MS Windows SP2 clashes with more than 40 programs

The update for Windows XP makes a long list of programs appear to stop working, including Microsoft's own SQL and Visual Studio .Net
Microsoft has published the details of more than 40 programs that have conflicts with the newly released Windows XP SP2.
The list includes several widely used Microsoft products including SQL, Visual Studio .Net, and SMS 2003 Server.
The list can be found under the heading "Some programs that seem to stop working when you install Windows XP Service Pack 2" on Microsoft's website. XP SP2 has also created problems with Symantec's Antivirus Corporate Edition 8.0, MacAfee's NetShield 4.5 and CA's eTrust 7.0.
Some games that run on XP also come to grief following the installation of the service pack, including Scrabble 3.0 and two versions of Unreal Tournament. Microsoft doesn't give hints on how to resolve the conflict with the games but points users in the direction of the original vendor, with instructions to "see the documentation".
Some Microsoft programs "appear" to stop working but can be coaxed back into life if you follow the instructions given for each individual program on the Microsoft website. The conflicts mainly stem from the SP2 tendency to shut certain ports or block 'unsolicited connections' - often a sign of malware, spyware or other unwanted visitors.
There is one notable exception, however. Microsoft's CRM product won't work with a SP2-equipped machine, full stop. Microsoft has already issued a fix for the incompatibility.
It's such incompatibilities that have prompted IBM to advise its staff to not install the service pack for fear it might conflict with business-critical applications.
A complete list of the programs that conflict with XP SP2 and how to resolve the problems can be found on Microsoft's website, here.

Microsoft Lists XP SP2 Problems

With automatic download of Microsoft's (Nasdaq: MSFT - news) enormous SP2 security patch to the Windows XP (news - web sites) operating system set to begin, the industry still waits to understand its ramifications. Home users that have their preferences set to receive operating-system updates as they are made available by Microsoft may be surprised to learn that some of the software they already run on their systems could be disabled by SP2 or may run very differently.
Microsoft has released a long list of programs that are affected, including many of its own products. Even administrators of sophisticated networks are having a hard time making their way through the update, security firm Secunia's CTO Thomas Kristensen told NewsFactor. "People really should be very careful" about this mega-patch, he stressed.
Home-User Conflicts
Many of the programs on Microsoft's list of problems will affect enterprise users for the most part. However, a big group of computer games, including a range of those made by Atari, are affected. In addition, the update can interfere with the operation of several popular antivirus programs -- including those made by McAfee and Symantec (Nasdaq: SYMC - news).
Quicken (news - web sites) 2003 products are among those that may "experience issues," according to Microsoft's notice. WordPerfect Office appears on the list, as do three versions of Microsoft's own Outlook.
Enterprise Headaches
Technical-support personnel responsible for hundreds or thousands of corporate users have a rough road ahead of them, said Kristensen. His firm is advising clients to test SP2 very thoroughly to make sure that it is compliant with all other applications running on the enterprise network.
"Don't apply it until you know that it's working," he stressed. He added that Secunia's business customers are not rushing to apply this particular security enhancement due to the plethora of compatibility issues.
Yahoo's (Nasdaq: YHOO - news) instant-messenger tool appears on the list of applications with potential SP2 conflicts. So does ICQ. The corporate editions of several popular security products appear on the list. Ubiquitous plug-in and helper applications used with Web browsers are involved, such as Real Networks' Real Player.
Perhaps most frustrating for the system administrator in Microsoft-based shops, however, is the fact that the update could affect so many of Microsoft's other products running on the same network. Several Visual Studio products already have known conflicts with SP2, as do a range of Office editions and BizTalk 2004.

Windows update causes headaches

Games, security software and popular business programs are clashing with Microsoft's long-awaited security update for Windows XP.
Since SP2 was released to business users, reports have circulated about programs behaving differently once the upgrade is in place.
Microsoft has drawn up a long list of programs that do not sit well with SP2.
Included in the list are games such as Unreal Tournament, Photoshop Elements and most file-sharing programs.
Long list
Service Pack 2 for Windows XP is intended to make the operating system much less susceptible to the viruses, hack attacks and worms that have made the headlines over the last few years.
As well as giving users a single place to manage their anti-virus software, firewall and updates to Windows, the SP2 update also makes changes under the hood in an attempt to stop viruses and malicious hack attacks taking hold.
CHANGES DUE IN SP2
Pop-up ads blocked
Revamped firewall on by default
Outlook Express, Internet Explorer and Windows Messenger warn about attachments
Origins of downloaded files logged
Web graphics in e-mail no longer loaded by default
Some spyware blocked
Users regularly reminded about Windows Updates
Security Centre brings together information about anti-virus, updates and firewall
Protection against buffer over-runs
Windows Messenger Service turned off by default Early reports suggested that some of the changes SP2 introduced caused problems with programs that needed remote access across networks.
Now, about a week after SP2 was released to business customers, Microsoft has compiled a long list of programs that the update is known to cause problems with.
Microsoft has put together two articles detailing the problems. One deals with programs that behave differently after installing SP2 and a second that details the programs that seem to stop working after the upgrade is in place.
Many games, such as Unreal Tournament 2003 and Sim City 4, will behave differently because the firewall in XP is automatically turned on when SP2 is installed.
Paul Randle, head of all things XP at Microsoft in the UK, said most of the problems were caused by older programs that expected to have net access that the update shut off.
"They are also ones that are trying to communicate across a network between a client and a server," he told BBC News Online.
Microsoft has produced guidelines for what to do if programs stop working after SP2 is downloaded and installed.
Many anti-virus programs from security firms such as Symantec feature on this list.
Mr Randle said updating anti-virus software with the latest versions should iron out the conflicts.
For some programs the list of instructions involves finding and opening ports used by programs to make sure they can communicate via the web.
For average users, these instructions could prove formidably complicated.
A version of the SP2 update for consumer PCs is expected to be released soon.