Re: Service pack 2 (XP)

From: David Cook ("David)
Date: 09/16/04 

Date: Wed, 15 Sep 2004 22:58:23 -0400

I'm NOT an 'MVP' and do NOT speak for Microsoft.

The previous poster is LITERALLY correct (that SP2 is MORE than
just firewall and security). But, to me, it is gonna be hard to 'sell' me
on the near-term value of whatever else is in there.

I have a 'theory' that SP2 has a LOT to do with firewall and new browser
enhancements
that help detect and/or block 'spyware' nasties, etc, etc. (Certainly there
is other stuff in SP2
besides those security features. The other stuff no doubt
provides a foundation for other things in the pipeline that we may not be
privy to
yet.)

About 2 months ago, I started spending 40 hours a week going around to small
businesses and residences, working on 'computer problems'. A picture has
been
emerging...I can now begin to see a FOREST where I initially saw only a few
TREES.

The operative word is SPYWARE. Here's a few datapoints.

I've seen more than a single handful of folks who, despite having the latest
and greatest iteration of the OS (i.e. Windows XP) are being literally
DELUGED
by spyware. The normal 'anti-virus' products seem to have little effect on
most of
the spyware (although some A/V products do TRY to deal with some spyware).
So, that
leaves people flocking to the MYRIAD of 'spyware' removers, blockers or
whatever.
Some are freeware, some are purchased. And, of course, the average
non-sophisticated
users are in mumble-mode and are calling on us 'professionals' to come and
try to deal with it
for them. (I've had some successes and some [still as yet] failures in
trying to deal with it.
The failures tend to be cases where the spyware may have been improperly
removed.
It's hard to know what might have transpired before WE got called in.)

I know of 2 or 3 machines now that have migrated into running in 'SAFE MODE
WITH
NETWORKING', when they want to go out and browse (efficiently) on the
network.
They do this because (A) it works, and (B) if the do NOT stay in 'safe
mode', then their
browser experience gets literally FLOODED by what I now call 'unsolicited
popups'.
I now affectionately have dubbed 'safe-mode-with-networking' as 'RUNNING
WITH SHIELDS UP'.

(In fact, the other day, I seriously started thinking that someone should
come up with a 'hack'
to 'safe mode', so that we could remove the restrictive fallback
to'VGA-mode' of the graphics driver, yet
keep the 'safe mode' of the network-stack, and make this a PERMANENT
(sticky) mode that
we could boot into and just stay that way!) What I'm saying is that 'safe
mode with networking'
works beautifully for system 'affected/infected' with spyware! It makes
me want to understand
how networking while in 'safe mode' differs from 'normal mode'. I think
maybe it could become a
USABLE option. But, I don't really understand what limitations, if any,
exist to networking in
'safe mode', so this is presently just idle fantasy.

(Unsolicited popups means that their idle browser is showing activity and
popups even
WITHOUT them initially clicking the mouse or using the keyboard to navigate
to any first website!
In other words, just bootup in normal mode, log in, and launch a copy of IE
[Internet Explorer browser]
and sit back and watch crap happen in browser window(s). No keystrokes or
mouse-strokes seem to
be needed to initiate it.) [If someone who understands better what is
triggering this can explain what is
really going on, please do!!!] This behavior has got to have some folks at
Microsoft running scared.

So, my theory is that Microsoft (although they do NOT want to get into the
Spyware-removal
or Virus-removal business or even the firewall business) have decided that
they MUST do
something in this regard to salvage the reputation of the Windows OS (and
the 'mess' created
by all the 'Active-X' and other browser functionality whose security
implications hadn't been
too well thought out).

Voila...so they put some security stuff and popup-blocker stuff into the
browser, added
a firewall, and packaged all that into something called SP2 (along with
other new DOT-NET-related
and whatever other new goodies) and sent it out. (I'm not CRITICIZING
them...this new security
stuff was long overdue and I welcome it.) But, the world hasn't absorbed
this spyware threat
yet. Hopefully, these new security things will be enough to stem the tide.

I now think of Spyware as the new equivalent to 'al-Qaeda terrorists' of the
Internet. Much of it
is relatively inocuous, and it all started innocently as means to learn what
websites people were visiting, etc, so
that marketeers to target peoples buying habits. But, it is now a raging
inferno, in my view. I think
it is threatening peoples browsing experience severely.

In that past week, I had phone conversations with a few owners of relatively
new systems who just
happened to have recently decided to migrate from dialup (AOL is
common...[yuck]) and upgrade to
either Verizon-DSL or Comcast-cable. Unfortunately, these people all
happened to have been quite
severely been plagued with spyware during the first few days RIGHT AFTER
moving the high-speed
Internet. And thus, they are now VERY PISSED OFF people. Most of them
(incorrectly in my view)
now want to BLAME Verizon or Comcast directly, saying their Internet
experience has
been totally ruined as a DIRECT result of their conversion to what they
consider grossly-overhyped
'bad' technology.

Just my 2-cents worth... (well, ok, maybe there's 10-cents worth here.
;^) )

            Dave

"Jupiter Jones [MVP]" <jones_jupiter@hotnomail.com> wrote in message
news:%23qBw$u3mEHA.3472@TK2MSFTNGP09.phx.gbl...
> Jay.
> SP-2 is a lot more than a firewall.
> You should probably install SP-2 after ensuring your computer is ready for
> SP-2:
> http://www3.telus.net/dandemar/spackins.htm
> See also:
> http://support.microsoft.com/?kbid=811113
> http://www3.telus.net/dandemar/xpsp2.htm
>
> No, it will not conflict with NIS.
> Many suggest to disable the Windows firewall if you use a 3rd party
> firewall such as Norton's.
> If NIS is 2004 or later, the Security Center will monitor NAV.
> If 2003 or older, the Security Center may not be able to monitor.
> This affects monitoring only and in no way affects functionality of NIS.
>
> --
> Jupiter Jones [MVP]
> http://www3.telus.net/dandemar/
>
>
> "jaytrader" <jaytrader@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote in message
> news:2596E334-6B4D-452B-B7D7-C693093B9D2A@microsoft.com...
>> Hi,
>>
>> I note that Service Pack 2 is mainly firewall, etc.
>>
>> As I use Norton Internet Security (firewall and anti-virus), I'm
>> wondering
>> whether SP2 is necessary for me.
>>
>> Also, if I did install it, would I get conflict with NIS?
>>
>>
>> Thanks,
>>
>> Jay.
>
>

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