T 'n' T: Got SP1? The Scoop on Windows XP's First Service Pack Gregg Keizer
Mon 9/23/02 -- Microsoft calls 'em Service Packs, but to the rest of the world, they're bug updates. Windows XP's first Service Pack -- SP1 in the wacky nomenclature of technology -- just hit the Web two weeks ago. It's a combination platter, incorporating all of the many (and I mean many) patches and fixes already released for Windows XP Home Edition and Win XP Professional. You can download it for free from the Microsoft Web site.
Before you do, though, take the time to read these five SP1 tips. They may save time, or your bacon.
The fix is in. Some of us want to know what's in the stew before we take a bite. For a list of all the fixes that SP1 includes --over 300 by Microsoft's count, ranging from bug and Internet Explorer 6.0 security patches to USB 2.0 support (sorry, Bluetooth support will be a later download) -- peruse this page on Microsoft's site.
Express elevator to SP1. If you've stayed on top of updating your PC, you won't need to download the entire 130MB-plus Service Pack 1 bundle in what Microsoft calls Network Installation -- Windows Update's smart enough to sniff out which fixes you've already applied, then download only the SP1 components you haven't got. On my machines, the resulting download averaged between 20MB and 30MB. Choose the Express Installation method for a single machine that you've updated regularly in the past.
Burn SP1. Using a dial-up connection? Downloading SP1 can take ages. And if you have more than one Win XP computer -- say, a desktop as well as a laptop -- the Express Installation is anything but. Here's what I suggest. Find a friend with broadband (cable or DSL) access to the Net and a CD burner, and use that machine to download the complete version of SP1 from Microsoft's Network Installation page, then copy the 134MB file to a CD. It's faster than waiting the two to four weeks and paying the $9.95 ($14.95 Canadian) for a CD from Microsoft, and should cost you no more than a beer to pay off your broadband buddy.
A good-for-nothing newcomer. The only obvious addition in SP1 is something called Set Program Access and Defaults, an odd little item stuck on the Start menu and duplicated at the left side of Control Panel's Add/Remove Programs module.
Set Program Access and Defaults is Microsoft's first step in meeting the requirements of its antitrust settlement with the Feds: It's supposed to be a one-stop spot where you can break free from Brand M by choosing your default browser, e-mail client, media player, instant messenger, or Java engine, as well as a mechanism to hide unwanted Microsoft "middleware" (love how lawyers dream up terminology, don't you?).
At the moment, though, Set Programs is bogus: Until other vendors such as Opera and RealNetworks modify their applications so Set Program Access recognizes them, you're likely to see only Microsoft programs here. My advice: right-click "Set Program Access" on the Start menu and choose Delete to get rid of this worthless item.
Be smart so you can roll back. Don't be a dope. When you install SP1, make sure you choose the "Archive Files" option that backs up existing files. That way you can uninstall SP1 if it gives you the creeps. (Or worse -- check out this list of "issues," Redmond's term for problems, with SP1.)
To roll back XP to pre-SP1, select Settings from the Start menu, pick Control Panel, then Add/Remove Programs. Scroll down until you see "Windows XP Service Pack 1." Click the Remove button and follow the instructions.
However, skipping Service Pack 1 will leave you vulnerable to one of Windows XP's most appalling, most recently discovered security holes -- the ability for hackers to delete files in any directory on your system simply by luring you to click on an innocent-looking URL. So if you decide to sit out SP1 for any reason, at least visit Steve Gibson's XPdite page and download his 30K fix.
