Sources close to Microsoft confirm that the long awaited Beta for Service Pack 2 of Windows XP is due today. The reported build is 5.1.2600.2055 (XP SP_2 Beta 1.031215-1745). Update: There is also an alpha release of SP1 Beta 1 for Windows Server 2003 released today.
Windows XP SP2 Beta Build 2055 Released to Testers
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Still not available.
It’s a small Service Pack… at 212.5 MEGS!!! My god, it’s like a new OS built into a service pack….
The transfer is quite slow, at 55K/sec on a high speed cable connection. From Microsoft, i’m used to 400K/sec…
Happy Testing to all Beta Tester!
I hope Anonymous was kidding about the 212 MB size. If the size is correct, I hope Microsoft breaks into many parts. I am not sure how many people still use dial-up for their internet connect but I still do. I would never be able to apply this service pack. I suppose I could give Microsoft some money for a CD version but I am really not to happy about that.
I feel like a dying breed. It used to be that the hardware cost a lot. Now it is the software.
Scorched: The MS beta programs use a download manager which supports pausing of downloads (so you can, say, go offline) and then resume later.
Anon: Did you download this from Microsoft? I try to login and I get a server error.
Hopefully they will put Service Pack CDs in computer stores and on magazine covers. I expect most people would draw a line at downloading anything over 30MB over dialup, but for this pack it is especially important that it is widely deployed.
Personally I’d like a new Windows install disk so that I can start afresh with everything in place.
This is the best for 56k users.
But I’m on a 600k line and the perfoming
inventory and greating third party list takes most
or the time.
2 hours and still going…
Update.
Now formating hda1 htfs and hda3 htfs.
Very slow performance.
The new security feature is not supported
on P3 AND below.
hmmm I wonder if Gates released the XP SP2 beta the day after linux 2.6.0 was released on purpose?
It’s a small Service Pack… at 212.5 MEGS!!!
Mandrake 9.1 upgrades take more than 450mb
Mandrake 9.2 has around 350mb updates even it was just released.
Same applies for other distros too.
So I think that’s pretty ok to get 200mb patch for operating system released almost three years ago.
For those worry about the large size for dial up connections, For SP1, Microsoft made Express Installs that only downloads the stuff the person actually needs. SP1 was ~150MB full, but the Express Install downloads at most 30MB. I don’t see why Microsoft wouldn’t do something similar for SP2 when it comes out.
i read somewhere there will be updated directx environment in sp2. maybe they meant only the updated directx 9.0b dist.
but i’m wondering if microsoft update the desktoprendering and we could use per-pixel alphablending on skins, etc… why do we must wait for longhorn to get the fully directx accelerated desktop?
Yes, Mandrake 9.1 upgrades take more than 450MB (other linux distro are same), but this is not OS upgrades and patches it’s updates for application installed in the OS!!. In Microsoft SP is all ~200MB only OS “patch”!!
All,
SP2 effectively replaces almost all the original code and adds more, hence the size.
Which is not that bad, try patching HP-UX.
Of the well-maintained OSes, only Solaris has fairly small patch bundles (80MB or so).
D
I don’t think that any changes Microsoft implement in SP2 can restore any credibility in its ‘leading’ consumer operating system. I tried to use XP for several months when it first came out, and again earlier this year, but each time I felt frustrated with its lack of polish, childish default interface, and immense bloat. I have been using Windows 2000 on my main system, but think that I shall soon switch to Windows 2003 Server, running it as a workstation. Using it on one of my webservers for the past couple of months, I have been immensely satisfied with its speed and professionalism. I wish Microsoft would realease a proper workstation version, but they won’t! Sigh! 🙂
Windows 2003 is a great OS !
If MicroSoft made an Os just like that with
the same amount of stability, speed and security
and for us home users cut a way the tools or made
the optional and finally got rid of WPA it would blow
away all others OSes. But sadly MicroSoft are not
intrested in hi quality products. I use XP for
gamming and it is better than the Windows Me that came
on my replaced HD (thanks packardbell a set of smart
restall CD’s would of been nice). WPA is painless
but its very anti trust. (I understand that its only
a hash key of my pc’s information, but still)
XP sp2 will hopfully show is that they are heading in
right direction or give us time to adjust to other OSes.
how big of a download is it going to be this time?
So basically, you don’t like the default UI, and so it’s unpolished? You can make it look exactly like Win2000 if you so desire.
XP polishes up a lot of areas where 2000 had problems.
Personally, I always had problems with 2000 hanging while trying to do certain tasks, XP fixed this quite well…. among many other ‘polishes’.
Its about 80MB (+-2)
Wonder how many new bugs SP2 will inflict upon those shackled to the Gates money making machine.