Gregg Keizer
Anyone who owns a PC can't do without Windows (let's be honest, how many of us will actually spend the time to decipher Linux?), and you're probably as eager to keep hackers, viruses, and Trojan horses as far from your PC as the next person. But while Windows XP SP2 makes a more proactive defence against viruses, potentially dangerous files and, of course, stupid human tricks, its new antics are sure to rub longtime Windows users the wrong way. Worse, like every major Windows upgrade -- and don't let the name fool you, SP2 is major -- it knackers some applications.
From Monday to Friday this week, we'll tackle a frightening new XP SP2 tale of terror each day. Our tips and hints will help you deal with SP2 -- or keep it at arm's length if that's what you want -- so that you can smoothly sail the Windows waters.
You've heard scary stories of Windows XP SP2 installations gone wrong, and you live by the 'if it ain't broke, don't fix it' creed. So you've decided not to muck around with a working copy of Windows XP because the possible result -- a PC reduced to a pile of rubble -- is too horrible to imagine.
For better or for worse, Microsoft's mission is to make sure SP2 makes its way onto your machine. Saying it's one of the most important service packs ever released, the boys and girls in Redmond have put SP2 into the Windows Automatic Update queue. In other words, if your machine is connected to the Internet and you haven't turned off Automatic Update, you may end up with SP2 whether you've asked for it or not.
Here's how to keep SP2 at arm's length.
Like its name implies, Windows' Automatic Update feature automatically downloads and installs bug fixes and other upgrades, SP2 included. You can disable it with these steps, but please note: doing so will stop any other essential patches or fixes Microsoft may try to roll out, so make sure you follow steps 2 and 3, as well.
Windows Update is the manual mechanism that grabs OS updates and downloads them; it's an alternative to Automatic Update. If you don't use Automatic Update, you can regularly head to the Windows Update site to scout out fixes, such as this month's security patches (Microsoft releases regular updates on the second Tuesday of each month).
Microsoft beats the drum harder for SP2's new Security Center than for any other slice of the update, touting it as proof that the new-and-improved Windows XP is a lot more secure, thank you, than earlier editions.
Security Center, which you can reach from the Control Panel or from the new icon plopped into the Taskbar's system tray, is a bare-bones dashboard that shows the status of three things, Automatic Update, firewall protection and antivirus defense, and warns you when, for instance, your virus definitions aren't up-to-date or the firewall has been turned off.
The Center isn't a new idea, although Microsoft may want you to think so. Frankly, similar displays have been around for ages. Worse, the new Center might not actually even detect your antivirus software or firewall (assuming you have them in place), which could lull you into a false sense of security (pun intended). And worse yet, its firewall, although better than no firewall, isn't up to snuff.
These tips will make Security Center slicker.
Although Microsoft made an effort to coordinate Security Center with third-party antivirus and firewall software, SP2 may not sniff out yours without an update.
You can silence Security Center's nagging alerts with a single click
SP2 automatically turns on the new Windows Firewall by default, a big improvement since Windows has long hidden its firewall; you may not even have known that your old copy of XP came with one. But we don't think the firewall's adequate, primarily because it blocks only inbound traffic, not outbound, too. This oversight makes it possible for a worm or virus that arrives, say, by email, to infect your machine, drop in a Trojan horse or another backdoor, then use your PC as a spam-spewing engine, all without Windows Firewall giving as much as a squeak. Other firewalls will let you know of any unauthorised outbound Net traffic and block it.
Despite the never-ending deluge of virus attacks, some of us did manage to keep our PCs protected before SP2 -- often with a more detailed dashboard display than Security Center offers. We used top-of-the-line at-home security products such as those from Symantec, McAfee, Trend Micro, or a host of other companies. And you can do the same. So how can we turn off Security Center's bloomin' alerts? Here's how:
Obviously, this is a big deal; shut it down only if you're completely sure that you can maintain your own protection software.
The change takes effect after you reboot.
From the looks of Windows XP SP2, it seems that Microsoft thinks that users are the weak link in the security chain. We do stupid things, such as download files, and then -- fools that we are -- we actually open them.
Because SP2 deems it important to protect you against yourself, it goes to great lengths to keep you from receiving emailed file attachments that might carry worms and viruses. For the same reason, it makes sure -- by asking you again and again -- if you know what you're doing when you download files from Web sites, also a potentially dangerous practice.
This may make sense if you're my mum, who doesn't know a computer virus from a flu shot. But to many of us, this dumbing-down smacks of some serious blame-shifting. Or at the very least, it gets downright annoying.
To get back your self-respect, try these tips.
The new Outlook Express in SP2 doesn't let you receive attachments in some file formats, such as .exe and .scr, that have traditionally been used by worms and viruses to deliver their payloads. But this draconian measure also blocks legitimate transfers. To get back the ability to accept these files -- of course, keeping in mind that you'll have to carefully consider each download to protect yourself -- follow these steps:
Tired of Windows asking if you're sure -- really, really sure -- if you want to
run a downloaded file? You can nobble this nightmare with a simple
setting in Internet Explorer.
Windows now puts up an annoying warning when you try to run a file downloaded from a Web site if that file doesn't include a digital signature. This may be good for you -- it could stop you from falling victim to a phishing scam or other Web-based attack -- but if you are very, very careful and feel you know how to identify these threats yourself, you can do the following to stop the alerts:
After installing SP2, you'll have to actually click a link to start a download from Internet Explorer. That means the common download site technique of 'Your download will start automatically in 10 seconds' no longer works. Instead, IE puts yet another warning, this time in what it calls the Information Bar (the section directly under the toolbars and above the browser display window), to tell you that you're doing something stupid. Although CNET's sister site Download.com has been tweaked to work smoothly with SP2, other major download destinations, such as tucows.com and majorgeeks.com, haven't. To get back your dream of easy downloads, follow these steps:
Without a doubt, the SP2 nightmare that's had the most press is this: after installing the update, some of the software that once worked fine on your PC simply doesn't function. Microsoft explains the problem by saying that SP2 is no normal service pack (just a collection of previous bug fixes), but is more like a top-to-bottom upgrade of XP. Analysts generally agree.
Actually, while the problem is bigger than Microsoft admits, it's not all doom and gloom. Microsoft Office still works fine after the update, and so does Intuit Quicken. In fact, probably 99 percent of software that runs on XP runs fine on XP SP2. Still, statistics won't make you feel any better when you fire up your dearly beloved application and it chokes.
No! Maybe! Look, we never promised we'd cure every nightmare, did we? But here's our best shot:
The most common SP2 problem that plagues applications is Windows Firewall wanting to block access to the Internet. The simplest way to fix this? Run the app and click Unblock
After installing SP2, some software may not run properly because Windows Firewall is now blocking one or more ports that the application or game needs to communicate with another computer or server.
Here's the easiest way to unblock an app:
If you disabled Windows Firewall because you're using another firewall, you can safely skip this step; most apps will work as before. For those that don't -- typically, the SP2 updates to Microsoft titles such as Windows Messenger and Internet Explorer -- enable them using your firewall's own unblocking tactics.
Some programs, including a few of Microsoft's own, need to have ports opened manually to work behind the Windows Firewall. That's a hassle, but at least there's help on the Web.
Okay, so you've tried Windows XP SP2. And you hate it. You installed the update, and a can't-live-without-it application broke into a billion pieces. Or you can't connect to the Internet, no matter how many hoops you jump through.
Now your only thought is: out, damned SP2! Is it possible to get rid of SP2 once you've installed it? Or is SP2 like an unwanted guest who comes for a weekend, but ends up moving into your spare bedroom?
Try these SP2 rollback manoeuvres.
Of course, you'll be removing some of the security features that Microsoft intends for keeping your PC safer. So you should know how to update your OS yourself. (See Monday's moaner for instructions.)
It took about 45 minutes and required a reboot, but using 'Add or remove programs' to roll back SP2 worked like a charm for us.
Microsoft has its own preferred order of tactics to dump SP2, and 'Add or remove programs' heads the list. It's also the simplest, so try it first.
If 'Add or remove programs' doesn't show a Windows XP Service Pack 2 option -- unlikely, but possible -- there's a manual, semisecret way of getting to that wizard.
During its installation, SP2 automatically creates a system restore point, in effect saving a snapshot of the PC, before it begins. If the other techniques fail, or if after uninstalling SP2 your computer acts up, you can clamber into a Windows version of the old flying DeLorean and go back to the, er, past.
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