To SP2 or not to SP2, that is the question

[Halder]

My system is running fine ( XP, 2.8-P4 Chip, 1.0 Gig Ram, Nvidia GForce FX 5800XT). Smooth as silk. No problem.

I am debating whether to install SP2. In the past I have had issues with MS Service Packs, they have taken a clean and clear system and created all sorts of problems. So I am highly hesitant to download SP2.

Many have said, "if it aint broke, don't fix it". So leave SP2 alone, while others have promoted the necessity of installing the latest and greatest Service pack.

My fear is that SP2 is going to wreak havoc with my NIS and/or NAV (for me SP's and Norton just have not got along too well).

Suggestions, thoughts

Halder

 

[Hipster Doofus]

If you go to Windows Update what is on the critical list?

If there are a few there then go with SP2. For me I tested SP2 on my system then slipsteamed it with XP then reformatted.

Be ready for the worst though, although for most people the upgrade went smoothly.

 

[Evil Marge]

i installed SP2 a few weeks ago but had to remove it yesterday cause my Packard Bell scanner will not work with it.Tried every driver possible but apparently there is no fix for it.Also heard that some digi cam's won't work either.
Everything else worked fine though

 

[Hipster Doofus]

The 'Evil' one shows my point.

 

[Evil Marge]

Bloody pain it is cause everything else was fine but I can't do without my scanner

 

[Mainframeguy]

I now how Marge feels, in my case I am lucky enough to have three XP machines to work from - a Home, a Pro, and a Lappy. I have put SP2 onto everything but the lappy. However I also have a Maxtor external drive and DriveImage so even there I could guarantee a path back if I had to....

Like Marge I found one quite important thing was broken for me - the M$ VPN client appears to have changed in a way that breaks Exchange connect functionality and I had to enter my own ROUTE commands for my telnet. This has not caused me to rollback, but it means I have kept my Laptop at SP1 to access my email.

So it rather depends on your situation and what you use your machine for and is a rather personal choice with no guaranteed outcome. Be prepared though that this is pretty large and chances are you'll also have to defrag after and it may take some time before you might find something that does not work and if you do it may be a hassle rolling it back.

That sounds like I am not in favour, but fact is I must be 2/3's in favour since I am 2/3's SP2! There's my view.... Oh and Firewire may have issues if that matters for you too - there's a thread on that with all the links.

 

[NetRyder]

Installed it on 3 machines - 2 notebooks, 1 desktop with very different configurations (P4 2.4, P-M 1.6, PIII 550)
Not a single problem on any of them; all of them were simple updates, not slipstreamed reinstallations. The only issue you will have with Symantec/Norton is that it won't integrate with the Security Center module in SP2. Protection is still on and working...it just doesn't show up correctly in SC. A simple patch available from Symantec fixes that too.

It's very important to keep up-to-date, especially in the case of service packs. Nobody can tell you if the transition will be smooth on your system or not - it's worked beautifully for some, and has caused problems for others.

 

[gonaads]

Bloody pain it is cause everything else was fine but I can't do without my scanner

Taking scan of yer butt is not considered important... unlees yer postin the pics here.

But as to the topic at hand I was and still am leery of any "service pack" that MicroSquish offers up. I have XP Pro and for a very long time was unwilling to update it with SP1. I finally did, it loaded smoothly and without any problems. I desided to do the SP2 update about a month and a half ago. I used the update for IT Professionals. It loaded flawlessly and has been running 24/7 since. Only have had to reboot 3 times due to some software updates, other than that it's a frickin "Timex".

The only thing I can say is if you are unsure then backup everything first, then take the plunge. If it don't work out for ya, uninstall it as Marge has done. There have been a few complaints as to slower load times and slower processing in general (computer is running slower than before the update).

Again, your mileage may vary. Proceed with caution... and a good backup.

 

[Electronic Punk]

Norton Antivirus 2004 works fine with it, just installed 2005 and seems to work fine.