The much-talked about and long-awaited Service Pack 2 (SP2) for Windows XP will be released by the end of August.  Microsoft have been criticised for the delay in releasing SP2, which was originally due earlier this year.  It has been in beta test with industry professionals for some weeks now.  It will be a major revision to the flag-ship operating system.  At the heart of the update will be a new “Security Centre” – a response to the serious security loopholes discovered in the operating system over the past two years. 

All users of the operating system should prepare to implement SP2 as soon as it is released.  One step toward this is to ensure that your copy of XP is configured to take advantage of the automatic Windows Update feature.  This feature automatically keeps your copy of XP fully up to date by periodically accessing the Microsoft web site and downloading and installing any released updates (which will include SP2, when it is available).  To set up and configure your copy of XP, simply go to CONTROL PANEL and select the SYSTEM icon.  On the AUTOMATIC UPDATES tab, ensure that the option to keep your computer up to date is checked.

You can then decide how you want the updates to be applied by selecting one of the options in the lower portion of the dialogue box (see above).

If you have any doubts about how to ensure that your computer and its security has been configured, then please contact Alan Finch of May Day Consulting, who can provide detailed advice and hands-on help to make your system as secure and efficient as possible.  You can reach him on (01224) 697457.