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(5 replies) #1 Posted by nic on 19 Mar 2004 - 19:52

If I don't use this in my production environment, how will I know it will work properly with all my production software? I suppose I could install all that onto another machine to test it out for good old MS. But then I might break some copyright and licensure laws.

#1.1 Posted by Mr magoo on 19 Mar 2004 - 19:55

I think you know what we are saying here. If you are prepared to risk it, then fine, but dont be surprised if your PC is borked because you installed it!

#1.2 Posted by nic on 19 Mar 2004 - 19:59

hehe.. i know, i was just being a smart ass.

I'm pretty excited about native bluetooth support though. Maybe I can get rid of the D-Link Bluetooth USB drivers, and try out Microsoft ones for better windows bluetooth integration. Not the D-Link's drivers don't work well, they just put a crapy 16x16 bluetooth icon on my beautiful desktop that can't be removed.

#1.3 Posted by Kevine on 19 Mar 2004 - 22:39

Bluetooth

#1.4 Posted by mipra on 20 Mar 2004 - 10:46

Hmm...Indeed. However, as usual MS doesnt want to hold any liability. So, they say whatever they need to

#1.5 Posted by deadmonkey on 22 Mar 2004 - 11:55

TweakUI removed the icon from the desktop for me

(6 replies) #2 Posted by malebolgia on 19 Mar 2004 - 20:00

Microsoft's servers have already been hit hard by Neowin.

#2.1 Posted by ultimaweapon on 19 Mar 2004 - 20:01

yep they've been neowindotted lol

#2.2 Posted by Jason on 19 Mar 2004 - 20:02

Who says they have ?, do you think the only users to know about this download are from here ?, you are sadly mistaken if you do.

#2.3 Posted by ultimaweapon on 19 Mar 2004 - 20:03

no... I was messing about

#2.4 Posted by Kevine on 19 Mar 2004 - 22:40

It would actually be: Neowinnetted

#2.5 Posted by psykil on 19 Mar 2004 - 23:30

slashdot.org = slashdotted
neowin.net < > neowinnetted
neowin.net = neowinned

or maybe neowned.

#2.6 Posted by mipra on 20 Mar 2004 - 11:00

hahaha..indeeed. Agree to every single statement there

(1 reply) #3 Posted by xStainDx on 19 Mar 2004 - 20:01

Use a download manager that has segmented downloading. *coughs* getright *coughs*

#3.1 Posted by Mando on 22 Mar 2004 - 10:47

heheh yer u tell em xStainDx hhehehe getright is the best
dam only getting 244kb a second non segmented download!

Dam thee Blueyonder 2mbit!

#4 Posted by carpediem on 19 Mar 2004 - 20:05

omg this is slow! 4kb/s

#5 Posted by freakyfriday on 19 Mar 2004 - 20:06

159mb so far! from a privite ftp... gotta love that

(2 replies) #6 Posted by The Beav on 19 Mar 2004 - 20:12

where's the uxtheme hack for this version?

#6.1 Posted by Mr magoo on 19 Mar 2004 - 20:25

Give it time....

#6.2 Posted by Ryan92 on 19 Mar 2004 - 20:39

here it is

http://vortex2050.dyndns.org:8080/repository/Patches/Uxtheme/Windows XP/SP2 RC1/6.0.2900.2096.rar

(1 reply) #7 Posted by WooHoo!!! on 19 Mar 2004 - 20:34

Cool, might give it a go. System restore point is a must though.

#7.1 Posted by xStainDx on 19 Mar 2004 - 20:43

The Installer Forces you to archive your previous installation and it makes system restore point for you.

(1 reply) #8 Posted by Kracal on 19 Mar 2004 - 20:44

Download keep cutting off, this is the 2nd time

#8.1 Posted by kainashi on 19 Mar 2004 - 20:51

use a download manager.

(1 reply) #9 Posted by wd40 on 19 Mar 2004 - 20:47

I'm at 700kb/s download so I don't know what you guys are complaining about.

#9.1 Posted by Hova on 20 Mar 2004 - 17:09

That doesn't mean anything. They could be having problems you are not having .

Whats with all these "my speed is xxxkb/s" posts.

(4 replies) #10 Posted by TadXP on 19 Mar 2004 - 20:52

Is the Windows Firewall good enough to not have to install another firewall??? I know in the past it only blocked incoming things (maybe outgoing I dont remember). And also, is the built in McAfee virus scanner good enough to get rid of AVG???? I currently use AVG FREE and Zone Alarm FREE. Should I still stay with that or use the Windows features???

#10.1 Posted by Arkos Reed on 19 Mar 2004 - 20:56

there is no included Anti Virus, only the security center which ties itself with external AVs and reports their status

#10.2 Posted by TadXP on 19 Mar 2004 - 21:06

Ok, so the Security Center should see the AVG Virus Scanner then??? And what about the firewall, is it any good?

#10.3 Posted by stockwiz on 19 Mar 2004 - 22:20

The firewall doesn't seem to block outgoing connections, only incoming, so I'm sticking with Norton Internet Security 2003. The popup blocker blocks more then it should, so I'm sticking with popupcop as well. They probably don't want to take these features to far to risk upsetting a few more software makers or governments. Personally, I say they should be allowed to put any feature in they want. If they add the feature to properly block all outgoing connections then it will good enough for me to remove norton.

#10.4 Posted by mram on 19 Mar 2004 - 22:40

The firewall blocks applications that receive unsolicited network traffic in response. It's largely a subjective practice to really monitor all applications and all traffic outbound from your machine.. that's why MS pitches the firewall as a third of the whole solution (AV + Patch Management).

The general idea is there shouldn't be a virus on your machine, and patches should prevent trojans through vulnerabilities. With this firewall in place there will be no unsolicited traffic, so any applications running that would receive traffic should be "good".

It's pretty tight.

[edit!] NAV is good, but largely what it brings as competition is a suite that offers better reporting and micromanagement. In many cases the best-of-breed firewalls are far too complicated for basic practice. One would end up re-approving all the revisions of Firefox, for example, and every single plugin. Microsoft solution while simple, is rather elegant, and a huge step better than what was there. But the cost of NAV is a substantial amount of CPU and memory... and a price tag.

Last edited by 48053 on 19 Mar 2004 - 22:51

(1 reply) #11 Posted by Test Zero on 19 Mar 2004 - 20:53

This version includes all of the hotfixes released after SP1, correct?

#11.1 Posted by FISKER_Q on 19 Mar 2004 - 20:58

It includes all Pre-SP1, Post-SP1 and Pre-SP2 fixes.

It will not include(obviously) Post-SP2 fixes and so on.

(3 replies) #12 Posted by INFERNO2k on 19 Mar 2004 - 21:10

Why are you guys installing beta SP2 is beyond me.

Wait until the final thing.

#12.1 Posted by TrekXP on 19 Mar 2004 - 21:16

why not?

#12.2 Posted by WindowsNT on 19 Mar 2004 - 21:18

well the download is aimed at the IT Tech /Admin community for us to test.

i agree that Joe User shuld not be using this Beta, but if they do install it they are not entitled to complain about it as it's BETA

so they are warned end of story

#12.3 Posted by demorgoron on 21 Mar 2004 - 04:48

the more people testing it the better it will be

(3 replies) #13 Posted by INFERNO2k on 19 Mar 2004 - 21:18

Unsafe.

And with that system compatability thing, I wonder how many programs dont even work now.

#13.1 Posted by mram on 19 Mar 2004 - 22:38

When you're done "wondering" you can actually install it and find out. Otherwise, don't brand it as "unsafe", because, how would you know?

It's stupid to blame a vendor for a prerelease product. Having said that, there are very very few problems with RC1 -- most of the issues have either been fixed from earlier builds, or they are security problems themselves.

#13.2 Posted by Summoner on 20 Mar 2004 - 00:29

Why don't you download it and try it before you comment?

That'd be a better idea.

#13.3 Posted by Octol on 20 Mar 2004 - 02:54

Let me add that if you have any problems, it uninstalls and restores your previous configuration perfectly. I know, because I've already installed/uninstalled it on one machine because is broke my Active Desktop.

(4 replies) #14 Posted by raid517 on 19 Mar 2004 - 21:27

Thank god for that now we can hear the last of the 'official beta testers' who all had some stick up their ass whenever someone asked a question about XP SP2. Now we can all be OFFICIAL beta testers and can post on their beloved news groups. What I wonder will they do about that?

GJ

#14.1 Posted by Mr magoo on 19 Mar 2004 - 22:43

RA RA RA RA RA!!!!!!!!!

#14.2 Posted by eseiat on 20 Mar 2004 - 19:01

That shade of green really suits you well...

#14.3 Posted by Atmos42 on 20 Mar 2004 - 20:13

I thought that ALL Microsoft products released to the public were BETA's.

Last edited by 36636 on 20 Mar 2004 - 21:09

#14.4 Posted by raid517 on 20 Mar 2004 - 22:15

No, like I said, you guys just had a very big stick up your butts over this. But I have never bothered installing any beta MS service packs - nor do I think I will install this one. So the idea that I am jealous doesn't hold much water.

But in any case at least you folks have no reason to go on being rude to people in the forums any more. And that in my view can only be a good thing.

GJ

(9 replies) #15 Posted by Ji@nBing on 19 Mar 2004 - 21:36

why would anyone wanna install this on their main machine? just wait for the final, ppl!!!

#15.1 Posted by darksoul on 19 Mar 2004 - 21:43

generally once it reaches the RC stage it is pretty stable and a lot of people like to be on the bleeding edge

#15.2 Posted by stockwiz on 19 Mar 2004 - 22:23

works fine for me, granted the popup blocker and firewall could use some tweaking, but all my applications work fine.

#15.3 Posted by The Beav on 19 Mar 2004 - 22:25

because the built in bluetooth support is a ton better than the 3rd party versions, close some other cool toys

#15.4 Posted by Kevine on 19 Mar 2004 - 22:41

Bluetooth

#15.5 Posted by raid517 on 19 Mar 2004 - 22:59

There is a good reason to test, because if you do find bugs you can report them on the MS newsgroup and help make a better product. The point of beta or RC software is to find bugs before general release, otherwise if people didn't test your software would be buggy as hell.

GJ

#15.6 Posted by CheeseCow on 20 Mar 2004 - 00:15

QUOTE (#15.1)

...and a lot of people like to be on the bleeding edge

I can't say there is anything bleeding edge about this. A lot of bugfixes and a firewall. Geez. "The bleeding bugfixed edge"

#15.7 Posted by Octol on 20 Mar 2004 - 02:57

QUOTE (#15.4)

Bluetooth

Do you just like that word, or are you trying to make a point?

#15.8 Posted by Shagin099 on 21 Mar 2004 - 05:56

QUOTE

Do you just like that word, or are you trying to make a point?

Its all about the blue teeth man .... lol... and i kinda have to agree with people who say don't install this build... for me anyway, this has been the worst build of the whole beta so far, but i suppose the more people who install it and report problems, the better the end result will be

#15.9 Posted by Mando on 22 Mar 2004 - 10:52

Im installing this cos im an IT Support Engineer and trying it all out at home allows me to vauaute and pre-test environments on my home machine before rolling out sp2 onto my work clients after the full release. (78 of them running XP Pro SP1)

#16 Posted by [Thrice] on 19 Mar 2004 - 21:44

hush.. we are not average joe users, alot of people here are experts with windows.. i know I am.. i work with IT and this is fun to test out. I don't care if its my primary install because i have a bazillion other computers in my house.. and there is always linux = yum. haha so shh

(3 replies) #17 Posted by SBeaver on 19 Mar 2004 - 23:11

as soon as the final drops down on my disk i'm slipstreaming and reinstalling completly and hope that everyone would do the same so all this worm and virus nagging can stop once and for all. but that's not very likely, just a dream.

#17.1 Posted by psykil on 19 Mar 2004 - 23:50

same here. but i think this is hardly a solution against malicious programming, but at least it helps insulates the people who don't know the first thing about the internet from adding to the problem.

#17.2 Posted by IGx89 on 20 Mar 2004 - 02:03

Is there any tangible advantage to slipstream and re-install compared to just using the upgrade, not counting the possible benefits just received by re-installing?

#17.3 Posted by psykil on 20 Mar 2004 - 02:41

do you mean: #1- is there an advantage to reformatting and using an SP2 slipstreamed install CD over reformatting, installing XP, and then SP2 through windowsupdate? or do you mean #2 - is there an advantage to reformatting and using an SP2 slipstream CD over not formatting and just installing SP2 over your existing system as it is right now?

if option #1 then i would say probably not other than saving a lot of time by not having to install software that is just replaced by newer versions installing SP2. also you're protected from the get-go, although getting comprimised by a security exploit in the time between installing and updating i think would be pretty unlikely. (altho it did once happen to me ). and it's easier if you format on a regular basis.

if #2, then take the above and add a "hell yes". sp2 may go a long way in fixing what microsoft messed (their fault or not), but there are a lot more varibles to security than just the OS. besides, it's a clean slate. find a good tweaking guide (i like http://www.tweaktown.com/document.php?dType=guide&dId=324 but skip the crap about benchmarking) and off you go.

keep in mind this advice is coming from someone who formats on average once a month and may in fact be mentally retarded.

Last edited by 46653 on 20 Mar 2004 - 03:42

(3 replies) #18 Posted by IGx89 on 19 Mar 2004 - 23:57

Is it possible to enable concurrent sessions in this RC1?

#18.1 Posted by Mr magoo on 20 Mar 2004 - 00:35

http://www.neowin.net/comments.php?id=16494&category=main&highlight=

That was the previous coverage we gave to it. Try the registry entry there....

#18.2 Posted by IGx89 on 20 Mar 2004 - 02:03

I would, but I don't want to install the non-final SP2 unless it's worth it for me -- concurrent sessions would definitely make it worth it .

#18.3 Posted by y_notm on 20 Mar 2004 - 17:37

nope doesnt work in RC1

(1 reply) #19 Posted by BananaMan on 20 Mar 2004 - 03:12

Here's an interesting review, well worth the read if you're on the fence about installing this or not.
SP2 RC1 review

#19.1 Posted by mipra on 20 Mar 2004 - 10:43

Nicely done review...thanks

#20 Posted by DJ^TuRKiYe on 20 Mar 2004 - 03:25

anyone have a torrent link for this?
i can't be bothered downloading a download manager to download rc1 rather use bt

(3 replies) #21 Posted by deadmonkey on 20 Mar 2004 - 09:41

Would someone give me a link to screenshots of the new WiFi and Bluetooth features?

#21.1 Posted by BananaMan on 20 Mar 2004 - 15:02

Taken from Paul Thurrott SP2 RC1 screenshot gallery

#21.2 Posted by Krankerz on 20 Mar 2004 - 17:05

Is it just me, or does the right click menu look cleaner and better looking?

#21.3 Posted by elliot on 21 Mar 2004 - 10:38

it's just you, it looks absolutely horrible

almost as bad as the default firefox menus

#22 Posted by sodapop on 20 Mar 2004 - 10:26

"Do not use in production environments."

Does this include an environment that produces porn?

#23 Posted by mipra on 20 Mar 2004 - 10:44

MS seems to fed up with MIRC , and they just released theirs

(2 replies) #24 Posted by pringlex on 20 Mar 2004 - 11:19

Does this include the feature that allows two simultaneous logons? i.e. one local user and one remote desktop user.

#24.1 Posted by Mr. Black on 20 Mar 2004 - 12:15

That has been answered above - please look over the Comments before posting.

#24.2 Posted by MoRiA on 20 Mar 2004 - 12:29

Hardly "answered"
Someone asked about it, granted, but no-one gave a definitive answer. I wanna know the answer to this too but i've just spent the past few hours downloading it (MS' servers slowed to a crawl halfway through) and it's a corrupt file

(1 reply) #25 Posted by MCGregor on 20 Mar 2004 - 12:40

The Xp SP2 is very cool... i found only one thing to hate it...
My Style Xp 2.01 don't work...
Does Their exist any Patch for it?

(Sorry for my Bad English)

#25.1 Posted by Kracal on 20 Mar 2004 - 13:08

Use uxtheme.dll patch

Here it is,

http://vortex2050.dyndns.org:8080/repository/Patches/Uxtheme/Windows XP/SP2 RC1/6.0.2900.2096.rar

(4 replies) #26 Posted by =Indy-UK= on 20 Mar 2004 - 13:42

Just wish there would be another service pack you could download that had just the bug fixes in.
The security centre/firewall stuff is great for the noobs, but I really dont need those "features".

#26.1 Posted by BananaMan on 20 Mar 2004 - 15:08

Then turn them off! Besides, I would hardly call DEP, native bluetooth support and extended wi-fi support for "n00bs".

#26.2 Posted by =Indy-UK= on 20 Mar 2004 - 16:39

Did I mention DEP, Bluetooth as noobie? NO!

Is Security Centre for noobs? YES!

#26.3 Posted by Xeron on 21 Mar 2004 - 00:08

Yeah, I wish they'd removed the GUI from Windows. That's for noobs. Command line all the way....

#26.4 Posted by Mando on 22 Mar 2004 - 10:55

lol yer

#27 Posted by SkaterAustin on 20 Mar 2004 - 14:35

lol slow downloads? lol ah dang it glad im on the service pack 2 beta team get a private server and everything to download it from

so far rc1 for me has ran like a champ not to many bugs at all unlike beta 1 that just kept crashing my computer and screwing up my internet rc1 improved my internet and the firewall is working and ive had a few buddies try hacking me and its been no go and a lot of the security flaws are gone dunno microsoft is doing good but just remeber theres going to be more security problems bah...

(4 replies) #28 Posted by Nextstep OS X on 20 Mar 2004 - 16:10

All you people are excited over this !!!

the only reason i installed it was for Concurrent connections.

Concurrent Connections has been disabled people.

looks like i'll never be installing SP2... all that for a firewall.... maybe for newbies its a good thing

#28.1 Posted by Shining Arcanine on 20 Mar 2004 - 17:31

QUOTE (#28.0)

All you people are excited over this !!! the only reason i installed it was for Concurrent connections. Concurrent Connections has been disabled people. looks like i'll never be installing SP2... all that for a firewall.... maybe for newbies its a good thing

I warned people that Microsoft would remove Concurrent Connections if they reported it, did they listen? No...

#28.2 Posted by y_notm on 20 Mar 2004 - 17:48

its people like you that make viri/trojans the worldwide problem it is today. "Ohhh, they took out feature x, y, and z, well, I'll show them. I won't update my system to the latest service pack to get the latest fixes, and block myself from recieving any more updates"

All post-sp2 updates will require SP2 to be installed, so why wouldn't you update?

#28.3 Posted by Nextstep OS X on 20 Mar 2004 - 18:12

SeCuRiTy updates... come on i have never had a virus

what security updates, if you know what your doing your fine..

before SP2:

router firewall> XP sp1 Firewall on> Network assosiates 7 virus scanner> small website running on virtual pc.

After SP2

same, when installed "after a year SP2 is out, need to make sure its safe to run..." and yes i install all updates

#28.4 Posted by Fowen on 21 Mar 2004 - 21:56

QUOTE (#28.3)

and yes i install all updates

Then to continue installing updates, you will need to install SP2. Big deal if it has extra menus. Just disable them and don't look at them again.

#29 Posted by SharkFiNbowL on 20 Mar 2004 - 16:56

The Wifi looks great, I've installed SP2. So far so good, IE is faster for me now

(1 reply) #30 Posted by Krankerz on 20 Mar 2004 - 17:08

Is the Media Bar and icon to active/deactivate it in IE missing? I guess this was just a stupid feature and MS decided to remove it?

#30.1 Posted by y_notm on 20 Mar 2004 - 17:40

wondered why my ie didn't look quite right... yea its gone. I wonder why they took that out

(1 reply) #31 Posted by Nodiaque on 20 Mar 2004 - 17:20

hmmm... just downloaded rc1 from beta sites.... I wounder if I should download that one instead

#31.1 Posted by Krankerz on 20 Mar 2004 - 18:12

Just download the one from the Microsoft site. At least you know that one is the most legit/reliable.

#32 Posted by MCGregor on 20 Mar 2004 - 18:24

Thx for Uxtheme.dll ... but i found another bad thing... the WindowsUpdate don't work... but why?

(1 reply) #33 Posted by Suddenly_Dead on 20 Mar 2004 - 18:26

QUOTE

The 32-bit version of Windows (beginning with Service Pack 2 for Windows XP) utilizes the no-execute page-protection (NX) processor feature as defined by AMD.

This would be to stop buffer overruns and such, but I'm curious if anyone knows which processors exactly have the NX feature? Or do any have it at the moment? It sounds like a very useful security feature, to mark certain parts of memory as no-execute so bugs can't be exploited to do so. (Note also that it's not intel, but an AMD specification )

#33.1 Posted by xStainDx on 20 Mar 2004 - 21:39

Athlon 64, Opteron, & Itanium.

It is an Intel Implementation. Originately Designed for Itanium. AMD added it to their CPU's as well.

#34 Posted by LordEdmond on 20 Mar 2004 - 19:42

Athlon 64 has this feature

#35 Posted by tomaras on 20 Mar 2004 - 19:59

SP2 working fine on both my desktop and laptop. Computer's feel snappier, wi-fi configuration is an improvement. No problems.

(2 replies) #