SP2: any problems?

ToolPackinMama wrote:
Any problems to report with Service Pack 2? I'm curious to know how
it's going for you.

I installed the beta Service Pack some months ago, and have been running two
PCs since. I can honestly say I've had no problems. I use the XP firewall
and pop up blocker on both PCs which are behind a router.

When I was running the beta programme, I tried an uninstall followed by a
reinstall. No problems at all.

Regards

Martin

Dave C. wrote:

"David Maynard" wrote in message

Serious question, David . . . are you arguing with me just because you can?
You didn't directly contradict anything I said, but you have a problem with
everything I said. If this is just a personal vendetta, get over it.
Please. -Dave



I explained precisely what I had a problem with: that you tell people it
may 'destroy' their partition (your original post was unequivocally simple:
that SP2 was 'destroying' partitions on particular CPU/chipset
combinations) and that if they should be unfortunate enough to find
themselves in this predicament then the only course of action is to rebuild
the whole thing; neither of which is true.

I also gave the impact reason for my complaint: that someone who has
important data sees you telling them that all is lost because you've
prejudged that the repair procedure is too painful, for you. The hint of
which, a repair procedure, only came to light after the challenges to your
claim of 'destroyed' partitions.

You often help people, and have a good knowledge set from which to draw on,
but do you not realize the potential harm that kind of hysterical
misinformation can do?

I don't understand why you felt the need to 'ask' because it was clear as a
bell in the text you snipped.

You often help people, and have a good knowledge set from which to draw
on,
but do you not realize the potential harm that kind of hysterical
misinformation can do?

I don't understand why you felt the need to 'ask' because it was clear as
a
bell in the text you snipped.


OK, point taken. I might have overstated my case just a bit. Still, if it
makes a few people think twice before installing SP2, I think that's quite
OK. I don't know exactly what is gained by installing SP2, but the
potential problems created by SP2 are quite significant. I wouldn't advise
anyone I care about to install SP2. What I find most ironic is that in one
of the workarounds suggested by Microsoft, MICROSOFT warns of system
instability. (What does ***MICROSOFT*** consider to be instability? . . .
that's got to be some pretty scary **** there!!!)

Don't mean to turn this into a Microsoft bashing post. I actually like
Windows XP, and that's based on comparing it to various flavors of linux and
all other versions of Windows. But SP2 needs some serious tweaking before
it will be ready for public release. (OOOOOooooops, too late) That's my
honest opinion, speaking both personally and professionally. You can
disagree with me all you like. I have no problem with that. -Dave

"Dave C." wrote in message
...




http://support.microsoft.com/default...&Product=winxp

Ed


This link states nothing about destroying a partition. It doesn't even
mention partitions at all. No data is lost and there is a workaround to
either continue using SP2 (with possible instability), or uninstall the
thing (with the time lost) and start over with SP1 or original XP. How
can
anybody claim, as Dave C. has, that SP2 is "destroying partitions of
computers with Prescott processors" when no such thing has happened?
Sound
the alarms!! The sky is falling! The sky is falling!



Y'know, it's easy to be a Microsoft apologist if you haven't spent several
hours fixing their ****-up for them. People need to know that there is a
REAL DANGER involved with installing SP2. SP2 can and HAS caused many
Computers to not be able to boot Windows, PERIOD. Not normally, not from
safe mode, and not from CD-Rom. There are workarounds to the problem, but
there are no GOOD solutions, just various degrees of really BAD solutions.
It would be irresponsible of someone who knows of the danger NOT to warn
others about it. -Dave


OK Dave, I agree with your point about warning others of possible dangers,
but the danger you mentioned _never_ happened. It sounded more like some
rumor that an AMD fanboy would be spreading. Users are helped much more
when those in the know stick to the facts and don't post distortions and
innuendo.

OK Dave, I agree with your point about warning others of possible dangers,
but the danger you mentioned _never_ happened. It sounded more like some
rumor that an AMD fanboy would be spreading. Users are helped much more
when those in the know stick to the facts and don't post distortions and
innuendo.



Oh, now that's ironic. Not long ago in this ng, someone was bashing intel
at every opportunity, screaming at the top of their lungs that the Athlon 64
was the best processor, PERIOD, regardless of what type of system you were
building. This person was clearly stating that the Athlon 64 was better
than the P4 in EVERY way. I corrected his sorry ass many times, even using
his own favorite web site (anandtech) to prove him wrong. I am indeed an
AMD fanboy, but I don't build AMD exclusively, and I wouldn't advise anybody
to dump a P4 in favor of an Athlon 64. I very much like the Prescott
processors, at the moment. But Prescott processors and SP2 don't mix very
well. Microsoft is trying to blame mainboard manufacturers for this
problem, but I blame Microsoft. If a system is working great before SP2 and
not working at all after, it is not logical to blame that problem on the
motherboard or the BIOS. Even Microsoft is aware that not all mainboards
have a BIOS update to address the issue. So Microsoft needs to fix this
problem, or remove SP2 from Windows Update. IMHO -Dave

In article , ToolPackinMama says...

Any problems to report with Service Pack 2? I'm curious to know how
it's going for you.

I just did my 10th upgrade yesterday. 3 were from the Network installation pack
which I downloaded when it was available, 3 were from background downloads on
computers that were set to auto download and the last 4 were from the CD that
came last week.

I was extremely careful, doing spyware removal, defrag, disc cleanup and turning
off all programs before attempting the upgrades. All went well except one, a
rather crickity system on an older Gateway 500 and I suspected that it may give
me problems before I started so I backed up all of the data first to another
disc. I did have to do a format and clean install on that computer but I guess
I could have opted to uninstall SP2. It was just much more expedient to clean
it up and reinstall everything. I did slave the hd to another computer
afterward, just to make sure that I had all of the data and had no problem
accessing the partition. I then put it back in the Gateway and did a reinstall
and loaded sp2 at once, no problems. A little extra work but it needed a clean
install anyway. It's my grandaughter's machine and she just tears these things
up. A classic careless computer user.

Naturally the CD install is the most painless. Like most upgrades it's a PITA
but for casual users it may help to minimize the suffering later on.

The one I did yesterday is on a strange looking little Cele 550 that kind of
looks like R2D2 with a handle on the top. Not sure who made this thing, since I
can't seem to find any markings on the outside and the inside is so crammed up
that you can't even see the mobo but it's a spunky little computer. This one
upgraded like a dream, if just a little slow getting there.

I do think that it will cause problems for inexperienced users, especially if
they are careless when installing it. Should generate some business for those in
the repair end. If people have a slopped up and ****ty computer this will
probably put the last nail in the coffin and maybe that's not a bad thing. I
seem to spend lot of time lately just cleaning up infested computers that are
all but choked to death with spyware and viruses.

Ed

"Dave C." wrote in message
...

"ToolPackinMama" wrote in message
...
Any problems to report with Service Pack 2? I'm curious to know how
it's going for you.

You mean besides destroying partitions of computers with Prescott
processors
on brand new motherboards of various chipsets? Other than that, no
problems
to report. -Dave

Prescotts + SP2 don't destroy partitions but you might have.

"Dave C." wrote in message
...
I haven't seen that problem. Did it happen to you personally? Do you
have
links to a news story?



It's a well-known problem, someone else posted the link. I've seen SP2
destroy a perfectly good and working NTFS partition.

My how unlucky we are as such hasn't happened to anyone else.

Luckily, it wasn't my
computer (one I was rebuilding for a friend), and there were no data files
on it YET. So nothing was lost, other than several hours of software
installation.

If you are thinking of SP2, I'd advise you to wait at least six months.
Maybe by then the problem will be worked out. -Dave

Nonsense, SP2 works flawlessly for the great majority and there are
fixes/workarounds for most all the arcane problems like SP2+Prescott.

"Dave C." wrote in message
...

"JAD" wrote in message
...
The only references I can see to this, is HYPE from the partition
software makers. Give the link, as I would figure if its that dramatic
it should of hit the news reel by now.




http://support.microsoft.com/default...&Product=winxp

Note that when this happens your choices are

-update BIOS (if available, but many of the affected systems have no
update
available)

That's changing hourly.

-turn off cache and take SEVERAL HOURS to uninstall SP2

No uninstall needed. Flash BIOS or rename update.sys

There is a third option, but even Microsoft warns that it will cause
system
instability

NO, that it might cause instability. It doesn't.

Basically, your best choice is to wait several months before attempting
SP2,
unless you've done it already and were lucky enough to have nothing
horrible
happen.

Nonsense.

"Dave C." wrote in message
...

The article which Ed linked to doesn't seem to describe a case where
a partition is destroyed or data is lost. Plus, it appears that
updating
the BIOS to a version that loads the latest microcode will help you to
avoid/resolve that problem. Are you referring to another scenario?


The problem is, many of the affected motherboards have no BIOS update
available.

Nonsense.

If you install SP2 with a Prescott processor and one of the
affected motherboards (mostly newer ones, ironically), you will end up
with
a partition that will not run Windows (not even in safe mode).

Nonsense, there's an easy fix.

You will
also have a partition that you can not install Windows on. While this
doesn't mean your partition is destroyed, it might as well be destroyed.
(The average computer user is ****ED at that point.)

Ignore this guy as he's obviously wacko.