Microsoft Steers Firefox Users Wrong On XP SP1 (WinXP Without SP2 Will Not Be Updated After Oct. 10)

TechWeb ^ | September 29, 2006 | Gregg Keizer

[Spktyr]

This isn't an uncommon problem. Microsoft introduced "Windows Genuine Advantage" and a whole *lot* of people with legit Xp installs are getting this error.

http://www.mydigitallife.info/2006/04/26/disable-and-remove-windows-genuine-advantage-notifications-nag-screen/

[AwesomePossum]

I have XP Home updated/upgraded from SP1 to SP2 via automatic updates.......................before SP2, when something went wrong, I could re-install the XP from my store bought XPCD, but, since it is now upgraded to SP2, last time I tried to re-install XP from my XPCD I got a message, something like.............Your current version of XP is no longer compatible............

Question: Will slipstreaming solve this, and/or, are there other ways? Thanks in advance..............

:}

[Echo Talon]

I bet more positive detections are being found than false positives, LOTS MORE.

[cccp_hater]

"Also, I gave up on Norton Internet Secuiry(2006), because it was a resource hog, I switched to AVG FREE and ZONE Alarm FREE , BOTH can be downloaded from www.majorgeeks.com"

Very smart move. Installing Norton is almost as bad as having a virus itself. AVG is a free, small alternative with minimal overhead. I've seen Norton take up 60MB of RAM doing nothing. AVG is typically less than 10MB. People are so worried about viruses (which are actually quite rare unless you are installing stuff willy nilly) they don't realize they are installing software which takes more power away from the pc than most viruses ever will.

[Echo Talon]

Question: Will slipstreaming solve this, and/or, are there other ways? Thanks in advance..............

YES, IF you have a real Windows CD and not a product recovery disk like what you usually get from HP, Dell etc... If you have a normal Windows XP CD, then you can slipstream it, scroll up I have provided a link to a page that will show you how to do it.

[AwesomePossum]

Dayam that was fast.................

Are ther any other alternatives to slipstreaming?

[Echo Talon]

I like Norton and have used it for a long time(just got tired of it because of numerous quirks, i still have a subscription but im using free instead!)

The Quirks im speaking of is
1. Slow Windows Boot times..
2. Slow Windows Shupdown Times and frequent errors upon shutting down ccapp blah blah blah...
3. yes a little big higher memory recources while in Windows

What sent me over the edge was the shutdown problem i was experiencing.

[weegee]

Thanks. Ordered one (Free and postage was reasonable).

[Perdogg]

I am going to remove Norton, install SP2 and get AVG FREE and ZONE Alarm.

I should not have any problems, right?

[cccp_hater]

Of course there is always the possibility something could go wrong, but odds are good you should have zero problems with this type of uninstallation/upgrade.

I do suggest this move as it is likely to remove gaps in your security (sp2) and will reduce the cpu overhead needed to keep to Norton running. You should see a fairly significant improvement overall.

[antiRepublicrat]

Either you want a hard drive larger than 120GB, or you deal in file sizes larger than 4GB.

Or if you want to do SMP, use applications no longer made for 9x (like the Adobe apps), do 64-bit, have multiple users with some security between them, use NTFS features, etc.

[Echo Talon]

Are ther any other alternatives to slipstreaming?

1. you could buy a new Windows XP SP2 CD... from newegg

Microsoft Windows XP Media Center Edition 2005 w/SP2B - OEM $109.99

or you could do a fresh install of your old OS and install SP2 afterwards. Slipstreaming just updates your cd to the new version so that when when you install the cd SP2 is automaticalled installed.

[Popocatapetl]

You'll note that the reasons you gave are really based in hardware improvements, with much less being software advancement.

Eventually, I look forward to a "master program" that will take hardware specifications and tailor all software to conform to those specifications. Actually re-write software by module to optimize it on different systems.

Philosophically, there is a pendulum swing from standardization to specialization and back. This is why a master program is needed. Essentially a gigantic AI programmer that reverse engineers software and analyzes it both for optimization for a given system, and to have cross platform communications.

95% of software is fairly simple, and if proprietary, then could be rewritten to not violate copyright restrictions. The most complex software would be major projects requiring years of analysis. But it is all cumulative.

Already, we are passing the upper limits of what human programmers in a business environment can produce, when parts of a software is produced in several different countries.

Once a master program system is in place, advances in computer hardware no longer have to be stymied by lack of useful software. Software creation, in turn, will be far less rote and concentrate more on its innovative side.