Q: When I first heard that SP2 was released, I was looking forward to installing it on my system. I haven’t done it yet because I’ve been reading some horrible comments about the update. Apparently it’s giving people a lot of problems. Is this really an issue?

A: The goal of a product upgrade is to fix the problems, not present a whole new batch of them. While it’s true that SP2 has been seamlessly installed on the majority of systems, some people are going to run into occasional problems from time to time. I’ve personally had an overwhelming amount of e-mail about SP2 problems flood into my Inbox. Inconsistencies are springing up all over the place, and most of these things can’t easily be explained. A lot of people are now having problems running some of their favorite software, and others have noticed their computers slow down considerably. I had to laugh when one Gnomie told me that he tried to contact three different companies on problems he was having, and they all placed the blame directly on SP2.

If you’re going to install SP2 over an established installation of Windows, go ahead and clean up your system. Get rid of any viruses, spyware, and unused programs that you may have on your hard drive. It’s a good move to install SP2 on a machine that is relatively clean, and if you can, you may even consider installing it over a fresh install of Windows XP.

Those of you who have experienced no problems with SP2 should be happy for your success. However, if you’re still struggling with SP2’s quirks, I want you to know that I feel your pain. Let’s go console ourselves at The Apple Store.

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