Why sp2

[fat_basterd21]

Ok I installed sp2 and avast, We'll see how long it stays on there... Now does any1 know how to get rid of the little red shield constntly telling me "my automatic updats are off and this isn't recomended"

Thats Stike 1

[patio]

You are still about 3 dozen or so hotfix/updates til you are current...MS builds these things for a reason.

You can turn off Automatic Updates in your Security Control Panel and the little nag will go away.

patio.    8-)

[Rob Pomeroy]

the best virus software only protecs against the known viruses.

Not so.  All major anti-virus programs use detection heuristics which enable them to generalise about viruses.  The computer may not know about the particular virus, but it can detect viral behaviour and virus-like patterns.  This is one way that new viruses are detected by existing software.

[fat_basterd21]

Your right Rob I stand corrected... No major problems Avast does put some lag into it scanning everytime you open a program... I just turn of the standard shield provider when I'm running known programs. Dont know if this is a good idea or not... I definatly would not recomend XP on USB for a Computer under 3Ghz

[fat_basterd21]

You are still about 3 dozen or so hotfix/updates til you are current...MS builds these things for a reason.
patio.    8-)

I know And it would take a month to put all of them on.....

[soybean]

And, why do you think it would take that long?

[fat_basterd21]

It took a few hrs to install sp2 and i have it on disk

[soybean]

A few hours is a very long time for the installation of SP2; must be due to you having the OS on a external drive.  Anyway, the updates shouldn't take nearly as long as the SP2 installation, unless you're on a slow dialup connection.  Even then, the Windows updates would probably take less time than the SP2 installation.

[soybean]

Soybean, I've never noticed any problem running both at the same time, nor known anyone else. The Windows Firewall is a resistant little pest and often takes the liberty to enable itself whenever I run the network wizard, so it's often not by choice

From http://www.microsoft.com/athome/security/protect/firewall.mspx:

Q. Should I use both the built-in firewall and a software firewall from a different company on my Windows XP computer?

A. No. Running multiple software firewalls is unnecessary for typical home computers, home networking, and small-business networking scenarios. Using two firewalls on the same connection could cause issues with connectivity to the Internet or other unexpected behavior.

One firewall, whether it is the Windows XP Internet Connection Firewall or a different software firewall, can provide substantial protection for your computer.
 

[fat_basterd21]

Its only slow when I write large files to it and if I'm not booted off that drive it writes about as fast as the internal. Its just a cheap 1 from wal-mart though...

do I have to download and install 13 dozen differnt patches or is there one big download for everything to the current date...

[soybean]

There will be a lot of them but you do not need to install them all at once, although I'd suggest you get them all fairly soon.  You will see them in a list and be able to uncheck a box for certain ones if you want to postpone part of them until a later time.

[fat_basterd21]

I just found out installing sp2 messed up my port forwarding... Took me a few hrs to sort it out.... This is my bigest gripe about the updates....

But thanx ever1 for you thoughts.... I'm starting to wonder if how long this will go

[fat_basterd21]

Keep it ALIVE

[drsletmedown]

So I should have sp2 and this avast and would that be sufficient?

Ever since I started using Avast & Adaware & Spybot I have not had anything & they don't slow my computer down.  If I am doing something off line & don't want it trying to update I just turn it off simple enough.  You can set them all to manual for updates & NOTHING will be running.  I'm running a 3 gig P4 w. 1 gig ram but run all 3 on a 700 Mhz w/320 MB & it works great as well.
I would never get online without all 3.  I keep them on a disk & load them on all my new builds before ever getting online the first time & immediately update them all.

[fat_basterd21]

OK SP2 is seriosly pissing me off it totally erased all my network conectin setting and its a pain reseting it now finally figured out the ports now I find out printer sharing is off and who know ho to turn it on it says it is but it wants me to install it to my comp...