XP SP2 Be careful !!

[JAque]

You can probably have a dual boot machine (XP-98). I don't think you can install 98 on top of XP. However, Win98 will run out of support pretty soon and you will have no way to get security patches in the future. In addition, I suspect a lot of the applications may stop supporting WIN98 as soon as MS stops supporting it (including casino clients).

Let the dust settle with XP SP2 for a few weeks or months, either MS or specific application vendors will release patches or fixes if required.

JAque

[Lori]

Seems like good advice, thanks again guys.

Lori

[OrangeHeat]

[ QUOTE ]
Is he a shill for Microsoft?

[/ QUOTE ]

Funniest thing I have read on here lately.

Orange

[shandrakor]

To begin with, I've been running SP2 on Windows XP Professional since Friday without incident. I would not consider myself a "shill" for Microsoft, but I do work there. I have been a Customer Service Representative for Microsoft Product Support (telephone tech support) for almost 2 years now, but I am an employee of a contract agency, not a Microsoft employee. I gain nothing from the sale or use of the Windows platform.

So, prelims out of the way, let me first speak to the topic of this thread. The concern is over the slightly more agressive stance that Microsoft has taken with the functionality of the Windows Firewall. By default, the Firewall is turned on at all times, and all applications are denied access to the internet, with the exception of Internet Explorer and Windows Media Player.

However (and this is the important bit): when you run a program that needs connection to the internet, a dialog box SHOULD pop up, and you can simply click a button to allow that program access. Can I promise you that every program on every computer will work exactly as it did before installing SP2? No, of course not. As I said, I work tech support, and problems certainly happen. When problems do happen, you have resources available to you.

I tried to get some kind of support, but basically it costs $245 for a phone call so I emailed them abuse instead.

The Microsoft Support web site can be a pain to navigate, and yours is a common misunderstanding. The $245 charge is for support on Windows 2000 Professional, Windows XP in a corporate domain environment, or any Server or Development product. Windows XP (home or professional) just used as your home computer, on a basic peer-to-peer network, bills at a rate of $35 per incident of support. In addition, if the XP you're running is a retail copy that you purchased seperate from your computer, you have 2 free incidents of support that you can use prior to incurring any charge. If the XP came preinstalled when you purchased the computer, any software warrantee would be provided by the brand of computer you own (Dell, Compaq, etc)

In addition to that: Microsoft Product Support has a policy of free technical support for any system stability issues caused by one of our Critical Updates or Service Packs. So, if your computer crashes, loses connection to the internet or anything like that, free support. I'm not sure whether you'd get the free support if a single application had a problem, most likely that'd be a case-by-case basis depending on the CSR you spoke to.

Here's the downside. Most of our personal-level support has been outsourced to a company in Bangalore, India. The support you actually get will be very hit-or-miss. I've worked with a number of Indian support techs who are, frankly, a hell of a lot smarter than I am, and who have at least as good an understanding of English. Then there's a bunch who make me want to cut my eardrums out. I believe that generally Microsoft gets a bad rap, but I'm never going to disagree with people who have a problem with Outsourcing.

If anyone can tell me how on earth I'm supposed to get an operating system that actually works and doesn't try to ruin my life every few months, I'd appreciate it.

HAHAHAHAHAHAHA! There isn't one. Computers are a pain in everybody's asses, but they still make life easier than it was without them.

Any other questions? I don't want you to install SP2 while you still have fears about it, but I DO want you to install it. It includes BADLY needed security features, and doing things like shutting off Automatic Updates like the first poster suggested is exactly how virii like Blaster and Slammer managed to cause so much damage.

[GrannyMae]

Not a recommendation to install it as such, just my personal experience

can someone with more than one post confirm this?

also jaque, what will be the inevitable solution we are after? will there be a bug-free patch coming, or will we just be skipping this patch? i'm scared to skip it, but don't mind waiting for them to fix it first.

[shandrakor]

also jaque, what will be the inevitable solution we are after? will there be a bug-free patch coming, or will we just be skipping this patch? i'm scared to skip it, but don't mind waiting for them to fix it first.

Windows XP Service Pack 2 has been in development since about April of 2003. It was slated for release in late spring, but got pushed back again to make sure it's ready.

My suggestion, wait a week or two, if you don't see anything on the nightly news about widespread problems, then you can assume it works just fine in at least 99% of cases.

[Lori]

Well, I got the support, and I thank you for it ($35 is also too steep, but the T+C seem better once explained)

The outrage I feel stems from the fact that it was MS who made those problems in the first place, I don't really understand why I should shut off God knows how many hours of my life downloading something that might not work.

It says in the information regarding SP2 that multi player games will not work without making some changes that computer tards like myself will never understand.

What I find disturbing is that people in the industry, like yourself WANT me to install it, I mean what do you get out of it other than the phonecall payments when the new crop of inevitable viruses come forth.

'98 never caused me any problems (other than those I caused myself through aforementioned 'tard problem) and then suddenly, through trying to upgrade I end up with XP.

Now, a few months later, I'm told that I've been using garbage all this time and that all the viruses I've been getting thanks to this 'progress' are going to be stopped (at the cost of losing my virus removal software) by the very same people who caused them.

Having spent now several hours reading through MS forums, it appears that the firewall is unturnoffable, at least to the normal people of this world and that it shuts off almost all contact to the outside world.

Had it not been for this forum, I would have been blissfully unaware that this update was even happening and been able to ignore it in peace, but now I feel the need to look into what you are encouraging people to put on their machines and it doesn't look very friendly.

Real Player (My only source of working video in the world) appears to not work after SP2 is installed.

I really do appreciate that you took time out to reply, these things scare the hell outta me, and usually the paranoia is justified as since '98 things have gone from easy to time consuming just to keep my pc working.

Lori

[Lori]

My suggestion, wait a week or two, if you don't see anything on the nightly news about widespread problems, then you can assume it works just fine in at least 99% of cases

Thanks for seeing both sides of this.

Lori

[shandrakor]

Thanks for seeing both sides of this.

I work as a customer service front-end between end users and tech support agents. I AM both sides of this [img]/images/graemlins/wink.gif[/img]

(reply to above post forthcoming...)

[TylerD]

It amazes me that professional players such as you and MicroBob don't have broadband access - surely its an essential tool of the trade?