Readme for Microsoft®
Windows® XP Service Pack 2
(ReadMeSP.htm)

This file contains important information about installing Microsoft® Windows® XP Service Pack 2 (SP2). This information applies to all levels of users, from those who are less advanced to those who are advanced users or system administrators.

Even if you have installed service packs before, review the topics in this file to find those that are pertinent to your set up before you install SP2. This is important because installation methods have changed since the last service pack.

If you are an advanced user or a system administrator installing SP2 on more than one computer or over a network, see Resources for Advanced Users and System Administrators.

Microsoft is continually working to improve its software by developing and releasing updates. Periodically, these updates are combined into a single package, which is called a service pack.

SP2 contains the latest collection of updates for Windows XP. These updates include the following:

• Windows Security Center, where you can view and manage your computer's security settings in one place.
• Windows Firewall, which is installed and enabled by default. It helps protect your computer from viruses and other security threats, such as unauthorized users who might try to gain access to your computer over the Internet or a network.
• Download protection for Internet Explorer, which warns you about potentially harmful downloads, and allows you to block unwanted programs.
• Attachment Manager, which helps protect Outlook Express, Windows Messenger, and Internet Explorer from viruses that can spread over the Internet.
• Pop-up Blocker in Internet Explorer, which makes browsing the Internet safer and more enjoyable because it blocks unwanted pop-up windows.
• Windows Movie Maker 2.1, which is installed when you install SP2. This version of Windows Movie Maker contains updates to Group Policy that might be of interest to system administrators. It also includes updates that can help improve the security of your system. For more information, see the Windows Movie Maker Web site.
• Changes to Microsoft Windows Media® Player (which is updated to Windows Media 9 Series in SP2) so you can enjoy music, video, and broadband content more securely.

More information about these updates appears during SP2 Setup. To view this information now, click What to know before installing Windows XP Service Pack 2.

Before you install SP2, review information about new functionality on the Microsoft Windows XP Service Pack 2 Web site.

Information about SP2 is also available in Help and Support Center, which has been updated for SP2. You will be able to access Help and Support Center after you install SP2.

Windows XP Service Pack 1

Because SP2 contains all previous updates for Windows XP, including those provided in Service Pack 1 (SP1), installing SP2 will give you all of those previous updates.

If SP1 is already installed on your computer, you should install SP2 without first removing SP1.

You can use SP2 to update the following operating systems:

• Microsoft Windows XP Home Edition
• Microsoft Windows XP Professional
• Microsoft Windows XP Media Center Edition and Microsoft Windows XP Media Center Edition 2004

If you install SP2 onto a computer running Windows XP Media Center Edition, your operating system is upgraded to Windows XP Media Center Edition 2004.

• Microsoft Windows XP Tablet PC Edition

If you install SP2 onto a computer running Windows XP Tablet PC Edition, your operating system is upgraded to Windows XP Tablet PC Edition 2005.

After you install SP2 and restart your computer, the Welcome to Tablet PC window opens. It provides links to information about the new operating system, including tutorials.

You cannot use SP2 to update the following operating systems:

• Microsoft Windows Millennium Edition or other earlier Windows operating systems
• Microsoft Windows XP 64-Bit Edition Version 2003
• Microsoft Windows XP 64-Bit Edition

If Your Computer is Not Running Windows XP

If your computer is not currently running Windows XP Home Edition, Windows XP Professional, Windows XP Media Center Edition, or Windows XP Tablet PC Edition, there are several ways you can install Windows XP Home Edition or Windows XP Professional and SP2.

You can buy a Windows XP Home Edition or Windows XP Professional product CD (both of which are available with SP2 included), and then install the operating system and service pack simultaneously from the CD.

If you are an advanced user, and you have a copy of Windows XP that does not include SP2, you can create and perform an installation in which the service pack is integrated with Windows XP Home Edition, Windows XP Professional, or Windows XP. For more information about this type of installation, see Resources for Advanced Users and System Administrators.

Important

• If you want to obtain Windows XP Media Edition, you can purchase a computer onto which this operating system has already been installed.

To install SP2 on a single computer, the computer must be running the Windows XP operating systems listed in Updating Windows XP to Service Pack 2. In addition, your computer must have a CD-ROM drive and at least the following:

• A 233 megahertz (MHz) processor
• 64 megabytes (MB) of RAM
• 900 MB of available disk space during installation

You should complete the following steps before you start to install SP2.

To prepare for your installation of Service Pack 2

1. Determine whether you can update your operating system to SP2. (See Updating Windows XP to Service Pack 2 earlier in this guide.)
2. Review the contents of SP2, which are explained in the following resources:
• What Service Pack 2 Includes
• Microsoft Windows XP Service Pack 2 Web site.
3. Start your computer and log on as an administrator.

Administrators have complete and unrestricted access to the operating system and its settings. You can either log on with the user name Administrator, or use another account that is set up as a member of the Administrator group. To determine which group a user is set up for, in Control Panel, open User Accounts.

4. If you use Faster User Switching, make sure all other users are logged off. (For more information, see the topic, "Fast User Switching," in Help and Support Center.)
5. Perform a full backup of the files that you keep on your computer.

For details about how to perform a full back up, see the topic, "Backing up files and folders," in Help and Support Center.

You can use the Backup and Restore Wizard to back up documents, pictures, and other files.

Important

• Backing up your own files is different from archiving service pack files. Archiving files enables you to remove the service pack later if you want to, but does not back up personal files such as pictures or documents.
6. If your computer is running Windows XP Professional, create an Automated System Recovery (ASR) set before you begin the installation. This helps repair your setup if the installation fails.

(If your computer is running Windows XP Home Edition, ignore this step; ASR is not available for Windows XP Home Edition.)

For detailed instructions about system recovery, see the following resources:

• "To create an Automated System Recovery set using Backup" and "To recover from a system failure using Automated System Recovery" in Help and Support Center.
• Article 818903, "Automated System Recovery Overview in Windows XP," in the Microsoft Knowledge Base.
7. Close all open programs.
8. If you are not connected to a network or the Internet, and you want to minimize the installation time for the SP2 update, you can choose to disable your antivirus software. You can usually do this by right-clicking your antivirus-software icon (which typically appears in the bottom right-hand corner of the computer screen), and clicking Disable. Be sure to enable the antivirus software again after you install SP2.

Important

• Antivirus software is a critical part of keeping a computer secure, but the time that it takes for the software to scan files on your system can add significantly to the time required to install the service pack—as much as an hour or more on slower systems.

Disabling your antivirus software before you install the service pack eliminates this extra installation time.

If you disable your antivirus software before you install the service pack, be sure that you are aware of the risks involved, and be sure to enable it after the service pack is installed.

9. Proceed with the installation, as described in the following section.

You can install SP2 either from the Service Pack 2 CD or from the Microsoft Windows XP Service Pack 2 Web site. The Web site provides a link to Windows Update, where you can install SP2.

If you install SP2 from the Service Pack 2 CD, the Welcome to Windows XP Service Pack 2 window should automatically open when you insert the product CD. If this window does not appear, do the following:

• Click Start, click Run, type the following, and then press ENTER:

Drive:\Autorun.exe

(where Drive: is the drive letter associated with your CD-ROM drive)

When the Welcome to Windows XP Service Pack 2 window opens, follow the instructions for installing SP2.

To install Service Pack 2

1. When the Welcome to Windows XP Service Pack 2 window appears, click Install Now.
2. Follow the instructions that appear on your screen.
3. After the installation is complete, restart your computer.
4. If you disabled your antivirus software, enable it again.

You can use Add or Remove Programs to remove SP2 and restore your computer to its previous state.

To remove Service Pack 2 by using Add or Remove Programs

1. Click Start, and then click Control Panel.
2. Click Add or Remove Programs, click Windows XP Service Pack 2, and then click Remove.
3. Follow the instructions that appear on your screen.

Important

• If you choose to remove SP2, a dialog box displays a list of the applications that you installed after you installed SP2. If you continue with the removal, these applications might not work correctly.

This section provides links to resources and information about updates, security updates, and new functionality included in SP2. It also provides links to information about creating and deploying integrated installations.

• For descriptions of new settings and other changes that help improve security, and information about deploying SP2 and managing an environment where computers are running Windows XP with SP2, see Windows XP Service Pack 2 Resources for IT Professionals on the Microsoft TechNet Web site.
• For information about new functionality in SP2, see the following articles:
• "Changes to Functionality in Microsoft Windows XP Service Pack 2" on the Microsoft TechNet Web site
• "Deploying Windows Firewall Settings for Microsoft Windows XP with Service Pack 2" at the Microsoft Download Center.
• For information about updates, including security updates, see the following resources:
• For details about security updates included in SP2, see the List of Security Bulletins on the Microsoft TechNet Web site.
• For details about other updates included in SP2, see article 811113, "List of Fixes included in Windows XP Service Pack 2," in the Microsoft Knowledge Base.
• For information about problems that can arise with SP2, see article 835935, "Release Notes for Windows XP Service Pack 2," in the Microsoft Knowledge Base.
• For information about deploying Microsoft Windows XP Tablet PC Edition 2005, see "Single-Image Deployment Guide for Windows XP Tablet PC Edition 2005" on the Microsoft TechNet Web site.

Guides for Integrating Windows XP with Service Pack 2

There are several ways you can upgrade to Windows XP with SP2 from an earlier Windows operating system, (such as Windows 2000 Professional). You can either purchase a product CD of Windows XP with Service Pack 2, or you can create an integrated installation in which you combine the service pack with Windows XP Home Edition or Windows XP Professional. For more information about creating and installing an integrated installation, see the following guides:

• Guide for Installing and Deploying Microsoft Windows Service Pack 2. This guide is located in the \Support\Tools folder on your Service Pack 2 CD (see SPDeploy.htm).
• Guide for Installing and Deploying Updates for Microsoft Windows XP. This guide is located in the \Support\Tools folder on the Service Pack 2 CD (see HFDeploy.htm). It provides instructions for installing updates, critical updates, and security updates (formerly known collectively as hotfixes) on multiple computers.

For additional resources and information, including information about Windows XP Home Edition, Windows XP Professional, and this service pack, see:

• The Microsoft Windows XP Service Pack 2 Web site.
• The Windows Update Web site, which you can use to periodically scan your system and determine whether there are any updates or critical updates that you should install.
• The Microsoft Windows Catalog Web site, which provides up-to-date information about supported hardware and software products.
• The Microsoft Knowledge Base, which provides updated information about Windows XP.

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