Topic: XP SP2 may mean problems

[Wilfbrim]

With all the fine work Pestalence has done lately, I hate to bring bad juju to the table but... I saw an article in which the new aspects of XP SP2 were discussed. This includes many strong efforts by the makers of software that has internet availability through the OS. Many manufacturers are jumping through may hoops right now to get their products just to work with SP2. It has many changes to IE, OE, and registry, as well as automatically turning on the infamous XP firewall (and how to unturn it on has not been discussed much yet). I raise this issue to suggest it may be prudent to say far and wide " Stay away from SP2" for everyone who is using Dynaverse, or wants to use SFC online, as the impact is not known yet. Better to live with some small security threats that are well known, and easily handled by other means (such as using Zone Alarm), than to risk crashing both your self and others. if it is a large group decision to hold off installing SP2, you may all end up better off for now.....

BTW, thanks Pestalence for all the work, I am still trying to find time to do all the installs and patches since moving up to XP myself...

Wilfbrim

[FPF-DieHard]

Hmmm, I'll volunteer to test it when it is finally released.   I hafve a spare PC so if i hose it, I won't be DOA.

[Wolfsglen]

I am a beta tester for XP SP2 (I use it on my main work and leisure computers already) and havent had any problems with playing SFC2:EAW or OP on it at all (I play it every day). Someone i know is running SFC3 on it as well with no problems either.  Come to think about it i havent had any problems with the 12 gig of games and application software on it either. The changes to Outlook Express are mostly just blocking of HTTP linked images and tighter handling of attachments (not before time). SP2 has already hit RC2 and this build of it is scheduled to become RTM as well, so there wont be any huge changes from now to its release in a month or so except bug fixes in incremental updates.

A lot of the stuff about programs not running on it due to changes are 90% bullsh*t, to put it bluntly.  The new firewall is (although basic) much better over the previous XP one as it allows proper easy configuration of port ranges/programs and will ask you if you want to let a program access the web (like sygate etc) so i doubt youw ill have too many problems with it. Turning it off is as easy as click a couple of buttons, so that option isnt hard either hehe.

Off Topic: and its about bloody time Internet Explorer got a built-in popup blocker.

[Age]

I am a beta tester for XP SP2 (I use it on my main work and leisure computers already) and havent had any problems with playing SFC2:EAW or OP on it at all (I play it every day). Someone i know is running SFC3 on it as well with no problems either.  Come to think about it i havent had any problems with the 12 gig of games and application software on it either. The changes to Outlook Express are mostly just blocking of HTTP linked images and tighter handling of attachments (not before time). SP2 has already hit RC2 and this build of it is scheduled to become RTM as well, so there wont be any huge changes from now to its release in a month or so except bug fixes in incremental updates.

A lot of the stuff about programs not running on it due to changes are 90% bullsh*t, to put it bluntly.  The new firewall is (although basic) much better over the previous XP one as it allows proper easy configuration of port ranges/programs and will ask you if you want to let a program access the web (like sygate etc) so i doubt youw ill have too many problems with it. Turning it off is as easy as click a couple of buttons, so that option isnt hard either hehe.

Off Topic: and its about bloody time Internet Explorer got a built-in popup blocker.

I still get them pop ups and I do have XP sp2 with pop up blocker.There are pop ups that when you first dail up come up right behind the page you are seeing.

[Wolfsglen]

Those are "Pop Unders" not popups, they are activated by Flash unfortunately, not the usual javascript.  Weirdly i dont even get them now 

[Bonk]

The new firewall is (although basic) much better over the previous XP one as it allows proper easy configuration of port ranges

Port ranges!    Though I'm not so keen on program permissions - tricky for full screen modal apps... (SFC)

 

I still get them pop ups and I do have XP sp2 with pop up blocker.There are pop ups that when you first dail up come up right behind the page you are seeing.

That sounds like a browser hijack or Trojan to me, I'd update and run both Ad-aware and Spybot S&D there Age if you haven't already. (Though some still escape both and need to be removed manually)