XP SP2 --- How to prevent users from installing it?

  • Thread starter Thread starter Fred Yarbrough
  • Start date Start date
-----Original Message-----
Do you really think SP2 will conflict with any programs? If they are working
fine with SP1 now, I bet you won't experience any problems in SP2 at all.

download XP SP2
when what applications
will test it? I guess
that warning users to wait
before


.
Click to expand...
Loaded it last nite on my laptop, took forever to boot
and several applications broke. I removed it and every
thing started to work again.
 
I don't think that it will conflict with programs per se, but the
firewall and popup blocking may block features that are used not so much
by programs as by web sites (and, in a few cases, by programs that send
and receive traffic over the 'net). I use a lot of web sites that use
popups for legitmate purposes other than advertising.

I installed it last night on several machines, and I've been very
pleasantly surprised so far, no problems at all even with things where I
was expecting them (file and printer sharing were enabled by default, at
least on machines where a drive had previously been shared prior to the
installation).
 
Fred Yarbrough said:
Let me extrapolate.
Click to expand...

I think you mean "elaborate".
We do not enforce restrictive policies on our users. I wish that we
could, but our business is comprised of engineers, scientists, and
programmers that must have administrative privileges on their local
machines to do their job functions. Most of these guys are very
sharp and that is what concerns me
Click to expand...

I work in a similar environment. All you can do is send around a
warning.

By way of example, I have appended the message I sent around
yesterday.

- Pat


To: all
Subject: Windows XP Service Pack 2
From: "Patrick J. LoPresti"
Date: 09 Aug 2004 10:53:38 -0400

Microsoft has released the final version of Service Pack 2 ("SP2") for
Windows XP. It will appear as an update for the general public
sometime this week.

This is no ordinary update. It has been two years since the last
service pack and the changes are huge. In some ways, it is more like
a major OS upgrade.

Until the Systems group ("we") can do some testing, we will be unable
to support SP2. If you install it and anything breaks, our assistance
will be limited to wiping your disk and installing an OS which we do
support.

If you decide to install it anyway, be sure to back up any precious
data first. And by all means, let us know how it goes.

- Pat

P.S. Microsoft released SP2 to MSDN over the weekend. I downloaded
it from there, so you can (but shouldn't) install from our local copy
by running S:\public\updates\winxp\sp2\update\update.exe.
 
A calmly worded message to the effect that if the machine is broken
there are no loaners available while yours is rebuilt should get the
message across.
 
tom said:
I have read today that MS has hinted at a reg key that will bypass xp sp2
download while allowing other critical updates to install. However, I have
not found any specific info. Anybody seen any specifics? Read bellow:
http://news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/pcworld/20040809/tc_pcworld/117297
Click to expand...
Hi

Here you go:

Temporarily Disabling Delivery of Windows XP Service Pack 2 through
Windows Update and Automatic Updates
http://www.microsoft.com/technet/prodtechnol/winxppro/maintain/sp2aumng.mspx


Toolkit to Temporarily Block Delivery of Windows XP SP2 to a PC Through
Automatic Updates and Windows
http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/...BA-EA5D-4425-89C1-C1CB1CCD463C&displaylang=en
 
I think many people do not quite understand that sp2 does break applications,
be they internet based or local. I am currently devoting most of my time to
avoid installing sp2 on the machines within my networks. It is known and a
deadline has been set for September to assure compatiblity for the core
software app that is going to be affected by sp2 that we use. In the interim
I am blocking sp2 on the local machines. BUT many of the workers work from
home, one of the key benefits to online software. They will in fact
unknowingly install SP2 and not be able to work from home. Since this is not
mission critical problem as some people might be quick to point out, my main
concern is not set towards blocking sp2. It is in fact dedicated towards
making the roll back from sp2 to sp1 as quick and painless as possible for
the end user. I know this does nothing for anyone in the grand scheme of
things, aside from offering a diffrent perspective.

I could blow this more out of proportion but I think that the release is
more needed for the average home user then a corporate enviroment. I just
have to wait for the software companies to become compatible, nothing new
there.

I remember when sp1 came out Discreet's 3DMax software users could no longer
access their old files, was quite funny.

Anyhow it's to be expected
 
Fred
I sympathize with you. I had a brief look at the responses to your 'cry for
help' and few were practical. We face the same dilemma with probably 1000
installations of XP. All users have local Admin rights and we are not
managing via AD yet. All I can do is send out a warning to users that SP2 is
not certified in our organization, that it will break certain applications
and may introduce security exposures.
DC
 
Cazulp said:
Fred
I sympathize with you. I had a brief look at the responses to your 'cry for
help' and few were practical. We face the same dilemma with probably 1000
installations of XP. All users have local Admin rights and we are not
managing via AD yet. All I can do is send out a warning to users that SP2 is
not certified in our organization, that it will break certain applications
and may introduce security exposures.
Click to expand...
Hi

You might be able to get a 4 month delay:

Temporarily Disabling Delivery of Windows XP Service Pack 2 through
Windows Update and Automatic Updates
http://www.microsoft.com/technet/prodtechnol/winxppro/maintain/sp2aumng.mspx


Toolkit to Temporarily Block Delivery of Windows XP SP2 to a PC Through
Automatic Updates and Windows Update
http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/...BA-EA5D-4425-89C1-C1CB1CCD463C&displaylang=en
 
Thanks! We sent out an "All Hands Bulletin" to all of our users. I have
already identified several applications that SP2 has caused heartburn with.


Thanks All,
Fred
 
Well you need to set restrictive policies.
Click to expand...

Maybe not, if you are not at war with your headcounts and said
headcounts have some clue.

What you will need to do is stop Windows Update automatically
stealthing SP2 into the system. The MS web site has something you can
use to specifically block SP2 from Windows Update, so that they can
still get the usual smaller updates without having to swallow the
whole of SP2 first. This is the only way Windows Update will remain
useful to DUN users who don't enjoy free ISP calls.


------------ ----- --- -- - - - -
Click to expand...
Drugs are usually safe. Inject? (Y/n)
 
Did you think about making a SUS(software update service) ?? it can solve
your problem, you just point all the clients windows update to that server
and if you dont approve an update on the server clients can't get it... :)
its a great solution and its free
Harout Tachejian
 
That would be a good idea, except Fred said that everyone on his network has
complete Admin privileges.
 
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