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Asher
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Calgary, Alberta
Nov 1999
time: 22:34
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Due to the anticipated overwhelming swarm of people who want SP2, it's not going to be available in Windows Update or as a standalone exe until the end of the month. The way you're supposed to get it is via Automatic Updates -- so enable them now.  Even if your copy isn't legal, don't worry, it's safe -- they don't check keys or anything like that.
If you're using Internet Explorer, click this link to turn on Automatic Updates.
Otherwise, follow these instructions.
Information on SP2:
FAQ: http://www.winsupersite.com/faq/xpsp2.asp
Review: http://www.winsupersite.com/reviews/windowsxp_sp2.asp
A summary of some of the new features:
quote:
- Security Center. A
new front-end, or dashboard, to XP's security features, including
Automatic Updates, Windows Firewall, and virus protection. Microsoft
doesn't offer any antivirus protection software directly, but Security
Center integrates with third party software such as McAfee VirusScan.
- Windows Firewall. The
new Windows Firewall replaces Internet Connection Firewall (ICF) and is
on by default. Windows Firewall boasts several new
administration-related features, including a full set of configuration
options, Active Directory (AD) administration capabilities through
Group Policy, command-line support that's compatible with logon scripts
and remote management, and multiple-profile support. It is also enabled
earlier in the boot process, eliminating the possibility that intruders
could insert errant code over a network before the system fully comes
up.
- IE security improvements. XP SP2
provides an improved Microsoft Internet Explorer (IE) version that
contains several new features. A new opt-in pop-up ad blocking feature
announces itself the first time you access a page that tries to open a
pop-up window. (IE won't block pop-ups you enable by clicking a
hyperlink.) This feature is configurable, so you can create a list of
trusted sites if needed. The new IE also removes the capability of Web
sites to open child windows that have certain features removed. For
example, it's no longer possible to open a pop-up window with the
address bar, title bar, status bar, or toolbars removed. Microsoft
added this feature so that users can close any pop-up windows that do
open. Furthermore, scripts can't position windows so that the title bar
or address bar are above the top of the display or so the window's
status bar is below the bottom of the display. IE also includes a new
locked-down Local Machine security zone to help prevent malicious
scripts and other dangerous Web downloads from compromising the system.
Microsoft has also overhauled IE's add-on subsystem, a move
that will require plug-in makers to revamp their products. The end
result, however, is better safety for users. Inadvertently installing
spyware or malicious ActiveX controls will now be more difficult, and
the programs will also be easier to remove. The add-on manager also
monitors IE crashes caused by add-ons, letting you disable unstable
add-ons. Perhaps most important, the IE add-on manager is fully
manageable: You can centrally configure IE's crash-management options
and which add-ons are allowed or denied.
- Outlook Express and Windows Messenger improvements. The
Microsoft Outlook Express version in XP SP2 includes more secure
default settings and isolation of potentially unsafe attachments,
helping to ensure that email-borne attacks can't affect the system.
Outlook Express also picks up a neat feature from Microsoft Office
Outlook 2003: It won't download images in HTML email by default
(spammers often use tracking devices in HTML images to ensure you're
getting their email). Like Outlook Express, the Windows Messenger
version included with XP SP2 isolates any transferred files that might
be unsafe.
- Memory protection. Over the
years, an amazing number of buffer overrun errors have been at the root
of various Windows compromises. Although Microsoft sought to find and
remove any potential exploits during its infamous 2002 Trustworthy
Computing code review, many problems remain. So XP SP2 includes several
new security technologies, originally designed for Windows Longhorn,
that battle buffer overruns. Some of these changes are software based
and will aid all XP users; others require the new "no execute" (NX)
microprocessor feature that's built in to all modern Intel and AMD
microprocessors. The NX feature uses the computer's microprocessor to
separate application code from data, ensuring that an electronic attack
won't be able to insert virulent code into memory reserved for data.
- New Windows Update. XP
SP2 connects to a new version of Windows Update, which offers a
convenient Express Install feature that automatically selects and
installs all critical updates. You can also use a new optional updates
section to choose features, including software updates (e.g., Microsoft
Windows Movie Maker 2, Microsoft Windows Journal Viewer) and
system-specific drivers. XP SP2 contains many other
computer-maintenance-related technologies, but Microsoft says it will
document them in the future. Expect a second beta release by the end of
March: I'll have more information about other new features as they
become available.
- Network attack protection. In
addition to the new ICF version, XP SP2 includes a refined version of
the remote procedure call (RPC) technology, which reduces the attack
surface of XP machines attached to remote resources. RPC also runs
under reduced privileges in XP SP2, reducing the chance that errant
code can gain a foothold in your system and cause problems.
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Oh yeah -- and this is free, not $129 like some other companies would do. 
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Zopperoni
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I didn't realize that those were final builds...
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Zopperoni
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quote:
Originally posted by Asher
Build 2180 is the final. |
Cheers, mate, I *ahem* found it.
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Natalinasmpf
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Linux sucks? No way...its far better, I don't have to constantly get patches, reboot my PC, content with games, actually immune to 99.999% of viruses....(yes, there is one or two worms for Linux, but very rare for 3% of the market)...so hah, beat that!
quote:
i'm not having any problems after four years with my windows xp install...
it's not virus-ridden either, and doesn't have spyware, either. |
You probably have some, but its secretly lurking.
Like the Magic Lantern virus the FBI installs on a lot of computers to "monitor" you for "safety" purposes. Guess this is one of the ways for pre-emptive strike, so they can find out whether you are a thought criminal for posting or spreading "bad thoughts" like dissesion on the net.
quote:
Selling an OS that works, has no virus threats in the wild and needs very little in the way of patching: Mac |
Mac programs usually aren't open source, have no way for kernel upgrades (non critical, but many times nice, to keep up with actually useful features)....
Use Linux! Same stability, actually truly immune to most viruses since the networking component is IN the kernel, and not fragmented and cannot be hijacked, with iptables (a connection firewall, with masquerading capability) to boot.....
LINUX!!!
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Asher
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Calgary, Alberta
Nov 1999
time: 22:34
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quote:
Originally posted by Natalinasmpf
Linux sucks? No way...its far better, I don't have to constantly get patches |
I would kill for some patches that would let me install Linux. Linux won't install on my desktop or laptop -- being only a year old, it's too bleeding edge.
By the way, you do have to get patches if you want to stay secure. For example, the six libpng vulnerabilities that were announced the other day. The problem is, no one really talks about them (there are actually WAY more Linux program vulnerabilities, just less publicity about them in general, and less people looking to exploit them).
I leave my PC on 24/7 and I only reboot about once a month, for the security updates. It's not too bad, really,
A lot of people want more than TuxRacer and a cheap Civ clone that looks worse than Civ1.
quote:
I actually immune to 99.999% of viruses....(yes, there is one or two worms for Linux, but very rare for 3% of the market)...so hah, beat that! |
I've never, ever, had a virus on my Windows computers. And I've been using the internet since 91/92. I'm "immune" to 99.999% of viruses because 99% of them rely on social engineering, and the other 1% are caught by standard A/V software.
quote:
Like the Magic Lantern virus the FBI installs on a lot of computers to "monitor" you for "safety" purposes. Guess this is one of the ways for pre-emptive strike, so they can find out whether you are a thought criminal for posting or spreading "bad thoughts" like dissesion on the net. |
You're a model for Linux zealots everywhere -- God bless you and your tinfoil-hat-wearing kin for giving Linux a bad name.
It's also awesome how you'll spread FUD like this, then blast "M$" for spreading FUD by saying Windows is cheaper than running Linux in the longrun.
quote:
Mac programs usually aren't open source, have no way for kernel upgrades (non critical, but many times nice, to keep up with actually useful features).... |
Open Source means jack **** for security -- it's even more obvious now. How many vulnerabilities has Firefox had in the past two months? Here's a hint: twice as many as IE.
And I love Firefox.
Let's own up to it -- Open Source software is not inherently more secure than Proprietary software. Further, security through paranoia is far better than assuming you're safe.
quote:
Use Linux! Same stability, actually truly immune to most viruses since the networking component is IN the kernel, and not fragmented and cannot be hijacked, with iptables (a connection firewall, with masquerading capability) to boot..... |
ROTFLMAO...
You have no idea how ridiculous this sounds to anyone with the most basic OS knowledge.
How the f*ck does having networking components in the kernel make it immune to viruses?! Hey, do you know which other OSes have networking components in the kernel? Windows NT, BSD, OS X...
What does "not fragmented" mean? Surely it doesn't mean that Linux is not fragmented, in the sense that there aren't hundreds of distros with similar yet painfully different configurations?
"Cannot be hijacked" -- the hell it can't, there are many Linux root vuln's for one, plus every system in existence is vulnerable to the most effective virus -- social engineering.
The iptables/masq features are standard fare as well.
Kudos to a stunning post. 
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Natalinasmpf
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quote:
They also have low numbers of games available for the same reason. |
Actually, its "below average"...if you didn't know, a whole arrival of Linux ports of intense 3D games like SMAC, Savage, Simcity and the like (as well as somewhat like a myriad of them)....so no, they don't have low numbers of games.
But Linux has more market share than Mac, and thats at least 3.5%...now, pray tell me, thats very significant, so shouldn't there at least be 1% of the number of Windows viruses?
quote:
then blast "M$" for spreading FUD by saying Windows is cheaper than running Linux in the longrun. |
Ooh, zero dollars on tech support, software spending, and hmm....I'd say TCO is quite cheaper. Unless you're so petty to count the 5 dollars worth of CD's I burnt...
quote:
A lot of people want more than TuxRacer and a cheap Civ clone that looks worse than Civ1. |
Smax/smac? Freecraft? Bzflag? Savage? Tuxracer, yes....have you heard of Loki? They are one of the many porting companies that have recently brought a flood of games in to Linux.
quote:
Open Source means jack **** for security -- it's even more obvious now. How many vulnerabilities has Firefox had in the past two months? Here's a hint: twice as many as IE. |
Initially, but peer review roots them out faster. Vulnerabilities on firefox? I don't see them as often (well generally because firefox on Linux is hard to hijack).
quote:
How the f*ck does having networking components in the kernel make it immune to viruses?! Hey, do you know which other OSes have networking components in the kernel? Windows NT, BSD, OS X... |
Yes, you mentioned Unix components. As for Windows, they seem to be fragmented into dll's....hey at least the kernel can have them built-in.
quote:
What does "not fragmented" mean? Surely it doesn't mean that Linux is not fragmented, in the sense that there aren't hundreds of distros with similar yet painfully different configurations? |
Like how the kernel in Win32 is fragmented into io.sys, msdos.sys, kernel32.dll....
quote:
"Cannot be hijacked" -- the hell it can't, there are many Linux root vuln's for one, plus every system in existence is vulnerable to the most effective virus -- social engineering. |
As of kernel 2.6.7, I cannot see any root vulnerabilities anywhere. Any root vulnerabilities are normally fixed within a few hours.
And the social engineering includes what? Paranoia? You know, I want to visit any site I want, and not be oversuspicious at any time. Even generally clean sites (ie. geocities) has been known, when I used Windows to infect my PC through general loopholes.
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Asher
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Calgary, Alberta
Nov 1999
time: 22:34
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quote:
Originally posted by Natalinasmpf
But Linux has more market share than Mac, and thats at least 3.5%...now, pray tell me, thats very significant, so shouldn't there at least be 1% of the number of Windows viruses? |
The stupidest logic I've ever heard -- virus writers write to cause damage and to get famous for doing so. Why would they bother writing a virus for an OS with 2.2% marketshare?
quote:
Ooh, zero dollars on tech support, software spending, and hmm....I'd say TCO is quite cheaper. Unless you're so petty to count the 5 dollars worth of CD's I burnt... |
See, there's your problem. Windows didn't cost me a damn penny. And it's legal.  Didn't even need to burn a CD! 
quote:
Smax/smac? Freecraft? Bzflag? Savage? Tuxracer, yes....have you heard of Loki? They are one of the many porting companies that have recently brought a flood of games in to Linux. |
Ohhh...another great argument. Let's list a bunch of 5 year old games, then a company that went bankrupt. You did know that Loki went under because the game market for Linux is not supportable, right?
quote:
Initially, but peer review roots them out faster. |
This is a myth that is easily debunked by common sense and reality...
quote:
Vulnerabilities on firefox? I don't see them as often (well generally because firefox on Linux is hard to hijack). |
That's bullshit -- since Firefox 0.9 was released, there have been 6 security vulnerabilities fixed in it. It was released just over a month ago. And yes, they affect Linux as well.
quote:
Yes, you mentioned Unix components. As for Windows, they seem to be fragmented into dll's....hey at least the kernel can have them built-in. |
What's the point? Linux has a "monlithic" kernel -- which is something that was declared obsolete by researchers and academics over a decade ago. It's a horrible architecture, everyone else is onto microkernels because they scale and port far better.
It doesn't matter if it's static or DLL, in the end it's running in kernel userspace... dynamic is just the better, more efficient approach.
quote:
Like how the kernel in Win32 is fragmented into io.sys, msdos.sys, kernel32.dll.... |
Err...you're taking an advantage of Windows (modularity) and trying to make it out to be a disadvantage. Read up on monolithic kernels versus microkernels -- Linus and his cronies are the only people left in the world who advocate monolithic kernels, and that's just because he didn't know any better when he started it as a student, and it's too late to change it now.
It's an advantage to have a dynamic/modular/"fragmented" operating system.
quote:
As of kernel 2.6.7, I cannot see any root vulnerabilities anywhere. Any root vulnerabilities are normally fixed within a few hours. |
I don't see any root vulnerabilities for Windows XP SP2, either. Don't see your point.
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