Archived from groups: alt.sys.pc-clone.dell (
More info?)
Jack Mac <camkcaj@bellsouth.net> wrote:
>"Chopperdad" <scotty@bellsouth.net> wrote:
>>"Colin Wilson" <void@btinternet.com> wrote
>>> I ordered one on Friday night - anyone know if they`re likely to come
>>> pre-installed ?
>>Highly unlikely. I know that when I ordered my Gateway back in 1998,
>>Windows 98SE was already on the street, but I had to request a CD from
>>Microsoft to update my computer from 98 to 98SE.
>Read that SP2 was released to manufacturers on August 6th. They should
>be able to get it on their new computers in less than 30-60 days. Whether
>they will or not is something only they can answer.
Just as a FWIW:
From the WashingtonPost.com online AP article that appeared
Friday [which reads, overall, like it was mostly based on the MS
press release]
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A45907-2004Aug6.html
[Will probably require a bunch of demographic BS to access if you
haven't gone through it before, so I'm cribbing the entire
article unlike my normal practice]
Microsoft Releases Windows Security Update
The Associated Press
Friday, August 6, 2004; 9:50 PM
SEATTLE -- Microsoft Corp. released a long-awaited security
update for its Windows XP program on Friday, a response to the
growing number of security shortcomings in the market-dominant
computer operating system.
The free upgrade won't be available to everyone right away,
however. Microsoft said the timing will depend on several
factors, including customers' Internet usage, location and
language as well as the overall demand for the package, dubbed
Service Pack 2.
Customers who have computers set to receive updates automatically
will begin getting Service Pack 2 within a few days, company
spokesman Matt Pilla said Friday. About 100 million customers are
expected to receive the automatic updates over the next two
months.
Customizing the fixes in 25 languages will take two months, the
company said. The update is currently available only in English,
and English-language users will get the update as Microsoft
distributes it to computer manufacturers, companies and home
users through downloads, free CDs and other means.
The upgrade, which Chairman Bill Gates said modifies less than 5
percent of the nearly 3-year-old operating system, is designed to
make users safer from cyberattacks by sealing entries to viruses,
better protecting personal data and fending off spyware.
"Service Pack 2 is a significant step in delivering on our goal
to help customers make their PCs better isolated and more
resilient in the face of increasingly sophisticated attacks,"
Gates said.
For regular users, the most noticeable change will be a series of
new prompts. Users will be asked to give permission for programs
to interact with their computers, so there is less chance they
will be hit by a virus or inadvertently admit malicious software
that can monitor computer activities.
The update automatically turns on a firewall to better guard
against attempts to infiltrate personal computers. And it
fortifies protections on the Internet Explorer browser and offers
tougher policing against e-mail-borne attacks.
A new "Windows Security Center" will help monitor an array of
security programs - including those from outside companies that
offer other safeguards, such as antivirus protection.
Service Pack 2 should be available on compact disc and
athttp://windowsupdate.microsoft.com by end of the month, Pilla
said. New computers will start shipping with it in September or
October.
Most users will have to download about 80 megabytes of data for
the upgrade. Because the data pack is so big, users are being
urged to turn on an automatic update function that will let
Microsoft slowly download Service Pack 2 onto your computer with
minimal disruption to normal computer activities.
"It's a smart download," Pilla said. "We only download to your
computer the bits your PC needs."
Microsoft wouldn't say how long the downloads will take, saying
it depends on many factors.
But on average, Pilla said, it should take about 60 to 90 minutes
for users with a broadband connection to download the upgrade, as
people will likely be Web surfing and doing other things that
take online priority. He said the download could take users with
a dial-up connection a few days to get.
--
OJ III
[Email to Yahoo address may be burned before reading.
Lower and crunch the sig and you'll net me at comcast.]
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