BugBlog Plus Archives
Current month
Nov 06 by date
Oct 06 by company
Oct 06 by date
Sep 06 by company
Sep 06 by date
Aug 06 by company
Aug 06 by date
July 06 by date
June 06 by date
May 06 by date
Apr 06 by date
Mar 06 by date
Feb 06 by date
Jan 06 by date
Jan 06 by company
Dec 05 by date
Dec 05 by company
Nov 05 by date
Oct 05 by date
Sept 05 by date
Aug 05 by date
July 05 by date
June 05 by date
June 05 by company
May 05 by date
May 05 by company
Apr 05 by date
Apr 05 by company
Mar 05 by date
Mar 05 by company
Feb 05 by date
Feb 05 by company
Jan 05 by date
Jan 05 by company
Dec 04
Dec 04 by company
Nov 04
Oct 04
Sept 04 by date
XP SP 2
Aug 04 by company
Aug 04 by date
Jul 04 by company
Jul 04 by date
June 04 by company
June 04 by date
May 04 by company
May 04 by date
Apr 04 by company
Apr 04 by date
Mar 04 by company
Mar 04 by date
Feb 04 by company
Feb 04 by date
Jan 04 by company
Jan 04 by date
Dec 03 by company
Dec 03 by date
Nov 03 by date
Nov 03 by company

Jump to the BugBlog archives (October 03 and earlier are public archives)

Cleveland-area blogs*:

Backup BugBlog

Economic Development Futures

Brewed Fresh Daily

Cleve-blog

Working with Words

Gassho

Sardonic Views

Filtering Craig

Hotel Bruce

Blogcritics.org

Up Yours

Kevin Holtsberry

Steve Goldberg

Red Wheelbarrow

Anita Campbell

Swerb's Blurbs

Rachel's Law

*there are more blogs in Cleveland, these are just from people I've met or know. Some of the above are actually farther away, but are bloggers I've met here.

This is a compilation of bugs, incompatibilities, and fixes for Windows XP Service Pack 2, that have already been published in the BugBlog Plus.

2/28/2005

Microsoft says that a bug in the Graphics Device Interface (GDI) may cause Windows Server 2003 or Windows XP to crash when you copy an image to the clipboard. You may also see this error message, although the numbers in parentheses may be different:
STOP: 0x00000050 (bc7cf000, 00000000, bf964404, 00000001)
Microsoft has a hotfix for this, which will be in future service packs for the two products. If you can't wait for these, contact Microsoft Technical Support and ask for the hotfix described in Knoweldge Base article 872797. Note that you may be charged for this call.

2/23/2005

Microsoft says there is a minor font problem on Windows XP or Windows 200 Service Pack 4 computers, or Windows XP Service Pack 2 computers where Microsoft Security Bulletin MS04-011 Security Update has been installed. The problem is in the Arial Black font or the Impact font. The bullet character may not appear to be centered correctly when you use it in Microsoft Word, WordPad or Notepad. Microsoft says this problem doesn't happen in any of the other fonts, so you may just want to switch.

2/22/2005

Microsoft says that if you try to add a wireless network to a Windows XP computer, and that computer already has had a network applied via Group Policy, you may get an error message saying there are network problems
At least one of your changes was not applied successfully to the wireless configuration.
Microsoft says that the error message is in error; all the networking changes were actually applied. They do have a hotfix for this, which will be in a future Windows XP service pack. If you can't wait for that, then you will need to contact Microsoft Technical Support and ask for the hotfix described in Knowledge Base article 892087. Note that you may get charged for this call.

2/21/2005

Microsoft says you may get a Blue Screen of Death if you remove a CardBus Compact Flash adapter from your computer, after you have transferred a file or edited a file on the device. The error message will look something like
STOP: 0x0000007E (0xAAAAAAAA, 0xBBBBBBBB, 0xCCCCCCCC, 0xDDDDDDDD)
SYSTEM_THREAD_EXCEPTION_NOT_HANDLED
although the hex numbers in parenthesis may be different. Microsoft says this has been fixed in Windows XP Service Pack 2. However, there are no fixes for it for Windows 2000 or Windows Server 2003.

Microsoft says that there may be some compatibility problems when you access a USB 2.0 DVD drive or a CD-RW drive using a programsuch as Intervideo Win DVD or Roxio Easy CD Creator. Problems receiving a USB STALL packet may cause this error message
Unsafe Removal
or choppy or uneven playback. This has been fixed in Windows XP Service Pack 2. The problem also exists in Windows Server 2003. Microsoft has a hotfix for this version of Windows, which will be in a future service pack. If you need the fix right away, contact Microsoft and ask for the hotfix described in Knowledge Base article 820759. Note that you may get charged for this call.

2/17/2005

On a Windows XP Service Pack 1 or Service Pack 2 computer, if you try to log on to a Novell NetWare server by using Client Services for NetWare, the logon "May take an unexpectedly long time." Microsoft has a hotfix for this. If you need it, contact Microsoft Technical Support and ask for the hotfix described in Knowledge Base article 887176. Note that you may get charged for this call.

2/14/2005

Microsoft says that if you install the Cumulative Security Update for Internet Explorer that is in MS05-014, you may cause problems playing a Windows Media High Definition Video (WMV HD) DVD disks in Microsoft Windows Media Player. Microsoft says that clicking to play a chapter may not work. If you run into this problem, click the chapter and then press ENTER. If you are using the Windows XP Media Center Edition, with Windows XP Service Pack 2, you can use your remote control to select the chapter instead.

2/9/2005

The PC World test center says they have found a problem when running Windows XP Service Pack 2 on an Acer Travelmate 3200 notebook computer. While battery life was up to four hours with XP SP1, it is about an hour less with XP SP2. PC World says that neither Acer nor Microsoft have information about this. You can read their account at http://www.pcworld.com/howto/article/0,aid,119265,00.asp.

2/8/2005

Microsoft says there is a bug, referred to as the Named Pipe Vulnerability, in both Windows XP Service Pack 1 and Service Pack 2 and Windows XP 64-bit edition, that may allow an attacker to snoop. This remote attacker may be able to remotely read the user names for users who have an open connection to an available shared resource. Fixes for this can be downloaded from http://www.microsoft.com/technet/security/bulletin/ms05-007.mspx. Microsoft credits Jean-Baptiste Marchand of Herve Schauer Consultants for alerting them to this problem.

Microsoft says there is a drag-and-drop bug in Windows 2000, Windows XP Service Pack 1 and 2, Windows XP 64-Bit, and Windows Server 2003. An attacker may be able to design either a web page or an email message that will that will let them store a file on your computer, which could then do other damage. Older versions of Windows (NT,98, ME) are apparently also affected, but aren't fixed. For the newer versions, go to http://www.microsoft.com/technet/security/bulletin/ms05-008.mspx for your patch. That page also has workaround information.

Microsoft says that a bug in the Server Message Block (SMB) may allow a a remote attacker to take control of a system. This could happen to on Windows 2000, Windows XP (both SP 1 and SP 2), and Windows Server 2003 computers, and is considered a Critical Update by Microsoft. Firewall and security practices can be used to mitigate against this threat. Links to the update, as well as a discussion of the workarounds, are at
http://www.microsoft.com/technet/security/bulletin/ms05-011.mspx. Microsoft credits eEYE for reporting this bug.

Microsoft says that two components, OLE and COM, that are used in Windows, Exchange, and Office, could allow attacks. The COM bug could only be used by a local user who had valid log-in credentials. They would be able to gain extra privileges and take control of the computer system. The OLE bug can be triggered remotely, by constructing a malicious web page and luring a user there. Microsoft deems this a critical update for Windows 2000, Windows XP Service Pack 1 and 2, Windows Server 2003, Microsoft Exchange 2000 and 2003, Office XP and Office 2003. Get links to the patches at http://www.microsoft.com/technet/security/bulletin/ms05-012.mspx. Microsoft credits Cesar Cerrudo of Application Security Inc. for reporting the COM bug.

Another flaw in an ActiveX control has opened up another critical security vulnerablity for Microsoft. This control is the DHTML Editing Component, and could let a remote attacker take control of a Windows 2000, Windows XP SP1 and 2, or Windows Server 2003 computer. You can find links to the fixes for this at http://www.microsoft.com/technet/security/bulletin/ms05-013.mspx.

As part of Microsoft's massive release of security bulletins on 2/8/2005, they have also released another cumulative security update for Internet Explorer. This one, the MS05-014 update, replaces the last two updates for IE, the MS04-038 update and the MS04-040 update. This new update fixes four new security vulnerabilities that affect Internet Explorer 5.01 through 6, on almost all versions of Windows, including Windows XP Service Pack 2. In addition to the new fixes, this also fixes all the previous problems with IE. Get this latest Critical update at http://www.microsoft.com/technet/security/bulletin/ms05-014.mspx.

There is an unchecked buffer in the Hyperlink Object Library in Windows 2000, Windows XP Service Packs 1 and 2, Windows XP, Window Server 2003, and Windows 98/Me, that may allow a remote attacker to take over a computer system. To do so, they would have to construct a malicious link in a webpage or email, and persuade the victim to click it. (See the Paris Hilton video!) Updates for all but Windows 98/ME are available from http://www.microsoft.com/technet/security/bulletin/ms05-015.mspx. Microsoft credits Anna Hollingzworth for finding this bug.

2/7/2005

According to a story in PC World, Windows XP Service Pack 2 slows down Nero AG's InCD4 DVD-burning software. This software is included with many DVD-RW drives, including Sony, Plextor, and Lite-On. Nero says this is because of a cache bug in SP2. Read the details, and get a link to a fix, at http://www.pcworld.com/howto/article/0,aid,119265,00.asp.

2/5/2005

Microsoft reminds us that the mechanism that allows organizations to prevent the automatic downloading of Windows XP Service Pack 2 will be turned off on April 12, 2005. After that date, Windows Update and Automatic Update will start delivering the service pack to unpatched systems.

There may be network problems if you end up in a situation like this: your Windows XP computer, with Service Pack 2 and a smart card, is connected to a network when it is put into standby; When the computer is restored, the network is disconnected or down; when the network connection is restored, the Windows XP computer can't access any network resources. Microsoft has a hotfix for this, which will be in a future Windows XP service pack. If you need the fix right away, contact Microsoft Technical Support and ask for the fix described in Knowledge Base Article 890042. Note that you may get charged for this call.

1/29/2005 Possible SP2 Exploit

A story on ZD Net says that a Russian security company has published a paper showing how to defeat Microsoft's Data Execution Protection scheme, one of the new security enhancements in Windows XP Service Pack 2. According to the story, they informed Microsoft on December 22, but decided not to wait for the patch to be issued. For now, there is nothing for end users to do, except read the whole story at http://news.zdnet.com/2100-1009_22-5555448.html

1/25/2005 Windows XP SP 2 Slows Down Some File Uploads

Windows XP Service Pack 2 may slow down some file uploads. If you are using Internet Explorer 6 to upload a file using an SSL (Secure Socket Layer) connection to a website whose URL starts with https:// and uses an active server page (.asp) or a script to process the file, the upload may take much longer than expected, according to Microsoft. They have a hotfix for this, along with a Registry edit. To find out about the hotfix, and to get the instructions and safeguards for editing the Registry, see http://support.microsoft.com/?kbid=889334.

1/19/2005 Behavoirs in Internet Explorer

Microsoft says that when you remove large behaviors from Internet Explorer, the memory used by them may not release. Microsoft blames this on the way that scripting engines work. They do say that you should be able to release the memory by refreshing a page or by moving to a new page. They have more, including a way to monitor this and reproduce it, at http://support.microsoft.com/?kbid=315014.

1/7/2005 DRM Hole in Windows

An item in the 1/12/05 BugBlog Plus looked at a Security Pipeline report about exploits of Microsoft's Digitial Rights Management feature as a way to deliver malware to your computer. Microsoft. Microsoft countered this report on 1/14, saying that this exploit was not triggered by a bug in DRM. They also say this is blocked by Windows XP SP 2. See Microsoft's side at http://news.zdnet.com/Microsoft%3A+No+flaw+in+Media+Player/2100-1009_22-5536831.html.

1/11/2005 Critical Patch for Windows HTML Help

Microsoft has a critical update for the HTML Help, that will help plug a hole where an attacker, via Internet Explorer, may be able to remotely run their own code on your computer. This affects Internet Explorer 6 on Windows 2000 Service Pack 3 and 4, Windows XP Service Pack 1 and 2, and Windows Server 2003. The problem specifically is a cross-domain vulnerability in the HTML Help ActiveX control. Links to the update for each version of Windows are at http://www.microsoft.com/technet/security/bulletin/MS05-001.mspx.

1/8/2005 IE Bug Gets Elevated to Extremely Critical

Security researchers at Secunia have escalated their warning on some Microsoft Internet Explorer bugs to Extremely Critical, which is their highest level. The bugs are in HTML Help, in the drag and drop from the Internet Zone, and a way to circumvent Windows XP SP 2 security, and all have been reported earlier. However, now some example code that shows how to exploit these is circulating. If attackers put everything together, it's possible they could take over your computer. Although Microsoft is releasing security updates on January 11, they have not said whether one of them is to fix IE. You can read the full write-up at http://secunia.com/advisories/12889/

12/17

The Security researchers at Secunia have posted details on another bug in Microsoft Internet Explorer. In this case, a bug in the DHTML Edit ActiveX control may allow a cross-site scripting attack, which may allow a malicious website to put script into another browser session. They say this affects fully patched systems with Windows XP Service Pack 1 and Service Pack 2. Secunia credits this find to Paul from greyhats, and has also posted a test at http://secunia.com/advisories/13482/, to see if you are vulnerable.

Microsoft says that there is an incompatibility between Computer Associates eTrust antivirus program and the installation routine of Windows XP Service Pack 2 and Windows XP Tablet PC Edition 2005. If the AV program is running, you may see this error message when you install the Windows update
Control ID not found
If you look at the Svcpack.log file, you may see lines similar to
1131.076: MyFCIFlushCabinet() failed: code 4 [Could not create a temporary file]
1132.057: Cabinet build used 28711 ticks
1132.057: Cabinet build failed, GLE=0x0000058D
1132.057: CabinetBuild: BuildCabinet Function failed
According to Microsoft, get the latest update of eTrust, which should fix this problem.

12/14

Microsoft says that bugs in the WordPad applet in Windows NT 4.0, Windows 2000, Windows XP (including Service Pack 2) and Windows Server 2003. If a user is logged on with administrative privileges, an attacker may be able to take complete control of a system. Links to the patches are available at http://www.microsoft.com/technet/security/bulletin/MS04-041.mspx. Microsoft credits Greg Jones of KPMG UK and Lord Yup with iDefense for reporting these bugs.

Microsoft says there is a bug in the HyperTerminal applet in Windows NT, Windows 2000, Windows XP (including Service Pack 2) and Windows Server 2003. A remote attacker may be able to exploit this bug to take complete control of a system, if they attacked while someone with administrative privileges is using HyperTerminal. Go to http://www.microsoft.com/technet/security/bulletin/MS04-043.mspx for links to the patches. Microsoft credits Brett Moore of Security-Assessment.com for reporting this problem.

Microsoft says that bugs in the Windows Kernel and in LSASS may allow an attacker to gain elevated privileges on Windows NT, Windows 2000, Windows XP (including Service Pack 2) and Windows Server 2003 systems. These elevated privileges may let someone install programs and create new user accounts that they otherwise wouldn't be allowed to do. Go to http://www.microsoft.com/technet/security/bulletin/MS04-044.mspx for links to the patches for each version of Windows. Microsoft credits Cesar Cerrudo of Application Security Inc. for reporting these bugs.

12/10

If you are running Macromedia Breeze on Windows XP configured as a server (a configuration that Macromedia doesn't support) and you upgrade to Windows XP Service Pack 2, the new SP2 firewall may block port 1935, which is needed for inbound traffic in Breeze. You will need to unblock that port.

If you are running Macromedia Breeze on a Windows XP Service Pack 2 computer, and you try to install the Presenter Add-In for Breeze, FlashPaper, or the Breeze PowerPoint plugin, you will see this security warning:
Open File - Security Warning. The publisher could not be verified. Are you sure you want to run this software?
Macromedia says it is safe to click Run and install their software.

12/6

Macromedia says that if you are using Dreamweaver MX or MX 2004 on a Windows XP computer with Service Pack 2, when you try to use Dreamweaver to connect to an FTP server you may see this warning message
Windows Security Alert
To help protect your computer, Windows Firewall has blocked some features of this program.
Workaround instructions for this are at http://www.macromedia.com/cfusion/knowledgebase/index.cfm?id=tn_19489.

12/3

Microsoft says that a bug in Http.sys may cause either Windows XP Service Pack 2, Windows XP Tablet PC Edition 2005 or Windows Server 2003 to crash. You may get this error message
Stop 0x05 (INVALID_PROCESS_ATTACH_ATTEMPT)
This will happen if you have TDI filter drivers installed (these typically come with antivirus or firewall programs) and these drivers respond with STATUS_PENDING to particular TDI input/output requests. Microsoft has a hotfix available for download for Windows XP Service Pack 2. Get it at http://support.microsoft.com/?kbid=887742.

Macromedia says that if you are running Dreamweaver MX or MX 2004 on a Windows XP Service Pack 2 computer, you may have problems with database connectivity on ASP.NET pages. If you are trying to test pages using a local ASP.NET test server, you will get a message saying that the connection was made to the database. However, if you try to browse the data tables using one of the Dreamweaver tools, you won't be ableto see your data. Macromedia has published a Dreamweaver extension that will fix this. You can get it at http://download.macromedia.com/pub/dreamweaver/extensions/SP2DBFix1.0.2.mxp.

12/2

Microsoft says that if you have a laptop computer that you try to put on standby during a power outage, or when power levels are fluctuating, it may lock up instead of going on standby. This affects both Windows XP Service Pack 1 and Service Pack 2 computers. They have a hotfix for this, which they will include in a future service pack. If you live in an area with a shaky power supply, you may want to get this fix right away. Contact Microsoft Technical Support and ask for the hotfix described in Knowledge Base article 887823. Note that you may be charged for this call.

Microsoft says that the Windows Firewall in Windows XP Service Pack 2 may interfere with Universal Plug and Play ( UPnP). In some cases it may prevent you from discovering networked UPnP devices, or it may prevent you from controlling them. Microsoft has an article at http://support.microsoft.com/?kbid=886257 that gives some idea of what the problems are. The article is intended for advanced users and manufacturers of UPnP devices.

12/1

If you are using Macromedia Dreamweaver MX or MX 2004 on a Windows XP computer that has been upgraded to Service Pack 2, you may have problems with the ASP.NET OLE database connection dialog. According to Macromedia, the Build button won't work in that dialog. Click the button and nothing happens. As a workaround, they say to click the Templates button in the OLE DB Connection to create the connection instead. Else, create a new text fileon the hard drive; change the file extension from .txt to .udl; open that file and it should open the Data Link Properties dialog.

If you install Macromedia Dreamweaver MX 2004 on a Microsoft Windows XP Service Pack 2 computer, you may see this security warning from Microsoft:
Open File - Security Warning.
The publisher could not be verified. Are you sure you want to run this software?
Macromedia says that it is safe to click the Run button and install Dreamweaver.

If you are running Macromedia Dreamweaver MX or MX 2004 on a Microsoft Windows XP computer upgraded to Service Pack 2, you may see security warnings if you preview a file on your hard drive that has JavaScript. The message would be
To help protect your security, Internet Explorer has restricted this file from showing active content that could access your computer. Click here for options ..."
If you are sure of your content (because you designed the page yourself) you can always click the "Allowed Blocked Content" button. This message will also not occur if you view the files via the local web server.

11/30

If you add AutoShapes to an HTML or MHTML file using a Microsoft Office program, and you then open that document for viewing in Microsoft Internet Explorer on a Windows XP Service Pack 2 computer, the AutoShapes won't show up. This is due to the increased security in Service Pack 2. Microsoft says that you can do a Registry edit as a workaround, but that edit will also lower your security. To see the full details of the edit, and to see the ramifications of the reduced security, see http://support.microsoft.com/?kbid=883969.

11/27

The security researcher who goes by the name of "cyber flash" has reported another vulnerability in Microsoft Internet Explorer. A previously known vulnerability in IE was the way the browser handled an image that had multiple file extensions, such as bad_content.bat.jpg. If you use the "Save Picture As" option in IE to save this, it will strip the last file extension, leaving the hostile content saved with an extension that could execute. Proof of this concept has been posted, and the Secunia website confirmed the bug on a fully patched system with Internet Explorer 6.0 and Microsoft Windows XP SP2. The only workaround for now is to not save images, or use another browser.

11/23

Microsoft says that after you install Windows XP Service Pack 2, the amount of memory on your system may appear incorrectly, or not appear at all, in the System Properties dialog box. However, there are two other places where the memory size appears correctly. You can go to Start, All Programs, Accessories, System Tools, System Information. You can also go to Start, Run, and type Msinfo32.exe, and then click OK.

IBM says that if you are running Lotus Organizer on a Windows XP computer, if you install Windows XP Service Pack 2 it may interfere with the synchronization process between Organizer and a Palm handheld computer. For now, IBM says that the only fix is to remove Service Pack 2, and then just apply all the separate security patches from Windows Update instead.

Microsoft says if you are installing a program that "contains many features" on a Windows XP computer, then the initialization part of the installation program may take much longer than expected. They aren't very specific about how many features constitute "many" and they also don't define the expectations about what is too long. However, they do have a post-service pack 2 hotfix that will take care of this problem. It will be in a future Windows XP service pack, but if you need the fix right away you can contact Microsoft Technical Support and ask for the hotfix described in Knowledge Base article 885898. Note that you may get charged for this call.

Microsoft now appears to be saying they will fix a bug in Internet Explorer and in Windows XP Service Pack 2 that they initially dismissed as "misleading and possibly erroneous." The bug in question was reported by the Finjan security researchers on11/15 (and reported in the BugBlog Plus on 11/18). While Microsoft still doesn't seem very happy, they now say they will take "appropriate action." You can read the details at C Net at
http://news.com.com/Microsoft+to+fix+download+warning+flaw/2100-1002_3-5463749.html?tag=nefd.top

11/22

In Windows XP, the Scanner and Camera Wizard has an option that lets you use a networked scanner. However, the improved Windows Firewall in Windows XP Service Pack 2 and in the Windows XP Tablet PC Edition 2005 blocks the port, TCP Port 21, that a networked scanner would use. If the Windows Firewall is turned on, the networked scanner is blocked, but the Wizard isn't smart enough to sense that. As a workaround, you must create a Windows Firewall exception for the scanner. See http://support.microsoft.com/?kbid=873188 for details on how to do that.

Microsoft says that Windows XP Service Pack 2 solves an incompatibility program that you may have when starting a web-based program that was created with Microsoft Visual Studio 7.1. In some cases, at start-up you may see this error message
Server Error in '/' Application.
Configuration Error Description: An error occurred during the processing of a configuration file required to service this request. Please review the specific error details below and modify your configuration file appropriately.

11/19/2004

If you try to use the SonicWALL Complete Anti-Virus program on either a Windows XP Service Pack 2 computer or a Windows XP Tablet PC 2005 computer, you may run into problems. At installation time, you may get this error message
Unable to Create Cabinet Installer Object. Agent Service may not be running properly
Microsoft says this is because the MyAgtSvc from SonicWALL tries to run without run or activation permissions, which doesn't work under SP2's increased security. SonicWALL has fixed this with an update you can get at http://www.sonicwall.com/alert/service_bulletin_windowsXP_SP2_update.html.

11/16/2004

If you try to upgrade to Windows XP Service Pack 2 on some Hewlett-Packard computers with the Out of Box Experience (OOBE) you may have problems. When the computer restarts, you may see this error message
Windows XP Setup is incompatible with this version of Windows. For more information, contact Microsoft.
Microsoft says this is because Hewlett-Packard installs the Recovery Console files using the Windows XP Service Pack 1 files that are found in C:\Windows\I386. There is a workaround for this that involves editing the Registry. To see the steps, and important safeguards about the Registry, see http://support.microsoft.com/?kbid=870898.

11/15/2004

On a computer running Windows XP Service Pack 2, if you try to use Internet Explorer to view a Microsoft PowerPoint 2002 presentation, you may see this error message
This presentation contains content that your browser may not be able to show properly.This presentation was optimized for more recent versions of Microsoft Internet Explorer. If you would like to proceed anyway, click here.
This error message is partially in error, of course, since the most recent version of Internet Explorer is the one that comes with SP2. Microsoft says you will run into this problem in two situations. One is when the PowerPoint file is saved as a web page, and the second is when you give the File, Web Page Preview command in PowerPoint. For a workaround, when you see this error message
To help protect your security, Internet Explorer has restricted this file from showing active content that could access your computer. Click here for options…
then you should click the options to see what your alternatives are.

11/12/2004

Microsoft has an updated version of the Windows Installer. The new version 3.0 was shipped as part of Windows XP Service Pack 2, and it is now available as a separate component that will work with Microsoft Windows 2000 SP3, Microsoft Windows 2000 SP4, Microsoft Windows XP, Microsoft Windows XP SP1, and Microsoft Windows Server 2003. It fixes a number of bugs that may cause installation problems, including one that caused the ServiceInstall table to fail to install services correctly if there was a a space in the name of the path.

11/10/2004

Microsoft says that if you are trying to play their Halo: Combat Evolved on a Windows XP Service Pack 2 computer with certain "high-end" video cards (they don't specify which ones, but that they will have 256 MB of onboard RAM) you may run into incompatibilities. You will know you are affected because Halo will crash right after startup but before the logo movie. You may see this error after the crash
A problem occurred initializing Direct3D.
Hardware acceleration maybe disabled, please run DXDIAG
Microsoft says that if you are having this problem, get the Halo for Windows v1.05 Hotfix from http://www.microsoft.com/games/halo/downloads.asp.

Microsoft says there is an error in documentation in Windows XP Service Pack 2. The Readme.txt file that comes with Deployment tools (in Deploy.cab) says
You cannot run Sysprep.exe on an installation of Windows XP SP1 that was upgraded to Windows XP SP2 using Update.exe. Sysprep can be run only on integrated ("slipstreamed") Windows installations.
Microsoft says this is wrong. You can use Ssyprep.exe to create the Windows XP image that has been upgraded from Service Pack 1 to Service Pack 2.

11/2/2004

The Secunia website has news of another exploit for Microsoft Internet Explorer 6. It is another buffer overflow, this time in the IFRAME tag, that may allow an attacker to run their code on your computer. Apparently, example exploits are circulating on various hacker mailing lists. IE 6 on Windows XP Service Pack 1 and Windows 2000 are vulnerable, but Windows XP Service Pack 2 is not. This is newly announced, and there is no fix information yet. You can read the details at http://secunia.com/advisories/12959/.

11/1/2004

Here's another example of problems that may occur if you install Windows XP Service Pack 2, and after that install a pre-Service Pack 2 hotfix. In this case, if you install the 826939 Update Rollup 1 after SP2, and then enable hyper-threading or you add another processor to your computer, you may get this error message at startup
Windows could not start because the following file is missing: \system32\drivers\ntfs.sys
To fix this, you'll need to do some work at the Windows XP Recovery Console. For the details, see http://support.microsoft.com/?kbid=887675.

10/25/2004

If you have installed Windows XP Service Pack 2 to a computer with an ATI Radeon X800 XT graphics card and the ATI Catalyst 4.10 driver, you may get display corruption after the Windows XP logo screen appears when you boot up. This corruption should disappear by the time the Windows XP Logon screen shows up. For now, there is no fix.

10/22/2004

There is a bug in the Local Security Zone of Microsoft Internet Explorer 6 running on a Windows XP Service Pack 2 system. The malware.com web site, run by someone with the nom-de-hack of http-equiv, posted news where someone could use the HTML Help control to help bypass the security in the Local Zone. Matched with another bug, which uses drag-and-drop to get hostile code onto a computer, may allow an attack on a Windows XP SP 2 computer. To actually pull off the attack, a victim would need to copy content, possibly disguised as an audio or video file, from a web site. Other experts say the fix for this should be relatively easy. See eWeek at http://www.eweek.com/article2/0,1759,1681218,00.asp for details.

Microsoft says there is a bug in the Videoprt.sys miniport driver and with the video graphics adapter (VGA) basic input/output system (BIOS) implementation in Windows XP SP1. Because of this, a laptop with energy-saving settings may not have its screen turned back on after you open the lid. This has been fixed in Windows XP Service Pack 2.

After you install Microsoft's Security patch MS04-038 on a Windows XP computer, you may start getting the error message
Explorer.EXE - Entry Point Not Found - The procedure entry point SHCreateThreadRef could not be located in the dynamic link library SHLWAPI.dll
when the computer starts up. Microsoft says this normally will happen if you had a failed Service Pack 2 installation on the computer, and the automatic rollback after the failure doesn't take place. What you need to do is clean up after any leftover SP2 files. Microsoft has detailed instructions at http://support.microsoft.com/?kbid=888162 on how to do this.

10/18/2004

Windows XP Service Pack 2 changes the default behavior of the status bar in Windows Explorer. While the status bar is turned on by default in Internet Explorer, it is turned off by default for local folders, which get viewed in Windows Explorer. Microsoft says you can change this by clicking Start, My Computer and going to the View menu. When you are there, click Status Bar. Changing the setting for one folder should change the settings for all folders.

Windows XP Service Pack 2 fixes a problem with hotfix packages. Previously, on Windows XP Service Pack 1 computers, the temporary installation files from the hotfixes weren't deleted after the hotfix was installed. Microsoft says this usually happened when a computer has more than one processor, and was more likely to happen if they were fast processors.

10/15/2004

Microsoft says that after you install a Windows XP language interface pack (LIP) on a Windows XP Service Pack 1 computer, some parts of Windows XP may revert to English after installing Service Pack 2. This may include the Security Center, Windows Media Player, and Windows Movie Maker, plus some other places. They now have an update available for the Windows XP language interface packs in Windows XP SP2. If you go to Windows Update at http://windowsupdate.microsoft.com, this update should be found automatically after a scan.

10/13/2004

On the bright side of things, with all the Microsoft security bulletins issued in October, only one had any impact on Windows XP Service Pack 2. That bulletin was the Internet Explorer update, and it was only an important, instead of critical, update for SP2. So maybe they are finally getting some of this stuff right (or they just haven't found the new bugs yet.)

Microsoft has issued a cumulative security update for Internet Explorer. This is for almost all versions of Windows, going back to Windows 98/ME, and up to and including Windows XP Service Pack 2. This patch fixes the following bugs: Cascading Style Sheets (CSS) Heap Memory Corruption Vulnerability; Similar Method Name Redirection Cross Domain Vulnerability; Install Engine Vulnerability; Drag and Drop Vulnerability; Address Bar Spoofing on Double Byte Character Set Locale Vulnerability; Plug-in Navigation Address Bar Spoofing Vulnerability; Script in Image Tag File Download Vulnerability; SSL Caching Vulnerability. With all the bugs, people using the unpatched IE are vulnerable to all kinds of bad things. You can find the updates at http://www.microsoft.com/technet/security/bulletin/MS04-038.mspx. (You can also switch to Mozilla at http://www.mozilla.org) Microsoft credits Greg Jones of KPMG UK, Peter Winter-Smith of Next Generation Security Software Ltd., Mitja Kolsek from ACROS Security, and John Heasman of Next Generation Security Software Ltd. for finding these bugs

10/11/2004

Microsoft says that the new Windows Firewall in Windows XP Service Pack 2 may interfere with the Emulator ActiveSync Connection Tool. To get it to work correctly, add the ActiveSync Connection Manager to the Windows Firewall exception list. To see how to do that, go to http://support.microsoft.com/?kbid=883903.

10/8/2004

After you have installed Windows XP Service Pack 2, even if you have set the sound scheme to No Sounds, Microsoft says you might still get sounds for two events -- a blocked pop-up window or for the Information Bar. Microsoft says you will need to manually turn off those sounds. Don't know how to do that? See http://support.microsoft.com/?kbid=886691.

After installing Windows XP Service Pack 2, error messages may start turning up in your Application Log any time you turn on a Bluetooth device. The error message will be
Event Type: Warning
Event Source: BTHUSB
Category: None
Event ID: 18
Microsoft says that you can ignore this message. There shouldn't be any problems using the Bluetooth device.

10/6/2004

If you install Windows XP Service Pack 2, after you run Windows Media Player 10 for the first time the Windows Media Player shortcut will disappear from your desktop. Many of you may like that, but if you want to get it back, the easiest thing to do is copy and paste the shortcut from the Start menu. It's at Start, Programs, Accessories, Entertainment, Windows Media Player.

Microsoft says on both Windows XP Service Pack 1 and Service Pack 2 computers, if the Windows Security dialog box is open, then screen savers will not start. Instead, you will see the desktop. However, if you go to the Task Manager's Application tab, it will say the Screen Saver process is running. There is no fix yet.

10/2/2004

Microsoft says that Windows XP does not always give an application the memory resource notification events that are used to help manage memory usage. This may be especially important if you are running something like Microsoft SQL Server 2000 on a Windows XP computer. This bug has been fixed in Windows XP Service Pack 2.

9/30/2004

After installing Windows XP Service Pack 2, if you have the Internet Explorer 6.0 Pop-up Blocker settings set to High, the pop-up blocker will block some features of the Microsoft Office Online web site. Clicking the Help link in the upper-right hand corner of that web page normally opens up a Help window, but it is blocked by IE. You can override the pop-up blocker by pressing the CTRL key when you click that link. You can also configure the pop-up blocker to allow pop-ups from Microsoft.com.

Microsoft says the new Windows Firewall in Windows XP Service Pack 2 will accept unfiltered three-second unicast responses from any source address. This can be used in troubleshooting, if you suspect the new firewall is interfering with some applications. Find out more about this at http://support.microsoft.com/?kbid=884913.

9/28/2004

Microsoft says that if you have installed the MS04-011 Security Update for Windows XP, you may see a cosmetic bug when you do a file search. The icon used for a found folder may get changed to the icon for a document. Microsoft says this has been fixed in Windows XP Service Pack 2.

Microsoft says that after you install Windows XP Service Pack 2, and then add a PDA device using the Bluetooth Device Wizard, the devices may show up under the wrong category in the Devices tab. Microsoft has information on installing and configuring Bluetooth devices correctly at http://support.microsoft.com/?kbid=883259.

9/27/2004

Microsoft says that if you update a Windows XP Service Pack 1 distribution point with Windows XP Service Pack 2, all the Microsoft Java Virtual Machine files are removed from the distribution point. This isn't a bug -- it's planned that way, and it probably all goes back to the various legal struggles between Microsoft and Sun Microsystems over Java. For details on creating distribution points, see http://support.microsoft.com/?kbid=884906. For information about the Microsoft Java Virtual Machine, see http://www.microsoft.com/mscorp/java/. You may also want to see this article about Taking Back Windows XP at http://www.bjkresearch.com/tips/takeback2.cfm.

PC-Welt (the German computer magazine) says that in some configurations a Windows XP Service Pack 2 computer is vulnerable to some remote attacks, even with the firewall enabled. The remote user may be able to access shared files and printers. This will happen if File and Print sharing is turned on for a local network, a dial-up or ISDN account is used for Internet access, and Internet Connection Sharing is disabled. A summary of this bug is at the Security Tracker site at http://securitytracker.com/id?1011374.

9/26/2004

The hotfix for Windows XP Service Pack 2 that takes care of the incompatibilities with programs that connect to IP addresses in the loopback range (127.0.0.1) is now freely available for download. (Before, you had to contact Microsoft Technical Support to get it, as the 8/18/2004 BugBlog explained.) Go to http://support.microsoft.com/?kbid=884020 for the link and explanation.

9/23/2004

If you want a fully secure and patched Internet Explorer, and you are not using Microsoft Windows XP, you may be out of luck. Microsoft said that the new version of IE will only be part of Windows XP Service Pack 2. If you are using Windows 2000, it doesn't look like it will be available. You can read more from C Net at http://news.com.com/2100-1032_3-5378366.html. There is a workaround, of course. Switch to Mozilla Firefox.

Microsoft has posted a tool that will remove the adware program T.V. Media from a Windows XP computer, according to a posting on the Neowin web site. This adware product has a bad incompatibility with Windows XP Service Pack 2, as noted in the 9/21/2004 BugBlog. You can download the tool from http://download.microsoft.com/download/9/7/1/97177ca7-2043-4e36-af2e-4b8b135dc6d3/Windows-KB886590-ENU-V1.1.exe

9/21/2004

Microsoft says there are incompatibilities between the third-party advertising program Total Velocity Corporation T.V. Media and Windows XP Service Pack 2. If you install the service pack, the computer may crash with this error
STOP: c0000135 {Unable To Locate Component}
This application has failed to start because winsrv was not found. Re-installing the application may fix this problem.
Microsoft says you will need to use the Recovery Console to uninstall the service pack, then you will need to uninstall T.V. Media. Microsoft says that "T.V. Media is a third-party advertising program that you may not want to continue running." See http://support.microsoft.com/?kbid=885523 for details on how to do that.

9/20/2004

Apple says that iTunes for Windows and the iPod are compatible with Windows XP Service Pack 2. However, they do say that there will be new warnings and information when downloading new software, or clicking links in the iTunes store. Go to http://www.info.apple.com/kbnum/n93975 for illustrations of what to expect.

When you have an Epson FX-1050 printer hooked up to a Windows XP computer, you may not be able to print in the Draft 10cpi font in either italic or bold. This has been fixed in Windows XP Service Pack 2.

If you create a shortcut on a Windows XP computer, and the shortcut file (a .lnk file) has a target that is less than fourteen characters, the shortcut may only work once, but no more. This has been fixed in Windows XP Service Pack 2. There is also a workaround -- make the shortcut read-only. See how to do that at http://support.microsoft.com/?kbid=878515.

Microsoft says that Windows XP Service Pack 2 does not like Internet Naming service files (.ins). Some Internet Service Providers use these to help set up Internet connections, but Internet Explorer upgraded with SP2 will think they are unsafe. You will get a number of warning messages, and the connection may not work. Microsoft suggests contacting your ISP for a workaround.

9/17/2004

If you have configured Symantec Norton AntiVirus 2003 to do a scan for viruses on startup, this will no longer work when you have upgraded to Windows XP Service Pack 2. Manual scans will still work, as well as daily, weekly, and monthly. For now, Symantec says to switch to some option other than scan at startup.

9/14/2004

Microsoft says that if you install Windows XP Service Pack 2, you may disrupt the Preview feature and the Find Feature in Microsoft Class Server 3.0. They say the Learning Resource and Assignment Preview feature and the Find Learning Resource feature won't work correctly, and the Teacher may stop responding. (We've all had teachers who do that.) There is a Class Server 3.0 update of 8/25/2004 that fixes this. It's available in the Microsoft Download Center.

9/13/2004

Microsoft says that Computer Associates ARCserveIT 6.61 will be incompatible with Windows XP Service Pack 2. The problem is that files in the %Windir%\SoftwareDistribution folder won't get backed up successfully, even though the status message may say that the backup is successful. Microsoft notes that CA isn't supporting ARCserveIT 6.61 any more, but you may want to check with them at http://www.ca.com.

If you have the hotfix for Microsoft Windows from MS04-022 and Windows XP Service Pack 2 both installed on a computer, you may not be able to create a new scheduled task in the Task Scheduler. Instead, this error message may show up after clicking Finish when creating the task
The new task has been created, but may not run because the account information could not be set. The specific error is: 0x80070005: Access is denied. Try using the Task page Browse button to locate application.
Microsoft has a hotfix to take care of the bug introduced in the earlier hotfix and service pack. It will be in a future service pack, although you can contact Microsoft Technical Support and ask for the fix described in Knowledge Base article 884573. Note that you may be charged for this call.

9/10/2004

If you upgrade to Windows XP Service Pack 2 on a computer that has a UMAX scanner driver installed, you will be prompted to restart the computer, and then the computer will go into a cycle of continous restarts. Microsoft says you need to start the computer in safe mode, get rid of the UMAX driver, remove Windows XP Service Pack 2, and then reinstall Windows XP Service Pack 2. They say you need to check with UMAX for information on the UMAX driver.

Microsoft says that after you have upgraded to Windows XP Service Pack 2, you may not want to install existing drivers for BeWAN ADSL USB ST modems. They may cause your computer to lock up. Instead, check with BeWAN for updated drivers at http://www.bewan.com/bewan/users/downloads/index.php#adslst.

Microsoft says that after you have upgraded to Windows XP Service Pack 2, you may not want to install existing drivers for ZyXEL Omni.net ISDN USB modems. They may cause your computer to lock up. Instead, check withZyXEL for updated drivers at http://www.us.zyxel.com/support/download.php.

9/8/2004

It's always a good idea to know how to get out of trouble. Even Microsoft knows this, for they've posted a Knowledge Base article that tells you how to take Windows XP Service Pack 2 off your computer. You'll want to read this before you do the upgrade, so that you can Be Prepared.[ Note: Due to a BugBlog bug, the URL was left off this item. You should go to http://support.microsoft.com/?kbid=875350 to read the article.]

On a laptop running Windows XP Service Pack 2, or a Windows XP Tablet PC Edition 2005 computer, when you try to install a software or OS update while your computer is on battery power, you may see this error message
"0x8007F0F4"
The error message would be more informative if it said "Hey -- plug the computer into AC power. It's too risky doing an update while on batteries." If you run out of power in the middle of an update, you run the risk of really screwing things up.

There are Microsoft Multilingual Uer Interface Pack updates now available for Windows XP Service Pack 2. They include updates for User Assistance in the Help and Support Center, the Microsoft Media Player 9 Series, the Microsoft Movie Maker 2.1 programs, and Microsoft Windows XP Tablet PC Edition 2005. You may want to see http://support.microsoft.com/?kbid=841625 to see how to install or uninstall these updates correctly.

9/7/2004

If you are running Intuit Quicken Deluxe 2001 on a Windows XP Service Pack 2 computer, you may see this error message when you try to read the Quicken privacy statement
Cannot find ‘file://C:\QUICKENW/inet/common/localweb/privacy/privacy.htm’. Make sure the path or Internet address is correct.
Microsoft says this may also cause Quicken to crash. The problem may happen after you install the R3deluxe.exe update from Intuit. For now, there is no workaround. You may want to keep an eye on http://www.intuit.com/support/quicken/updates/qkn_updates_q2001manup.html for update news.

Microsoft says that if you try to use the Autorun program to install Jasc Paint Shop Pro 8 on a Windows XP Service Pack 2 computer, you may run into problems. During installation, the Data Execution Prevention (DEP) dialog box shows up. No matter which option from the dialog box you choose, the program closes, and installation fails. Microsoft says this will happen on a computer with the no-execute (NX) page-protection feature enabled. you can work around this problem by installing manually. Run the program \psp\setup.exe which is on the CD.

9/6/2004

If you are going to upgrade your Dell computer to Windows XP Service Pack 2, make sure to read the important set of cautions from Dell at http://support.dell.com/support/topics/global.aspx/support/kb/en/document?dn=1090448. In particular, you will need to update the drivers for the ATI Mobility Radeon 9800 graphics card, which is in some Inspiron laptops, and the driver for the Dell TrueMobile 300 Bluetooth Internal card.

Hewlett Packard says that their Media Center PCs need an update for their Multimedia Keys and Volume On Screen Displays before you update to Windows XP Service Pack 2. You can get their update (SP26328) for the Multimedia Keyboard at http://h10025.www1.hp.com/ewfrf/wc/genericSoftwareDownloadIndex?lc=en&cc=us&softwareitem=pv-18007-2

Microsoft says that after you upgrade to Windows XP Service Pack 2, you may not be able to check for updates to your broadband networking software, the Microsoft Broadband Network Utility (BNU). The problem, according to Microsoft, is that there should be a Mark of the Web comment line in the Autopost.htm file. If the comment line's not there, you won't be able to check for updates. For detailed instructions on how to edit this file to fix the bug, see http://support.microsoft.com/?kbid=873156.

If you turn on the Norton CleanSweep Smart Sweep feature on a Windows XP Service Pack 2 computer with an AMD Athlon 64-based computer with the Data Execution Prevention (DEP) switch turned on in boot.ini , you may screw up your desktop display, and you may also see this error message
The application failed to initialize properly (0xc00000005).
To fix this, according to Microsoft, you will need to turn off DEP in Windows, remove Norton SystemWorks, and then turn on DEP. For detailed instructions on how to do this, see http://support.microsoft.com/?kbid=873155.

9/4/2004

After installing Windows XP Service Pack 2, the pop-up blocker that is installed may interfere with the Microsoft Windows Update Site. Visit there and you may see this error in Internet Explorer
HTTP Error 500 - Internal Server Error, Error 0x8ddd0010
To see a workaround for this, go to http://support.microsoft.com/?kbid=883820.

Microsoft says there is an incompatibility between Windows XP Service Pack 2 and Total Velocity Corporation T.V. Media (TvMedia.tvmbho). The incompatibility is bad enough that you may get Blue Screens of Death with this error message
Stop: c0000135
and/or
winsrv was not found
You will either need to remove Service Pack 2 or T.V. Media, and you may have to do it from the Recovery Console, because of all those Blue Screens. Information on how to do this is at http://support.microsoft.com/?kbid=885523.

Microsoft says that Windows XP Service Pack 2 computers may also be susceptible to a bug that also hits Windows XP Tablet PC computers, and Windows XP Service Pack 1 computers. The problem is when you run a WinSNMP program set up to listen to Simple Network Management Protocol (SNMP) traps, your CPU usage may spike to 100 percent. Microsoft has a hot fix for this, which will be in a future service pack (but was not in Service Pack 2). If you need this fix right away, contact Microsoft Technical Support and ask for the hotfix described in Knowledge Base article 867795. Note that you may get charged for this call.

Microsoft says that Windows XP Service Pack 2 may be incompatible with Sharman Networks Kazaa 2.52. The program may not start, although the Kazaa icon may still show up in the notificaton area. Microsoft says you will need to check with Sharman Networks about an update to Kazaa. (Some people may switch into conspiracy-mode here and start thinking about secret deals between Microsoft and the RIAA. We know that couldn't really happen.)

Microsoft says that after you install Windows XP Service Pack 2, your CD-RW drive may only be recognized as a CD-R or CD-ROM drive. It will work in those modes, but not in CD-RW. Microsoft has a hotfix, if you've been affected by this. You can wait for the next service pack (which might be in a year). If you want your CD-RW drive back, you may want to contact Microsoft Technical Support and ask for the fix described in Knowledge Base article 883523. Note that you may be charged for this call.

If you are going to be installing Windows XP Service Pack 2 on a computer with a Bluetooth adapter, you may have driver compatibility problems, or the SP2 upgrade may overwrite a needed driver. If you've installed the service pack, and then start running into Bluetooth problems, read the workaround information available at http://support.microsoft.com/?kbid=840635.

9/1/2004

MIT says that there are a number of bugs in their Kerberos 5 authentication tool, which is used for establishing secure identities between clients and servers. The first is a bug in the their double-free implementation that may allow remote attackers to run their own code on their server. The second is a bug in the ASN.1 decoder library, that may allow a denial of service attack. You can find out more directly from MIT at http://web.mit.edu/kerberos/www/. In many cases, this technology is implemented in third-party packages, so you may be getting a fix from those vendors.

Microsoft has an updated Windows XP Security Guide. The original came out on 5/22/2003, and the update was on 8/24/2004, to include Service Pack 2 information. You can get this at
http://www.microsoft.com/technet/security/prodtech/winclnt/secwinxp/default.mspx.

If you have a slow Internet connection that's going to make it difficult to download Windows XP Service Pack 2, you can order it for free, on CD, from http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/downloads/updates/sp2/cdorder/en_us/default.mspx. If you need it for other languages, you can order those too.

8/31/2004

Once you install Windows XP Service Pack 2, any information saved by Device Manager about previous drivers is lost. Microsoft says no backup file is created for third-party drivers, and thus you won't be able to roll back to a previous driver. Microsoft says if you need to go back, you will have to reinstall the third-party driver. If you need a refresher course for that, see http://support.microsoft.com/?kbid=873171.

Microsoft says that the Connectix Virtual PC driver VPCAppSv.sys 4.x is incompatibile with Windows XP Service Pack 2, and has been put on XP's Driver Protection List. Earlier, the BugBlog noted that Microsoft's version has also been blackballed.

In Windows XP Service Pack 2, the discovery option for Bluetooth has been turned off. (Not all XP computers support Bluetooth.) So other Bluetooth compatible devices won't be able to make a connection. See Microsoft's explanation of how to turn the discover option on at http://support.microsoft.com/?kbid=870882 if you need to make a Bluetooth connection.

8/28/2004

PC Magazine has confirmed, following a tip, that the new Windows Security Center in Windows XP Service Pack 2 can be spoofed. There are ways to make it look like things are still secure, when they aren't. Microsoft has downplayed this bug; a paraphrase of their response might be "Well, if they can do this, they can do worse than this, so we aren't going to worry." You can read the full story from PC Magazine, and the Microsoft response, at http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,1759,1639276,00.asp.

According to Microsoft, if you have upgraded to the 64-bit version of Windows XP Service Pack 2, you may not be able to install Softwin BitDefender AntiSpam 7 or BitDefender AntiSpam 7. Check at http://www.bitdefender.com for news of an update.

If you upgrade to Windows XP Service Pack 2 (the 32-bit version) on a computer with an AMD 64-bit processor, and you turn on the enforce data execution prevention (DEP) option, you will have major problems if you are using software or hardware that calls on the Mpegport.sys driver. (One program that does is Sigma Designs Hollywood Plus DVD decoder.) This combination will cause your computer to continually restart. For now, Microsoft says to remove Service Pack 2 from the computer. (For details, see http://support.microsoft.com/?kbid=878474. As Microsoft envisioned it, DEP should only cause the program to crash, but not bring down the whole computer.

8/25/2004

If you have a Fujitsu pen using the Fujitsu pen driver 1.01 on a computer that has been upgraded to Windows XP Service Pack 2, then pen may not work if you bring the computer out of standby. Microsoft suggests checking on a driver upgrade from Fujitsu.

According to Microsoft, if you have a 64-bit edition of Windows XP, and you upgrade to Windows XP Service Pack 2, you will have problems with Symantec GoBack32 2004 or GoBack Personal Edition 2003. Every time your computer boots up, you may get an error message such as
DRIVER_OR_IRQ_NOT_EQUAL
As of 8/25/04, there is no fix.

8/24/2004

When using Dantz Retrospect to backup networked Windows XP computers, you will need to make some configuration changes if you upgrade to Windows XP Service Pack 2. The new Windows Firewall will need to be configured to allow the networked backup. You can see the steps involved at http://www.dantz.com/en/support/kbase.dtml?id=28189. Note that this does not affect Dantz Retrospect when backing up standalone computers.

According to Microsoft, if you upgrade to Windows XP Service Pack 2, you will prevent Corel WordPerfect Office 11 from updating. As of 8/24/2004, there doesn't seem to be word of this on the Corel website.

BugBlog reader Roseman tipped me to a new Microsoft publication online -- the Application Compatibility Testing and Mitigation Guide for Windows XP Service Pack 2. It's supposed to look at "security technologies, an application testing process, incompatibility symptoms, mitigation techniques, and deployment scenarios" involved with the upgrade to Service Pack 2. Chances are, IT pros are the target audience, but anyone can get it at http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?FamilyId=9300BECF-2DEE-4772-ADD9-AD0EAF89C4A7&displaylang=en.

ZD Net Labs has found an incompatibility between Windows XP Service Pack 2 and Microsoft's L2TP (Layer 2 Tunneling Protocol) when used to connect a VPN (virtual private network). Problems may occur if you are trying to make the connections from the other side of a NAT (Network Address Translation) server. Those are most likely to be found in small office/home office networks, and the VPN connection is often used in telecommuting or other remote work. Microsoft has confirmed the problem, but there is no solution yet. Get the details at http://zdnet.com.com/2100-1105-5321783.html.

Once you have upgraded to Windows XP Service Pack 2, Microsoft says you may have problems installing or uninstalling ScanSoft PaperPort Deluxe 8. As of 8/24, there doesn't seem to be information about this at the ScanSoft website.

According to Microsoft, ZoneLabs ZoneAlarm 4 and 4.5x will cause major problems if installed on 64-bit versions of Windows XP that have been upgraded to Service Pack 2. They say there will be Blue Screens of Death every time you start the computer. Note that this is not the 32-bit version of XP (the one most everybody uses.)

8/23/2004

Adobe says that after you have upgraded to Windows XP Service Pack 2, you may get security warnings in Microsoft Internet Explorer when you try to use Help in an Adobe application. The warning may be something like
"To help protect your security, Internet Explorer has restricted this file from showing active content that could access your computer. Click here for options."
or
"Security Warning: The information you have entered is to be sent over an unencrypted connection and could easily be read by a third party. Are you sure you want to continue sending this information?"
The problem, according to Adobe, is that the new security in SP2 blocks frames in HTML files as a security precaution, even in HTML Help files stored locally. Since the content you are trying to access was installed on your computer when you installed the Adobe application, there should be no risk involved when clicking Help in an Adobe application. So you can continue on by clicking Yes. You can read more from Adobe about this at http://www.adobe.com/support/techdocs/330621.html.

Microsoft has a detailed "walk-through" that may tell you what to expect (and how to prepare) if you are going to upgrade to Windows XP Service Pack 2. This includes the scenarios of installing over the Internet using Automatic Update; from the Internet using Windows Update; and installing from a network share. You can read this at http://support.microsoft.com/?kbid=875364.

Windows XP Service Pack 2 includes a fix for a problem that affects the Hewlett-Packard LaserJet 8150. Pre-service pack if you try to print using the LaserJet 8150 Printer Control Language (PCL) driver, you may see this error message:
The operation could not be completed.

If you upgrade a Windows XP computer to Service Pack 2, and you also run the Sygate Personal Firewall program, you may get this Blue Screen of Death when you computer restarts from standby after a long rest
*** STOP: 0x000000D1 (0x0000000C, 0x00000002, 0x00000001, 0xF96C49ED)
DRIVER_IRQL_NOT_LESS_OR_EQUAL
although the numbers in parenthesis may be different. Microsoft says to check with Sygate at http://soho.sygate.com/support/documents/spf/default.htm to see if they have an update.

8/20/2004

Security researchers http-equiv have shown another vulnerability in Microsoft Internet Explorer. It is possible to exploit a fault in drag and drop events within IE to move damaging content into a computer's Start folder, so that it will execute the next time that computer boots. Security researchers at Secunia report that this exploit works on fully patched systems using Internet Explorer 6 and Windows XP Service Pack 2. You can see the details at http://secunia.com/advisories/12321/. As a workaround, you may want to consider Mozilla for your browser.

When you run Adobe LiveMotion 1 on a Windows XP computer with Service Pack 2, Microsoft says that you may get various errors that causes the program to crash. (Microsoft specifies version 1, although version 2 is the latest.) As of 8/20/04, there does not appear to be information from Adobe about these problems.

Microsoft says that Authentium Command Antivirus 4.9 will not start on a computer that has been upgraded to Windows XP Service Pack 2. Authentium's web site says that Command Antivirus 4.91 is compatible, and the forthcoming CAV 4.92 will be compatible with the Windows Security Center. See more from Authentium at http://www.authentium.com/support/downloads/xpsp2.cfm.

Microsoft says that Electronic Arts NBA Live 2000 will not start on some computers that have been upgraded to Windows XP Service Pack 2. However, it seems to be working on others. As of 8/20/2004, there did not seem to be any confirming information at the EA Tech Support site.

Microsoft says that the German version of Kaspersky Labs Kaspersky Anti-Virus 5 will not be able to do real-time scanning after you upgrade to Windows XP Service Pack 2.

According to Microsoft, if you run the Encyclopedia Britannica 2000 Deluxe on a computer that has been upgraded to Windows XP Service Pack 2, Java rendering will not work.

When you use Internet Security Systems BlackICE 3.6 crj firewall on a computer that has been upgraded to Windows XP Service Pack 2, you may get a Stop error that crashes BlackICE. A search at ISS did not seem to turn up any information.

8/19/2004

The more stringent security in Microsoft Internet Explorer due to Windows XP Service Pack 2 may prevent the Macromedia Flash player from being installed. Macromedia says to check and see if they (Macromedia, Inc) has been placed on the Untrusted Publishers list.

Microsoft says that if you put a Windows XP computer into standby, and you move a USB mouse or press a key on a USB keyboard while the standby process is starting, you may not be able to wake the computer from standby. Even after using the power switch to restart, you may have problems with the mouse or keyboard. This has been fixed in Windows XP Service Pack 2.

Microsoft says that their QFECheck tool, that checks on whether you have installed hotfixes or updates, may get confused if it is used on a Windows computer that has the Windows MultiLanguage Version installed, and you don't have English set as the current language. The tool may report that a fix is missing when it isn't. This has been fixed in Windows XP Service Pack 2.

Microsoft says that the Sysprep tool, which can be used from a Windows Server 2003 compter to deploy Windows XP systems, may change a computer name that is in lower case to one that is upper case. This has been fixed in Windows XP Service Pack 2.

8/18/2004

The first post-Service Pack 2 hotfix for Windows XP (or you can look at it as the first pre-Service Pack 3 hotfix) has been released by Microsoft. This fixes a bug introduced by Windows XP Service Pack 2 that may prevent programs from working with IP addresses in the loopback range other than 127.0.0.1. If you have a program that needs to connect to one of these addresses, you may want to contact Microsoft Technical Support and ask for the hotfix described in Knowledge Base article 884020. Note that you may get charged for this call.

After installing Windows XP Service Pack 2, the default settings of the Windows Firewall may cause compatibility problems for AutoCAD 2000, 2002, and 2004. If you use it to browse projects using the FTP viewer, they may be blocked because port 21 is blocked by the firewall. Microsoft has workaround instructions at http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?kbid=842242.

After installing Windows XP Service Pack 2, some of the functionality of Esker Software's Smarterm Office 10 and 11 may run into compatibility problems with the default settings of the Windows Firewall. Port 23 may need to be unblocked to do a Telnet session, and Port 21 may need to be unblocked for FTP. Microsoft has workaround instructions at http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?kbid=842242.

If you are running Windows XP in an Internet Protocol security (IPSec) environment, you may get this error intermittently when you shut down your computer:
Stop 0xD1 in TCPIP.SYS
Then when you restart the computer, you will be told that it has recovered from a serious error. This bug, which was previously fixed in a Microsoft hotfix, has been fixed in Windows XP Service Pack 2.

Microsoft says that if you have two or more routing filters on a network adapter, it may cause Netsh.exe to crash. There was a hotfix for this bug, and the fix has been included in Windows XP Service Pack 2.

After installing Windows XP Service Pack 2, you may see delays in getting Symantec WinFax started. According to Symantec, when starting either the WinFax Program Setup or the WinFax Message Manager, you may see the error message
Server Busy. This action cannot be completed because the other program is busy. Choose 'Switch To' to activate the busy problem and correct the problem. Switch To Retry.
However, this does not happen all the time. Symantec's advice is to click the "Switch To" button multiple times until the error message goes away. Then start WinFax.

After upgrading to Windows XP Service Pack 2, or the Symantec Norton LiveUpdate that ensures compatibility with the service pack, you may see new and different warning messages from programs like Norton AntiVirus or Norton Internet Security. Symantec has more information on what these messages are, and what you can ignore or configure, at
http://www.symantec.com/techsupp/sp2/support_doc.html.

8/17/2004

Microsoft has informed their largest customers, via email, that the Automatic Update deployment of Windows XP Service Pack 2 will be delayed at least until August 25. This gives customers more time to block the auto updates while they work to settle incompatibilities between their current applications and the stricter security standards of SP 2. You can read more at ZD Net at http://zdnet.com.com/2100-1104_2-5312747.html

After you upgrade to Windows XP Service Pack 2, Microsoft Internet Explorer may get worried if you try to play a Macromedia Flash movie (a .SWF file) from your hard drive. According to Macromedia, you may see this warning
Enabling Active Content on your local machine may harm your computer. Do you want to continue?
Assuming you know the origin of this .SWF file, you will just need to click "Yes".

After upgrading to Microsoft Windows XP Service Pack 2, you may find that the new security settings for Internet Explorer may prevent you from installing the Macromedia Authorware Web Player. Macromedia says this may be because Macromedia, Inc ended up on the Untrusted Publishers list. You will need to remove them from the blacklist (you do trust them, don't you?) so that you can proceed.

After you install Microsoft Windows XP Service Pack 2, Microsoft Internet Explorer may either block the running of the Macromedia Authorware Web Player, or its Pop-up window blocking may prevent the Web Player from appearing. Macromedia discusses how to relax this security at http://www.macromedia.com/support/authorware/ts/documents/sp2_view.htm.

Security researcher Liu Die You has found another bug in Microsoft Internet Explorer that may allow an attacker to spoof the address bar. This may aid in "phishing" attacks that trick you into giving sensitive data to an untrusted site. The details are reproduced at http://secunia.com/advisories/12304/. While Windows 2000 SP4 and XP SP1 are both vulnerable, this bug appears to be patched in XP SP2.

In Windows XP, you can use Group Policy to allegedly Disable Lock Workstation. It is "allegedly" because you can circumvent the policy and lock your workstation anyway pressing Windows key + L. This has been fixed in Windows XP Service Pack 2.

If you try to install a program, using the Windows Installer, on a Windows XP computer, and the Everyone group does not have permissions on a shared folder, such as \\Server_name\Path\File_name.ini file, then the installation may fail with this error message
Error 1913: Could not update the ini file \\Server_name\Path\File_name.ini.
Microsoft says they have fixed this in Windows XP Service Pack 2.

8/16/2004

If the Offline Files feature is turned on in Windows XP, and you log off a computer right after logging on, you may see an error message similar to
Offline Files: Error accessing Share name on \\Computer name\path to share.
More Data is available.
This happens because file synchronization is interrupted because of the rapid log off. Microsoft says this has been fixed in Windows XP Service Pack 2.

Microsoft says the new Windows Firewall in Windows XP Service Pack 2 may block GlobalSCAPE Cute FTP 5.0, if you are using it to connect to a Windows XP SP 2 computer. Microsoft says that you may need to unblock port 21 so that Cute FTP can get through.

Microsoft says that their own Microsoft Operations Manager (MOM) 2000 SP1 may have problems with the new Windows Firewall on Windows XP Service Pack 2 computers. They say that MOM may not be able push the MOM Agent onto the client computer that has the firewall. You may need to check out Microsoft's troubleshooting notes at http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?kbid=875357 for a workaround.

Microsoft says that if you are running Macromedia ColdFusion MS Server Edition 6 on a computer with Windows XP Service Pack 2, the new Windows Firewall may block remote access to the ColdFusion server. You may need to unblock port 8500 for access to ColdFusion.

8/13/2004

Symantec has released updates for many of their enterprise products so that they are compatible with Windows XP Service Pack 2. These products have updates available: Symantec Client Security 2.0; Symantec Client Security 2.0 Business Packs; Symantec AntiVirus Corporate Edition 9.0; Symantec AntiVirus 9.0 Business Packs. You can get these updates at http://www.symantec.com/techsupp/enterprise/sp2/compatibility.html. Symantec says that updates for these products should be available by mid-August to mid-September: Symantec Client Security 1.1.1; Symantec Client Security 1.1.1 Small Business; Symantec AntiVirus Corporate Edition 8.1.1; Symantec AntiVirus 8.1.1 Small Business; Symantec Client Security 1.0.1; Symantec AntiVirus Corporate Edition 8.0.1; Norton AntiVirus Corporate Edition 7.61. Check that same URL for news of when these become available.

McAfee says that their McAfee Common Management Agent may not update correctly if you are running Windows XP Service Pack 2. As a workaround, you will need to go to the Microsoft Windows Internet Connection Firewall and add the Framework Service to the Firewall's Exception list. See the details at https://knowledgemap.nai.com/phpclient/viewKDoc.aspx?externalID=KB_KB37807.

If a Windows XP client tries to access files in an offline folder, and that folder is on a Distributed file system (DFS) share point, you may run into a problem. If the Offline Files feature has been set to cache the files in the folder, Windows XP may appear to lock up. Microsoft says this has been fixed in Windows XP Service Pack 2.

Microsoft says the Windows XP Advanced Configuration and Power Interface (ACPI) driver may not always be able to recognize PC cards plugged in to a multifunction PCI-PCI bridge. This may be the case with a laptop's docking station, for instance. Microsoft says this has been fixed in Windows XP Service Pack 2.

There appear to be real significant incompatibilities between Windows XP Service Pack 2 and previously released versions of OpenAFS for Windows, both the version you can get from IBM and the one from OpenAFS.org. The problem is that afslogon.dll violates SP2's tougher security, and DLLs may not load correctly. A new version of OpenAFS, 1.3.70, should work.

Zone Labs now has a page called the XP2 Info Center. Unfortunately, it is a marketing tool that talks about how much better Zone Alarm Pro is than the new Windows Firewall. I believe them on that. However, I was looking for information on compatibility between ZoneAlarm and computers that have been updated to Service Pack 2. That information doesn't seem to be readily available. It's not worth the visit now, but maybe there will be more useful information later at http://www.zonelabs.com/store/content/company/products/xpInfoCenter/index.jsp.

8/12/2004 SP2 Firewall Blocks Some Games

The new Windows Firewall in Windows XP Service Pack 2, when left to its default settings, will cause a number of online games to stop working. The reason is that the firewall shuts ports that the game normally uses to communicate with other gamers. (Shutting open ports is generally a good thing. However, ports also need to be open for legitimate traffic.) Games affected include: Lego Chess Chess Advantage III; EA Games Need for Speed Hot Pursuit 2; Atari Unreal Tournament 2003, and Unreal Tournament Game of the Year; VALUSoft Illegal Street Drag 1.0; Atari Scrabble 3.0; and Activision StarFleet Command III 1.0. In general, Microsoft says to check the game's documentation to see what ports need to be opened. Then go to http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?kbid=842242 for instructions on how to open the ports.

Microsoft says that Windows Update and Automatic Updates should start delivering Windows XP Service Pack 2 on August 16. However, they also know that many of their big customers (like IBM) want to finish testing first. Therefore, they have posted information on how to temporarily block SP2 from being delivered. You can read this at http://www.microsoft.com/technet/prodtechnol/winxppro/maintain/sp2aumng.mspx.

Symantec says that they still need to finish updating their various Symantec Norton products so that they will be compatible with the new Windows Security Center that will be in Windows XP Service Pack 2. At the present time, Norton Antivirus operates undetected by this new security feature. They advise their customers to hold off installing SP2 until they have finished their own updates. A current status report on this is at
http://service1.symantec.com/SUPPORT/tsgeninfo.nsf/docid/2004080212383739.

8/11/2004

Microsoft says that the driver for Sony's SMSC LPC Memory Stick Host Controller, smscms.sys, with a file date of 9/2/2003, is known to be incompatible with Windows XP Service Pack 2. It has been added to the Windows XP Driver Protection List.

Microsoft says that Command Software's Security Services and AV Driver, CSS-DVP.SYS 4.90.4.40123, is incompatible with Windows XP Service Pack 2. It has been added to the Windows XP Driver Protection List.

Microsoft says that when Windows XP encounters an Event ID 534 in the Security Log, which is an unsuccessful logon, the entries in the log may be missing the User Name and Domain data, which could be clues as to who is having trouble logging on, or who is trying to break in. This has been fixed in Windows XP Service Pack 2.

If you use the Microsoft Baseline Security Analyzer, you will need an upgraded version if you install Windows XP Service Pack 2. Information on MBSA 1.2 is at http://www.microsoft.com/technet/security/tools/mbsahome.mspx.

8/10/2004

Microsoft says that after you install Windows XP Service Pack 2, the default settings of the Windows Firewall may interfere with Veritas Backup Exec 9, if you are trying to back up a client from a server. You may need to open certain ports in the firewall to let this program run. For more information, see http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?kbid=842242.

Microsoft says that after you install Windows XP Service Pack 2, the default settings of the Windows Firewall may interfere with a number of Microsoft's own programs. These include Visual Studio .NET (if you do remote debugging), SMS 2003 Server (if you want to view a Windows XP SP2 Client Event Viewer) and Microsoft Operations Manager 2000 SP1. You may need to open certain ports in the firewall to let this program run. For more information, see http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?kbid=842242.

If you upgrade from Windows 2000 Service Pack 4 to Windows XP Service Pack 1, you may either cause your smart cards to quit working, or possibly incorrectly shut off remote access to the local Registry. (Assuming that's something you want.) This happens because the Dwup.inf security template may be missing. This has been fixed in Windows XP Service Pack 2.

Roaming user accounts that are used to log on to a Windows XP computer may get settings changed incorrectly. The wrong settings may be
HOMEDRIVE=C:
HOMEPATH=\Documents and Settings\<user_name>
but the HOMESHARE path is not set. This means the local computer will be used as the home computer, when it should be a remote computer. This has been fixed in Windows XP Service Pack 2.

Microsoft says that their own VPCAppSv.sys 6.13.10.2149 driver for the Virtual PC/Windows CE Emulator is incompatible with Windows XP Service Pack 2. It has been added to Windows XP Driver Protection List. In other words, it's been blackballed.

8/9/2004

Windows XP Service Pack 2 has officially been RTM'ed. That means Released to Manufacturing. It has been sent out to the Microsoft Developers Network, meaning the OEM computer manufacturers such as Dell, and the megacustomers with thousands of licenses, have it now. It will be made available over the Automatic Update feature of Windows XP first. Later it will be available on CD. There will be extra BugBlog updates on the fixes, as well as the incompatibilities and new problems, that are included in the Service Pack.

The details are at http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?kbid=837783 but here's a summary of how much hard drive space you will need to install Windows XP Service Pack 2. If you are installing from the SP2 CD (which isn't available yet) you will need one and a half GB of space (1560 MB peak usage) if the System Restore feature is turned on. If you are installing from a network shared folder during installation, it will be about a gigabyte (1060 MB) peak usage and 895 MB after everything is cleaned up. If you don't do a System Restore, knock that last number down to 681 MB.

IBM is telling their employees not to install Windows XP Service Pack 2 until IBM's corporate IT department tests it. This was posted on IBM's intranet and was reported in Computerworld at http://www.computerworld.com/softwaretopics/os/story/0,10801,95130,00.html?nas=AM-95130.

Because of the way it was designed, if you install Windows XP Service Pack 2 using Out of Box Experience, your screen reader software may not work. Screen readers affected include those that start when Windows XP starts, and those that start via a keyboard shortcut. Microsoft says you can use the Windows XP Narrator program as a workaround, although this only works in English. For more details, see http://support.microsoft.com/?kbid=873153.

If you are installing Microsoft Windows XP Service Pack 2 on a laptop, you need to be on AC power. If you are running on battery, you will see this error message
"This Service Pack requires the machine to be on AC Power before setup starts".
You could have serious problems if you lose power in the middle of an update, which isn't very reassuring when you realize this is about the one year anniversary of the Big Blackout that stretched from Detroit to New York (and was apparently started by my own electric company, First Energy.)

If you install Windows XP Service Pack 2 on a computer that is running FrontPage 2000 Server Extensions for Microsoft, The FrontPage 2002 Server Extensions for Microsoft, or SharePoint Team Services from Microsoft, you may lose web server functionality. By default, the new Windows Firewall is turned on in SP2. You may need to open the correct TCP port in the firewall. It's probably port 80. See http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?kbid=883607 for details on how to do this.

Microsoft points out that after you install Windows XP Service Pack 2, the default settings for Outlook Express block external images and content from email messages that you download. However, if you forward or reply to these messages, the blocked content is downloaded and included in the outgoing message. They do point out that you can change the default configuration so that you can see the images.

Microsoft says that after installing Windows XP Service Pack 2, there may be a delay before a message is sent in Microsoft Outlook. They say that a message may stay in the Outbox longer than it used to before it is sent. To send the message immediately, they say to click any folder other than the Outbox folder or open any other email message. These actions trigger a call to the Exchange server, which will send your outgoing emails.

After installing Microsoft Windows XP Service Pack 2, the default security settings of the Windows Firewall will block the Windows NetMeeting Remote Desktop Sharing feature. You will have to configure the Firewall if you want to use this. See the instructions at http://support.microsoft.com/?kbid=878451 to do it.

Microsoft says that when you install Windows XP Service Pack 2, you will also get Windows Movie Maker 2.1 for free, even if you don't want it. (Those of us with full-featured video-editing software certainly don't need it.)

8/2/2004

If your Windows XP computer tries to write data to a write-protected Secure Digital (SD) card, you may then have to wait a long time (up to two minutes) to Restart or Shut Down the computer. That is how long it takes for the I/O Manager to cancel the write request. According to the Microsoft Knowledge Base, this time lag will be fixed in Windows XP Service Pack 2. (Since SP2 is still pre-release, things may change at the last moment.)

In the 6/27 BugBlog, we reported that after installing Microsoft Windows XP Service Pack 1, you may find that the F10 key may no longer work as a shortcut to the menu bar in the active program windows.The menu itself will still work if you get there via mouse. The fix for this is scheduled to be in Windows XP Service Pack 1. (Since SP2 is still pre-release, things may change at the last moment.)

8/1/2004

If you want to see in advance what fixes appear to be in Windows XP Service Pack 2, the keyword for searching the Microsoft Knowledge Base appears to be "kbWinXPsp2fix". As noted before, some fixes could still be removed from the service pack at the last minute, if further testing turns up problems.

Microsoft has developed their own automated news robot for MSN, in competition with Google News. Google News uses their search technology and algorithms to compile a news page. The MSN Newsbot does too, but it is programmed to give preference to MSNBC stories, according to an article in the Washington Post at http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A29430-2004Jul31.html. Since Google doesn't have an in-house news division, theirs is "fair and balanced" without giving a preference. Google News is at http://news.google.com/.

The FTP command-line client in Windows XP and 2000 may not work as expected. If files you wish to download have certain characters in the file name, the file may download to the wrong folder on your computer, or may overwrite other files. Microsoft has a hotfix for this, and it appears they are planning to include this fix in Windows XP Service Pack 2. (Note that this is based on the pre-release SP 2, and is subject to change.)

The CRN (Computer Reseller News) Test Center did a test on Windows XP Service Pack 2 Release Candidate 2. They installed it on five systems, and ended up with a blue screen of death on three of them. Their story is at http://www.securitypipeline.com/showArticle.jhtml?articleId=25600074. Of course, this was not the official release.

7/29/2004

If you install Windows XP Service Pack 2, you may not be able to print or do a print preview of a Web page that has an ActiveX object. The new Local Machine Zone Lockdown will block the print functions. To loosen the security, you will need to do a Registry edit. Since this feature is still not officially released, you may want to hold off on that until the final documentation comes out.

Microsoft says the if you use the Multilingual User Interface Pack for Windows XP, you should still download the English language version of Service Pack 2 (SP 2). However, this will install an upgrade to Windows Media Player, which will be in English. You will then need to get the Windows Media Player 9 Series MUI Pack from the Microsoft Download Center. Note that this is for the pre-release version of Windows XP SP2.

If you have installed Windows XP Service Pack 2, and you use MSN 9.0, you will need to upgrade to MSN 9.00.0011.1200. If you don't, you may have problems with your Favorites, Composing E-mail, and Adding a Member.

If you install Windows XP Service Pack 2 Release Candidate 2, it will disable any Hewlett Packard LaserJet 8150 printers attached to this system. Microsoft says you will need to reinstall the printer driver after installing the service pack. (This refers to the Release Candidate, and the bug may not be present in the final version of SP2.)

7/21/2004

According to Microsoft, there are incompatibility problems between Windows XP Service Pack 2 and McAfee Virusscan Professional 6. If you install the McAfee product onto a XP SP 2 computer, you may get this error message:
Webscanx.exe has encountered a problem and needs to close.
This bug is with the pre-release version of XP 2. Microsoft says to look to McAfee for an update.

Microsoft says there are incompatibilties between Windows XP SP2 and NetZero. If you try starting NetZero on a computer where you have upgraded to the XP service pack, you may see this error message:
NetZero has encountered a problem and needs to close. We are sorry for the inconvenience.
This bug is with the pre-release version of XP 2. Microsoft says to look to NetZero for an update at http://www.netzero.net.