Is Windows Update really important?

[piggysmile]

Is Windows Update really important if you have up-to-date spy/adware detectors and removers and an up-to-date antivirus software?

 

[Demalii]

In the time it takes me to utilize a security.. you think your programs will stop me?... Update as often as possible.. of course staying far away from SP2 as it causes more problems than solutions..

 

[piggysmile]

actually i don't know. now that ive just updated my PC i feel more insecured. i'm having trouble with my icons and i feel my PC is acting strangely. im thinking of format c:

 

[killians45]

I'd wait until you get community feedback on updates before installing. Myself, I dont bother with major service packs unless I've noticed a problem or abnormal intrusions. Thats just me, though and I'm willing to take the risk. Its not really out of experience, but more out of laziness.

 

[CntdwnToExtn]

In the time it takes me to utilize a security.. you think your programs will stop me?... Update as often as possible.. of course staying far away from SP2 as it causes more problems than solutions..

i don't know why people keep sayin' sp2 causes problems....i never did download from the microsoft site, i got mine from The Guru of 3D about a week before it went up on the microsoft site and ran for a month and never had any problems....it hen put 2000 on.....so maybe i just didn't run it long enough to have problems...i dunno...just lettin' ya know...no harm....

 

[wes74]

My comp came with sp2 on it and i don't really notice anything wrong, except the browsers always unexpectedly quit, but that's jsut a small inconvienance, cuz opera saves ur stuff when u quit it anyway

 

[southernlady]

Well you just might want to consider this tidbit of info...first...the drop dead date on SP2 is April 12th (that I got from the oem web site at Microsoft)

Next, in order to get ANY updates at all, you will have to have SP2 NLT Sept because they will stop supporting SP1a on September 17, 2006.
Windows XP Edition

This applies for XP. Now to find out info about any deadlines on any Microsoft products, go here: Microsoft Support Lifecycle

 

[uzi9mm]

When the drop dead date occurs, what happens?
Also I hate sp2. It is always bugging you to get antivirus software and a firewall and all of your updates.

 

[Roshi229]

In the time it takes me to utilize a security.. you think your programs will stop me?... Update as often as possible.. of course staying far away from SP2 as it causes more problems than solutions..

lol are you saying you're that good, or someone could be... he he...

Also I hate sp2. It is always bugging you to get antivirus software and a firewall and all of your updates.

yes it does,
that's b/c some people don't know how to update or protect thier computers properly. because of this M$ gets in trouble and gets blamed for the actions of others.

also, you can select "i'll monitor antivirus myself" and it will leave you alone.
if you set up your automatic updates to "notify me when updates are available" you dont have to set it up to download or install anything it will leave you alone...

once you have your WinXP properly set up to protect YOU it will leave you alone... i don't see what the big deal is.

also if you have problems after getting SP2 if is sometimes hard to pin the problem to SP2 unless you know what you are doing.

It imperative that you keep windows up to date with the critical updates. typically (as with my Sony Vaio) if there are problems with your hardware/system and SP2 the manufacturer should provide a version of sp2 that will work.

 

[southernlady]

uzi9mm, the link is unavailable to anyone who isn't a system builder and it's not a valid one now that they've moved locations anyway...but here was what it said:

Microsoft extends expiry date to update to Windows XP SP2 via Automatic Update

As you know, Microsoft has been delivering Windows XP Service Pack 2 via Automatic Update (AU) since August 10, 2004. To provide more time and to prevent inadvertent installations prior to the completion of your testing, you may also know that we have provided a mechanism to temporarily block the download of Windows XP SP2 to those machines with Automatic Update enabled. At that time, the expiry of that blocking mechanism was 120 days from August 10, 2004.

Based on customer feedback, we would like to inform you that we have extended the expiry date of this blocking mechanism to April 12, 2005. Effectively, this provides you an additional 4 months to implement an alternate deployment mechanism for SP2 (if you choose not to use Automatic Update). Therefore, on Tuesday, 12 April 2005, AU and WU will deliver SP2 regardless of the presence of the blocking mechanism. Note that this is also the scheduled day for a monthly cumulative security update.

For more information about using this tool, please visit http://www.microsoft.com/technet/pr...n/sp2aumng.mspx.

For other Service Pack 2 needs, please continue to visit http://www.microsoft.com/technet/winxpsp2 to obtain the latest technical information and guidance on the evaluation and deployment planning of SP2.

We are confident that Windows XP SP2 is a significant step forward in helping increase the resiliency of your desktops.

Liz