Re: SemiOT: problem with XP Service pack 3



"Clark F Morris" <cfmpublic@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote in message
news:r9inf4d6kcuclqjrrgv20aampuvqv7nstj@xxxxxxxxxx
A month or so ago I applied Service Pack 3 to Windowns XP home from a
download and started getting a message that Automatic Updates was
turned off. I tried to change the Automatic Updates setting but it
was locked (all of the choice buttons were greyed out). I think I got
the message that I didn't have the authority which was peculiar since
I was logged on to the account with administrator privileges. This
was annoying but since I normally apply the updates and don't use
automatic update, I ignored the problem hoping a subsequent update
would cure it. On Wednesday, I downloaded and tried to apply the
latest upgrade to Zone Alarm Internet Security Suite which normally is
a very simple exercise. The upgrade didn't work because I did not
have the administrator privilege for installing the True Vector
component. After making various attempts and checking the Zone Alarm
site, I went to the Microsoft site. There I found that for at least
some people Service Pack 3 fouls up some entries in the registry and
there is a fix. I have an e-mail into Microsoft right now verifying
that the fix only restores full administrator privileges to the
administrator logons and not the user logons and that the download
program mentioned also works on XP home as well as PRO.

You are running your system properly... that is rare. Most people give
Administrator priveleges to every account. Then they wonder why
"vulnerabilities" exist. If someone manages to hack on to your system, maybe
using using an obscure user account, you are unaware of or maybe forgot
about, for example, they suddenly find they have Admin rights to everything
and your world is their oyster. Vista is much more fussy about this and the
reaction was one of howling disappointment because then things don't work
the way they used to... :-) (who'd be a system developer... :-))

I suspect the simplest way to tell whether you have the problem is to
logon on to an account with administrator privileges and try to change
the Automatic Updates setting. If you can't change it, DON'T try to
install any systems software (Microsoft updates seem to work) like
Zone Alarm. Go to www.microsoft.com and from support go to the page
for Service Pack 3. You will find that there is free e-mail, chat AND
toll-free free support in North America for Service Pack 3 issues.

Very sound advice.

Apparently there have been a number of them.


I found SP3 installed without any problem at all. In fact, I was surprised.
(How sad is that... :-)?) I'm running XP Pro.

I have some ambivalence about automatic updates. In general, they are
probably a good thing, and for most people they are excellent. The problem
for developers is that they can change your environment. Sure, you can roll
them back (if there are only a few, sometimes there are dozens and you can't
know WHICH one is problematical.)

I had a case recently where applying updates caused some Fujitsu software
which had always been fine, to misbehave. It took several days to isolate,
trace, and fix it.

I currently have updates set to notify me but not download or install. This
is because I'm working on a project where I don't want anything changing
that could mask bugs in my code. When I'm satisfied eveything is working
properly, THEN I'll apply updates and see if it continues to do so.

Before those of us who are in the mainframe environment feel
completely smug, there are PTF's and hiper alerts for a reason. While
I haven't read about anything like the DF/EF catalog problems that I
heard about or DFP PE chain problems that I experienced, no vendor is
free of major glitches. Given that Microsoft fixes and updates for
home users are to be installed by people who are not system
programmers or systems administrators, it is in a sense amazing to me
that the process works as well as it does. I might add that I read
the KB letters for all of the fixes I apply and have found them useful
in understanding why I am putting on the fix.

So rare (and pleasant) to see balance in CLC... :-)


I'm sending this because for many of us, Windows XP is the operating
system of choice or affliction.

I like it. However, I have been doing some fixes for people who have Vista
and it is growing on me. (I still won't be moving to it, though). That nice
Mr. Ballmer says they have installed 180,000,000 copies of it and the
feedback is turning around, with some blogs actually being positive about it
now, but he may be re-iterating what his minions have told him... no-one
wants to give the Boss bad news... :-)

Pete.
--
"I used to write COBOL...now I can do anything."



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