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There are isolated problems with current patches, but they are well-known and documented on this site. |
Hi DAve,
I made the switch to SP2 and lost the functionality of an expensive program that needed to be authenticated from the web. The place from which this program had been purchased has gone under and there isn’t any way to retrieve the necessary data to get my program up and running again.
It seems that many people have had trouble with the SP2 patch messing up how their computer works. I don’t think a patch should interfere with what has been loaded on someone’s hard drive nor do I think that the user should have to reload their stuff or hunt for new drivers just to satisfy an installed patch by Microsoft. It is rather irritating to have to go to this much work. It is almost as if MS is going toward a proprietary kind of atmosphere rather than an open source one. I guess when I plan on buying into a new O/S, I know I will have the possibility of updating a lot of my applications but I shouldn’t have to worry about doing this just because I patched the O/S that I have now.
If I had to do it over again, I would just be sure to keep my firewall, virus protection and other checks and balances up to date to keep my computer clean and neat. Just my 
I don’t want to throw gasoline on the fire, but…
how does one conclude that “many” have had problems? With any service release, there is bound to be a small sub-set of users who encounter difficulty. As the old adage in the world of sales goes, one angry customer tells ten people about their experience, and the happy customers might – might – tell one other person.
I say this to give some statistical balance to the argument. For every person who encountered an issue of some sort, there are countless other users who have not experienced so much as a hiccup, myself being one of the latter. I have installed SP2 on many different systems and have yet to come across a problem of any significance.
As for the statement about Microsoft going to a proprietary atmosphere, they have always been that way. That’s how they make their money and please their stockholders. SP2 was one of the most intensely scrutinized releases Microsoft ever put out for public consumption. Anyone who lived through Service Pack 2 for Windows NT 4.0 would likely agree on that point (or for that matter, anyone stuck putting up with Windows ME).
I think I just added about , is there a smilie for a dime? 
Since Dave asked for reasons why a user might not be happy with installing the SP2 patch, I only offered why I was unhappy with it. I was well aware when I purchased WinXP Pro that some of my software might not work with it but I didn’t have any problems then. And I did install SP1 without a hitch and still my software worked well with it. It wasn’t until I installed SP2 that I started having problems.
Yes, I agree that the software programmers need to be keeping up with the compatibility issues of their applications to the MS O/S changes. Most of them do. When I read through a lot of posts here as well as on the MS boards, it seems that many people do experience problems so that is why I chose the word “many”! Maybe the percentage is more in favor of the positive than the negative but as you said, people who are happy with a product don’t normally say much.
And as I said in my opening paragraph, the only reason I spoke up is that Dave was asking for reasons. If I were really critical of MS, I would rant and rave about them but as you may notice, I don’t normally carry on about them or anyone else. I generally just keep hunting for solutions to my problems.
As for my defunct piece of software, I still have a copy of the old registry so I am hoping to sometime find the keys to authenticate it once again! In the meantime, I am sorry I stirred up the kettle! I will buzzzzz off into the sunset now. 
Skitterbug,
You responded to Dave’s question and I should not have jumped in. I know that you don’t rant and please don’t be sorry for “stirring up the kettle”. You DID NOT. I won’t be presumptuous enough to speak on behalf of Al and Mark and Joe, but I don’t think any of us meant to “attack” your point of view. We listen to so many nonsensical and totally uninformed “reasons” for not applying SP2 that I guess I responded without thinking who I was talking to. In any event Skitterbug, if I offended you, I am truly sorry. That was certainly not my intent 
and I hope that you will accept my apologies.
Dave,
I do appreciate you apology. I went to bed last night wondering what hit me! Four different people in high places responded in a manner that surprised the daylights out of me considering I had only answered your question honestly.
So now I am curious with this last post
“what is it that you are searching for?”
There are some (what ever number that is) Lounger’s that refuse to install SP2, and I am asking as to WHY they will not.
I was a Beta tester and test SP2 on 4 different machines and had install ALL of the different builds that were released to us. I did NOT have any machine or build that would NOT install or have any problems with. Yes, I did report some minor bugs which were fixed early in the game. I use a lot of 
ware and lot of major names in software. The only problems I had with programs were do to the fact that program was NOT SP2 compliant and I reported what I found to BOTH MS and the OEM of the software. Some of the OEM’s sent me a down loadable fix to test.
I am looking to see what appears to be the problem from those that have problems first hand and will tell me about their system and why they think it is a SP2 issue.
As stated in posts above, some hardware is NOT ready for SP2. Any machine that I have had my hands on that has had a problem with SP2, it has been a OLD hardware or a program not been updated for the release. Many software and hardware OEM’s released fixes BEFORE release of SP2. I had drvers for my Sony laptops a week after the release of SP2.
One never knows if they will be asked to Beta test another version or not, but I hope I do. If so I may be able to apply what I learn here if I get that another chance.
DaveA I am so far behind, I think I am First
Genealogy....confusing the dead and annoying the living
Hi Dave, I am afraid to confess to being a scardy cat relating to SP 2, think when people talk of problems they have had installing it, I tend to remember and worry it will stuff up my machine (I am not clever enough to fix it). 
Reading here it appears I could do a system restore if worse comes to worse – thanks for this thread, it has been useful and interesting.
Well, since you asked….. No horror stories here either. I’ve upgraded a half dozen machines for my family and friends as well as the 4 in my wife’s office without so much as a bump in the road. Nothing was changed that I hadn’t allowed and everything still worked just as it had before the upgrade. I was hesitant and waited until I had the CD version to work with and didn’t do the first upgrade for a couple months after the release of SP2. Just did the latest one about a month ago. Same boring, no problems senario. 
Oh my Charlotte – you left yourself wide open with this! [indent]
and knows what he’s talking about
[/indent] Is this an admission that you don’t know what you’re……..? 
John,
Duck!!! That may have been too much already or not.
Joe
--Joe
Yeah I know. But the opening was there and I couldn’t resist 
. I can envision me being reinstated to “lurker” status. OTOH, if I simply deny everything……?
When it comes to hardware? You betcha! 
I gave up on keeping current with hardware at least 10 years ago, and I don’t want to mess around with operating systems either. I think WinNT was the last version I actually worried about. Since then, I hand the box to my friend, who makes a business of being a systems integrator, and let him do the dirty work and bill me for his time. 
Yes, Post your answer to my question over there 
DaveA I am so far behind, I think I am First
Genealogy....confusing the dead and annoying the living
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