Microsoft Service Pack 2 remains a question mark

Microsoft released Service Pack 2 for Windows XP with the best of intentions. It's a fairly bold move to increase security on Windows XP and give users a way to determine the level of security on their systems. It also gives users the ability to do something most Apple users have been able to do for years: Decide what is downloaded onto their PC.

Unfortunately, as with most big changes to operating systems, this ability triggers a conflict with many commercially available programs, particularly some security products. Shortly after its launch, SP2 ran into problems as IT managers and users found that it clashed with at least 200 commercial applications, as well as a company's own internally developed software. For instance, shortly after SP2's release, Dell was hit with so many questions that the company put up a special section on its Web site to deal with the deluge.

When I last spoke with Dell, that deluge had subsided, but obviously some businesses continue to tread warily. I'm not really surprised. When SP2 first appeared in August, I began receiving calls from individual PC users wondering why their systems were not working properly after they installed the upgrade. I particularly got calls from users I had advised to "always download security updates from Microsoft."

Oops. What's that old saying? "The road to hell is paved with good intentions."

Most of those users ended up deleting SP2 and are now sitting on the sidelines, waiting for the bugs to be removed. I spoke with Microsoft and with several software companies affected by SP2, and they all said any issues were being worked out. I still think SP2 will be a big security improvement for Windows XP users. However, some improvements must be made before we'll see those improvements. I would still recommend downloading SP2, but definitely have your security program's CDs handy in case you have to reinstall it. Oh, and check your computer vendor's Web site for any helpful hints.

Speaking of programs, last month FBM Software introduced its latest version of ZeroSpyware, an anti-spyware program that includes 24-hour live diagnostics. I spoke to FMB CEO David Foote, and he explained why he felt the need to provide 24-hour support. "I believe what we're providing is essentially a service, so if our products are not performing up to expectations for a user, we'll try to help them. They bought our product to do a job and I feel the product should do that job," he said.

Foote added that there are many intrusion-protection products on the market, but there are no real standards to measure their effectiveness. "We want to deliver up-to-the-minute protections. We get more than 3 million reports each day on different pieces of spyware code, so we are constantly updating. That's what you have to do in today's world where the threats are coming one after the other," he said.

Foote's commitment to high-quality software is commendable, as is his commitment to keeping his product as up-to-date as possible. But I think one of the key points he made was to look at the security software he provides as a service, not just a product to ship. That's a commendable stance to take, and not just in the security-software market.