SEVEN STEPS TO A SMOOTH SERVICE PACK 2 INSTALLATION

The best way to avoid problems is to be slow and methodical 
BEFORE you install SP2. Proceed through this checklist with 
all the care of an archaeologist unearthing a skeleton.

STEP 1: Check your hard drive for free space.

You need at least 500 megabytes of free space, or SP2 won't 
even install. (For the speediest installation, defragment 
your hard drive first, if you know what that means.)

STEP 2: Remove spyware.

Spyware (software that you don't realize you have because it 
piggybacked on something else you downloaded, like Kazaa) can 
gum up the works of an SP2 installation. Scan your hard drive 
using a free program like Ad-Aware (www.lavasoftusa.com) or 
Spybot Search & Destroy (www.safer-networking.org) to make 
sure your PC is free of these programs.

STEP 3: Uninstall your virus and firewall programs.

Installing Service Pack 2 on top of outdated utilities can 
produce two different unpleasant side effects. First, the new 
Security Center doesn't recognize older versions of these 
programs. Second, your PC might not even be able to start up 
after the installation -- which is, you have to admit, 
something of a drawback. (Later, after the installation, put 
your virus and firewall programs back -- updated versions, if 
possible -- one at a time.)

STEP 4: Visit the Web page of your PC manufacturer.

Search for information regarding SP2. It may turn out that 
your PC won't work with Service Pack 2 unless you first 
update your BIOS (the built-in software that controls your 
keyboard, screen, disk drives, communications, and so on). In 
that case, you would find, at www.dell.com or www.gateway.com 
(for example), a BIOS updater program that you're supposed to 
download and run.

STEP 5: Back up your stuff.

If you can back up your entire hard drive, do so; but at the 
very least, make safety copies of your photos, email, music, 
documents, and so on. Think of it this way: Your PC is going 
in for brain surgery. 

STEP 6: Visit the Windows Update Web site.

A preliminary visit to www.windowsupdate.com is an important 
prerequisite. This Web site will actually interactively 
inspect your PC to see what condition your copy of Windows is 
in. If you're missing pieces, they'll be filled in for you -- 
an important step before the big Service Pack 2 installation. 

Click the Express Install link to begin. After a moment of 
computation, you'll see a list of updates that Microsoft 
thinks you need, under the heading High Priority Updates. 
Installing them now will ensure that, when Service Pack 2 
comes along, your copy of Windows will be everything the 
installer expects.

STEP 7: Log off everyone but yourself.

In other words, if you have Fast User Switching turned on, 
make sure all the other accounts have been signed off.
You should now be ready to install SP2 successfully, whether 
from the Windows Update Web page, a CD that you've ordered, 
or from the Automatic Updates dialog box that appears on your 
screen one day.

Finally, another tip, courtesy of author David Karp, my own 
personal Windows XP guru: If your PC is your life -- or your 
job, at least -- you may want to take one additional, 
advanced step: Install a SECOND copy of Windows XP. This 
arrangement, known by geeks as dual-booting, takes some 
technical expertise. But it means that you can install SP2 on 
the duplicate copy of Windows to test your most essential 
programs. That way, you'll know about any potential crises 
before committing your "real" copy of Windows to SP2.