Windows XP SP 2 RC1 review

Service packs are rarely things to get excited about. Rolling in numerous bug fixes and minor tweaks, they're essential but not interesting - part of the life of every Windows user. But with the next major upgrade to Windows still more than two years away, Microsoft has taken the opportunity to make the second service pack release of Windows XP- SP 2 - something much more than justabug fix.
Instead, SP 2 adds new features that concentrate on areas where Windows XP has been conspicuously lacking, such as security, wireless support and updating, and adds a few new but worthy features to Internet Explorer. In addition, the company has bundled in a major update to the Tablet PC version of XP, which dramatically improves the product's handwriting recognition. We looked at a pre-release version, and were impressed bywhat we saw.
Security is a big preoccupation at Microsoft, for very good reason: if there's anything that has damaged the reputation of Windows lately, it's the plethora of security holes, viruses and worms that attack users on a daily basis.
This preoccupation is obvious from the moment you reboot your machine after installing SP 2. On startup, the new Security Center is the first thing you're faced with. Security Center gives a combined view of the status of your Internet options, firewall and anti-virus software, allowing you to see how secure your machine is immediately. There's also information here on getting better protection for your computer, and Security Center will work with virtually all commercial anti-virus packages, though Microsoft doesn't supply any anti-virus software itself. Although for corporate users it's hardly a big breakthrough, for home and small businesses it's a step forward, reminding users when their computer may be insecure.
The firewall is a significantly upgraded version of the Internet Connection Firewall previously bundled with Windows XP - and this time round, Microsoft has wisely turned it on by default. The firewall can be set to block all outside sources from connecting to your computer, or you can set up your own exceptions for different applications. Usefully, there's some granularity to this, so you can allow a particular application from within your own LAN while barring it from thewiderInternet.
Simply having the firewall turned on by default will aid in the battle against worms, such as Blaster, so this is a step forward on its own. Add the new regime for Windows updates to the mix and you'll solve many of the security issues that have beset Windows in the past. The operating system is now much more persistent about demanding updates, to the extent that if you click 'Restart later' after updating, it will continue to remind you that you need to restart. Options for updatingaremuch simpler, with a single 'Express Update' option that will download any and all criticalupdates in the background, notifying you when they're readyto install.Again, Windows will nag you ifyouchoose notto - and, again, this is turned on by default.
Underneath, Windows has had its security improved with the addition of support for hardware-enforced no-execute, commonly known as the NX bit. CPUs that support this feature can effectively mark application code as protected from being overwritten by data, making certain types of virus attacks more difficult. At present, this is supported only by AMD's Athlon 64 and Opteron processors, but with the support built into Windows it may be more widely adopted.
Wireless networks now get a new taskbar icon and a completely revamped interface for setting up and choosing which network you're connecting to. Where the previous wireless network interface was cluttered and, for new users, totally baffling, SP 2 makes it clean, clear, and easy to use.Finally, you can also tell Windows to automatically connect toa specific network whenever it's in range - an obvious feature that was somehow missedbefore.