[Ham-Computers] Firewalls

[jandlmiller at bellsouth.net]

One or more of these links may be helpful to you in making your decision about whether, or how soon, to go the SP2 route, regardless whether you are using WinXP Professional or WinXP Home Edition:

http://www.eweek.com/article2/0,1759,1636454,00.asp

http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,1759,1638301,00.asp

http://www.eweek.com/article2/0,1759,1636076,00.asp)

http://www.eweek.com/article2/0,1759,1638472,00.asp)

Although I prefer to keep this thread as information and not editorial, some of you may find it very interesting, as is discussed in one of the links, to learn that the "Big Three" firewall suppliers may rewrite their routines to shut down the new Microsoft firewall when their firewall is enabled, and turn on the Microsoft firewall when their firewall is disabled.

Now then, after reading that information and digesting it, close your eyes and turn in a circle ten times.  While you are spinning with your eyes shut, think in depth about what you just read!

Someone sent me a recent e-mail referring me to this link:

http://support.microsoft.com/?kbid=306525 

The issue is SP1 and SP1a for WinXP.  I appreciated this information and found it striking.  I wondered why my computer manufacturer had not incorporated SP1a because most PC manufacturers have been incorporating SP1 for quite some time.  But what about SP1a?  The IT professionals I've contacted, as well as some in a university setting suggest not incorporating anything into your OS, particularly WinXP, that has not been thoroughly tested and found acceptable by the equipment manufacturer, unless you are knowledgeable enough to fix a broken register and all else that may be smashed.

Does anyone else get tired of all these continuing Windows issues?

73, John, W0IKT