SP2 and pop-up blocking

I have XP Home with Service Pack1 installed and have no problems that I'm aware of.

Some months ago I did briefly install SP2 but having found there were so many conflicts with other applications, I did a System Restore to a point before installation and all was well again.

I was recently browsing the Help & Support Center and was surprised to come across instructions for setting up pop-up blockers. As I understand this is only possible with SP2 installed (which I assume I now haven't), I am puzzled as to how this instruction comes to be included as a topic in the original Help & Support Center that was installed on my computer before SP2 was even available.

Could this mean that my brief installation of SP2 was never fully removed after I had done a System Restore and that my current Help & Support Center was somehow "left behind" as a relic of SP2?

Perhaps it is relevant that before running System Restore I did not uninstall SP2 from Add & Remove Programs, in the hopes that it would just disappear - which it appears to have done. But being able to view the pop-up blocking instructions, I'm not so sure!

System Properties in Control Panel says I have XP Home, Version 2002, Service Pack 1.

The only references to SP2 I can find anywhere on my computer are in a few places in the Registry. For example Microsoft Treeview Control version 5.0 (SP2).

Any comments please?

 

I just wrote a reply, which got lost in cyberspace- Network Error, Connection Reset by Peer. Grrr..
I would be interested in a list of what conflicts SP2 gave you. It may help me help someone else. So far, my experience with SP2 has been fairly painless.

I would say that since you did not uninstall SP2, your computer is in a kind of limbo right now. System Restore would not have affected help file extensions, and because SP2 is so comprehensive, I'm sure there is more of SP2 than some harmless help files lurking about.

I would reinstall SP2, and either iron out the glitches (because SP2 does offer considerable security and convenience features!) or uninstall it correctly, through add/remove. I would then reboot and do a System File Check if anything seemed awry. I would strongly encourage you to let us help you straighten out any issues SP2 causes, and try to keep the update.

Just for reference, here is a list of what System Restore will and will touch:
MS Library

Johanna

 

Many thanks for your reply.

As my computer appears to be working perfectly I am not inclined to tempt fate by re-installing SP2 and risking further problems.

I have all the current xp security updates installed and do not feel a pressing need to further enhance my security. Nor do I think the other extra features in SP2 worth the hassle.

There is an alarming list of potential problems that can occur after installing SP2 under "Using programs and hardware with Service Pack 2" at http://support.microsoft.com/xpsp2swhw.

The "Troubleshooting issues" on the same website may well provide workarounds, but who needs these if all works well with SP 1?

If you enter "xp sp2 problem" in a Google Group search you will see the varied reasons why so many people are unhappy with this Service Pack.

A lot of people clearly have had no problems with SP2, but I'm not one of them. The majority opinion seems to indicate that Microsoft have brought out SP 2 too early with too many unresolved incompatibilities.

 

Re my earlier reply to Johanna.

You may find these two articles on SP2 interesting.

http://news.com.com/2100-1016-5322554.html

http://techrepublic.com.com/5100-6264-5322633.html

hod

 

Both of those articles were written before the general release of SP2, back in August. I believe that the security benefits make SP2 a worthwhile installation, but even if you don't agree, you still should install it and UNINSTALL it correctly, for best system performance. I think that if your system were to develop problems today, it would be difficult to troubleshoot because the registry has to be confused after the installation of crucial SP2 files, and the wiped out paths from the System Restore you did.

If you Google "SP2 Successes" one of the first articles to pop up is Fred Langa, a respected authority.
http://www.informationweek.com/story/showArticle.jhtml?articleID=46200911

http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&lr=&q=sp2+successes

The point is, doesn't matter if the glass is half empty or half full. Right now you have lemonade in your milk, and it's gonna get sour.
Johanna