By Dennis O'Reilly As XP users continue to struggle while downloading and installing Service Pack 3, one reader succeeds by creating an SP3 installation CD. There's no guarantee this technique will work for you, but if you're determined to upgrade to SP3, this option may be worth a try.

More than one way to load a service pack

Slowly but surely, we're figuring out how to keep the last XP service pack from trashing our systems. This week's Top Story by Scott Dunn describes the biggest gotchas and offers tips for downloading and installing SP3, but reader Bob Bowen wrote in with a solution of his own.

• "Following a disastrous download and install by Microsoft Auto Updates of SP3 on my XP Home SP2 OS (which rendered my OS inoperable, requiring a raw format and complete reinstall), I downloaded an ISO image of SP3 … and burned my own CD of SP3 from it.

  "After disconnecting from the Internet and closing down all programs in my notification area, notably my Zone Alarm Pro Firewall, NOD32 AV, and antispyware applications, I ran the install CD, which installed SP3 flawlessly on my PC. That was three months ago, and I have had no problems whatever. In fact, the increased stability of my OS after installing SP3 was immediately noticeable. I suggest this as an excellent way to install XP SP3."
  

You'll find instructions on saving .iso files to CDs on the official Microsoft Windows XP site.

One says install XP SP3, the other says to wait

That's why it's so easy to understand the confusion of reader Terry Theresa, who noted that Susan Bradley's July 24 Patch Watch column (in our paid content) stated, "The time is right for Windows XP SP3 … maybe." Yet in last week's the cost of propecia Known Issues column, I recommended that XP users wait before installing the service pack.

• "[The column] written by Dennis O'Reilly recommending that the installation of SP3 be postponed is very untimely. It was only a few issues or so ago that we were told by Susan Bradley that SP3 is now safe for downloading. Whom to believe?

  "I think that one writer — and one writer only — [should] stay with the SP3 situation to avoid conflicting statements. I usually never, ever, write, so I will stand down now, had my say. Thanks again for Windows Secrets, as it has kept me out of a lot of trouble. I haven't had a reformat in quite awhile now."
  

Susan's lukewarm recommendation of SP3 advises that you have a full system backup handy before installing the service pack and that you have another Internet-connected PC at the ready so you can troubleshoot any problems you encounter during the update. For me, those are two indications that plenty of risk remains.

You would think that an e-mail provider would consider the addresses and passwords of its customers worth securing. Unfortunately, at least one webmail service doesn't feel the need to encrypt this information when people log in to its service, as reader F. Aydelotte points out.

• "Don't assume that your ISP's webmail is secure. Frontier, a major Internet provider on the East Coast and elsewhere, uses a nonencrypted Web page for its webmail.

  "I exchanged several e-mails with various levels of tech support and marketing at Frontier, asking about this security hole, and it became obvious that they could care less about their customers' sending user names and passwords in clear text."
  

Whenever you log in to any Web site, make sure the URL in the address bar begins with https: and look for the lock icon in the bottom-right corner of the browser. If the company doesn't provide a secure login page, find yourself another provider. You'll be doing all of us a favor.

By Scott Dunn From the moment Microsoft released it, Service Pack 3 for Windows XP has been the subject of almost daily reports of bugs, incompatibilities, and general headaches. You can install SP3 with confidence — providing you take certain precautions — or, if you prefer, use Windows' Automatic Update settings to keep the service pack off your system.

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE \ SOFTWARE \ Policies \ Microsoft \ Windows \ WindowsUpdate

Step 3. With the WindowsUpdate icon selected in the left pane, look in the right pane for a key named DoNotAllowSP.

Even though most of SP3's problems should now be in the past, these precautions can help ensure that you aren't one of the service pack's installation victims.

By Dennis O'Reilly If you're still on the fence about XP's Service Pack 3, best to stay there for a while. We continue to hear from readers whose PCs choke on the update, and for very different reasons.

XP SP3 should ship with two aspirins

One of the many people who shared receding hairline propecia their SP3 pain with us was Almer Procyshyn, who was seeing the Internet Explorer customization screen every time he started IE 7:

• "Recently, like many others I have noticed, I experienced problems with my laptop after SP3 was installed, one being the RunOnce setting for IE 7. Many forums suggest modifying the Registry, but the simple most effective solution is:

  Tools, Internet Options, Advanced, Reset (under Reset Internet Explorer settings), OK.

  "This allows you to [reset your] RunOnce settings. Simple, and it works."
  

If only all SP3 glitches were so easy to resolve. Note that this workaround changes all IE 7 settings back to their default values, which may not be what you want. To fix the problem with a specific change to the Registry or using local security policy, see an explanation at Online Tech Tips.

Reader Ted Cohen is mad as hell at SpySweeper, his antispyware vendor, and he's going to take his business elsewhere.

• "I have used SpySweeper for years and agree it is among the best. However, 30 days prior to my subscription expiration, the software begins automatic renewal-notice pop-ups every time the machine reboots — for me, several times a day.

  "SpySweeper support says the pop-ups cannot be removed. It is intrusive and annoying, as the pop-ups override my applications. I pay SpySweeper to stop hackers from installing trash on my machine, but it seems they are as guilty as the bad guys where their own revenue is involved.

  "All it would take is the usual 'do not show this message again' checkbox to make me happy, but these guys are shameless. I like their software, but I am going elsewhere."
  

The computer industry may not own the patent on alienating customers (see Automobiles, American), but software vendors in particular have made an art form out of it.

How good does a program have to be for you to put up with such annoying renewal reminders, not to mention update pop-ups and other intrusions? How loathsome do a company's marketing practices have to be for you to toss a product you're otherwise happy with?

Back by popular demand. You asked for it, so here it is!

Let's say you have about four different programs running on your PC all at the same time. For instance, maybe you have your e-mail up and running, a Web browser window open, a Word document ready for review and your music player playing your favorite song. With all of that going on, have you ever wondered if there was a quick way to pull each of those programs up as you need them, without the rest of them getting in your way? For example, maybe you're working on your Word document, but you want to bring your music player up to change songs. So, how can you do that quickly and painlessly?

propecia timeline

Well, all you have to do is press Alt + Tab together one time. Once you do that, it will bring up a little box that has all of your open programs listed. Then while continuing to hold the Alt key down, just press the Tab key to scroll your way across the programs. Highlight the one you want and then release the Alt key to pull that program up. Want to change programs again? Just repeat the process as many times as you need. It's so simple and it also helps you to keep track of everything you have running on your PC at one time. Pretty cool, huh? Give it a try today!

August 26th, 2008

Posted by Mary Jo Foley

Microsoft is stepping up its war on software pirates by rolling out new Windows Genuine notification software for what it is calling its most pirated version of Windows: Windows XP Professional.

In an August 26 posting to the Windows Genuine Advantage blog, Director of Genuine Windows Alex Kochis said XP users should expect Microsoft to begin rolling out a new version of Windows Genuine Advantage (WGA) notifications starting this week. Microsoft is expecting the rollout to take several months.

The new WGA notifications, which Microsoft will deliver via Windows Update (and which already is available for download by individuals from the Microsoft Download Center), will behave like the WGA notifications introduced with Windows Vista Service Pack (SP) 1 back in December 2007. Specifically, users whose XP copies are deemed “non-Genuine” will see their screen backgrounds default to black and notice a translucent notice, warning them that their Windows might be counterfeit.

(Update: Microsoft officials noted that WGA for XP never did default to “reduced functionality mode,” a k a, the kill switch, which was part of Windows Vista when it first shipped.

“Windows XP did not contain the reduced functionality mode commonly referred to as the ‘kill switch,’ and it still doesn’t,” a spokeswoman said. “The update simply reconfigures the notifications experience to mirror notifications in Windows Vista SP1.”)

The new WGA XP notification update is going to make it easier for Microsoft to detect stolen or pirated software, as well as fake product keys, propecia persistence Microsoft officials said. It will add new hindrances for users trying to circumvent product activation, as well, according to the new blog post.

The new release is aimed specifically at XP Professional users. From Kochis’ post:

“Another thing we’re doing with this release is focusing on the product edition that is most often stolen. This will reduce the number of customers that will be offered the package. This release will be offered to the most pirated edition of Windows XP and therefore to users with the highest likelihood of having a non-genuine copy, those using Windows XP Pro. We’re also offering it to those using editions based on Pro code such as Tablet and Windows Media Center, but plan to narrow the offering to Pro in future releases.”

XP users who previously have not opted in to WGA notifications will be asked to accept an End User License Agreement (EULA), rather than an installation wizard. Users who agree to the EULA are agreeing to allow the anti-piracy validation control to auto-update itself with fewer releases.

“Microsoft is making these changes to simplify the installation process (making it easy for customers to stay up-to-date), to increase the effectiveness of these notifications, and to align experiences across Windows XP and Windows Vista,” according to a statement provided by a company spokeswoman.

Microsoft received kudos from many users when it replaced the Vista non-Genuine “kill switch” with mere nagware. I wonder if XP Pro users will feel the same have any feelings, one way or the other, about the new notification scheme coming their way….