Grr!! Keeping Windows Healthy

[Adam]

Is it just me or does anyone else find it terribly annoying now with the wealth of updates you have to install to Windows XP just so you can fix the holes that Microsoft forget to fill up before they released WXP?

I format regularly, or at least I used to, until today when I finally realised that on every setup I'm doing - to install WXP and having it working with my equipment takes 45mins or so, yet to download and install the updates via WU takes about 2 HOURS. The download is pretty quick, just installation is so slow!

Argh, while we're on the topic of updating, I've had installed the fixes below, but should I install WXP SP1 or will the upcoming WXP SP2 installation do everything the SP1 would have done?

Critical Update for ADODB.stream (KB870669)
Security Update for Windows XP (KB840315)
Update for Background Intelligent Transfer Service (BITS) 2.0 and WinHTTP 5.1 (KB842773)
Security Update for Windows XP (KB841873)
Security Update for Windows XP (KB839643)
Security Update for Windows XP (KB840374)
Security Update for Windows XP (KB839645)
Security Update for Windows XP (KB837001)
Security Update for Windows XP (KB828741)
Security Update for Windows XP (KB835732)
Security Update for Microsoft Data Access Components (KB832483)
Security Update for Windows XP (329834)
Security Update for Microsoft Windows XP (KB828035)
Security Update for Microsoft Windows XP (KB825119)
811630: Critical Update (Windows XP)
810577: Security Update
Security Update for Windows XP (815021)
Critical Update for Windows Media Player Script Commands (KB828026)
Q329441: Critical Update
Q329390: Security Update
329170: Security Update
Q329115: Security Update (Windows XP)
Q329048: Security Update
Security Update for Microsoft Windows XP (KB328940)
Q323255: Security Update (Windows XP)
Security Update for Windows XP (KB817606)
Security Update for Microsoft Windows (KB824105)
823559: Security Update for Microsoft Windows
Security Update for Microsoft Windows (KB823182)
Security Update for Microsoft Windows (KB824141)
Security Update for Windows XP (819696)
814078: Security Update (Microsoft Jscript version 5.6, Windows 2000, Windows XP)
Q324096: Security Update (Windows XP)
Q323172: Security Update (Windows XP)
Q326830: Security Update (Windows XP)
Q324380: Security Update (Windows XP)
Q318138: Security Update (Windows XP)
Q313450: Security Update
Q320920: Security Update (Windows Media Player for Windows XP)
Q311967: Security Update
Windows XP Application Compatibility Update, April 2002
System Recovered Error Message Update
Security Update, February 13, 2002 (MSXML 2.6 and 3.0)
Security Update, February 12, 2002
Critical Update, February 10, 2002
Security Update, December 17, 2001
Remote Assistance Connection
Windows XP Update Package, October 25, 2001
811493: Security Update (Windows XP)

(PS: This is excluding the IE fixes and OE as I use FireFox and Outlook (yes I have to go to Office Update in a bit, ugh.))

[websterworld]

Thats why there is a thing called Linux. :fork:


and yes, you can install SP2 instead and it will take care of all the SP1 updates.

[Adam]

Eugene,

Thanks RE: SP2 Query.

About Linux... all servers we use run Linux it''s jsut for workstations we are forced to use so my family and employees can use the workstations easily. You gotta admit, Windows interface is beautiful. Shame it doesn't have a back-end as beautiful as Linux!

[websterworld]

Originally posted by Adam:

it''s jsut for workstations we are forced to use so my family and employees can use the workstations easily. You gotta admit, Windows interface is beautiful. Shame it doesn't have a back-end as beautiful as Linux!

No, you are not forced to run windows. it does seem that way, but no.

The windows interface is not that great at all, its just a change from windows2000 and earlier versions.

http://tapsa.terae.net/linux/kuvat/suse/suse82eval-desktop.png
http://damngoodbytes.com/suse_kde3.1_big.jpg

Gnome/KDE look MUCH better then windows. theres also a windows XP look a like windows manger...

bah, I'm getting repeatitive.

in short, you can run SuSE 9 'etc just as well. my grandma can do it, so I'm sure you can!

Eugene

[Adam]

I haven't tried moving the employees over to a Linux sys with KDE or GNOME but from what they've communicated to me is that they think they are only really comfortable with Microsoft Windows as that's what they are qualified in, and didn't really do into any sort of Linux training. Sure if they learnt themselves in their spare time I wouldn't mind switching over to Linux. But while they're working for me, as harsh as it sounds, they'll have to stay on Windows. Not because I love Windows and the patching that has to be done constantly, but moreover I don't want to be paying them for time where they are just learning the OS. I'd rather pay them to actually do work.

[ldcdc]

I'd rather pay them to actually do work.That makes perfect sense Adam! :)

[Ross]

Adam,

Then fire them all and hire some Linux gurus muwhahahaha :suckers:

[Robert]

I don't. I have autoupdates set automatically. My system hasn't had problems in months, years (since I've switched to XP).

The comment about Linux, is stupid. I won't even touch that..

[Ross]

Most people that won't touch Linux just don't have the knowledge to use it therefore they label it as stupid and useless.

[Robert]

Originally posted by Ross:

Most people that won't touch Linux just don't have the knowledge to use it therefore they label it as stupid and useless.

That's not what I meant. I use FreeBSD btw.

I was referring to the statement about switching to Linux. I won't get into about it.

[Andrew]

Switching workstations to Linux simply does not make sense yet - Ive thought about this many times - but, in the end - the hassles just arent worth it... and dont tell me you can do everything on a linux workstation you can do on a windows machine - even if you could - the amount of time needed to track down drivers, versions, alternative applications, compatability issues, learning curve, etc etc etc just doesnt justify the total cost of ownership at this point...

When the total cost of ownership for linux workstations is less then the total cost of ownership for windows stations - more people and organizations will switch - just like they have done and are doing in the server environment...

Nope - we're "stuck" with windows right now - and I use the word stuck loosely - windows is the best option for workstations right now - so, I dont consider myself stuck - but rather consider myself making the appropriate business decision...

*Edit* - I must admit Adam - it would be nice if they released their product with a few less inherent bugs - I mean seriously - I understand the software development process and pressures to goto market enough to understand that some things will slip through or not be thought of or anticipated, etc - but - just seems MS does a worse job then most in this respect...

[Adam]

Hopefully, Longhorn will be a better OS, more secure and stable. I'm just hoping, fingers crossed! I am not an MSDN subscriber so I haven't tested it yet, but hey I don't mind waiting, and if its good, I don't mind paying either heh.

Thanks guys for all your input regarding Linux however even though Linux is better in terms of security and stability, it's just that task of training staff and the actual transition. We use a LOT of Microsoft software here, Excel, Access, PowerPoint, Word (all the time) and Outlook. I guess moving just yet, wouldn't be a very good move for me, so I'm stuck with constant patching. I have been away for a long weekend and I return (with automatic updates on) to find that I have to install another 4 updates. Okay sure, they're only a total of about 2meg, but still, this long after the release of XP they're constantly finding several holes weekly?! It just doesn't seem right that a corporation with such a vast amount of resources can miss out such big things in their software. Yeah, I know they have different groups of programmers for different areas of the software, but surely when they merge the parts together, they could check that they have merged their code together tightly without leaving so many vulnerabilities?! 1-10 security problems, OK, call them teething problems. But as many as there are now? Pffft!

I'm not a Microsoft employee so I can't really say how they work, but from an outside standpoint, it doesn't look too good. Just a shame that the developers and designers in Microsoft have gotten us all (or most of us) wound in and stuck with Microsoft for what looks like the long-haul.

[Ross]

Originally posted by Adam:

Hopefully, Longhorn will be a better OS, more secure and stable. I'm just hoping, fingers crossed! I am not an MSDN subscriber so I haven't tested it yet, but hey I don't mind waiting, and if its good, I don't mind paying either heh.


Just like Windows XP was suppose to be much more secure then 98 & ME :rolleyes:

[Adam]

Well I'm not sure because I haven't read up on it, but at least during my usage with Windows ME I had no crashes, security vulnerabilities or random reboots.

Win98 was fine apart from IE bugs and VBScript emails just starting to emerge. A little care and Win98 was a near match of stability as Win95-A. Apart from the random reboots of course.