Re: Advance notice about SP2 launch date?

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From: sgopus (anonymous_at_discussions.microsoft.com)
Date: 06/08/04 

Date: Mon, 7 Jun 2004 21:16:59 -0700

If your getting fed up, take a vacation!
come back when you have more tolerance!

>-----Original Message-----
>Ken,
>
>You posted a polite reply. Is that a requirement as an
>MVP?
>
>Not too long ago (under a pseudonym) I noticed there were
>many posts whereby the OPs decided to reinstall Windows.
>I replied in a pleasant, annoyed manner wondering why so
>many people were in such a rush to reinstall Windows or
>reformat their HD. I would think either of these
>alternatives should be done in *rare* instances.
>
>Boy, did people jump on me for that post. Kind of
>like, "remember when you were a novice..." Well I may
>have been a novice but I wasn't a moron.
>
>What I surmise is that these OPs have hit on a great
>fix. Reformatting and reinstalling is a superb fix. It
>fixes everything!!!! Then, after the fact, they
>notice....Oh sh!@t, I have to reinstall everything, redo
>all my updates and, oh no, for the life of Reilly, all my
>tweaks are gone.
>
>Then they come groveling back....Hey Mr. MVP, I have a
>problem. Don't you just want to say, just once, "Gee, I
>feel real bad for ya, I do.....idiot."
>
>I'm just getting less tolerant than I used to be and I
>never had much of it to start with. Stupidity just rubs
>me the wrong way.
>
>Just Being,
>
>Mr. Reality
>>-----Original Message-----
>>In news:%23u3UJmOTEHA.1048@tk2msftngp13.phx.gbl,
>>History Fan <IHateSPAM!!@IhateSPAM.com> typed:
>>
>>> Is it likely that Microsoft will give the public
>advance
>>notice
>>> as to exactly when XP SP2 will be released? Perhaps a
>day or
>>two in
>>> advance?
>>
>>
>>I don't know how much advance notice there will be, but
>yes, it's
>>very likely there will be some.
>>
>>
>>> I thought it might be a good idea to format my
>computer's
>>> hard drive and reinstall XP SP1 shortly beforehand,
>just so
>>> everything is fresh and clean before the massive
>upgrade of
>>SP2.
>>
>>
>>Personally I think it's a terrible idea. It's rarely, if
>ever, a
>>good idea to reformat and reinstall Windows. With a
>modicum of
>>care, it should never be necessary to reinstall Windows
>(XP or
>>any other version). I've run Windows 3.0, 3.1, WFWG
>3.11, Windows
>>95, Windows 98, Windows 2000, and Windows XP, each for
>the period
>>of time before the next version came out, and each on two
>>machines here. I never reinstalled any of them, and I
>have never
>>had anything more than an occasional minor problem.
>>
>>It's my belief that this mistaken notion stems from the
>technical
>>support people at many of the larger OEMs. Their
>solution to
>>almost any problem they don't quickly know the answer to
>is
>>"reformat and reinstall." That's the perfect solution
>for them.
>>It gets you off the phone quickly, it almost always
>works, and it
>>doesn't require them to do any real troubleshooting (a
>skill that
>>most of them obviously don't possess in any great
>degree).
>>
>>But it leaves you with all the work and all the
>problems. You
>>have to restore all your data backups, you have to
>reinstall all
>>your programs, you have to reinstall all the Windows and
>>application updates,you have to locate and install all
>the needed
>>drivers for your system, you have to recustomize Windows
>and all
>>your apps to work the way you're comfortable with.
>>
>>Besides all those things being time-consuming and
>troublesome,
>>you may have trouble with some of them: can you find all
>your
>>application CDs? Can you find all the needed
>installation codes?
>>Do you have data backups to restore? Do you even
>remember all the
>>customizations and tweaks you may have installed to make
>>everything work the way you like?
>>
>>Occasionally there are problems that are so difficult to
>solve
>>that Windows should be reinstalled cleanly. But they are
>few and
>>far between; reinstallation should not be a substitute
>for
>>troubleshooting; it should be a last resort, to be done
>only
>>after all other attempts at troubleshooting by a
>qualified person
>>have failed.
>>
>>Reformatting and reinstalling prophylactically, as you
>suggest
>>here, is even a worse idea. Why not just install SP2
>when it
>>comes out. *If* you then have insoluble problems (which
>is very
>>unlikely), you can always reinstall afterwards. Why go
>through
>>all the work and potential problems of reinstalling
>before you've
>>ascertained that you need to?
>>
>>--
>>Ken Blake - Microsoft MVP Windows: Shell/User
>>Please reply to the newsgroup
>>
>>
>>.
>>
>.
>

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