That's excellent to hear, but I expected as much seeing as how both are MS products. Then again, as big and encompassing as SP2 is going to be, it wouldn't surprise me if they broke some stuff in the process of upgrading.

Although Microsoft's service pack includes some basic feature improvements, the overwhelming focus is on bolstering the XP operating system's defenses against viruses, worms and other types of external attacks to which Windows has been vulnerable. The idea was to "look at all the different ways that the bad guys get stuff on your computer and close those doors," said Greg Sullivan, lead product manager in Microsoft's PC Windows division.The rest of the article is here: http://www.crmbuyer.com/story/news/35648.htmlCarmine http://ftp.avsim.com/dcforum/Images/wave.gif

I did this (following MS's instructions) for SP2 RC2. I will definitely do it again for the final SP2 so I have a bootable SP2 install CD. I highly recommend this for everybody, because if (when) your OS install goes bad, you can do a repair install with the SP2 CD instead of having to revert back to whatever version your current CD is and downloading all of the updates again.

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The MAIN question I have is:Any performance gain or loss? FPS??Barry

Should be NIL in both directions. The update was not meant to help performance, it was done with securtiy issues in mind.I tested the beta and noticed no diff at all in FPS either way.XP Home SP1Asus P4P800-SE Intel 3.0GHZDDR 400 D/C 2x512MBGeForce FX 5700 256MB (56.72)SB AudigyMSFF2 & X45 throttleSee you in the fence...CYYZ

you maybe, but the vast majority of home users are too lazy or ignorant to keep up with updates.Consequently they get infected with all kinds of trojans and other nasties that exploit problems fixed months earlier.Those users then blame Microsoft for not fixing holes when it is they themselves who are to blame.

And what if?You're going to scream to not install SP2 just like the kids who screamed that SP1 hurt their precious fps and a few weeks later started screaming that Microsoft never fixes bugs (that were fixed in SP1)?

I would say the main reason for using a slipstreamed CD is that if you have to re-install the OS, there are a few virii out there which can infect XP by using the RPC exploit. This exploit does not require the user to download anything, but just have the port open on the internet. So, in you don't have a firewall outside your computer (like in your router), installing a fress XP while connected to the internet can get you infected before you have a change to turn on the firewall or install any patches.Using a slipstream will allow you to install XP with the SP2 firewall and other protection already in place, which is much much safer.

Here's the official schedule:8/6 Release to manufacturing8/9 Release to Microsoft Download Center (network installation package)8/9 Release to MSDN subscription site (CD ISO image)8/10 Release to Automatic Updates (for machines running pre-release versions of Windows XP Service Pack 2 only)8/16 Release to Automatic Updates (for machines NOT running pre-releases versions of Windows XP Service Pack 2)8/16 Release to Software Update ServicesIf you need to install it on a bunch of machines, obviously the ISO is the way to go. For dialup users, Microsoft is providing CDs completely free of cost. You don't pay for the CD or shipping and handling. I'm guessing you need to show a proof of purchase one way or another to get it.Also as Jeroen said, there is really no excuse not to get it. I can understand if you want to wait a week or so for the Windows Update traffic to die down and to hear what others are saying, but putting it off 3 to 6 months is a bad idea. Better to get it now than regret not getting it later.As was pointed out, this is roughly an 80MB download for Windows Update, NOT 450 MB like the AVSIM front page mistakenly stated.

The 450MB is not a mistake...that is the size of the ISO from MSDN Subscriptions.

Just as a heads up for those of you that run Norton Systemworks and/or Norton Internet Security.They will be releasing an SP2 compatible "patch" for their software on August 10.

i have a question about this slipstream thing. Is it ok to just download sp2 and save it to disk as a seperate file for future use if you need to reinstall windows at some point?...im assuming then youd just install winxp from the orgial cd and then run the SP2 file, no?...if this is so then why would i need to goto the trouble of using this slipstream thing?...whats the big advantage for me? (im afraid of starting this whole slipstram thing as ive never done anything like that before and from reading some of the posts from that site there seems to be some bugs associated with its use in certain situations)Dave

Yes, the ISO is 450MB..but the majority of users will not be downloading that. The headline is a bit vague because the release for Windows Update is not 475 MB.

See my post above for the advantage of slipstreaming...http://forums.avsim.net/dcboard.php?az=sho...12&page=#205358

Unless your in a rush to get the lastest. I would advise most to remember, unlike the past, SP2 will be available on CD for FREE including shipping/Handling...So unless you totally have to have the lastest, you can either auto-update or just order the update on CD and have a copy for those future installs.