XP SP2 - Windows XP Service Pack 2

I learned the hard way by not disabiling my virus software. It did have a silver lining in that I always wanted to remove the partition SONY used to install giving one a drive C and D. D for documents one wants to save if reformatting but in effect did not leave much room on C for Windows XP. It was an inadvertant error that I forgot to disable the virus software and lost registry files that forbad me from booting up (I even tried the Norton reboot disk and the XP reboot disk to no avail).

I have an update ready to be installed now. Unlike previous updates, this one doesn't give an option for review prior to installing, so I have no idea what it is.

There are two buttons - one is Express Install and the one below that is Custom Install. If I click on Custom install, will that give me an option to review just what the update is, do you think?

Also, is there a link anyone knows of on just how to uninstall Norton Anti-virus? It's not in my Add/Remove setting and came with this computer which has Windows XP Home.

"Custom Install" should allow you to pick-and-choose some. BTW - the update you refer to ... is it a Microsoft update, or from a 3rd Party?

What version of Windows are you running, and what version of Norton do you have? Symantec (Norton's Parent) offers this for Uninstall Norton AV 2004 instructions applicable to Win XP/NAV 2004, with additional instructions for removing earlier versions of NAV as well.

Yes - it's one of those automatic Microsoft updates. This one says "This update requires you first accept an End User License Agreement." I don't remember seeing this on any of the other updates. If I click the "Custom Install" button the "install" option changes to "next". But...I haven't clicked on "next" yet, LOL.

Windows XP, Home Edition, Version 2002, Service Pack 1.

Timber - thanks for the link to Symantec. I have Norton AV 2003. Can't decide if I want to renew it (get that renew window daily) or uninstall all of it and get a different one. I'll see if I can get the uninstall info on my version there.

If your AntiVirus subscription is expired, the app itself is about as much use to you as last year's baseball schedule.

Can I just thank all you dedicated techies - like Craven, Monger, and your very good self, Timber, for all you do on these threads?

I realised the other day that I was often copying stuff from your answers for friends - or was able, with confidence, to say to folk "Go here, and ask that, you will get good answers pretty fast."

You are treasures!

If its Norton Internet Security you oughtta be fine, Vivien, as long as its updated frequently and properly configured. You prolly should consider some anti-spyware/anti adware stuff, just to be safe.
IMO, the basics for safe surfing include the following, all free:

Spybot Search & Destroy (read the Tutorial and the FAQ to learn how to properly update and configure Spybot S&D). Spybot not only scans for and removes a buncha yuckware, it can and should be configured to prevent the crap from installing itself. Included are several very useful utilities, including a Startup Manager and a Registry Monitor/Lock.

Recommended by Spybot S&D's developer, JavaCool's
SpywareBlaster is a valuable adjunct to Spybot; the two of them work well together. Spyware Blaster targets and locks out thousands of known yuckware pushers.

Also highly recommended is LavaSoft's Ad-Aware SE . AdAware Free does a good job of finding and removing adware, and some other yuckware, though the free version does not offer real-time blocking. Its a good idea to scan your system regularly both with Spybot and AdAware, as one will often catch something the other misses. Consider them a team.


Rounding out the basic protection suite is
IE-Spyad, which, as explained on its home page, " ... adds a long list of sites and domains associated with known advertisers, marketers, and crapware pushers to the Restricted sites zone of Internet Explorer. Once you merge this list of sites and domains into the Registry, the web sites for these companies will not be able to use cookies, ActiveX controls, Java applets, or scripting to compromise your privacy or your PC while you surf the Net. Nor will they be able to use your browser to push unwanted pop-ups, cookies, or auto-installing programs on your PC."

With that kit, properly configured and updated, along with likewise properly configured and updated anti-virus and firewall, and a little common sense, you're gonna be about as safe out there on The 'Net as you can make yourself.

And I'm sure I speak on berhalf of the other "techies" when I say yer perfecwy weccum, wabbit. We're all glad to help where we can.

I downloaded the SP2 after reformatting and reloading XP Pro. Works like magic. (Well, not magic to Monger, Timber, Craven, Don, et el, but to me)

Love the pop up blocker, security alert, and other features. No problem with download (less than 20 min. with cable) or install, but that might be 'cause I was starting fresh with nothing else loaded.

Reloaded Norton and no problems encountered.

Timber - I clicked on the "Custom Install" button for my latest automatic update and it states:

"Windows XP Service Pack 2"
Size: 75MB - 266MB

I'd planned to order the CD and upgrade that way, but I suppose I'll have to install it through their update now, since there doesn't appear to be a way to remove the "update notice" from my computer without installing it.

The reason I procrastinated about renewing Norton AV is I thought I'd heard there were better ones available and I was putting it off to do more research. Do you have Norton?

Can I just right click on the Norton icon in the toolbar, select "disable auto-protect" and then proceed with the Service Pack 2 download and installation?

I have cable modem and 20GB free space on this computer.

JustWonders, Norton is one of the more highly rated AntiVirus apps available. If I were you, I'd just go ahead and subscribe to the latest version (which has some pretty handy features, anyway). I do run it, without problems, on a couple of my machines, and its running fine on many of my clients' machines. Yes, you can just disable autoprotect while performing installs - in fact, as long as you know what you're installing, you should disable any scanning or blocking software during installs. If you DON'T know what you're installing, you've prolly got no businesss installing anythingin the first place

I'd say go ahead and install SP2 from the Update download, but also order the CD anyway ... its totally free, and good to have.

thanks Timber for that advice - yes Norton updates regularly

I installed Spybot ages ago from one of your pieces of advice and it is great - I hadn't downloaded Adaware as I thought it was the same - but following your advice I'm going to do it this weekend and also look at the IE one you suggest.

Thanks again! a techie I'm not so it is much appreciated

incidentally my Norton firewall is quite fierce and removes a lot of attachments from emails - but I am unsure of reducing the protection level so just tell friends I can't pick up their stuff due to the fierce fiend guarding my computer - please cut and paste - have i got it set too high? (it isn't on the highest and is set as Don recommended)

An update....I took your advice, Timber, and renewed my Norton AV. Today, I disabled autoprotect and proceeded with the SP2 update from the automatic download they sent (still haven't ordered the CD). It took exactly 24 minutes (I think I held my breath the entire time LOL), but the computer rebooted without any hitches (knocking on wood).

I'm a happy camper after reading about some of the issues with SP2 here. Hope everyone else's experiences go as smoothly, and thanks for the encouragement and help.

My download was a disaster. I got the CD, disabled my virus scanner and it installed OK. Everything seems to be running smoothly now.

Wilso - you were one of the reasons I was nervous about it LOL. Also heard a radio computer guru tell his disaster story (his from using the CD) so I was extremely nervous. Glad to hear you were successful using the CD! I'm feeling very fortunate...so far, so good

XP SP2 Ruined My Life - HELP!
My wife didn't know what she was accepting and ended up downloading and installed SP2 on our main home pc. It went into the boot loop.
it wouldn't let me restore and I couldn't get anything from the last successful blah, blah, blah...

I was able to get into safe mode a couple of times which took about ten minutes each and then while in safe mode everything was super slow motion. The start menu took about 30 seconds to appear.

I tried to change a few things in the registry, I put in some updated drivers, flashed my BIOS and all that did was get me to the windows xp splash screen where it stayed for 6 hours before I turned it off. Then I could no longer get into safe mode or anything else.

I ran the xpcd recovery console and ran an overtop "upgrade" recovery install. That took 8 hours and then did the same thing - getting to the splash startup screen and staying there.

So after several attempts at lengthy time consuming fixes I decided to do a clean install. My apps are on a separate partition and my documents are on a different hard drive so I figured the damage would be horrible, but at least I could repair the damage. So I clean installed which took 2 hours and it is still hanging on bootup. It took about 6 minutes to get to a login screen. Then everything was still slow. Not as bad as before, but running like a 486 taking 10 seconds to open folders, etc.

So now what? Do I have to wipe out the whole HDD and reformat it? Did it nuke my RAM? My CPU? WHAT???? Please help. I am a hobbyist - I built the computer 2 years ago. But when it comes to some of the software troubleshooting I need more handholding. Here is my set up:
Asus P4T-E mobo with latest bios = 1007
Intel 2.2ghz p4 Northwood
1Gig Rambus RAM
Radeon 64M dual display AGP
C: WD 120gb 7200rpm
xp home

Please let me know what I should be checking. Why would it still be slow after a clean install? Aren't all the registry changes rolled back?

Thank you in advance!

Sounds like you've got problems not nescessarily directly related to your Windows install. Might be related to audio or video drivers ... just guessin' here, but those are common sources of bootup/shutdown problems. Try updating them to the latest versions available from their vendor's websites, and see if that helps. If not, you might wanna try a logged boot and see if you can figure out where the hangups come from.

xp sp2 issues
I have updated sp2 on several machines.... some create major upsets and others work fine. the only consistent nag is the failure to support the scroll function on ps2 mice ... only solution I have found to date is to install a USB mouse .... very annoying

I've deployed sp2 on my personal box as well as a few boxes at work in preparation for a full-scale roll-out in the next few weeks to maybe 100 boxes.

We run several network-based database programs that were written in-house as well as Office2K and a few standard apps. When sp2 first came out it seemed as though most of the reviewers issues came from problems with "broken" network programs so we were especially wary as these network programs are essential the the organizations work (and life). In our test roll-outs though, we have not experienced any problems with networking. Merely adding the programs (notably Outlook in exchange-client mode) to the firewall exception listing seemed to fix any issues.

Other reviewers noted unbootable systems and otherwise dead systems. In the 8 or so deployments I've personally overseen on a variety of standardized (Dell gx1, gx110, gx240, latitude cpx, cpi, c600, etc...) and non-standardized (personal 'frankenstein' and older (p3 era) systems) hardware I've not had any dead or unbootable systems.

I recommend caution, as this is definately a huge change to the system, but do consider it...

We have been testing SP2 and the only compatability issues that we've experienced is due to the firewall. It is enabled by default and thus prevents our network software from communicating.

The solution is quite simple... opening the ports that our software communicates on or turning off the firewall. We chose to open the ports, which is more work, but provided the most security.

Although, SP2 does have that bug... or did... that if it was installed on a machine that had a certain kind of spyware, it wouldn't complete installation and scre the machine in the process.