What’s the big deal with this Service Pack for Windows XP? Should I i

What’s the big deal with this Service Pack for Windows XP? Should I install it in my system or wait?
- Doug

This question was answered on September 16, 2002. Much of the information contained herein may have changed since posting.

Service Packs are Microsoft’s method of delivering updates for their various products In the case of their operating system (Windows), Service Packs are generally very important, because they address security vulnerabilities and various compatibility issues.

Windows XP, however, is the first version of Windows that constantly hounds its users to check for updates, so unless you have always said ‘no’ every time XP asked, you most likely have a majority of what is contained in the Service Pack 1 (often referred to as SP1) release.

Various fixes and patches have been posted by Microsoft since the release of Windows XP, so think of the Service Pack as the compilation of all of the existing fixes.

In addition to fixes, Service Pack 1 addresses the agreement that Microsoft struck with the Justice Department for the settlement of the well-publicized anti-trust case.

In essence, Service Pack 1 will make it easier to remove or hide built-in programs such as Internet Explorer, Outlook Express, Windows Messenger and Media Player that, in the past, were virtually impossible to remove.

Some other additions include USB 2.0 support (the new, faster version of USB), a new version of the Windows Messenger and the essential software to support Microsoft’s .Net initiative for their web-based applications.

One of the changes that is getting a lot of attention is the update to the product activation system There are a number of widely distributed ‘pirated’ volume license product keys that Microsoft claims accounts for 90% of the pirated copies in use, so SP 1 will disable the ability to get upgrades.

In other words, if you have a pirated version of Windows XP and you install the Service Pack 1 release, not only will it not install, but all future upgrades will be disabled as well.

According to Microsoft, the primary groups of pirated product keys are from one of the following:

XXXXX-640-0000356-23XXX

XXXXX-640-2001765-23XXX

(where X may be any numeric value)

You can check your product ID key by right-clicking on My Computer (on either the Desktop or from the Start menu) and choosing Properties, then viewing the information in the ‘Registered to:” section.

You can download SP1 for Windows XP directly from Microsoft’s web site (www.windowsxp.com will take you directly to the Windows XP section – look for the ‘Download Windows XP SP 1’ link at the top) It’s a large download (30Mb) that can take well over an hour on a standard dial-up connection so be sure you have the time when you get it started.

You can also order a CD from Microsoft, which is helpful if you have multiple machines to update.

As a general rule of thumb, I don’t usually like installing ‘new’ releases of anything and have seen various issues with Service Packs in the past, so I prefer to let a couple of million of my fellow computer users install it first, than watch for any problems.

If you are a network administrator, be sure to ‘test’ SP 1 on one machine before rolling it out en masse to avoid the potential for any major issues across the network.

Since it is likely that most Windows XP users have automatically installed most or all of the critical updates over the past year, there is little need to rush into installing SP 1 unless you see a specific feature or update that is compelling to you