"...rollback was also a total disaster..." ScottC: Are you saying that the RESTORE feature from Windows XP did not work? That would scare me to death.

I was prepared to install SP2, when it is released. And would use RESTORE, if I would run into problems.

Next, I don't think that I and other "normal XP user" would run in the problems you have .. I guess that you have a pretty complicated IT environment, right?

Indeed, my rollback only made things worse. I ended up having to do a complete repair of the XP files, and then applying all the patches I needed. I lose a whole day.

restore seemed fine
 

I've done two or three uninstalls, not using the restore feature, since the unistall activates that itself. they went fine, back to where I was before, no problems at all.

XPSP2 will be released to SUS on August 16th. Here is the rest of the relevent dates. These were sent out from sales rep yesterday.


8/9 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 Services

It is available now from windowsbeta.microsoft.com, providing you were a beta tester. I've got it installed on my laptop and all seems good. My home PC is a little flaky with it, however.

just a small resurection
 

I just remembered one pretty big point that SP2 corrects, and that is
ICF will now allow local network printer, file and folder sharing within say a local area, home or router based multi-computer network.

Even though this was a feature before, it never worked when turned on.

this is now fixed in SP2

I've recently noticed on a few visited web sites that there is now a notice of something like:

"WindowsXP users with SP2 installed, must have ActiveX turned on."

...or something like that. How do I tell if it's turned on now (pre-SP2) and do I even want that turned on? (Not having a clue what ActiveX is)

It's in tools, internet options, then under security.

Thanks!

Some seem to be on and others disabled in my SP1. So I guess my question is does SP2 default that these are all turned off and that's why these web site notices are starting to appear?

Again, I still don't know what ActiveX is and what it does.

Yes it can

Just add it to the "approved" list

What is ActiveX?
ActiveX is a set of technologies from Microsoft that enables interactive content for the World Wide Web. Before ActiveX, Web content was static, 2-dimensional text and graphics. With ActiveX, Web sites come alive using multimedia effects, interactive objects, and sophisticated applications that create a user experience comparable to that of high-quality CD-ROM titles. ActiveX provides the glue that ties together a wide assortment of technology building blocks to enable these "active" Web sites.

What Are Its Primary Benefits?
Active Web Content with Impact that will attract and retain users.
Open, Cross-Platform Support on Macintosh®, Windows® and UNIX® operating systems.
Familiar Tools from a wide assortment of tools and programming language vendors, including Visual Basic®, Visual C++®, Borland® Delphi®, Borland C++, Java, and Java-enabled tools. Developers can use what they know and be productive immediately.
Existing Inventory of ActiveX controls available today for immediate use by Web producers.
Industry Standards, with built-in support for key industry and de-facto marketplace standards, including HTML, TCP/IP, Java, COM, and others.

Your firewall could be blocking it too, so check there if you have one or behind a corporate firewall.

the new browser
 

will block activex as well, IE 6.xx SP2. So, it might be a default to turn it off to begin with. Wouldn't make much sense, but possible