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September 2004
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How to
install Windows XP Service Pack 2 (and what to avoid!) |
So you've been reading our articles about Service Pack 2 (along with
more than 1000 other people every day) and having read our recommendations
have decided that that now is the time to take the
plunge and install this major update. So how do you do it and more
importantly what should you do first?
If your system is fairly new then the only thing to worry about is
that you make sure than ANY programme which has access to the outside world
is as up to date as possible. This can include various utilities such as
games and weather programs. The reason for this is the new Windows
Firewall which intervenes in EVERY attempted access to the internet (and attempted
access to your network if you have one). Most programs have now been
rewritten to take this into account but there will be some old or rare games
and utilities that just won't work as they used to. If you run anything
special that you must continue to use then all that you can do is try to
contact the manufacturers to see about an update or a fix before upgrading.
If you can't contact the manufacturer remember to set a System Restore
recovery point before you start so that in an emergency you can get back to
where you were.
The one programme that MUST, repeat MUST be completely up to date is
your anti-virus software. Even having an update that is a month old is too
old here. Norton has been completely revised in the last few weeks. It
worked on 90% of Service Pack 2 machines before the latest revision but it's
catching the other 10% that has taken the time! By the way if you are
running the 2002 version of Norton please get hold of at least the 2003
version (this applies even if you have regularly paid Norton for the latest
updates) you must NOT see 2002 in the bottom right hand corner of the
welcome screen. If you can't get hold of a copy give us a ring because you
stand a good chance of major troubles if you are running the 2002 version -
'nuf said.
The actual installation of Service Pack 2 is very simple and seems to
go remarkably well. The only problems seem to be when people think that the
installation has "gone wrong" and press the cancel or reset button. DON'T do
this under any circumstances (except a power cut, see below), go and make a
cup of tea, watch a TV programme or go to bed, but do NOT reset your
computer. The full service pack for the home edition comes in at about 80
meg. To get a rewrite of a major part of the operating system into such a
small package Microsoft have had to compress it very tightly and the
extraction can take a considerable time. One last week took 30 minutes
before the bar at the bottom of the screen even started to move to 1% so
wait. O.K.?
By the way the above installation on a very slow 300MHz machine took almost
two hours to finish although this was exceptionally slow, on a modern
computer an hour or so might be nearer the mark. A 3200 P4 can complete the
job in just
over 25 minutes!
How you get hold of the update is up to you. It is beginning to
appear on the cover disk of computer magazines and if you have Broadband you can
download it from the Microsoft web site. We can let you have a copy if you
can't get one anywhere else which is unlikely.
Having downloaded the compressed update you will see a standard
Windows Update display with a moving bar at the bottom and a description of
what is happening above. Sit, watch, enjoy! By the way we tried to count the
number of files that were updates but gave up at 1500 - this is a HUGE
update!
DO NOT SWITCH OFF YOUR MACHINE WHILE THE UPDATE IS IN PROGRESS - GIVEN
THE RELIABILITY OF OUR LOCAL MAINS SUPPLY DO
NOT EVEN START THE UPDATE IF THERE IS THUNDER FORECAST! If you are unlucky
and there is a power cut during the process you may get away with it by
simply starting again after the power resumes, and you can always contact us if you
get stuck. As an aside we now run all our computers on uninterruptible power
supplies but even these won't help you when installing Service Pack 2. The
reason is that the installation can take anything up to 2 hours and most UPS's
cut out after 10 or 15 minutes. Luckily we have a stand-by generator -
amazing what you need when living in 21st Century rural Sussex!
Once your computer system has finished extracting the update files it starts installing
them, you will know when as your hard disk will quieten, after this finishes the system restarts.
On rebooting your computer the first thing that you will notice
is that the front page of Windows has altered and the coloured bars that
used to be green are now blue, your monitor is NOT faulty! Next comes another
"panic point" as you will (perhaps for
the first time since getting your computer) see the XP "blue screen of death".
We were all used to
seeing this special mode under Win98 but many of us will not have seen the XP version
before.
Again this screen is completely normal, as "The Hitchhiker's Guide to the
Galaxy" says - Don't Panic! Booting the first time after the Service Pack 2
installation can take 10 minutes or more, so wait for your hard disk to stop
thrashing before using your machine for work.
Having booted your system and heard that dreadful "Microsoft chord" the first thing that you will see is the
new Security Centre. This can be a little intimidating at first but what it
really does is monitor three important items, namely your anti-virus software, your automatic updates, and
the new firewall. If the Security centre is happy that these three items are
set as Microsoft would like you will not be troubled again - you WILL be though!
The first time that every program on your computer tries to contact the internet you will get a
frame up asking if you want the program concerned to access the
internet, even with things like Outlook Express and Internet Explorer.
Fortunately, the new system has a memory and as long as you tell it that yes you
would like to be able to look at the internet it will remember the setting
for each programme and will not trouble you again. Users of "Zone Alarm" will
be quite familiar with this, it is the same programme! Obviously if at this
time you see some odd titled program trying to contact the internet you
should check for a virus or worm.
By the way it is worth mentioning here that we suggest that you think
carefully whether you want or need to run both the new, improved Microsoft
Service Pack 2 firewall along side such programmes as "Zone Alarm". We do
NOT think that you need to, but this time we leave it up to you. Another "by
the way" warning - some people in the village seem to think that they are double
protected if the run more than one anti-virus programme on their computer. NEVER run more than
one at a time as they interfere with each other and neither works as it should.
Indeed just having more than one anti-virus programme installed on a computer
can cause major troubles. If your computer came for example with a free
anti-virus programme and you have never got around to uninstalling it, as
long as you have an up to date "major" anti-virus programme consider deleting
the old one now!
Now that you are running Service Pack 2 you can rest assured that your
computer is much more secure that it used to be. You will not see nearly so
many pop-up
or pop-unders unless you want to, and your email will be far less likely to set off a virus.
Virus writers will find a way around the new procedures eventually of
course, but we will bet that
there won't be so many major viruses reported on the TV news from now on. So
it WAS worth all the trouble after all!
Happy computing!
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