Pre SP1 XP Install Is a Rough Ride

[Whizbang]

I installed XP Pro on my new machine and really had to "swim the swamp."  SP1 and SP2 would not automatically install on the Biostar for some reason that probably was not at all related to the error message on the page.  I ended up picking through the files to find the XP updates, very humiliating.  It was a bit like picking through Microsoft trash to find something the computer would eat.  Unfortunately, the last one had "sp1' in the title string; and I knew I had really blown it.  Believe it or not, it worked anyway, a bit like crossing the swamp and then building the bridge.  It is interesting that the farther one gets from the publishing date of an OS, the more difficult it is to put it all together that next time.

Now SP2 is installing.  For those of you who do not know, the "upgrades" now include reducing the time allowed to activate XP to only 3 days, as opposed to the original 30.  It is really good to know that we have someone like Microsoft helping us get things done in a hurry.   :P

[Chandler]

I'd recommend slipstreaming SP2 (or at the very least SP1) into a new Windows CD install CD.  I don't even think I've got an XP RTM CD around because I'd hate to install that clean.  The main things missing are USB 2.0 and 48-bit LBA support (added in SP1) and WPA support for wireless networks (added in SP2).

[scuzzy]

I think Microsoft should force us to activate Windows before we install it. This would be done by phone, and we would be provided a confusing 50 character serial number to enter during the setup. Immediately after installation, we should be forced to activate it again just to make sure we got it right. Windows shouild then check every 5 minutes to make sure that we have a genuine Windows approved installation.

Once a week, we should also have to mail the original receipt to MS.

The instant anything goes wrong, regardless of how insignificant, Windows should automatically shut down and assume that the installation was a phony.

Scuzzy; That's what I really want. Until I get my Apple notebook next year.

[Whizbang]

An Apple a day...   I don't know if Linux has an inherent strength that can be built upon, but I really would like to get out of the Windows "windmill."  I decided to activate my newly installed XP only to find that I had activated too often, as in the last one being over 120 days ago.  I went the automated route, followed by the personal dialog route with an outsourcing agent who was a bit short on proficient English.  I was grilled about why it would not activate and what kind of computer I had.  I think he got bored with my explanation and just gave me a new key.

Now, after that ordeal, XP burped and is loading very slowly; AVG regurgitated its password and had to be reinstalled, and Firefox "catches fire" and crashes if I try to download a file.  I can just hear the agent on the phone if I have to go through with this again.  I probably will copy the WPA file and then reinsert it after I format and reinstall.

I am reminded of how I initially tested my system in the first place.  I simply loaded my Vector Linux Live CD and booted up in less than 4 minutes, without a hard drive load.  XP takes me about 10 hours or more when I load everything, and that is when I do not have problems.