Windows XP SP2. Release Candidate 2

[R. Andrew Lamonica]

I have been using SP2 RC1 and like the pop-up blocker and firewall a lot.  I am installing RC2 as I type this and expect it will be just as good.  If you are interested in trying it out you can get it from

http://v5.windowsupdate.microsoft.com/

Note that this is not the normal Windows Update Site (which starts with http://v4.windâ€Ã,¦).  You will need to confirm that you understand that this is beta software before you can use the site.

[Gregory Bartholomew]

Has Phil been informed that the new version of XP has a better firewall?  He keeps complaining to OIT about the campus firewall and says that they keep threatening to burn a bunch of money on personal firewalls for the computers.  The last thing that Phil or I would care to do is to have to manage 200 firewall installations but if it comes to that, we should at least use the built in firewall that is covered by our campus open-license agreement with Microsoft.

[William Grim]

I agree with you that he should use the newer MS firewall.

Question is, will he do an upgrade?  It has plagued mankind for many ages.

[R. Andrew Lamonica]

The one problem I am having is that to change firewall rules you must be a local admin or have an ActivDirectoy Tree.  In EB1036 users log in as normal users.  So to allow for networking assignments to work, I will have to set the firewall to a ridiculously lax setting.  I am still digging through MS documentation for an answer to this problem, but for now I can find none.