Author Topic: Time Runs Out for Blocking XP SP2 Updates  (Read 1481 times)

mc0282

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Time Runs Out for Blocking XP SP2 Updates
« on: 8 April 2005, 11:37 »
http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,1759,1783576,00.asp


"Last August, Microsoft bowed to pressure from large IT departments that weren't prepared to update to Windows XP SP2, but didn't want to forego all Automatic Updates ("IT Managers Can Stall SP2"). Microsoft provided a tiny utility called XPSP2BlockerTools.EXE that simply toggled a Registry setting telling XP to hold off on the SP2 update. Other automatic updates suitable to pre-SP2 Windows were allowed through.
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This blocking mechanism gave IT managers 120 days to get ready for SP2"

heh, this is why must people or companies dont trust microsoft..
huh, what?

jtpenrod

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Re: Time Runs Out for Blocking XP SP2 Updates
« Reply #1 on: 8 April 2005, 22:25 »
heh, this is why must people or companies dont trust microsoft..

I don't see how this conclusion logically follows. After all, it seems that MS responded quickly to the needs of the customer in this case. Now, it may inconvenience the home user should SP2 break applications. In a corporate setting, it's understandable that IT managers would want to do test installs before deploying on a corporate-wide network.

What I have a problem with is the fact that MS doesn't seem to draw a distinction between the corporate user and the home user. While it is helpful to atechnological home users (I received a NEC system from these neighbors that had Win 98SE installed. Upon booting it up, I discovered that this sytem had a Norton AV that had never received an update since the subscription expired, and the last disk defrag had been done 864 days prior) to do for them what they can/will not do for themselves, why would they treat their corporate customers as if they were equally clueless? Why not leave these decisions up to supposedly "professional" IT managers to take care of this in their own good time?

Aren't these people being paid to make these decisions?  :eek:
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themacuser

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Re: Time Runs Out for Blocking XP SP2 Updates
« Reply #2 on: 11 April 2005, 10:15 »
What the hell is this even for... Why wouldn't you want SP2?
I'm often asked why I hate Microsoft - "What did they ever do to you?". Well, I'll tell you. They made dodgy programs and standards which have wasted hundreds of hours of my time involving lost work in crashes and stupidity.

KernelPanic

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Re: Time Runs Out for Blocking XP SP2 Updates
« Reply #3 on: 11 April 2005, 13:53 »
Quote from: themacuser
What the hell is this even for... Why wouldn't you want SP2?


Say for example, it broke your in-house warehousing software and you had to close your factory.
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themacuser

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Re: Time Runs Out for Blocking XP SP2 Updates
« Reply #4 on: 19 April 2005, 03:19 »
I wouldn't think that they would have THAT much trouble...

But then again, Microsoft has been known to screw things over very much with "updates"...
I'm often asked why I hate Microsoft - "What did they ever do to you?". Well, I'll tell you. They made dodgy programs and standards which have wasted hundreds of hours of my time involving lost work in crashes and stupidity.