# Should I install Service Pack 2 for Win XP? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [October 3, 2004, 2:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-i-install-service-pack-2-for-win-xp/267274 "2004-10-03T02:23:56Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Zebra](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/c0e974/32.png) [@Zebra](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zebra)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2004, 2:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-i-install-service-pack-2-for-win-xp/267274/1 "2004-10-03T02:23:56Z")
Obviously I have Windows XP. Now I’ve been given the little 'Updates Ready to Install and the update is Service Pack 2. Has anybody done this? What was your expierence? ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Blue\_Sky](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d26b3c/32.png) [@Mr.Blue\_Sky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Blue_Sky)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2004, 2:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-i-install-service-pack-2-for-win-xp/267274/2 "2004-10-03T02:33:07Z")
I just did this today. I’d heard horror stories about people having internet connections severed and peripherals ceasing to work. I got brave today and installed it (after setting a Restore point). Thankfully, all went well. It took about 15 minutes overall (this includes updating my BIOS from Dell as recommended). Everything works! One weird thing, though. I figured I would have to use IE to get to the download site. When I clicked on the Download button, nothing happened! I went to the same page using Firefox, and it downloaded immediately! BTW, I was running XP Pro. ---
**Author:** ![Necro\_Romancer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/50afbb/32.png) [@Necro\_Romancer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Necro_Romancer)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2004, 2:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-i-install-service-pack-2-for-win-xp/267274/3 "2004-10-03T02:38:27Z")
I’ve had it installed since day one and haven’t had any problems. ---
**Author:** ![Revtim](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/revtim/32/1042_2.png) [@Revtim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Revtim)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2004, 3:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-i-install-service-pack-2-for-win-xp/267274/4 "2004-10-03T03:02:02Z")
Works fine for most people, but I had a problem. My download of SP2 was interrupted because my PC locked up, and when it came back it thought the download was done, when it was in fact not, and installed it. Result: Windows became unbootable, and I had to reformat and reinstall. Fortunately, I have Linux disk I could boot from, and read the Windows disk and burn data to CDs, so I didn’t lose anything. And, I was thinking of reformatting/reinstalling anyway to improve my PC’s performance. The strange thing is that after I remade my Windows and redownloaded the update, it seemed to do a check if it was down and complete. I managed to get around that check, I guess. ---
**Author:** ![Telperien](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/65b543/32.png) [@Telperien](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Telperien)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2004, 3:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-i-install-service-pack-2-for-win-xp/267274/5 "2004-10-03T03:16:03Z")
I’ve had it downloaded for a few days, but have been nervous because of other people’s mention of problems. I’ll set a restore point (thank you for mentioning that, **Mr. Blue Sky** ) and then try to install. ---
**Author:** ![Flamsterette\_X](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/41988e/32.png) [@Flamsterette\_X](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Flamsterette_X)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2004, 4:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-i-install-service-pack-2-for-win-xp/267274/6 "2004-10-03T04:01:33Z")
Downloading it now as I type. I’ll probably install it right away, since I’ll need it. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![jhinman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/779978/32.png) [@jhinman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jhinman)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2004, 5:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-i-install-service-pack-2-for-win-xp/267274/7 "2004-10-03T05:05:28Z")
I work in telephone tech support and have a bit of experence. My suggestions: 1: Make Sure you have update drivers for everthing. 2: Back up you data before installing just incase. 3: Scan for virus and spyware before installing SP2. (SP2 makes it hard for them to get in, but if they are alreadythere then bad things can happen.) Must of the issues with SP2 installs going bad that I have dealt with have either been cause by out of date drivers or spyware already on the system. Also, Installing SP2 will disable bluetooth by default. If you have a bluetooth keyboard and mouse, make sure your you have a regular keyboard and mouse to use to logon the first time and turn bluetooth back on. One final thing the Boot Splash screen that sayes Windows XP Home and has the Green bar going back and forth in Home or has Windows XP Pro and the Blue bar in Pro just sayes Windows XP with a blue bar for both versions now. That is normal. ---
**Author:** ![DMark](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e68b1a/32.png) [@DMark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DMark)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2004, 6:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-i-install-service-pack-2-for-win-xp/267274/8 "2004-10-03T06:27:54Z")
I did it at work with no problem, though it took me a lot longer to download than others are mentioning. I think it was about 40 minutes total from download to completion of installing it. However, a week later there was an office email from the IT department telling everyone to not, under any circumstances, install this. I am curious now, and will ask them why when I get to work on Monday. ---
**Author:** ![Quartz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/quartz/32/267_2.png) [@Quartz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quartz)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2004, 8:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-i-install-service-pack-2-for-win-xp/267274/9 "2004-10-03T08:27:07Z")
Don’t install SP2 from the Automatic Updates. Download the full version - or get MS to send it to you if you’re on dial-up - and install it from there. Having the full package will help if you ever need to reinstall it, and you’ll be sure it hasn’t missed anything. ---
**Author:** ![Lsura](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7993a0/32.png) [@Lsura](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lsura)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2004, 11:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-i-install-service-pack-2-for-win-xp/267274/10 "2004-10-03T11:16:01Z")
I downloaded it (on a dial-up connection - took way too long. Wish I’d requested a disc from microsoft) yesterday. Apart from the time it took, I haven’t had any problems. When it did get done and I rebooted, I got the security settings window - SP2 had turned on the Windows firewall and wasn’t thrilled that I wanted to keep my other firewall turned on and turn that one off, but I did it anyway, because I trust the one I’ve got - I don’t trust the Windows one. ---
**Author:** ![GuanoLad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guanolad/32/42_2.png) [@GuanoLad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GuanoLad)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2004, 12:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-i-install-service-pack-2-for-win-xp/267274/11 "2004-10-03T12:02:52Z")
I did at home with my XP-Home, and it worked perfectly - but installed Windows Media Player 9 which took over all my settings, and now steals association for all streaming video files, which pisses me off. I installed it at work on XP-Pro and it caused a problem where I couldn’t reboot, apparently caused by an outdated BIOS or something. So be careful. ---
**Author:** ![Furry\_Mongoose](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/c57346/32.png) [@Furry\_Mongoose](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Furry_Mongoose)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2004, 1:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-i-install-service-pack-2-for-win-xp/267274/12 "2004-10-03T13:38:57Z")
I’ve decided against getting it, mainly because all the people I know who have got it with the exception of one - have had problems. Some were easily cured… new updates for hardwares etc… some could only be fixed after formatting their harddrive. Not too good either way… ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Blue\_Sky](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d26b3c/32.png) [@Mr.Blue\_Sky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Blue_Sky)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2004, 1:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-i-install-service-pack-2-for-win-xp/267274/13 "2004-10-03T13:41:15Z")
> [@GuanoLad](#): > > I did at home with my XP-Home, and it worked perfectly - but installed Windows Media Player 9 which took over all my settings, and now steals association for all streaming video files, which pisses me off. It nearly did the same to me. After the upgrade, when I first clicked on a .wmv file on a website, a dialog box popped up and asked me to configure WM9. Of course, this won’t stop it from trying to take over in the future. ---
**Author:** ![twickster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ec9cab/32.png) [@twickster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/twickster)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2004, 2:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-i-install-service-pack-2-for-win-xp/267274/14 "2004-10-03T14:05:06Z")
I’ve been trying to order the CD for the last hour and keep getting a “try back later” message. What a PITA! ---
**Author:** ![Early\_Out](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/6f9a4e/32.png) [@Early\_Out](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Early_Out)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2004, 2:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-i-install-service-pack-2-for-win-xp/267274/15 "2004-10-03T14:06:21Z")
Did it as soon as it was available (Win XP Home), and not a single glitch. BTW, when SP2 installed itself, it created its own system restore point before starting to change things - that’s more caution than MS has ever shown before! Also BTW, the popup blocker in IE pretty much eliminates the need for a third-party blocker. It seems to work just fine, and makes it fairly easy to create exceptions to the rules (i.e., if you often visit a site where you want the popups, you can tell IE to let those through). ---
**Author:** ![Zebra](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/c0e974/32.png) [@Zebra](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zebra)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2004, 2:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-i-install-service-pack-2-for-win-xp/267274/16 "2004-10-03T14:15:14Z")
So, just how do I back up my system? I’ve looked for that and I can’t seem to find it. ---
**Author:** ![Eve](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/9e8a1a/32.png) [@Eve](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eve)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2004, 4:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-i-install-service-pack-2-for-win-xp/267274/17 "2004-10-03T16:09:32Z")
Well, I installed it (it kept _nagging_ me), and the only problem I have is the annoying “Your computer might be at risk” balloon that I click and it tells me my virus protection status is unknown, but no matter what I click, _it won’t goddam let me do anything about it_, except giving me that stupid balloon everytime I turn my computer on. ---
**Author:** ![Early\_Out](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/6f9a4e/32.png) [@Early\_Out](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Early_Out)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2004, 4:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-i-install-service-pack-2-for-win-xp/267274/18 "2004-10-03T16:12:34Z")
> [@Eve](#): > > …the only problem I have is the annoying “Your computer might be at risk” balloon that I click and it tells me my virus protection status is unknown, but no matter what I click, _it won’t goddam let me do anything about it_, except giving me that stupid balloon everytime I turn my computer on. Maybe I’m confused, but I recall getting that message from Zone Alarm, not from Win XP. Are you running ZA? If so, that’s where you can turn that warning off. For some reason, my ZA can’t tell whether my Norton AV is up-to-date (even though it is). ---
**Author:** ![Ponder\_Stibbons](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ponder_stibbons/32/343_2.png) [@Ponder\_Stibbons](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ponder_Stibbons)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2004, 4:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-i-install-service-pack-2-for-win-xp/267274/19 "2004-10-03T16:17:09Z")
> [@Eve](#): > > Well, I installed it (it kept _nagging_ me), and the only problem I have is the annoying “Your computer might be at risk” balloon that I click and it tells me my virus protection status is unknown, but no matter what I click, _it won’t goddam let me do anything about it_, except giving me that stupid balloon everytime I turn my computer on. I got this too. It’s not ZA, **Early Out** , it really is XP. What you do is go to Control Panel (where SP2 has installed several new items) and select “Windows Security Center”. Click the button under “Virus Protection” and in the dialog that comes up click the checkbox for “I have an anti-virus program that I’ll monitor myself”. The Virus Protection section will then declare itself as “Not Monitored”. ---
**Author:** ![Early\_Out](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/6f9a4e/32.png) [@Early\_Out](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Early_Out)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2004, 4:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-i-install-service-pack-2-for-win-xp/267274/20 "2004-10-03T16:17:21Z")
> [@Zebra](#): > > So, just how do I back up my system? > > I’ve looked for that and I can’t seem to find it. There are two answers to that question. First, you should back up the files you’ve created. They’re probably mostly in your “My Documents” folder. It’s just a matter of copying all of them onto a burnable CD. If you don’t have a CD burner, you’ll have some problems, since you’ve probably got way more stuff than it’s practical to copy onto floppy disks. Backing up the _system_ stuff is found by doing Start, All Programs, Accessories, System Tools, System Restore, and telling it to create a “restore point.” [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-i-install-service-pack-2-for-win-xp/267274.md?page=2)