OT/If I Have XP SP2...Is there any "real" need to install SP3?

"Ben Myers" wrote in message
...
Daddy wrote:
RnR wrote:
On Wed, 15 Apr 2009 20:18:40 -0400, Daddy
wrote:

Ben Myers wrote:
Daddy wrote:
RnR wrote:
On Wed, 15 Apr 2009 08:30:16 -0700 (PDT), "William R. Walsh"
wrote:

Hi!

Really? Tell that to the people who were left with unbootable
computers after the SP3 update. This happened to people who
had primarily HP Desktops
That was quite some time ago, and I believe fixes have since been
delivered.

You highlighted the problem when you said "HP Desktops". (I hate
most
of their computer hardware with a passion.) HP certainly loves
their
preloaded images and crapware. It's not hard to believe (with
regard
to the plethora of system models they have) that someone said "oh
look
here's a good idea to save us the trouble of producing a separate
image for each system" when it wasn't such a good idea. SP3 was
*not*
the problem--someone's stupidity and laziness was.

I don't mean to sound unapologetic or harsh, but people running the
factory installed software on their computer almost have it coming.
Install it yourself and be just that much more certain that it is
done
right--and that only what you want to have is there.

Microsoft's own service pack release notes say to turn off (and
quite
possibly to also update) any anti-virus software prior to applying
the
Service Pack. Now who reads that? :-)

The following questions should always be asked before an upgrade of
this magnitude is performed:

1. Do I have time to troubleshoot this if it doesn't work?
2. Do I have a backup of my information or another computer to work
with if there is a problem?
3. Does this have to happen right now? (In the case of SP3, that
answer is presently "no".)

William
The reason why I try to avoid MS updates with a passion. And anyone
tells me how vunerable I am for doing this will just make me laugh
(not directed at you).
Lol...

The reason you avoid Microsoft updates is because you don't know how
to install them, don't know how or don't want to operate your
computer in a supported manner, don't know how to maintain your
computer, and/or don't know how to keep malware away. These are the
things that cause updates to damage a computer.

As for how vulnerable your computer is without the updates...who
cares? It's not my data that's at risk.

Daddy
Sheesh! Acting out your role as Daddy and scolding a child, or what?

There are two sides to the Windows Update controversy here.

One is that Microsoft has had a lousy track record putting out patches
and updates that mess up a system, and then, Whoops! They put out a
correction. True fact. Happened all too often in the early days of
XP.

The other side is that Microsoft has tried to get better at this patch
process and actually succeeded, although people who update regularly
get harrassed again and again to install Windows Genuine Advantage.
Heavens! There may be a software pirate among us!

Whether to update or not all depends on how much one trusts
Microsoft's technical knowhow and how much personal information is at
stake.

... Ben Myers
My Dimension 4500 is almost nine years old and has received 341 updates
with no problems whatsoever. And I have Windows Genuine Advantage,
which has never bugged me about anything.

No one is saying that Microsoft Update is perfect. But when people
complain about it in newsgroups and online forums, most of the time
they're the author of their own troubles, not Microsoft.

In computing, as in life, there are lots of things you don't like.
(Who's idea was the Alternative Minimum Tax?) But as any Daddy knows,
you can't shirk your responsibilities by blaming your troubles on
everyone else.

Daddy


Daddy, think as you may but simply put, do you feel safer after 341
updates? Will it make you feel safer if you get 342 updates instead?

And do you think it is possible for a person who installs software
each year that the 300+ updates might cause problems eventually. If
you want to trust MS, that's your business. I prefer to live a
simpler, less stressful life.

As you wish, RnR. For the record, I actually do feel safer after all
those updates. And updates give me zero stress, since I know how to deal
with them. Another source of comfort: If an update ever did go badly, I
would simply restore my system partition from that day's image. (For
major upgrades I make an image before upgrading.)

Something else that you might consider: Maybe you don't care if your
computer gets infected - that's your right - but perhaps you would care
about all the other computers that your computer can infect?

Daddy

There are people who practice safe computing without all the updates and
anti-virus and anti-malware and anti-everything else. And they don't even
use a condom while at their computer. There is no substitute for actually
thinking for a bit before responding to that email from the guy wanting to
get millions out of Nigeria or that browser pop-up offering something for
nothing... Ben Myers

Ben

Could you not say that quite so loud? To date, I have no acquired a
half dozen clients who despite repeated warnings and service calls to clean
up their systems, simple can not resist clicking on any "Special Offer
(etc.)" that pops up on their screen, It's the same old drill almost
everytime, but I repeatedly warn them as to what is and is not safe. I feel
I have done my best to teach them how to protect themselves, but to no
avail. In all cases I have exceeded due diligence and still they persist.

On the upside, I get paid and for a few weeks/months their systems run
reasonably well until the gunk builds up or they click on a really bad item.

Last week I actually saw Vostro with 2 Gb of RAM that had so much
ad/malware that you couldn't see the desk top for all of the pop-ups.