WinXP SP2 Without Tears

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Fellow technicians, it's our job to act as guardians for our customers. We must protect and advise them of ways they can prevent computer downtime. Part of that responsibility includes advising our customers about spyware, viruses and worms. Of course, we always tell them about the importance of making regular back-ups of essential data. But one important area of preventive maintenance often gets overlooked by both customers and technicians: Windows updates.

In this TechBuilder recipe, I'll discuss the pros and cons of updating your customers' and users' Windows XP systems to Service Pack 2. I'll also tell you what to watch for before you begin this upgrade, to help you ensure that the SP2 update installs successfully the first and every time.

The Facts About WinXP SP2

Service Pack 2 is simply Microsoft's most important and significant update to the Windows XP OS. For this reason, installing SP2 is more a question of when, not if. Sooner or later, your customers will most likely be forced to install SP2, due to software or security requirements.

I recommend that you start scheduling SP2 upgrades at your customers and users now. Do it on your schedule. Waiting just increases the odds that all your customers will suddenly need SP2 at the same time!

Many system builders like to wait a few months before installing any major service pack or new OS, so the vendor can work out the bugs. While this is sage advice, SP2 has been available for nearly a year now. The time for waiting is over. The time to install is now.

If you're worried, remember that Microsoft has never released any major updates to either SP1 or SP2 that affected whether the installation would succeed. Nor was either service pack ever recalled or replaced with an update. While Microsoft has released some patches to resolve issues with SP2, these patches require that SP2 be already installed. In other words, the SP2 you'll install today is the same exact code that Microsoft released many months ago. In fact, the only companies that have come out with patches that affect the installation of SP2 are computer hardware manufacturers (with BIOS updates) and third-party software vendors.

For most residential users, there are no real caveats to installing SP2. However, for your business clients, you must evaluate how SP2 interacts with any enterprise software they use. You must also resolve any issues with that enterprise software before you deploy SP2 across the company.

Why SP2 Is So Important

Think of WinXP SP2 as the equivalent of a car's oil change after 3,000 miles of driving. As a driver, rather than wait for your car to break down, you (hopefully) change your car's oil on regular basis. Same thing with your customers' PCs. Failure to update PCs to SP2 means your customers' systems remain vulnerable to worms and viruses. They will continue to become increasingly vulnerable in time as exploits to an unpatched Windows XP continue to be discovered by hackers and malware writers.

Also, SP2 adds several enhanced features to XP that make the OS easier to use and more reliable than ever. Here are just a few of the new enhancements that SP2 provides to Windows XP users:

• A new security center that constantly monitors the status of firewall, anti-virus software and Windows updates.

• A huge improvement to the Windows XP built-in firewall, making it much easier to use. The firewall is now automatically turned on during SP2 installation, assuming it does not recognize any pre-existing firewall software on the PC. Prior to SP2, many PCs could become infected with the Sasser or Blaster worms (among others) during the initial installation of the OS. This could happen even before the desktop appeared for the first time, while connected to the Internet without a router (a common residential configuration).

• Windows Hotfixes are no longer listed in Add/Remove Programs by default. (Many users are confused by those entries and contemplate uninstalling them!)

• The new Add-On Manager in Internet Explorer (IE) makes it easier than ever to remove unwanted toolbars and other browser helper objects (BHOs). This, in turn, reduces the need for third-party software such as HiJackThis to remove those browser nuisances.

• Better protection from Spyware with IE's new Information Bar. Spyware and other sneaky drive-by downloads, as well as user-requested downloads, now require user authorization. The result: Web sites that implement automatic software downloads and installations that occur in the background without user knowledge are a thing of the past.

• Downloaded updates offer to install automatically during the PC's power-off sequence, by default.

• Wireless networking configuration is easier and more reliable.

• Numerous security enhancements to Outlook Express protect your customers' privacy and computers.

• A pop-up blocker has been added to IE, negating the need for third-party software to do this job. ("Free" third-party software can often be a source of spyware or adware itself.)

Tips For a Smooth SP2 Installation

Before you attempt to install SP2, first make sure that the system is clear of all viruses, spyware and other malware. You also want to prevent any unnecessary programs from loading during start-up.

Even if your customer already has anti-virus software installed and kept up to date, it can't hurt to get a second opinion, especially when that second opinion is free. For example, you can visit Trend Micro's HouseCall site to perform a free online virus scan. If any viruses are found, remove them, then reboot the PC, before you attempt to install SP2.

Next, scan for and remove any and all spyware. Once again, this can be done as a completely free process. I recommend using Microsoft's free Anti-Spyware (beta) utility on all XP PCs.

If you're installing SP2 on a laptop, be sure the laptop is plugged in to a wall socket--not running on batteries--during the installation. If a laptop battery should lose its charge before the OS update is complete, the entire system could become unbootable. Luckily, SP2 checks for this. Should you attempt to install SP2 on a laptop running on batteries, you will see the following error message:

If you're upgrading a PC made by a tier-one PC manufacturer, such as Dell, Gateway, or HP, check the manufacturer's support site for known issues with SP2 before starting the installation.

Ensure the PC has at least 1 GB of free space available on its hard disk drive.

Make back-ups of any important data, and close any open programs/applications before starting the SP2 upgrade.

Finally, check to be sure the XP serial numbers on the system are valid and legal. SP2 broadens its awareness of illegally shared XP serial numbers. If the PC you are working on does not have a legitimate XP serial number associated with it, SP2 most likely will not install. Instead, it will display this error message:

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