Windows XP Service Pack 2 Resources for IT Professionals

Windows XP Service Pack 2 Resources for IT Professionals

Explore the new features of Windows XP SP2 and find out what makes it a worthwhile update.

Get information on planning, testing, installing, application compatibility, and configuring your network.

Get details on managing Windows Firewall, controlling users’ access to the Internet, and using Group Policy.

Download and Deploy Service Pack 2 to Multiple Computers

Download and Install Service Pack 2 on a Single Computer

Order the Service Pack on CD


http://www.microsoft.com/technet/prodtechnol/winxppro/maintain/winxpsp2.mspx

New MyDoom Variants Could Forewarn Major Attack

New MyDoom Variants Could Forewarn Major Attack:
"The arrival of four new variants of the MyDoom worm within the last 24 hours has anti-virus experts worried that the virus creator may be preparing to release a major onslaught."

On Thursday afternoon, MyDoom.U, V, W and X all appeared within a couple of hours of one another. None of the variants is particularly worrisome or innovative on its own, but taken as a whole, the release of four versions so close together is of some concern, experts said. The last time so many variants of one virus were released in such a short period of time was in July when four minor versions of the Bagle virus emerged, followed by a major new strain. http://www.eweek.com/article2/0,1759,1624970,00.asp

Anti-virus researchers say the MyDoom author could be following a similar pattern.

"The last time this happened was with Bagle, and the next one was a big one," said Sam Curry, vice president of the eTrust Security division at Computer Associates International Inc., in Islandia, N.Y. "Plus, we're getting close to the end of the alphabet and a lot of times the Z and AA variants have some extra impact."

Curry also noted that with the third anniversary of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks coming up Saturday, virus writers may be looking to make a splash.

http://www.eweek.com/article2/0,1759,1644713,00.asp

Using special characters as typographic niceties

Using special characters as typographic niceties:
"Using special characters on Web pages
Generally speaking, you can use any of the characters that appear on the standard computer keyboard in the text of your Web page. The only exceptions are the ampersand (&), less than (<), and greater than (>) symbols, which have special meaning in HTML/XHTML code and are reserved for that use.

The standard keyboard characters are only a limited subset of the characters available. There are many other special-purpose characters available in the extended character set of most fonts, including accented letters, math symbols, and an assortment of punctuation characters and symbols.

In order to use one of the reserved symbols (&, <, >) or an extended character in a Web page, you must use an escape sequence, which is a sequence of characters that forms a special code instructing the browser to render the character identified by the code instead of the individual characters that make up the code. "

http://builder.com.com/5100-6371_14-5341208.html?tag=e601

The Search Engine Report - Number 94

The Search Engine Report - Number 94:
"In This Issue

• Search Engine Watch News
• Search Engine Strategies Set For Stockholm, Chicago
• Search Engine Watch Articles
• Search Engine Articles
• Search Engine Resources
• About The Newsletter"

Search Engine Milestones for August 2004
SearchDay, Sept. 1, 2004
http://www.searchenginewatch.com/searchday/article.php/3402251

Everything You Ever Wanted to Know About URL
SearchDay, Aug. 24, 2004
http://www.searchenginewatch.com/searchday/article.php/3398511

http://searchenginewatch.com/sereport/article.php/3405411

Microsoft Sets a New Deadline for XP Service Pack 2

Microsoft Sets a New Deadline for XP Service Pack 2:
"On Tuesday, Microsoft began notifying customers that it has established new deadlines regarding how long they will be able to block Windows XP Service Pack 2 (SP2) from downloading automatically to their systems.

Microsoft made available to customers in August a couple of different tools to temporarily disable the delivery of SP2¹ to users machines via its Windows Update/Automatic Update patching services. A number of customers had requested these tools, claiming they were not ready to take delivery of SP2, as they had not tested SP2 adequately to make sure it did not break their applications."

this deadline to 240 days, or eight months, from August 16. As a result, Microsoft will now begin pushing SP2 to all Windows XP and Windows XP Service Pack 1 customers automatically via Windows Update and Automatic Update as of April 12, 2005.

Microsoft noted the change in its patch-blocking dates² on its TechNet IT portal Web site, as well as in a note it sent to corporate customers via e-mail.

Microsoft released SP2 to manufacturing on August 6 and has been rolling it out in stages to its various XP customer bases over the past month.

Even though Microsoft has deemed SP2 a "critical" update, some corporate and home users have been leery to install it. Microsoft has acknowledged that a number of applications, including several of its own³, do not work properly with SP2 unless certain settings are changed. And a number of third-party hardware and software vendors still have yet to provide patches and updates to their products that will allow them to work with SP2.

1. http://www.microsoft-watch.com/article2/0,1995,1639208,00.asp

2. http://www.microsoft.com/technet/prodtechnol/winxppro/maintain/sp2aumng.mspx

3. http://www.microsoft-watch.com/article2/0,1995,1636071,00.asp

http://www.microsoft-watch.com/article2/0,1995,1643925,00.asp

Building a Wi-Fi Antenna Out of a Tin Can

Building a Wi-Fi Antenna Out of a Tin Can:
"While there are many commercial antennas available on the market today, they can be expensive. And hey, let's face it, attaching a commercial antenna to your Wi-Fi network will not turn heads like making your own will.

There are several different types of antennas that you can build. The most famous Wi-Fi antennas are made from either a coffee can or a Pringles potato chip can. In this chapter you learn how to build your own antenna from a regular, metal coffee can. You will be able to build it quickly and cheaply. As an added bonus, you will have lots of coffee which will come in handy in staying awake for the other projects in this book."

http://www.extremetech.com/print_article/0,1583,a=134389,00.asp

PC Magazine Feature: External Storage: Little Big Drives

PC Magazine Feature: External Storage: Little Big Drives:
"Backup has gotten personal: Small drives that match your lifestyle have changed the face of storage and backup. Add-in drives are out of the question now that notebooks are steadily replacing desktops. Fast interfaces such as USB 2.0 and FireWire have made plug-and-play external drives practical, and skyrocketing capacity and plummeting costs have made them affordable.

The files you're storing have changed, too. You're more likely to need room for your digital photos, gigabytes of music, Web site backup, or video-editing projects. IDE drives have become orders of magnitude more reliable in recent years, so the emphasis in backup has moved from generational data sets and disaster recovery to a clean working copy of your hard drive.…"

http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,1759,1639442,00.asp

Ten CSS tricks you may not know : evolt.org, Code

Ten CSS tricks you may not know : evolt.org, Code

http://www.evolt.org/article/Ten_CSS_tricks_you_may_not_know/17/60369/