolleyes:

*The non-press-release version was that M$ couldn't keep track of how many ppl were updating if they didn't download from the M$ site.

mickeyboymel

Am I right in thinking that this is in development and the 200+ download is for evaluation by developers etc

Will the final version for us poor home users without bb be any smaller?

Jesus it would take forever to download something that size!!!!!

Colly

Why don't you download it in work or college and then save it to a CD/USB pen etc...

They should really put them on Cover disks of magazines, but I guess that will cost them money but seen as we have paid for a merchantable product and end up paying to fix it ourselves with time and money they should really make it easier for Windows users to get there hands on there excellent patches.

GUI

actually windows 98 service pack 1..
we bought it..
it was only like 3 dollars,
u payed mostal for postage and packaging

zAbbo

em, when sp1 came out, you could order it off the website, all shipped and delivered for free, i got a few.

daveirl

This post has been deleted.

tman

Originally posted by daveirl
Are you sure you can't get service packs on the Official Magazine?

yeah, i was wondering the same...

flywheel

Originally posted by Cr3m0
looks good i think with good improvements to Windows update and the ICF

best part for me so far is the upgraded Bluetooth support built into the OS - a major move from the current 3rd party application / driver install required by Bluetooth adapters - causes so many problems having different implementations and versions of drivers etc...

BrianG

Cabaal

Originally posted by Colly
Why don't you download it in work or college and then save it to a CD/USB pen etc...

In many workplaces your not allowed download things to CD/USB so not a option for everyone

They should really put them on Cover disks of magazines, but I guess that will cost them money

That cost them no money, it was magazines like PCPlus that did it and it cost them money, but then MS banned there patches from being given out on magazines CD's

STaN

It won't work for anyone using an illegal version of windows with a "known" fake/illegal CD key.

tman

STaN the man, opens a can of spam...

neokenzo

Originally posted by daveirl
Are you sure you can't get service packs on the Official Magazine?

I think I read on Windows XP official magazine that they will have the SP2 on their cover CD.

I thought the SP2 will have conflicts with some of the software that you have on your rig because it may not be compatible anymore?

whosurpaddy

Originally posted by daveirl
I presume it will be on cover disks and you'll be able to buy it off MS also. You can't complain about Windows not being secure and then complain about the size of the patches to fix it!

ya gotta love that MS finally has people of a mindset that we should pay for fixes to a faulty product.

Praetorian

Installed it last night. Quite impressed with the firewall so far. The stability seems to be perfect. Once you install the 220 meg file, windows updates itself further. I presume when a second release candidate is available, windows update will inform me

Stephen

Anyone know when the final release is supposed to be out? I don't fancy downloading 222mb of a beta one and then downloading the thing again when the final one is out.

Praetorian

I could be wrong, but I believe that Microsoft will only make small changes to RC2 and the final service pack. So they will let the people with RC1 auto update, rather than make them download the whole 220 megs again.

neokenzo

Originally posted by Stephen
Anyone know when the final release is supposed to be out? I don't fancy downloading 222mb of a beta one and then downloading the thing again when the final one is out.

AFIAK, no official date has been set. All they are sayin that is going to be out in the summer. I dont fancy trying a beta version either, I'll wait for the final version.

seanos

I got beta a while back etc ... was fine apart from Windows Update ... well not downloading any update files & some stability issues [this was a couple months back] - thanks be to god for Sys restore

Stark

Kind of defeats the purpose, installing beta software to try and make your system more stable, doesn't it?

From what I've heard SP2 isn't going to be released till the winter. Which is a right bummer with all those worms flying around and trying to download all those patches over dialup is a right ****.

Stuff

I d/lded the service pack last week, installed it and my system restarted 3 times in bout 20 mins while I was browsing. Needless to say I went back to the previous days restore point and all is well again,think ill wait for the full version