M$: Where is XP SP2? 7

[dbMark]

I know how much M$ hates to make service packs. But with all the recent security vulnerabilities found in most versions of Windows, Internet Explorer, Outlook Express, etc., wouldn't it make sense for Microsoft to release XP Service Pack 2?

I have XP SP1 installed and just yesterday I went to WindowsUpdate and downloaded over 30MB of fixes! It took a long time, but imagine how long that would have taken over modem, maybe days!

That's bad enough, but I'll be buying a dozen or more XP Pro packages over the next few weeks and I absolutely dread having to install XP SP1, then immediately waste my time updating it over and over with 35-50MB of cirtical security fixes! If it was a few fixes, I'd understand, but not when 5-10% of the code has to be replaced as soon as it's installed! Anyone going out and purchasing a new or upgrade license should not have to go through that pain (if they even do follow through and update), not when the product is made by the one company that now makes about half of all the profits in the tech industry.

I'm sure there are thousands of others just like me who wonder why they can't spend some of their bilions to press some updated CDs. Yes it is a good product, but the world can't wait months and months for those rare service packs. Have mercy on us poor peons!

 

[bcastner]

I am not disagreeing with you, but likely the bulk of your last Windows Update session was not security patches but the Directx 9.0b update.

If you have a bunch of installs coming up you can reduce your network traffic and time with handling the updates by:

1. Make a Slipstream SP1 now.

http://www.windows-help.net/WindowsXP/winxp-sp1-bootcd.html

You can use that for all the installs.

2. Make a list of current hotfixes applied, and download them for seperate installation.

In c:\windows you will see the blue "$NTxxxxx$" folders. Write down the Qxxxxxx part, and then go here to download them as seperate packages:

http://v4.windowsupdate.microsoft.com/en/default.asp?corporate=true

Then use Qchain to create your own installer:

http://support.microsoft.com/defaul...port/kb/articles/Q296/8/61.ASP&NoWebContent=1

Armed with this one CD you can do all the installs; or do a Sysprep type installation and clone.

 

[dbMark]

Bcastner, thanks for the links. They'll be very helpful. You are a great resource and asset on this forum.

As for my comments on a need for a new service pack, I especially had in mind those new buyers still using dialup connections, since I used to be among that vast multitude. Even a relatively small update of a couple megaBytes is an hour or two. What would I think of a company if they told me as I bought a brand new computer, please upgrade your mainboard's BIOS as there are some critical fixes released during the past 8-10 months that must be made first, also your video driver must be upgraded to work right on this system, your CD and DVD software is way out of date and must be updated, etc. I'd say, no you fix it first before you sell it to me or I'll buy something else. (Yes, I know right now there's not much else to buy besides Windows, so few go buy something else.) I for one would wonder why a company would keep producing and selling something as NEW PRODUCT when it was found to have defects and fixes existed for many months. I understand that current stocks in the channel would not have new fixes, but why keep pressing software for a number of months, so far about a year since SP1, sending out old code that has to be fixed by the user who just paid a premium for it? Now, if Microsoft were like most other companies, struggling to make a buck, I'd be more compassionate. But I heard recently they're making about half the profit in the entire tech industry, so they have more than enough funds to do it unlike other struggling companies. That's all I'll say, or else I'll have to move this to a more appropriate forum.

 

[bcastner]

Thank you for your kind comments!

Dial-up is a problem, I completely agree. I saw something last week that estimated over 60% of Windows users rely on dial-up connections as their primary means of Internet access.

Though to be fair to MS:

1. It is the responsibility of the OEMs to determine what level of Service Pack and Hotfix they distribute with new machines; MS does not bar them from slipstreaming before installation of pre-installed XP on a computer;

2. At least the large Service Pack releases have always been available on CD from MS.

I found a site this weekend that had very detailed and complete instructions for creating your own super slipstreamed copy of XP. I am about half way through the process myself for my principal machine. The method detailed on the web site differs from other approaches because it explains how to incorporate new drivers from hardware manufacturers, your own customizations, complete software suites such as Office, and inclusion of Hotfixes as well as Service Packs.

Recommended:

http://www.msfn.org/unattended/xp/index.htm

 

[dbMark]

Based upon the worm that's been running rampant the last couple days, and the variants that are already starting to appear, I make my prediction now: Microsoft will be forced to release Windows XP SP2 very soon. How will they be able to sell new systems if the first thing the buyer or upgrader has to do is follow complicated instructions about firewalls or race to the Windows Update website while hoping MSBLAST.A/.B/.C/.D/etc. don't find him first? Of course, M$ can't pre-announce SP2. If they did, then sales of computers with SP1 would plummet until SP2 came out.

At what point will the public rise up and scream, stop the hackers and virus/worm writers at any cost and punish them severely? That's unknown.

 

[bcastner]

I think there are some issues with Windows 2003 that they want to include.

 

[sfvb]

bcastner,

Very useful info. Thanks, and here's a star.

Steve

 

[bcastner]

From eWeek:

August 16, 2003
Windows XP SP2 Delayed Until Late 2004

By Nate Mook, BetaNews


In a surprising turn of events, Microsoft has pushed back the release date for the second Windows XP service pack to the third quarter of 2004. SP2 was long expected to debut before the end of 2003, a year after SP1 made the rounds.

The change in plans came to light by way of Microsoft's Product Lifecycle Web site, which details future support timelines for the company's products.


"Third quarter next year would put anywhere from 18 to 24 months between the first two service packs," Joe Wilcox, senior analyst for Jupiter Research, told BetaNews. "This is a much longer cycle than between Windows 2000 service pack releases."

The possible implications of the move are far reaching. A yearlong delay gives Microsoft significant time to further its integration strategy with Windows XP – building more components directly into the operating system.

"It's possible that Microsoft is preparing a more substantive-than-usual service pack that would add new features to Windows XP or hybrids Media Center and Tablet PC," said Wilcox.

One such potential feature is Microsoft's PC Satisfaction package, currently in beta testing. PC Satisfaction extends the native functionality of Windows XP with services such as an enhanced firewall and virus scanner that give customers a better Windows experience out of the box.

Although Microsoft has not yet announced how it plans to issue PC Satisfaction in its final form, the company hinted that a new firewall would be enabled by default in the next Windows XP update.

It is unclear how the delay will affect the next version of Windows, code-named Longhorn. Microsoft executives previously targeted late 2004 for a release to manufacturing and planned to have Longhorn on store shelves by mid-2005.

However, an extended Windows XP lifecycle gives Redmond more time to maneuver and opens the door for Longhorn to debut in early 2006.

A 2006 release date puts almost five years between Microsoft's consumer operating system releases, following the launch of Windows XP in 2001. Microsoft has previously denied considering an interim operating system release in the form of Windows XP Second Edition, but a two-year development timeframe for Service Pack 2 may raise the possibility once again.

In the meantime, consumers and businesses will need to be vigilant about keeping Windows XP patched with the latest updates from Microsoft, rather than waiting for the convenience of a service pack, noted Jupiter's Wilcox.

 

[WadeW]

I hopes Microsoft creates some kind of security rollup patch that includes all the post SP1 fixes. Even with a slipstream copy of XP SP1 I think you get over 20 critical updates.

 

[dbMark]

Microsoft has been very much in the backround lately. I presume they're hoping the vulnerability/virus issue will blow over. But the problem is that anyone with Windows NT, 2000, XP, 2003 is at real risk of getting infected with worms attacking via the RPC hole unless the Windows firewall is activated. No problem for us pros except for having to dump tons of spam/worm emails, but the general masses will get infected even while downloading the patches. That hurts us, though, because those infected will be unwittingly bombarding every IP address imaginable, bogging down the internet even more as new viruses (viri) keep coming out.

One reason why Microsoft may not be more proactive now is that they recently bought Romanian GeCAD and their cross-platform antivirus software RAV. (And no doubt much cheaper than Symantec or MacAfee would have cost.)

News at vnunet.com said "20 June 2003 - Microsoft halts GeCAD Linux/Novell AV - Software giant's latest acquisition to drop development of non-Windows antivirus software - Microsoft has confirmed that it will not develop future versions of GeCAD's RAV antivirus software on the Linux and Novell platforms. The company said that it will only use the intellectual property belonging to GeCAD, which it bought earlier this month, on internal development for Windows... 'There is no way Microsoft is going to develop products for the competition'... 'RAV was a very popular product and was definitely the cheapest solution for Linux because it was sold on a per-server rather than a per-user basis.'"

In one fell swoop M$ gained technology and removed a product that was popular with Linux and other platform users. Oh, oh, Microsoft has decided that it will do antivirus programming for itself now too. Beware, Symantec, MacAfee, F-Prot, etc. Their sales pitch could be "We can do everything for you, even protect your computer too. No need for anyone else."

Therefore I reluctantly step back from my prediction that Microsoft will bring out service packs now to wrap up all the critical patches to date. (Windows XP SP1a, removing Microsoft VM, was announced about 6 months ago, but is only now making it through the channel.)

If only M$ would learn from AOL and Earthlink and others who give away CDs by the boxful (millions, I'm sure) at all the computer stores, and in the mail too. If only M$ would make a CD that would have - on one CD - all the updates and hot fixes for Windows 98, 98se, Me, NT, 2000, XP, 2003, SqlServer, IIS, etc. What a publicity coup that would be!

This week alone I had to replace 2 hard drives and one is awaiting me. Do you know how many reboots (4 reboots each for 30-40MB of updates) I had to do in order to reinstall Windows?! (Not to mention all those who asked me for help with the new mimail, msBlast, SoBig.F, etc. this month! Family, gotta love them!) Imagine how easy it would be to use the original disk plus a one-disk-fits-all-versions CD that you can pick up at the checkout lane of your local store and zowee, the computer would be protected and up-to-date through August 2003.

Of course, how could we detect all those anonymous vulnerable PCs out there? M$ could change the name of the browser (it is a server variable sent between browser and a web page) just enough so that all the big popular sites like Yahoo, Google, hey even tek-tips, could read the OLD browser ID and flash up a message to the unsuspecting computer that they were unprotected and point them to Windows Update or some appropriate solution.

Maybe the ISPs (the portal onto the internet most use) could prevent anyone from going through their systems unless it was directly to a fix-it site. That's too draconian, I'd expect, but otherwise a nice concept.

Ouch, pinch me, I'm dreaming.

(This is not a rant, it's a desperate wish list. Microsoft, are you listening?)

 

[dbMark]

Am I awake or in a nightmare? I just went to Microsoft's Internet Explorer Critical Updates page, expecting to download the latest (November 2003) cumulative security patches and they weren't there! There was only a link to WindowsUpdate but I wasn't able to download any files like I used to up through the October 2003 cumulative patch. Unless I'm mistaken, they're trying to make WindowsUpdate their one-stop shopping address.

I was looking into slipstreaming these fixes and others into one install CD as was suggested above. But now I can't find the files I need. Even the DirectX 9.0b file was moved! Now it is at

http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/...9e-07c1-462a-baef-5eab5c851cf5&displaylang=en

Is there a corporate/administrator page hidden somewhere where I can gather all those exe files, such as for Internet Explorer, etc.?

(By the way, only 50 days to go before M$ halts active support for the entire Windows 9x OS family. Oh, no...)

 

[dbMark]

Several news sites have reported today that Microsoft is going to extend support for 3 older Windows versions: 98, 98 Second Edition and Millennium Edition. The support will now match the longer 5+2=7 year schedules for active+extended life cycle support previously reserved for the newer Windows versions such as Windows 2000 and XP. Microsoft has extended support for all 3 operating systems until 30 June, 2006.

Also a ZDNet article in December 2003 mentioned that Microsoft was betatesting the concept of an update CD "designed to provide critical security updates to users of older editions of Windows." It "will be of special benefit to customers with slow Internet connections and for those customers who typically do not visit the Microsoft Web site to download updates for their computers." Hmmm, for users who typically don't visit the Microsoft Web site. Wonder where you'll get it? No, it likely won't be sitting in the checkout lanes at your local computer store. You'll need to "visit the Microsoft Web site" to get it for free. No word on whether there's a shipping charge.

dbMark

 

[bcastner]

You can check the Life Cycle Plans for Microsoft OS, as it does get occasionally updated. But Windows 2000 Professional, for one example, leaves the OEM and Retail channel in less than three months.

http://www.microsoft.com/windows/lifecycle.asp

 

[shirleyowl]

Please can someonoe help me I downloaded the SP1a for my daughter as she is on dial up. Put it on a CD for her..
She was having trouble with her system for quite a while and I asked her if she had ever installed the Service pack I gave her..... NO ! I cant believe her... So obviously she hasn't updated anything else in a year either. So now I need to know the best way to handle this before she spends many pounds getting in a professional who will no doubt spend most of his time updating, patching etc. I don't mind her paying him to sort out the really technical stuff but not for something I can do. Her budget is very tight at the moment.
So is there a way to get all those updates on a CD?
If so where do I obtain it. I am on broadband so I can download but not sure about writing them to disc if it is multiple updates. Is it best to put them in a folder on my desktop then write that to CD.and do I need to worry about slipstreaming or anything like that which I was reading about in the August posts on this thread.

TIA
Kind thoughts
Shirley

iMac OSX 10.2.8 17"Flat panel 80gb,800mhz,256 Ram, Superdrive.

 

[bcastner]

Add to your downloads:
(To be applied after Service Pack 1a)

http://support.microsoft.com/?id=820128

http://support.microsoft.com/?kbid=826939

http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/...9E-07C1-462A-BAEF-5EAB5C851CF5&displaylang=en

http://www.microsoft.com/security/security_bulletins/20040202_windows.asp

With these applied there should be little time necessary at Windows Update.

 

[shirleyowl]

Thankyou bcastner. will give this a go tonight.
Kindest thoughts
Shirley

iMac OSX 10.2.8 17"Flat panel 80gb,800mhz,256 Ram, Superdrive.

 

[shirleyowl]

Hi Its me again I didn't have a chance to do this yet,, but can you answer my question about slipstreaming As I do not know what it is or how to do it.
Do Need to know about it at this stage.
Thank you
Shirley

iMac OSX 10.2.8 17"Flat panel 80gb,800mhz,256 Ram, Superdrive.

 

[Marcs41]

For more info, see:

http://www.windows-help.net/WindowsXP/winxp-sp1-bootcd.html

and

http://www.windows-help.net/cgi-bin/wpub/comments.cgi?view=198

Marc
_{If 'something' 'somewhere' gives 'some' error, expect random guesses or no replies at all. Please specify details.
Free Tip: The F1 Key does NOT destroy your PC!}
How Do I Get Great Answers To my Tek-Tips Questions? See faq219-2884

 

[dbMark]

Well, it's not Windows XP SP2, but as mentioned in my January 12th post, Microsoft has released "Win Update 2004 English NA Feb Direct 2CD Windows Security Kit" which is Part No. B82-00170. It contains all security updates through October 2003 for Windows 98, 98se, Millennium, 2000 and XP. Nice that it's free and shipped free, but notice that it does come with a free antivirus and firewall trial software CD. Marketing strategy? I would guess that they're using GeCAD's RAV antivirus software. They bought the company last June and said at the time they were going to use its intellectual property.

You can order the Windows Security Update CD at

http://www.microsoft.com/security/protect/cd/order.asp

 

[pietbhai]

to download the SP 2 quick installer go to flexbeta.net