Getting  Along With Your Computer Column Archive

Updates and Compatibility

By Cate Eales
Appeared July 10, 2008 on castanet.net

Find out if Vista is compatible with...something. Watch out for this week's Automatic Updates, and here comes XP SP3...really.

Vista Compatibility Center
Microsoft announced the availability of a new tool called the Vista Compatibility Center. Apparently it's supposed to let customers know if there hardware and/or software is compatible with Vista. The website is located here. As of Tuesday, July 8 --- the day it was announced --- there is nothing on the list.

I can't wait for the Apple TV commercial on that.


XP SP3 to be released...finally. This time they really mean it.
Just a reminder from the folks at Microsoft. Service Pack 3 for Windows XP is set to be released to Automatic Updates "shortly." They further remind us that

Windows® XP Service Pack 3 (SP3) includes all previously released updates for the operating system. This update also includes a small number of new functionalities, which do not significantly change customers’ experience with the operating system.

Microsoft released it to Automatic Updates earlier this year...twice, and then pulled it back both times over compatibility issues, notably the "endless reboot" problem experienced by some PC's sold by HP and Dell. Microsoft will take another crack at it in the next few weeks. That's as much as they're saying.

There are several things you should do to ready your computer for SP3. Check the Microsoft article here. You should also absolutely disable any anti-virus/anti-spyware protection before installing SP3.

If you want to prevent SP3 from installing, there are several ways you can do that. You can download and install the Windows Service Pack Blocker Tool Kit from Microsoft, here. Or, you can stop it by setting your Windows Update to download your updates but not install them. Here's how:

Now, your updates will download as always, and you will see a yellow shield icon in the Notification Area (by your clock, in the lower right-hand corner of your screen) when they are ready for you. Select "Custom Install" and refuse the SP3 update until you are ready for it. You can allow the other updates to install.


This week's Automatic Updates create problems with ZoneAlarm
As I write this column Tuesday evening (July 8) there are reports that one of the updates this week conflicts with the ZoneAlarm firewall. These reports are preliminary, so there is no solution as I write this, but there is a workaround.

The complaint is that after KB951748 installs on a PC running XP and ZoneAlarm, the PC can't connect to the internet. The workaround is to set the ZoneAlarm firewall to Medium security instead of High for the Internet Zone.

If you have ZoneAlarm installed on your computer, you might want to follow the steps in first section of today's column to keep KB951748 from downloading until ZoneAlarm has a chance to issue an update to their product. If you have already installed that update and are having a problem, use the regular Add/Remove Programs method to uninstall it and reboot the PC. This should allow you to connect to the internet again, but you will still have to follow the procedure outlined above to keep from getting the update again!


Bash The Computer
Who hasn't felt like doing this? I know I have.


Thank you to everyone who emailed (or scheduled an appointment!) with questions and comments. You can email me questions about your computer at cate@rlis.com. You can always look through any of the past columns. Point your browser here to go there.  If you'd like to subscribe to this column by email, please visit this link.  It's easy, and free. If you'd prefer the RSS Feed, click here.


Links
Steps to take before you install Windows Service Pack 3 http://support.microsoft.com/kb/950717/
Windows Service Pack Blocker Took Kit http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?FamilyId=D7C9A07A-5267-4BD6-87D0-E2A72099EDB7&displaylang=en
Vista Compatibility Center http://www.microsoft.com/windows/compatibility/
Bash The Computer http://www.gamefudge.com/Bash-the-Computer
Getting Along With Your Computer Column Archives http://rlis.com/column.htm
Get Cate's column by email http://www.feedblitz.com/f/f.fbz?Sub=20618
RSS Feed: http://rlis.com/rlis.xml

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Cate Eales has been helping people make online computing safe, accessible and fun for over 20 years. She lives in Kelowna with her husband, Eric, and her dog, Sandy. Cate is a partner in Real Life Internet Solutions, helping individuals and small businesses with virus, spyware and malware eradication; personal computer training and management; digital image management; music transfer; and website design, hosting and management. Email Cate at cate@rlis.com with your comments, suggestions, or questions. To browse the column archives, visit the Real Life Internet Solutions website at www.rlis.com.

© Cate Eales 2008 – All Rights Reserved
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