Security Sentinel:

Windows XP Service Pack 2 is a pain in the assets

By Toni McConnel, Contributing Editor
iApplianceWeb
(04/21/04, 09:46:52 AM PT)

Windows XP Service Pack 2, meant to make Windows XP systems much more secure, has made me wish I had a mere virus to contend with. 

I lost my USB 2 ports and the wireless network between my two computers (although I still have wireless Internet access). But  much worse, I lost System Restore on my desktop, which is my favorite easy way to get rid of problem installations, especially spyware that frequently manages to slip past Norton Security. 

Worse still, files have disappeared completely – the exe for Adobe Acrobat, and a critical DAT file for MagicNotes, among others.  At first I thought I must have a virus, but complete scans with Norton Antivirus and then another with ZoneAlarm came up with nothing.  I can only assume that SP2 is at the root of it, since it’s the only thing that changed between when I had the files and when they came up missing.   

Digging around on the Internet, I discovered I am far from being alone.  AssetMetrix, an asset-monitoring service provider, has done research that shows that XP SP2 is causing problems with about one in ten PCs, but I suspect the percentage is much higher than that.  Online troubleshooting forums are rife with accounts of systems that would not boot after installation of XP SP2 and applications that won’t work. 

The first time I looked at Microsoft’s Knowledge Base article 884130, it listed 23 programs that malfunction in one way or another with SP2 installed, including Norton Antivirus and Systemworks, Omnipage Pro, and WordPerfect Office.  In two days the list has grown to 31.  You can get the current count at http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?kbid=884130. 

But don’t expect any help; no solutions are given for most of these problems.  Microsoft passes the buck to the malfunctioning software’s publisher.  The job I would go on welfare before accepting today: a Microsoft support person. 

A friend of mine also had major problems after installing SP2, and then could not get rid of it, even after several phone consultations with various support entities, and had to wipe out her hard drive completely and start all over with a new installation.  Fortunately she is religious about backups and so lost nothing – except two days of her time and her temper.   

I was able to get rid of SP2 using System Restore on one computer, but as I said earlier I lost System Restore on my desktop.  I finally got rid of it by following instructions available at www.support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?kbid=875350 on Microsoft's site.  Since my friend had already told me about her experience, I was relieved when this method worked: 

1. Go to the Control Panel and open Add or Remove Programs.

2. At the top of the window that opens, click on the box for Show Updates.

3. Scroll down to Windows XP Service Pack 2, and click Remove.

4. Follow the instructions. 

If neither System Restore nor Add or Remove Programs works for you, there are a couple of other methods listed on the page linked above.  The last resort is the Recovery Console, tricky and hazardous, and I interpret the inclusion of this method as acknowledgement that the accursed thing has proven to be hard to get rid of. 

Unfortunately, getting rid of XP SP2 had not repaired the damage done to both my systems.  On the desktop, I still can’t use System Restore, a vital asset for me, and I will probably have to reinstall Windows XP.   

A little history of corporate decisions about SP2 suggests why it got released with lethal glitches.  Last fall, Microsoft planned that XP SP2 would deliver a simple set of critical security patches and hot-fixes that would include all the updates and fixes in SP1. 

But after the Slammer worm hit, the company decided to stop work on its next major release of Windows, Longhorn, and concentrate instead on drastically revising XP SP2 so it would include many of the security enhancements Microsoft had planned for Longhorn. And the pressure was on to do it as fast as possible. 

That’s why XP SP2 was not released last fall, as originally planned, and the rush to get it out the door also probably explains why it is so dysfunctional.  Of course, there are those of us who don’t think Microsoft can be relied on for dependable products in any case. 

Toni McConnel is a freelance technical writer specializing in ghosting contributed articles for high-tech magazines.  She is also a nature photographer.  She can be reached at 602-288-6749.  Sorry, no e-mail because spam bots harvest e-mail addresses from web pages.