XP updates can screw your comp up?

[º€§º Mr. Peepers]

i was talking to someone, and they told me that a Xp update that was coming out in June, will mess your computer up if you have any share-wear. is this true?

[RACKnRAIL]

You must be referring to XP SP2, due out sometime in the near or distant future. The beta XP SP2 has had some issues though, but I haven't heard anything about it messing up shareware on computers. I will be in no hurry to install sp2 when it comes out. I will wait to see what other bugs come from it first. You can read for yourself.

http://www.google.ca/search?hl=en&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&q=Windows+XP+SP2+&btnG=Search&meta=

[begoodbebad]

i was talking to someone, and they told me that a Xp update that was coming out in June, will mess your computer up if you have any share-wear. is this true?No one has a problem with shareware and there is no way MS or anyone else is going to mess with legit shareware. Probably you mean warez or cracked exe's or apps running on widely distributed single user product keys. Certainly MS and others are developing partnerships to recognise and disable warez....as well as preventing their installation, I suggest you google "Trusted Computing" for info. It's certain that some of this technology will be implemented in SP2 (for example the SP2 betas remove Sun Java based MS Virtual Machine in compliance with the court rulings, and also disallows re installation) so the capability is certainly there to remove anything designated as "insecure".

It's worth remembering that when SP1 was issued it couldn't be downloaded if you had XP running on one of the very common product keys which had originally been legit but were then distributed and used everywhere. MS identified these, and anyone using one found Windows Update started telling them "thanks but the store is empty...for you". It's a different situation these days for the typical honest upright citizen wanting to use XP but finding his or her wallet inconveniently empty. Most non legit XP installations are made using a unique key generated by a well known keygen. There is no way MS can compile a list of these because they are all unique and not rip offs of original MS keys. However the day may come when MS starts comparing your unique Product Key with a database of all the keys it has ever issued...maybe that day will arrive with SP2...who knows? It's just an idle speculation on my part. It would be a huge task but they are a huge resourceful corporation. Things would get very interesting for a lot of people!

This is what I'm going to do:

Make a dual boot environment and on the second partition make a clean install of XP SP1 Pro Corp in my usual way, maybe even with all the current updates slipstreamed in already.
Install 2 or 3 well known applications on the new OS and run them with non legit keys or install cracked exes or use activation cracks.
Attempt to access SP2 from Windows Update and download it if possible
If successful then I will run it for a few days and install and uninstall a variety of naughty things and see what happens.
If I can't get SP2 from this OS I will resort to my emergency back up plan: I have a fully licensed legit copy of XP Home gathering dust. I will install it and download SP2 and again install all sorts of naughty and nasty things on it (which I retain purely for the purposes of research, your honour).
Also do plenty of research online on what other people are finding. I think it's going to be 2 or 3 weeks at least from the release date before SP2 gets anywhere near my main OS, if ever.

[RACKnRAIL]

This is what I'm going to do:

If I can't get SP2 from this OS I will resort to my emergency back up plan: I have a fully licensed legit copy of XP Home gathering dust. I will install it and download SP2 and again install all sorts of naughty and nasty things on it (which I retain purely for the purposes of research, your honour).
Using a pirated copy of XP, eh? I'm not sure if you're allowed to say that in these forums, but I'm sure many ZP members will in fact be having this very problem shortly. Just like SP1, I'm certain that there will be a work around for it eventually. I myself would never use pirated software.:;)

[unicornstastelikechicken]

Big thing is if your using one of the "shady" versions of XP just don't jump on the patch right away. Wait a bit and see what everyone else has to say about it.

[muffenme]

:fire

I stick to Windows 98 SE, it might have it problem but it faitful to me. XP is like having a very fast car with your arms and legs removed, it useless. I stick to this old 6 cyl. engine with a simple locking system.

:hole

[cpugeniusmv]

:fire

I stick to Windows 98 SE, it might have it problem but it faitful to me. XP is like having a very fast car with your arms and legs removed, it useless. I stick to this old 6 cyl. engine with a simple locking system.

:hole
i've had no problems with XP. at all.

none. well, none of them were its fault :)

[RACKnRAIL]

i've had no problems with XP. at all.

none. well, none of them were its fault :)
I have to second that...no problems with XP!

[fmg00]

Win Xp is by far the best Windows version i ever tried, so much better than Win 98 SE.

I cant understand people who said they're sticking with 98, I'm sure i could never go back to it, maybe they haven't tried xp, so they don't know what they're missing...

[kiwibank]

:fire

I stick to Windows 98 SE, it might have it problem but it faitful to me. XP is like having a very fast car with your arms and legs removed, it useless. I stick to this old 6 cyl. engine with a simple locking system.

:hole

as we speak, just for fun and something different, i`m running win 98se (english) with UNOFFICIAL Windows98 Second Edition Service Pack 1.2 on 256 mb of ram, multibooting with win2k. 98se loves it..stable as a rock...fast as.

any problems that i`ve had with xp have usually been memory related, ie...lack of enough. when i run xp i use 512 mb of ram with no problems, smooth as silk. when i run xp on 256 mb it falls over. as to xp sp2 i`ve tried the beta and at this point i`d have to say that the best thing about it is the new configuration for the built-in firewall. there is a popup blocker for ie6 as well that`s not too bad, although i don`t use ie6 if i can avoid it...better than not having one at all i suppose.

http://exuberant.ms11.net/98sesp.html

__________________________________________

on zeropaid, it pays to be "flame resistant". it`s a matter of survival.

[johnsmatrix]

I have to second that...no problems with XP!
I 3rd that.. I have not had any problems with XP even when trying to run some uhh ( questionable incomplete programs)

[begoodbebad]

Muffenme it's time to unclip the blinkers and give it a try! Be kind to yourself and to your PC :love It is a little odd at first when you switch from 98 to XP. Things work differently and often look very different than you are used to, but you quickly become familiar with it and it really starts to make sense as a coherent environment,an Operating System, in a way that 98 never did everything is . Looking back at 98...what did it actually do? Load applications, crash and die were its main features as I remember. ....I remember it was normal to adhere to a rigid back up regime to deal with the crashes and to reinstall from a ghost image every few months...or more often
I have XP running on 2 PCs, a Pentium II 350 with 192MB RAM and an Athlon XP2700 with 1GB. It works brilliantly on both and there is nothing that would make me go back to 98. Nothing. It isn't worth the trouble, I'd choose the most difficult, complicated, designed by committee of Frenchmen, anti user friendly, obscure Linux distro over 98 any day. But XP over everything else. I just couldn't use an OS that has a 2GB file size limit and a 4Gb folder size limit...I have DVDs to rip/burn/download/archive.
As far as Win 98 goes....the only good objective reason to stick with it is if you can't afford to buy a little extra memory, or you have a very very low end cpu....under 350Mhz for example. And if that is thw case then try 2000 Pro, it can work very nicely with low spec hardware. 98 is inferior to 2000 and XP in any measurable way. XP is as fast running demanding applications like games and image editors, infinitely more stable, has better hardware support, can run old wares in compatibility mode and unlike 98 it can be made secure. XP is extremely robust...you can make it crash with effort but it's difficult...I have had one BSOD in a 18 months...a hardware problem, and just 2 serious freeze up/application crash problems, both caused by crappy drivers, thanks to Creative and AnyDVD, both problems resolved, one with a repair install and one by deleting every trace of that AnyDVD crap from my PC. I used to get more problems with 98 every week! 98 is totally unsuitable for multi-user environments and the best description I ever heard of it is that it crashes like a stoned rock star flying a cessna....soon and inevitably:upside

[mcovey]

I've got SP2 beta and it doesnt have any really noticable bugs to me. There are a few ive caught but they arent bothersome. XP runs stabler for me than ever with it.

[begoodbebad]

as we speak, just for fun and something different, i`m running win 98se (english) with UNOFFICIAL Windows98 Second Edition Service Pack 1.2 on 256 mb of ram, multibooting with win2k. 98se loves it..stable as a rock...fast as.

any problems that i`ve had with xp have usually been memory related, ie...lack of enough. when i run xp i use 512 mb of ram with no problems, smooth as silk. when i run xp on 256 mb it falls over. as to xp sp2 i`ve tried the beta and at this point i`d have to say that the best thing about it is the new configuration for the built-in firewall. there is a popup blocker for ie6 as well that`s not too bad, although i don`t use ie6 if i can avoid it...better than not having one at all i suppose.

http://exuberant.ms11.net/98sesp.html


That's interesting....a 98 service pack...I might even have a play with that. Thx for the link. What applications are you running on 98? Did you install and uninstall many yet? How many times do you have to reboot to install a piece of hardware? :mellow I'd be interested to know if you run the PC for days or weeks without rebooting and if so how does 98 handle it. My record uptime was just a couple of days with 98, with XP I reboot my p2p box maybe once a week, thanks to MS and Norton's hyperactive patching agenda. I might just let the thing run without any more patches and see how long it goes.
You're right about XP being better on 512MB of RAM. I think 256 should be specified as the minimum for most purposes. 98 has memory probs of a different kind...leaks...hence bad uptime....

[kiwibank]

That's interesting....a 98 service pack...I might even have a play with that. Thx for the link. What applications are you running on 98? Did you install and uninstall many yet? How many times do you have to reboot to install a piece of hardware? :mellow I'd be interested to know if you run the PC for days or weeks without rebooting and if so how does 98 handle it. My record uptime was just a couple of days with 98, with XP I reboot my p2p box maybe once a week, thanks to MS and Norton's hyperactive patching agenda. I might just let the thing run without any more patches and see how long it goes.
You're right about XP being better on 512MB of RAM. I think 256 should be specified as the minimum for most purposes. 98 has memory probs of a different kind...leaks...hence bad uptime....

hi begoodbebad

installed and running at the moment on win98se with service pack..... mozilla firebird, foxmail, coolplayer, net transport, overnet, imesh lite, blubster (old), emule2000, winmx, klt k+ +, deepburner, trend pc cillin 2002 virus scanner and firewall, dietk, kazaalite 1.72, soulseek, winmx, winrar, classic media player, etc,etc, mustek 1200UB plus scanner, ESS audiodrive, cyberdrive 52x32x52 burner and drivers, direct x update, all mod cons. rebooted once to install the trend micro stuff and once for the scanners usb drivers. all the rest on there....no reboot. installed and uninstalled 3 or 4 small apps...no problems. longest uptime at this point 3 days solid downloading a very large file (300mb) on kazaa lite 1.72. again, no problems. and windows 2k theme colours as well.

this is all running on my secondary pc...an original amd k6 2 3d 500mhz motherboard with 256mb sd ram. sometimes i run it on 128mb..still no problems.

i also have an xp athlon 2400+ running xp professional on 512mb of ram. i have run 98se on there and i did have a few problems with clashes with nvidia unified drivers on that particular machine.
__________________________________________

on zeropaid, it pays to be "flame resistant". it`s a matter of survival.

[rainbowdemon]

My copy of XP came with my comp. So it should be all right.

[phalkon30]

I was using XP around 6 months before it was in stores. I got it from a friend who got it from a cousin who knows somebody who works at MS :)

I'll never go back to 98. I've had to do some computer tech help on a few 98 machines lately. You dont realize how many nice tools and features there are in XP till you go back and realize they aren't there. Just doing simple things like monitoring processes without external programs. Its nice in xp because you can tell how much RAM and CPU, plus you can kill many at a time without disrupting windows.

I only wish diskeeper were built into windows, lol.

BTW begoodbebad, let me know how things go, I'm going to be doing something similar, 30 or 40 of my friends depend on it, heh.

[The Hunter]

Phalk, Ive been running both 98se, and xp pro on this old clunker of a pc for over a year. What Ive found, as a total non tec type person is that 98 is very leaky in memory causing forced reboots, and xp so far has only been rebooted when i have been playing around with beta programs that have proven to be truly beta in making my pc unstable. in xp a simple roll back has solved the problem.

[phalkon30]

Maybe I'm being cocky, but I've never had windows restore turned on, and I've never needed it. I think its a waste of resources.

Then again, I'm happy to reinstall windows for the hell of it. Although I'd rather manually fix something first, thats how you learn.

Even beta programs aren't much of a problem with XP, at least not that I've found (maybe I've choosen programs with a little luck).

[begoodbebad]

My copy of XP came with my comp. So it should be all right.
It all depends who sold you the PC :upside

[rainbowdemon]

Good point!!

:tilted :tilted

[kiwibank]

Phalk, Ive been running both 98se, and xp pro on this old clunker of a pc for over a year. What Ive found, as a total non tec type person is that 98 is very leaky in memory causing forced reboots, and xp so far has only been rebooted when i have been playing around with beta programs that have proven to be truly beta in making my pc unstable. in xp a simple roll back has solved the problem.

this UNOFFICIAL Windows98 Second Edition Service Pack that i`ve been trying recognises the problems with win98s diabolical memory management and addresses that issue by managing virtual memory. In your INI file, under the [386Enh] section, this line is added...

Conservative Swapfile Usage=1

this assists windows 98 in using all your physical ram before it accesses the swap file.

as a consequence windows 98se as i`m running it at the moment seems to require less rebooting than normal....

__________________________________________

on zeropaid, it pays to be "flame resistant". it`s a matter of survival.

[begoodbebad]

I was using XP around 6 months before it was in stores. I got it from a friend who got it from a cousin who knows somebody who works at MS :)

I'll never go back to 98. I've had to do some computer tech help on a few 98 machines lately. You dont realize how many nice tools and features there are in XP till you go back and realize they aren't there. Just doing simple things like monitoring processes without external programs. Its nice in xp because you can tell how much RAM and CPU, plus you can kill many at a time without disrupting windows.

I only wish diskeeper were built into windows, lol.

BTW begoodbebad, let me know how things go, I'm going to be doing something similar, 30 or 40 of my friends depend on it, heh.Yeah I'll definitely be posting when I worked out if it's OK for to install. I knew that one day I would find a good excuse for having 3 PCs with 4 different OS's, multiple hard drives and spares and 100 metres of cable in my living room. .

Agree with you about fixing Win98 PCs. I hate working on them...really hate it...and they seem so unfamiliar now...you have to start thinking much too hard!....and yeah some mf stole all the utilities... All that rebooting is tedious and takes ages to do a little task. Most 98 machines I've seen are a horrible mess...seems to be their natural state. I do my best to persuade people to upgrade to 2000 or XP (much easier and quicker than repairing 98 heh heh). They're always pleased they did.

@kiwibank Conservative Swapfile Usage=1 !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
makes you wonder why the f***ers didn't fix it to start with...such a tiny line of text and all that trouble without it...

[The Hunter]

ROTFL, the only reason Im running this the way I am is simply because Im trying to kill my 40 gig d drive under warrenty. I truly want my cheque so I can put it towards a much larger drive. Phalk Im trying to kill it.

[phalkon30]

You noticed that to? Its like "Windows 98 is to spyware, as chicks are to me."

Hunter, smack it around a bit....it shouldn't run well for long ;)

[The Hunter]

Damm it i keep taking the drive out shaking the shit out of it, and the bugger just wont crap off.

[fireforce555]

My girl was nice enough to copy me a win2000 install she wasnt using anymore but as of yet I still run Win98SE. I have had this install running for nearly 2 years without major issues. in fact my 500MHz celeron with win98 is running ALOT faster than my aunts WinME machine powered by a 1Ghz Athlon. I know how to manage my machines power and to tweak to get the most out of it.

I really should pull my thumb out of my ass and use this Partition Magic I paid 70 for and make a sep. disk for the 2000 install and try it out. I figure 2000 is fine for me, I dont really game at all, very little video editing. Mostly I do programming in VB, watch movies, get music and surf. I like the stability 2000 brings.

[begoodbebad]

Damm it i keep taking the drive out shaking the shit out of it, and the bugger just wont crap off.Ask Kyle for help. Just tell him it has a problem and ask him to fix it. It should comeback unuseable pretty quick.

And can everyone please stop talking about software they paid for. It's in terrible poor taste and upsets those of us who are of a nervous disposition.