service pack

Infopackets Reader Tina D. writes: " Dear Dennis, I am greatly anticipating the release of your Windows XP Service Pack 2 installation guide. According to my Automatic Updates, Service Pack 2 has already been downloaded onto my machine but not yet ... installed. I am iffy about installing SP2 largely because I have heard that it may not be compatible with some programs. Have you released the guide yet? Did I miss the announcement? I've checked your newsletter archive page but don't see anything pertaining to the release. " My response: As of this moment, the guide is 85% complete. I ... (view more)

I spent much of this weekend going over the emails that I've received from Readers concerning a new eBook that I'm working on, a Windows XP Service Pack 2 'failsafe' installation Guide. The consensus from the majority of Readers is that XP Service ... Pack 2 has caused some confusion (with respect to new security features), problems connecting to the Internet (related to the new Windows Firewall) and in some cases, failed to install properly (requiring the user to erase the C drive and reinstall Windows). As I mentioned earlier, the pros of Service Pack 2 outweigh the cons (in my opinion), even ... (view more)

Normally I don't send out newsletters on Fridays, but seeing that my computer practically bit the dust a week ago, I'm a bit behind with a lot of things. RE: Windows XP Service Pack 2 Questions I mentioned yesterday that I would be compiling a ... failsafe guide to teach newbies how to upgrade their computers using Windows XP Service Pack 2. If you haven't heard the buzz already, Service Pack 2 is a major upgrade to Windows XP that fixes *many* security vulnerabilities, and makes using the Internet much safer place. Some of the features in SP2 include a built in PopUp Blocker (in Internet ... (view more)

Infopackets Reader Jospeh D. writes: " Dear Dennis, Your newsletters are the greatest! I've installed Windows XP Service Pack 2 *twice* on my machine, and both times, it told me that I didn't have a virus program installed. I've tried Grisoft ... AntiVirus and also tried AVAST32. Still, Windows XP is not recognizing them. Every time I start my computer there is a reminder for me to install a virus program. Am I protected or not? " My response: This one had me stumped, too. If your antivirus program is sitting in the tray (next to the clock), then chances are that it's working. It's a ... (view more)

It's been a rough couple of weeks: it seems like every time I try to take a step forward, I end up taking 3 steps backward. After I got home from visiting Frank in Toronto, my main computer (the one that I use to write the newsletters) kept crashing ... with repeated Blue Screens of Death (BSOD). The BSOD's gave me some clue as to why my system was crashing, as the .DLL file responsible for the crash appeared to be related to my video card driver. Strange, I thought. I didn't upgrade my video card driver recently, but opted to do so as I hadn't upgraded my driver in over a year. Video card ... (view more)

Infopackets Reader 'Tom' asks: " Somewhere, someone told me about a website that allowed users to download a windows 98 Second Edition full CD that included all the critical updates. I also heard that you needed to use the original CD key to use ... this install. Do you happen to know if this is true, and if so, what is the web site? " My response: As far as I understand, it would be illegal to distribute any Microsoft product that is normally for sale (I.E.: the Windows Operating System itself -- Service Packs , on the other hand, are free). On that note, I happened to stumble across ... (view more)

Infopackets Reader Vicki S. writes: " I've been reading up on next major release from Microsoft (Windows XP Service Pack 2). From what I understand -- and, as with all Service Pack releases -- there are major security issues addressed in the ... upcoming release. I'm a bit confused: I understand the Service Pack 2 is not due to be released for a while yet, however, Microsoft is offering 'Release Candidate 2' [RC2] of Service Pack 2. My question is, do you think RC2 will work for me? I have Windows XP home edition, a cable modem, and Norton Internet Security 2004, not to mention all the other ... (view more)

Infopackets Reader Frank B. writes: " I need help! When I try to forward a picture to my friends, all that they receive is a box with a small red X. This started happening to me about 8 months ago. I have tried everything I could think of and even ... had a computer repairman try to fix it. It doesn't happen all the time, but more often than not. How can I correct this? " My response: Believe it or not, I get asked this question quite a bit ... and it's worth addressing (briefly) once more. This problem deals with Outlook Express 6 -- specifically: Anyone who has recently upgraded to, ... (view more)

Infopackets Reader Fran X. writes: " There are a lot of $NtUninstall folders in my Windows directory. What purpose do they serve and can I delete them from my hard drive? " My response: I looked on my own hard drive for these directories, but didn't ... see any. Curious as to what would cause this to happen, I decided to search Google.com for "$ntuninstall in windows folder". After a few listings, I found a newsletter article from Lockergnome.com which held the answer to Fran's dilemma. From the Lockergnome web site: " Question: In the Windows folder, there are many ... (view more)

What's a software crack? A "crack" -- as it is commonly referred to -- is program that removes copy protection from software. Commonly, cracks are used on software applications and games that would otherwise require an unlock code or registration to ... continue using the software. Windows XP Service Pack 1 was released September 9th, 2002 Yep, that's right. The big bad Service Pack that the world has been waiting for has finally been released. It promises to fix all those nasty bugs that plague Windows XP and make it a lot more stable. Will it fix my GeForce NVidia MX400 video driver ... (view more)