Windows XP SP2: Bugs, issues, and troubleshooting

I went ahead and did a clean install myself, using an XP CD. that had been slipstreamed SP2 already... just to stay ahead of the curve.

melloweagle26 said:I did a clean install too, just slipstreamed SP2 onto the original XP CD... that's about it.

Same here.
I’m not actually having any major issues. In fact, quite a few programs feel noticeably snappier than before.

But there's this one weird thing. Ever since I installed XP with SP2, every time I minimize Nero, my "normal select" pointer turns into a "move" pointer and stays stuck like that until I manually change the pointer scheme... 😁

Why? Windows, man... 😬

😁😁😁

On a different note... I’m genuinely curious if anyone else out there (and it certainly feels like 😁 is a complete ghost town on this subject) is running the latest version of Sun java 1.4.2 _05 on top of Windows XP SP2? I'd love to know if I'm alone in experiencing these bizarre, inexplicable crashes whenever I try to load a page that relies on Java.

wiredcobra11 said:So, how much did this rig actually set you back? Seems like you might have gone a bit overboard—unless you absolutely need this level of power for work or something...

It ran me about 2,400 bucks. And yeah, it’s true—it’s strictly for work.😁

melloweagle26 said:😁😁😁

Anyway... I was actually wondering if anyone else (since it seems like NOBODY 😁) is running the latest Sun Microsystems Java paired with XP SP2? I'm curious if you're seeing those same weird crashes on Java-heavy sites...

I'm still on 1.4.2_04. Honestly, I can't be bothered to download 05, especially since I really only need Java for Azureus anyway... 😍

Nothing's working, though. Just tried testing things out on Firefox via chat...

Interesting enough 😁
Though, I have to admit, the idea of rolling back to an older version feels a bit foolish; I highly doubt it would actually fix anything, especially since this 05 version predates the actual SP2 by several months anyway.

In all honesty, I might not have been entirely clear about what’s actually happening here.
The issue isn't occurring while I'm actively interacting with the Java window itself; rather, it happens when Java is just idling in the background while I'm busy doing something else entirely—say, working away in Word, browsing through Windows Explorer, or something similar.
Out of nowhere, that Internet Explorer window (or Firefox, it makes no difference to me) running Java in the background simply vanishes into thin air, without a single sound or warning. 😬

To put it simply: you're getting screwed in the background 😬

melloweagle26 said:2. - And here is the much more aggravating issue: Sun java 1.4.2 _05
I actually caught wind of this a couple of weeks back—my Internet Explorer would just spontaneously crash whenever I had JAVA active in another window (specifically using Iskon chat 😁), though at the time, I foolishly assumed it was just an Internet Explorer 😬 glitch.
Then yesterday, I decided to push my luck and test it out on Firefox—just to see if I could replicate the behavior—and wouldn't you know it? Firefox simply folded in on itself after a bit of time. No warning, no nothing—it was just gone. Much like Internet Explorer, there wasn't even an error message; no "send report to Microsoft" prompt, no nothing. Just total silence.
It seems pretty obvious to me now that we're looking at a disastrous symbiosis between JAVA and XPSP2, and frankly, I'm at a complete loss as to how to fix it.

I did spot that there is a 😁 java 5.0 version (1.5.0) RC1 available—I even went so far as to download it, though I haven't dared install it yet—but I'm hesitant to mess with it because I really don't want to deal with the headache of a fresh XP installation. It took me nearly two years to finally pull the trigger on a clean 😬 setup. [/B]

I ran into the exact same thing back when I was running SP1, and now it’s happening with SP2—quite interesting, isn't it? But it only happens while I'm on that Iskon chat, and specifically only when I open a private window. It's a complete mystery...

It’ll probably end up being some technical glitch with the Iskon chat 😁
but regardless, this whole situation is pretty entertaining...

especially since I went through the trouble of installing J2SE 1.5.0, yet I'm still staring at the exact same mess 🙄

Everything’s running perfectly on my end 😄

Look, melloweagle26, you aren't crazy. The java SDK is being temperamental on SP2, just as I expected. Refreshing isn't behaving right on my end either; I’m getting those annoying visual artifacts where pieces of the old screen just hang around under the arrow...

WebSphere Business Integration Workbench 4.1. x. is also failing me. It's an outdated piece of software anyway—it really ought to be replaced by WBI Modeler (I gave the version based on Eclipse 3.0. a shot, and it runs fine on SP2). The thing works perfectly on SP1, but once you hit SP2, it starts throwing errors related to regional settings.

We really ought to dig a little deeper into this to determine if we're looking at a Java issue, an Iskon problem, or perhaps some other third variable entirely.

The post from my colleague—who is experiencing the exact opposite scenario, where everything was a mess with SP1 but works fine with SP2—completely undermines any sense of logic😁 when you're trying to troubleshoot a problem like this...

It would be wise to test Java against a few different websites, though I can't think of a single reliable site to use for that purpose right now (this Iskon chat is used so sparingly, and only in specific contexts that aren't relevant here; it isn't even used for actual chatting, it just sits there open).

It is certainly a peculiar situation...

What’s the deal here? I’m installing SP2 directly from my hard drive, but when I check Windows Update, it’s still prompting me to download the 75MB SP2 update. Is this just a glitch, or am I actually supposed to run it again?

I installed Windows with integrated SP2 tonight and it’s running fine. It's way too early for a full review, but some programs definitely feel snappier than usual.😲 Interestingly enough, I haven't run into any glitches yet.🙄

But then I tried installing SP2 on my cousin's PC. Everything seemed okay—installed Opera, hopped online, opened the browser—and suddenly the screen just dies. Black and white stripes everywhere and the whole system freezes. I was like, "What the hell?" I rebooted, but as soon as I connected to the internet to browse, it happened again. This time it was green and white stripes. Total nightmare. I ended up wiping everything and re-imaging it with a fresh Windows build with SP1, and that works perfectly.

Now I'm torn on whether I should set her up with the same thing I'm using or just leave it alone.
I think I'll just wait and see how things hold up on my end first.

Another update. This situation is significantly more serious than anything else discussed in this thread.

So, I’m running a VM on RHEL 9 with Windows XP SP1. It shouldn't be necessary, but I need to run certain legacy programs that just don't exist on Linux—specifically Microsoft software used by some designers.

XP SP1 was properly registered and activated. I install SP2, and everything seems fine. Then, out of nowhere today, right before login, it starts throwing an error saying I have 7 days left to activate Windows. Wtf!!!??? No big deal, I just hit the activation prompt and register/activate it just like I did the first time. It tells me it successfully registered and activated. I go about my business for a while, until I finally shut down the VM.

After leaving it off for a bit, I boot the VM back up, and there it is again, nagging me about activation. But this time, the "7 days remaining" grace period is gone. Now it's basically: "Activate now or you can't work!!!"

The thing is, during the initial activation process, there was an option to "Activate later." So, I decided to jump into Windows and uninstall SP2. The uninstall finishes without any issues, but after the restart, the OS is still being stubborn. Activate or you can't work. Clearly, it uninstalls plenty of things, but apparently not everything!🙄 😠

Nothing works. I try to just select "Activate later" every single time. Eventually, I actually go into the activation menu, and suddenly the "Activate later" option has vanished entirely.

There you have it. That’s my experience with licensed Windows and SP2. I just opened the terminal, typed "rm -rf /vm/XP1", and sent the entire VM to the trash. Yeah! That worked.🙄 😠