Gremlins await Microsoft's latest security

By DON MCALLISTER

Windows XP Service Pack 2 is about increasing protection SP2 is a big step, but not a silver bullet as intruders will eventually (if not already) find ways to exploit or get round the modifications.

The use of third-party antivirus software and firewalls from the likes of McAfee, Symantec and Trend Micro is still recommended.

The big news is all in the security, though some older enhancements like Media Player 9 and a few compatibility drivers have been included.

Microsoft has thrown its resources into slowing down the flow of malicious actions by those who, for many reasons, seek to attack users of its Windows XP product.

Because of its popularity, Windows will always be a target for cyber crooks motivated by greed or intent on malicious gain.

Years of patching holes, providing internet resources to make them available, then taking flak when more are required has forced Microsoft to act.

Downloading XP-SP2 Copies of the final network install version have started circulating. But this version is not for general release and a few irritations may have to be repaired before the general release is posted on the windows update site.

This 266-megabyte monster (we can imagine what load the cyber highways will have to suffer as millions of computers download a file that size at once) could place this much-needed upgrade out of reach for 56Kbps or slower-modem technology, taking many hours and maybe days over an already slow internet system.

The Installation Once on your drive, installation begins. Patience is required while serious security changes are made within your deepest operating crevices. The first reboot takes an age and seems to slow the machine to a crawl, implying something is drastically wrong, when in fact it seems to be a planned part of the exercise (in my case it took several reboots before the system settled).

On completion, little had visually changed, but messages started appearing such as NT KERNEL Changed, suggesting that Windows is now guarding against intruders messing with critical files.

Many browsing and e-mail irritations have been addressed by securing and monitoring with downloads, attachments, setting changes, firewall update, automatic updates, security centre and a pop-up blocker.

The new security centre icon in the control panel is a basic interface to turn security off or on. Probably a waste of space, but at least it's something you can see.

Microsoft has listed third-party applications that may have issues operating on machines with the new update.

The problems are associated with the new built-in firewall-blocking programs trying to access the web. Even games such as Age of Empires II and Sim City 4 are listed.

Check the list for software you may be running, but the issues are generally minor and most software companies are issuing updates to eliminate the conflicts - Symantec security products just received an update to resolve their SP2 issues.

Generally SP2, when released in the updates site, will be an important improvement. Hopefully the final release will be a tad smaller than the version I've seen.

The places to go

Windows Update - Here you will be able to sign up for automatic updates if you're not already registered. Windows will connect to the internet regularly and check for new updates you need to download.

Service Pack 2 - Information specific to Service Pack 2.

Programs that may behave differently - A list of programs that Service Pack 2 may have trouble interacting with.