Windows XP SP2: Fix or Foe?
Windows XP SP2: Fix or Foe?Beware of conflicts with your security software.Michael Desmond When Microsoft rolled out Service Pack 2 for Windows XP, it marked an important milestone for the giant software maker. The company had plowed more than six months and $100 million dollars into the SP2 super patch in an effort to resolve Windows XP’s growing list of security headaches. In addition to plugging a lot of holes that hackers could take advantage of, SP2 delivered an upgraded firewall that is active by default. Just like that, millions of Windows XP-based PCs can automatically filter incoming traffic and hide resources from other systems on the Internet. There’s just one problem. Windows XP SP2 can end up disabling or otherwise affecting third-party security applications you already have running. Some experts say that despite possible headaches, this is actually good news. In the past, Windows updates and patches have focused so much on maintaining compatibility that they’ve glossed ov
