Windows XP advice needed

[Clockface]

I've just bought a laptop with Windows XP Service Pack 2 pre-installed. I've never used SP2 before, as I've never needed the Service Packs, and I was wondering if I'd be better off reformatting and installing XP minus the service packs, as presumably the extra code of SP1 and 2 cause extra bugs, bloat and slow down (as per Microsoft...), and as far as I'm aware, the SPs offer me nothing that I want or need.

I've always just used plain old XP (no Service Packs) on my desktop PC, and I've had no problems at all (I use third party programs for security, such as Zonealarm and AVG), so do the service packs add anything useful, or conversely cause any problems?

I won't be using the laptop on-line anyway, so the security fixes that SP2 is supposed to offer, that I've never before needed, seem even less relevent.

Thanks for any answers.

[cxls]

I would definitely recommend using XP with SP2, but if you never use it connected to the internet and have no chance of introducing it to viruses, then it probably doesn't matter.

For what it's worth, if you have SP2 pre-installed, you probably won't have the kinds of problems that many people encountered when they upgraded to SP2.

[Paul Unger]

Well, yours certainly sounds like a unique situation, what with "not using the laptop online" (is that, like, never?! ). If that's the case, I can't see the service packs offering you too much as they're primarily intended to increase online security (see MS "Top Ten" reasons why you 'need' SP2 here: http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/sp2/topten.mspx). I've never run w/o SP2 (since a few months after its introduction--time enough to let them work the bugs out!), so I don't know what kinds of issues (drivers? other?) you'll run into w/o it . . . But in your case I'd say save the disk space and see what you find. And let us know how it goes

[jdhurst]

So long as you have 512Mb minimum, SP2 presents no problems. In fact, I have every single XP update both recommended and critical running on my NetVista desktop and on my T41 Laptop. No problems, no slowness, no bloat, no issues. It would be most unwise, in my opinion, to do what you are suggest (no service packs). ... JDH

[Paul Unger]

I guess that's why I emphasised the "never" bit . . . As far as I can see the service packs are aimed at online security. Now if you have a machine that is never online, online security is, by definition, not necessary. But that's a mighty big IF!

[tomh009]

It boggles the mind that you would not want SP2. SP2 has literally hundreds of bug fixes and security enhancements, and very little bloat.

Even if you never use the Internet, all you need is someone else's infected laptop on the same network as your ThinkPad, and you'll end up spending hours, if not days, cleaning malware off your non-SP2 XP installation.

Don't throw the baby out with the bathwater -- SP2 is absolutely a better choice than SP1, let alone the original XP.

[pianowizard]

as presumably the extra code of SP1 and 2 cause extra bugs, bloat and slow down (as per Microsoft...)

I agree with everyone that it's important to have SP2. If you worry about getting slowed down by it, perhaps you can buy one more stick of 1GB memory. If you're using PC2-5300, that would cost only around $40.

[Giovanni]

I install SP2 and then disable the Security Center as well as the Firewall/ICS service so it never annoys me with complaints. Once you do that SP2 runs without a hitch. If you need a software firewall (hardware ones are infinitely better anyway so you probably won't need one unless you run on public WiFi or something a lot) there are firewalls far better than the junk one installed by SP2 anyway AFAIK.

[Clockface]

The laptop turned out to have knackered USB ports, so I had to send it back, and wait for a replacement. Still, they sent me a slightly faster model to make up for it, so I'm not complaining!

Anyway, thanks for the answers. In accordance with the consensus, I'll keep XP SP2 on there, I will be putting a virus killer on of course (and Firefox, for reading HTML files that I've downloaded on my desktop, and for HTML files), CDEX etc, but I really doubt it'll be used on the net, as I just wanted a machine to stay on the kitchen table, for easy reading of downloaded stuff and word-processing (and the odd game or two), but if so then I'll definately install Zone Alarm (I won't be relying on Micro$oft for security...). I'm not bothered about M$'s further patches, unless I hear that they've added something I want (you know, something really complicated, like a Print Directory Listing function, or a decent file finder function (the one in Win98 was much better than WinXP's on, which is terrible).