Service Pack 2 Good or Bad?

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Archived from groups: comp.sys.ibm.pc.games.adventure (More info?)

My Windows update is finally getting around to SP2 installation. I've heard
this can affect XP compatibility issues even more. I don't use my computer
for work, mostly just games. Is SP2 something that I want installed?

And would this fix the runtime errors on websites I visit where debugging is
suggested -but never seems to work? (IE6)

--
kitty in phx
 
G

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Archived from groups: comp.sys.ibm.pc.games.adventure (More info?)

KittyG wrote:
> My Windows update is finally getting around to SP2 installation. I've heard
> this can affect XP compatibility issues even more. I don't use my computer
> for work, mostly just games. Is SP2 something that I want installed?

Strangely enough I've been able to play Indiana Jones & The Infernal
Machine *after* installing SP2. Before I couldn't run the game for
more than a minute or so before the graphics would completely corrupt.
It is important to note that my good luck may have been the result of a
fix in later Nvidia drivers, but as the problem extended to other
matters other than just graphics corruption (i.e. not being able to
access the in-game menu) it is possible that changes with SP2 may have
improved compatibility in this instance.

I've also had no trouble in getting Sanitarium to run with SP2
installed. A friend of mine said he wasn't able to get the game to run
under XP with SP1.

There's only been a few games that I couldn't get to run either via
DOSBox or by tweaking with XP's compatibility settings: MechWarrior 2
and Mercenaries in Win32 mode (DOS versions work fine under XP for
whatever reason) and any of Bethesda's Xngine titles (Battlespire,
Redguard, SkyNET, Future Shock, et al.).

YMMV

www.ntcompatible.com is a good resource but entries SP2 specific
compatibility aren't always available.

--
Best Regards, mattchu
np: X-pulsion - Heaven Only Knows
 
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Archived from groups: comp.sys.ibm.pc.games.adventure (More info?)

"KittyG" wrote in news:eek:3aIe.30562$bp.15610@fed1read03:

> My Windows update is finally getting around to SP2 installation.
> I've heard this can affect XP compatibility issues even more. I
> don't use my computer for work, mostly just games. Is SP2
> something that I want installed?

Yes.

> And would this fix the runtime errors on websites I visit where
> debugging is suggested -but never seems to work? (IE6)

I don't know, but I suggest you switch browser anyway. Both Opera and
Firefox are better browsers in many ways.

Rikard
 

ceebee

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Archived from groups: comp.sys.ibm.pc.games.adventure (More info?)

"KittyG" <kittykatchee@cox.net> wrote in comp.sys.ibm.pc.games.adventure:

> My Windows update is finally getting around to SP2 installation. I've
> heard this can affect XP compatibility issues even more. I don't use
> my computer for work, mostly just games. Is SP2 something that I want
> installed?


No doubt there have been programs - especially in business applications -
giving an incompatibility headache, but the volume is small, else millions
would now be complaining about SP2. I have installed it on more than ten
PC's and laptops, and never encountered any problem.

Given the fact that SP2 is mainly safete related, it is advisable to install
it.


> And would this fix the runtime errors on websites I visit where
> debugging is suggested -but never seems to work? (IE6)

There might be a lot wrong with Microsoft, but not that IE6 gives constant
runtime errors. You could always decide to use an alternative browser, and
Firefox is all and more than you ever want. Especially the extensions are a
great asset.

If you're basically a gamer, my guess would be: save your savegames, and all
of your data, maybe you already have them on a data partition, and do a
clean XP reinstall. If you don't have a data partition, create one - it
makes futere reformatting or reinstalling (if necessary) at lot more hassle
free.


--
CeeBee

***The cookie has spoken***
 
G

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Archived from groups: comp.sys.ibm.pc.games.adventure (More info?)

"KittyG" <kittykatchee@cox.net> once tried to test me with:

> My Windows update is finally getting around to SP2 installation. I've
> heard this can affect XP compatibility issues even more. I don't use
> my computer for work, mostly just games. Is SP2 something that I want
> installed?
>
> And would this fix the runtime errors on websites I visit where
> debugging is suggested -but never seems to work? (IE6)

There are a handful of games that don't work with SP2. SP2 has better
memory protection to prevent programs from accessing memory that was not
allocated to them. This is useful, because certain trojans and viruses will
infect by doing a buffer overflow so that their code gets put into an
executable area of memory and then some other program executes it. SP2 has
checks to prevent this from happening. Unfortunately, a lot of buggy
programs behaved badly even if they were not malicious, and SP2 breaks
those programs. But on the plus side, most of the programs that quit
working when SP2 came out have been patched and work fine if you get the
latest version.

My personal opinion is that if you are in any way concerned about security,
and everyone should be, then you should upgrade to SP2.

--

Knight37 - http://knightgames.blogspot.com

Once a Gamer, Always a Gamer.
 
G

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Archived from groups: comp.sys.ibm.pc.games.adventure (More info?)

KittyG wrote:
> My Windows update is finally getting around to SP2 installation. I've heard
> this can affect XP compatibility issues even more. I don't use my computer
> for work, mostly just games. Is SP2 something that I want installed?
>
> And would this fix the runtime errors on websites I visit where debugging is
> suggested -but never seems to work? (IE6)
>

If it kills your compatibility mode, get the dosapps_sp2_patch.exe fix
http://support.packardbell.com/de/mypc/index.php?PibItemNr=6945970000&PibItemParent=P920400503

Even though it's on the Packard Bell site, it isn't specifically
for Packard Bell computers.

Make sure your computer is absolutely clean of spyware before
installing SP2 or it can hose your system.
 
G

Guest

Guest
Archived from groups: comp.sys.ibm.pc.games.adventure (More info?)

Got the patch installed- thanks!

Computer was all scrubbed and I installed SP2 this morning. Thanks to you
and everyone for your comments.


--
kitty in phx

http://community.webshots.com/user/kittykatchee


"Jenny100" <nospam@nospam.com> wrote in message
news:dcspuv0pq6@news2.newsguy.com...
> KittyG wrote:
>> My Windows update is finally getting around to SP2 installation. I've
>> heard
>> this can affect XP compatibility issues even more. I don't use my
>> computer
>> for work, mostly just games. Is SP2 something that I want installed?
>>
>> And would this fix the runtime errors on websites I visit where debugging
>> is
>> suggested -but never seems to work? (IE6)
>>
>
> If it kills your compatibility mode, get the dosapps_sp2_patch.exe fix
> http://support.packardbell.com/de/mypc/index.php?PibItemNr=6945970000&PibItemParent=P920400503
>
> Even though it's on the Packard Bell site, it isn't specifically
> for Packard Bell computers.
>
> Make sure your computer is absolutely clean of spyware before
> installing SP2 or it can hose your system.
 
G

Guest

Guest
Archived from groups: comp.sys.ibm.pc.games.adventure (More info?)

mattchu typed:
> There's only been a few games that I couldn't get to run
> either via DOSBox or by tweaking with XP's compatibility
> settings: ...any of Bethesda's Xngine titles (Battlespire,
> Redguard, SkyNET, Future Shock, et al.).

Redguard does not work with XP SP2? Bummer, I was
looking forward to that one...

Actually, have you tried it with GliDOS?

<searches>
http://www.glidos.net/redguard.html?lang=en

(I think I still have that somewhere from playing TR1 ;>)

There might also be some free glide wrappers out there
that do the job, but I'd have to investigate that (... if you
have any recommendations ...?)


--
};> Matt v3.2 <.{

<random sig>
He would be out of his depth in a car park puddle.
 
G

Guest

Guest
Archived from groups: comp.sys.ibm.pc.games.adventure (More info?)

Service Pack 2 is not bad, it just smells funny.
 
G

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Archived from groups: comp.sys.ibm.pc.games.adventure (More info?)

ah.

--
kitty in phx




"BuckFush" <notmyre@laddress.com> wrote in message
news:OiAIe.5247$%w.327@twister.nyc.rr.com...
> Service Pack 2 is not bad, it just smells funny.
>
>