XP SP2 - Windows XP Service Pack 2

Now what I want to know is what are the implications forordinary end-users?

Sir! Step Away From That Service Pack!

Here is another anecdotal one regarding XP SP2: "I downloaded the latest version of SP2 (WindowsXP-KB835935-SP2-ENU.exe) to try on our network. I started with my own computer since its the most complicated, thinking that if it worked on there it would work with all the rest.

"I went to reboot after the installation and it froze on the XP screen. I tried several times with the same result. I then tried safe mode and going to the last known good configuration, but nothing worked. So I put in the XP disc and after running the automated version of repair twice, got back onto XP SP1. Of course, somewhere along the process all of my previous system restore points were deleted. After verifying that a few things were working again, I went to the task manager and shut down all apps which weren't essential to XP, and tried again to install SP2. Same result, totally froze up upon rebooting. Same thing with the automated system repair, it worked after the 2nd try.

"Now I've heard that SP2 has problems with certain apps, but thought that the boot problems were all worked out. Well they're not. I suspect it has to do with the RAID configuration, but have no way to verify this. I then realized that my copy/paste no longer works. I'm sure that there are more problems, but won't spend the time sorting through them all as I need this computer. I'll reformat again and stick with SP1. So my advice to others, is that unless you have the most simple of systems, don't install SP2. Even then, make sure that you won't lose anything, in case your computer will no longer boot. Back up everything beforehand."

Here is a list of 50 applications that break, from the MS-website:
http://www.w2knews.com/rd/rd.cfm?id=040823TB-KB_842242


Hunt For XP SP2 Flaws Seen In Full Swing

While users are testing Service Pack 2 for Windows XP to prevent compatibility problems, hackers are picking apart the security-focused software update looking for vulnerabilities, security experts said. Network World has an interesting article about it:
http://www.w2knews.com/rd/rd.cfm?id=040823TB-Hunt

SP2 flaws uncovered:
a German security company says it found minor problems in Windows XP
Service Pack 2. Experts predict more critical issues will emerge.

http://ct.com.com/click?q=ca-iciuQUgl71~jyhV7215uOfPuuUPR

A tiny shading error in a computer program involved Microsoft in a multimillion-dollar business fiasco, the head of the firm's geopolitical strategy unit disclosed yesterday.

Tom Edwards made the admission at the International Geographical Union congress in Glasgow. He explained how erroneously colouring eight out of 800,000 pixels dark, rather than light green to represent Kashmir's disputed territory as non-Indian in Windows 95's time-zone feature had led to the product's being banned in India.

He said 200,000 copies had to be recalled and the firm's reputation in the region took a serious battering.

The Kashmir example was only one of a series of embarrassing mistakes that Mr. Edwards owned up to on behalf of his employer's programmers.

Others offended by the corporation in similar computer software diplomatic faux pas in recent years include the Saudi Arabian and Turkish governments, the Kurds and Chinese, women in several Latin American countries and computer game-playing Muslims.

"The geographical illiteracy of a lot of Americans is well known," Mr. Edwards said. "When you take that illiteracy and put it into products that are distributed globally, the results can be very serious.''

Saudi Arabia's government complained over the accidental use of Koranic chanting as the soundtrack for a scene of Kakuto Chojin, a fighting game released by Microsoft in 2002.

Mr Edward had recommended that 75,000 copies of the game be destroyed after a Muslim linguist he consulted "went ballistic.''

Senior managers removed the offending chanting from future versions but decided to sell the original copies. Three months later Saudi authorities banned the game and demanding an apology.

The original Encarta 95 Encyclopaedia had a map of Turkey that included the label Kurdistan, an area the Kurdish people claim as their own. The Turks were deeply offended and Microsoft distributors in the country were arrested and questioned. The company quickly removed the reference to Kurdistan, which led to protests from its less lucrative Kurdish market.

Windows XP includes a section where the user sets up a profile by entering details such as age, sex and number of children.

A version distributed in Latin America asked users their gender, giving their options as No especificado (unspecified), varon (male) or hembra (female). Unfortunately in some countries the term hembra means "bitch."

Listing Taiwan as a separate country called the Republic of China in Microsoft's Small Business Server 2000 software distributed in the People's Republic of China led to its staff in Beijing being hauled in for questioning.