'SP2' a Must For XP Users

[papau]

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=1804&ncid=738&e=5&u=/washpost/20040816/tc_washpost/a64480_2004aug14

'SP2' a Must For XP Users

Mon Aug 16, 7:48 AM ET By Rob Pegoraro, The Washington Post

<snip>Service Pack 2, "SP2" for short, is Microsoft's most important release since XP itself. It aims to stop viruses, worms, browser hijackings and worse by including security features that people had to add and adjust on their own. (Users of Windows 2000 , Millennium Edition, 98 and 95 will still need to do that, since Microsoft has no plans for a comparable update of those systems.)


The most important part of SP2 is an new firewall program to stop break-ins by network worms such as Blaster. Unlike XP's earlier firewall, this one is turned on automatically and protects every connection on a computer -- even if you already have another firewall active. It also watches what your programs do; if one wants to open its own channel of communication with the Internet, you'll need to approve this action.


The need to make this choice for potentially dozens of programs, even Microsoft's own, can be a drag, but the decision should be fairly simple: If you recognize and trust the program, it should be safe to "unblock" its access. But if you've never heard of it, keep blocking it unless things stop working.


Automatic system updates are just as important in Service Pack 2. The first time you boot up a computer after installing SP2, a can't-miss, full-screen alert asks you to allow Windows to download and install Microsoft's security updates automatically. <snip>

A 266-megabyte download is available at Microsoft's site (go.microsoft.com/?LinkID=806688)