September 23, 2004

Windows XP Service Pack 2
Tips on Microsoft’s latest Web security offering

By Rick Dexter
Special to the Times

Microsoft’s latest Windows XP patches are not causing massive system failures as some had predicted. Part of this may be slow adoption, or maybe Redmond actually did a decent job at software coding. The federally funded U.S.

Computer Emergency Response Team (US-CERT) has even recommended that SP2 be loaded on all Windows XP computers in the country. For those of you that want to take this plunge, I want to briefly cover some of the major features and present a few tips on putting SP2 on your system.

The biggest gotcha so far is installing SP2 on a system that is riddled with spyware or adware, or infected with viruses. Often, it’s difficult to tell if your system is clean, but installing SP2 can create a very unstable system if you’ve got adware parasites in memory before you start. Some adware can’t be cleaned automatically by programs like Spybot and Ad-aware. I’d recommend using a few different programs to scan your system, clean it, reboot and run Internet Explorer before you scan again. Repeat this several times. Some adware comes back by itself between reboots, often not until you’ve used your machine for a while. If you can’t clean it off, either seek an expert to help you, or reformat your hard drive and load Windows from CD.

After installing SP2, you will notice a couple of new options appear in the Tools menu of Internet Explorer. The first is a new popup blocker that helps to prevent unwanted advertisements. If you are having problems using a Web site because of the pop-up blocker, use the settings in the tools menu to add the Web site address to your “trusted” list. You can disable it if you don’t want to block pop-up ads, but don’t do it just because someone else told you it would fix a problem.

The least user-friendly thing in SP2, in my opinion, is the add-in manager. Add-in items are essentially downloaded software programs that have “attached” themselves to Internet Explorer, most of the time through a Web site prompting you to “download and run” them. A lot of adware and viruses can install add-in items, which have the ability to do anything from delete all your data to send out continual spam from your system. However, a lot of add-in programs are used for legitimate purposes. The add-in manager doesn’t provide a user-friendly way to easily distinguish between a good add-in and a bad add-in. If you suspect you have a bad add-in, you can use the add-in manager to disable individual items to aid in troubleshooting, but keep in mind that you might disable some desired functionality if you’re uncertain what you are disabling.

SP2 also installs a new firewall into Windows and enables it without asking permission. The firewall will help prevent other computers from connecting to your computer. If you already use another firewall like Symantec/Norton, McAfee, or Zone Alarm, it may have problems co-existing with the new Windows firewall. It would be a good idea to uninstall your other firewall before loading SP2 on your system, even if you plan to disable SP2’s firewall and use another one.

A new icon in Control Panel called “Security Center” allows you control over some of the security settings as well as some new alert functions. For example, SP2 monitors common antivirus software programs and can alert you if the software gets out of date. Also, it is in Security Center where you will tweak firewall settings or modify some of SP2’s default settings. For most users, the defaults should work fine.

Some other features of SP2 help block potentially unsafe downloads, make changes to Outlook Express to block spammers from validating your e-mail address, and make improvements to wireless support in Windows.

Although I’m still cautious in deploying SP2 in business-critical situations, my opinion today is that this update is critical for home users and for systems that are used a lot for Web browsing. If you have trouble with the installation, Microsoft is supporting Service Pack 2 issues via email at no charge. The Microsoft home page has a link to more information about SP2, including how to install it on your system. But please, back up all your important data before you start!

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.