Hi Tom,I too have SP2 with no ill effects.Can you still update SP1 with Window Updates? I'm not sure how that works, but would be concerned myself if I didn't have all the security updates, not to mention the firewall (unless you're already running one).Bruce.

I, along with many others have had problems using the updater, and it removed something that made me unable to surf the web.Click Windows Defender on the left-side of this page:http://aumha.org/a/parasite.htm From that page:Current or recent bugs include (among others): Breaking network or Internet access. An incompatibility with Windows Media Center Extender (breaking the ability to form remote connections). Problems with periodic definition file updating. Stripping site listings in Internet Explorer

Hope this helps,Jimhttp://www.hifisim.com/Active Sky Development TeamActive Sky Proud UserRadar Contact Supporter

It is a very very very stupid move to be using an unpatched XP install. The security holes pre-SP2 are massive and you're opening yourself up to all sorts of worms and spyware by running the old version. Just make sure you have up to date drivers for your hardware and you won't have any problems with installing SP2 - I've done it on tons of systems and it shouldn't screw anything up at all, definitely not FS.

Hey again everyone,Many thanks to everyone that responded. From the way it sounds so far, the majority is running SP2 without problems. I think I'll give it a whirl.....and come back here to rant if I end up regretting it.Thanks,Tom

Ive been running SP2 since day one, without problems. The only problems Ive had with FS9 have been caused by poor maintenence of the system, before I began using a RegCleaner and CCleaner both are free. If you do much installation of software & removal, even removing pictures and movies you have watched, it leaves invalid entries in the registry. After awhile, they add up slowing down your system. FS has to scan through all the entries searching the drive for those that do not exist, taking time. The more they are the more it slows down FS9 causing errors. Every time I FS9 spontaneously exits or runs slower than normal I run CCleaner, which dramatically improves it. The first time I ran RegCleaner it removed 287 invalid entries, and when a friend ran it, he said it removed over 1200 of them. His computer then ran like it was brand new. Bob

Bob,Thanks. I have both and they work great.Tom

Bruce -Yes, MS still supports SP1 with regular updates.Personally, I prefer to continue using SP1 with ZoneAlarm firewall because of some old hardware driver issues. Keeping the patches up to date, I have had no security problems whatsoever.John

My view is different. I have router with a firewall and that is all the security I need. I only have service pack 1 because it was included with my windows cd and never update. I also have no antivirus softare. I use adaware and internet based virus scanners on occasion and have never found anything but a few cookies. This on 3 PCs and DSL connection disabled only when I am not here. One day I might get burned but after 3 years and 40 gigs of add ons. Anti virus are performance hogs that rarely block anything only telling you later that so and so file has been infected. Another thing, never use Internet explorer only Firefox and if you dont have a router use a good firewall. Zone alarm free version is all you need. Does this system work? Am I out of my mind? Can hackers and viruses still get in? Off course they can. But most won't. The best anti virus (the only way to really remove a virus) in my view is a reformat and Windows reinstall which is why it is best to have everything backed up, FS related or not. I back my whole fs9 folder, and all my payware installers, my windows folder (contains dll files needed by some programs , if I need one in case I lose the original installer), and the windows registry in case I need to restore it. Reinstalling everything(especially Windows) is really a lot easier than you think and something everyone should learn if they want avert being ripped off by the local computer tech who preys on the general ignorance of most computer users. If you do a lot of financial transactions such as internet banking and such this method may not be for you. But for internet shopping all I can say is I do a lot of it, and I have not yet been ripped off.

simple: it's Microsoft so it must be bad.The typical /. attitude of FUD about anything Microsoft does, being seen as 1337 k3w1 for saying you hate Microsoft and everything they do is only out to get you.

>My view is different. I have router with a firewall and that>is all the security I need.That WILL bite you in the #### one day, trust me.

If it does that is why I back up everything. I wonder why it is me that has to fix all my friends computers despite them running memory hogs like Norton, Mcafee etc and their computers always run slow despite high spec and infected with all kinds of spyware. Know the sources you download from are safe, don't open e-mail attatchments, and always use a firewall. On occasion run free adaware,spybot, and free online virus scanner by Trend Micro to know you are clean and you will be fine. E-mail is where most viruses come from unless you download stuff from questionable sites (porn). I would never download porn from a Windows box. I am no saint trust me. If I want to look at porn, one of my computers has a Linux partition and I use that(multiboot along with DOS,Win 98, and XP Pro). Although there are rare exeptions the vast majority of viruses are coded for Windows. Hey, I am not telling anybody what to do and if you want to update go ahead, but don't just install everything on the Windows update page. Read about each individual update and see if you need the features or patches for your setup. Keep in mind when you are updating things you are adding code, making an already bloated OS even more bloated and this may or may not affect performance depending on your comp.

>My view is different. I have router with a firewall and that>is all the security I need. I only have service pack 1 because>it was included with my windows cd and never update. I also>have no antivirus softare. I use adaware and internet based>virus scanners on occasion and have never found anything but a>few cookies. you are just ASKING for trouble. but not only a virus that you can get rid of by starting over, but passwords, credit card info, etc saved on your computer. personal documents, etc.you may have been lucky now, but not doing security updates or running an active anti-virus and thinking a firewall is protection (protection from an outside hacker, by the way, have you changed your firewall password?) adaware is garbage, download spybot. also internet based scanners do not pick up most things. I suggest PC Cillin, its the best outthere.reinstalling windows and all my software and personal settings is NOT something I want to do, and I have not done since I first built my computer a year ago. No reason to continue to reinstall, any mistake you made, you can fix.

Keep in mind, I don't run a server, this is a home network. You do make a good point about the credit card info. Do you know where such info is stored so I can delete it. I generally buy things for FS over a secure server. How and when is this information saved on "my computer" not on the secure server I am buying from which I have no control over? If it is saved can this be stopped from happening? The only passwords I use are for forums like this one, hardly a security problem. I don't do any internet banking or any kind of financial transactions exept the occasional purchase. I have heard of PCcilllin but have not tried it. If it affects performance I won't use it. I use Spybot as well as Adaware, neither finds much since I started using a firewall. Yes I have set a password on my router. I have only had to reinstall 2 times. The first time was when I got a browser hijaker which would always change my home page and send me to a porn website. When I got this I was running Mcaffee regularly updated which did not stop anything. I was also using Internet explorer which was the app affected. I would see iexplrer.exe procees multiple times on the task manager until the comp would run out of memory and crash. The second reinstall came when my hard drive failed. So you see I don't spend all my time reinstalling everything. Maybe I didnt mention I use Zonealarm as well as the firewall on my router which keeps me informed of outgoing as well as incoming traffic. I turn it off when I fly however, which may not be the safest thing to do, but I run a dual monitor setup with 2560 by 1024 resolution over two 19 inch screens so anything that can help performance is a plus. There are also two other computers on the network which I use for regular computing. Sorry for the long post.

HI EEMER: I also had reservations when SP2 came out. There were "RUMORS" flying all over the place. I went to MicroSoft Online and ordered a CD....FREE. MS indicated it might take "weeks" to arrive. It was here in less than a week. When it came I "Sat On It" for awhile...Still contimplating.. I have had NO problems with my system..or with FS9 because of SP2. I think that was almost a year ago. SPOFF