August 27, 2004

Windows XP
Service Pack 2

Enhanced Internet Security will be a blessing for some, a curse for others

By Rick Dexter
Special to the Times

If you’ve purchased a new computer in the past couple of years, there is a good chance that you are running a version of the Microsoft Windows XP operating system. If your system is hooked up to the Internet, there’s an equally good chance that an unscrupulous Web site or a hacker taking advantage of security holes in Windows has compromised it.

The past six months have been challenging in the PC industry, with virus, adware and spyware infections causing computers to run slowly or erratically.

Microsoft’s response to this growing problem is to release a major set of patches to Windows XP. Called Service Pack 2, or SP2, these patches are designed to make substantial changes to Internet security. Windows XP SP2 is already available for download, and Microsoft has announced (although they have changed the rollout date a couple of times) that they will be automatically installing it on all Windows XP computers that are set up to download Windows updates.

Some of the major changes in SP2 include popup ad blocking, improved security for blocking unsafe program downloads, an add-in manager for better control over those Web sites that install software and a new firewall to help block unauthorized access to computers from the Internet.

SP2 is going to be a key part of Microsoft’s response to the Internet security problem, and initial testing of SP2 shows that it goes a long way in plugging some of the security holes in Windows XP. Users of older versions of Windows will have to upgrade to Windows XP to be able to take advantage of these security enhancements.

However, there is an ugly side to SP2. Because of the intrusive and huge changes to Windows and the Internet Explorer Web browser (IE), some Web sites may be incompatible with SP2. Also, software programs that utilize the Internet may behave incorrectly, and certain tasks that used to be easy may take extra steps. Some Web sites have to be re-programmed to support SP2, and if those changes aren’t made, computers with SP2 installed may behave in strange or erratic ways.

If you depend on Web sites or Internet-aware software programs, I would recommend a cautious approach to deploying SP2 on your computers. This initial service pack release will be tested on a widespread basis by the general public, and Microsoft often releases an updated version of a service pack within a couple of months.

Software vendors and Web site developers may not be totally up to date on the service- pack requirements and may ask you to disable some of the security features in the service pack to “fix” the problems with their Web sites or software. It may take awhile for vendors to come up with the proper solutions to incompatibility issues.

If you are only casually dependent on the Internet or you have security concerns, I’d recommend getting this service pack on your Windows XP system as soon as you can. If you surf the Internet a lot, are active with music downloads or online games, or have a persistent adware/spyware problem, it is very important to install this service pack and spend the time to learn the new features. I will be covering some of these features next month.

A Web page at www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/sp2 contains a detailed list of SP2 features, as well as a link to turn on the automatic installation of SP2 on your system. You can disable the automatic install by turning off automatic updates in control panel, but I would not recommend leaving your computer set this way for long. The decision to install today or wait until the dust settles will be different for each situation, but it is important to make this decision thoughtfully.

Rick Dexter, founder and CEO of NDYNAMICS Network Professionals in Campbell, lives in Almaden. Dexter has over 25 years of experience designing and supporting computer networks, particularly for small businesses and startups seeking reliable and scalable IT infrastructure. If you have a computer question that you would like to have answered in a future column, e-mail it to computerconnection@ndynamics.com.