Microsoft tackles AMD conflict in SP2

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A problem in the Service Pack 2 update for Windows XP may keep owners of AMD-based computers from using the long-awaited security package under certain circumstances, according to Microsoft.
In an article posted in the Knowledge Base section of its Web site, Microsoft says that Service Pack 2 may not work with computers running Advanced Micro Devices' 64-bit microprocessors. The Redmond, Wash.-based company said earlier that owners of such PCs may want to bypass the update completely, but has now come up with a workaround.

AMD's 64-bit chips include the Athlon 64 for PCs and the Opteron for servers.

A Microsoft representative declined to comment directly on the AMD-related issue but said the company "continually investigates all issues and vulnerabilities" reported to it regarding SP2 and other products.

However, an AMD representatives said the chipmaker believes the problem has only occurred, so far, with one application, Sigma Designs' Realmagic Hollywood Plus DVD Decoder. Microsoft also identifies the application as being able to cause the problem.

Microsoft said in its advisory that PCs with 64-bit AMD processors may restart repeatedly after installing Service Pack 2, if those machines are also configured to enforce so-called data execution prevention (DEP) and contain hardware that requires a driver software known as Mpegport.sys. Sigma Designs' Realmagic Hollywood Plus DVD decoder application is one such application that uses the driver, the software maker said.

Microsoft says users may be able to resolve the problem by configuring a so-called DEP exception. AMD also recommends that people affected by the problem do so. Otherwise, Microsoft advises AMD users to remove SP2 altogether.

The AMD problem is the latest in a slew of issues that have dogged SP2 since it was first released to PC manufacturers at the beginning of August. By mid-month, Microsoft had detailed some 50 different software applications and games that may encounter problems with the update.

The potential for conflicts caused some high-profile businesses, including IBM, to order their employees to avoid installing SP2 until its ramifications can be better understood. Other organizations are moving forward with the update, expecting that its security enhancements outweigh the integration issues.

Microsoft has launched a do-it-yourself kit to help IT professionals assess their software's compatibility with the update. The compatibility guide, which can be retrieved from Microsoft's Download Center, is designed to help administrators "test and mitigate application compatibility issues."

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Source: http://zdnet.com.com/2100-1103_2-5326707.html
Link : http://support.microsoft.com/?kbid=283313

When does a Service Pack stop being a Service Pack. Oh let me guess when it causes more problems then it corrects? No wait lets see M$ has 90% market share it's not them it is us? Their tool sorry it is lame and provided no help to my network. But lets see I knew it had a problem with M$$QL, and AutoCAD, and many of it's functions. I'm like Whew here! Had only two systems on XP Pro guess what I'm down grading them to W2K. I simply do not have months to trust M$ anyl longer, Longhorn in 2006? I'll not rush to buy it. They cannot lock down their OS without causing more problems then the pack solves. Well it provides motivation to me to move more servers off of their OS. I simply am an admin in the real world and business operations are needed every day so I get something called a paycheck. Sure install the service pack if you must and then knowing of the some 50 programs that require a patch from vendors install them and I have a small 288 node network even a push of updates from the server would require a few days of not a week. So I'm supposed to shut the entire business operations down a week for SP2? M$ had good intentions but really missed their mark on this SP:( So goes the console stereo approach.

There were just as many problems with NT 4 SP3, and SP6 (which is what prompted SP6a), and that wasn't a security minded release. At least this is a marked step in the right direction, as problem-riddled a service pack as it may be.

Downgrading the XP Pro systems is kinda silly Palemoon, it's not like you HAVE to install SP2 on those boxes...

I'm in that mood tonight, and I'm sorry you had to be the winner Palemoon.

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When does a Service Pack stop being a Service Pack. Oh let me guess when it causes more problems then it corrects?

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hahahaha no.

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No wait lets see M$ has 90% market share it's not them it is us?

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No, did you even read the white paper? Do you have any clue what SP2 does? Have you stopped whining long enough to resolve your issues or are you one of the Microsoft haters that complains and then runs away? Know how many problems I've had with SP2? One. And I uninstalled the security center a long time ago.

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Their tool sorry it is lame and provided no help to my network. But lets see I knew it had a problem with M$$QL, and AutoCAD, and many of it's functions.

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Lame? Tool? This is a 250-300 megs of recompiled, reconfigured system libraries and executables that have built in buffer and memory checks to prevent trojan and worm spread. I don't give a care in the least if Your AutoCAD doesn't work, and you know why? The programs that took the cheap route out and didn't code their programs for security (read: yes, ALWAYS program for security) are going to break. AutoCAD and MySQL may be some of the programs. A few of Microsoft's own programs broke with SP2 as well.

Know why? Because they were willing to bend and twist a few things to get the security that everyone is screaming about, implimented ASAP. We cried out when worms hit, and MS couldn't release SP2 yet. We cried out when viruses began to run over Windows platforms, and MS couldn't release SP2 yet. They finally say "Forget usability... they NEED security now or else systems are going to continue to be compromised. Make that security HAPPEN, and happen yesterday!" and you still find something else to bitch about? To quote RedvsBlue (www.redvsblue.com) "Man, you will bitch about anything." Sacrafices were made to prevent security breaches, and you want to complain? Pfft.

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I'm like Whew here!

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No, you are like "whoa! I like didn't read the manual or white paper!"

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Had only two systems on XP Pro guess what I'm down grading them to W2K. I simply do not have months to trust M$ anyl longer

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Trust? What trust?! Any OS is going to have glitches. Right now it's a matter of X.org/kernel/ALSA incompatabilities that are making quite a few recent installations of Linux a horrid experience for newer users. I repeat, any os is going to have glitches. Deal with it, because that is never going to go away.

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Longhorn in 2006? I'll not rush to buy it. They cannot lock down their OS without causing more problems then the pack solves.

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Right, because your extensive beta testing and product testing, not to mention security testing of the new SP2 pack proves that it just leaves the entire system wide open. Wait, what? You didn't beta test it? You didn't recheck security? You didn't actually try and solve any of the problems or gain any factual data?

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Well it provides motivation to me to move more servers off of their OS. I simply am an admin in the real world and business operations are needed every day so I get something called a paycheck.

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If you give up on a system that quickly (much less not even place SP2 on a testbed machine to work out kinks before systemwide deployment), then you need to be paid less.

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Sure install the service pack if you must and then knowing of the some 50 programs that require a patch from vendors install them and I have a small 288 node network even a push of updates from the server would require a few days of not a week. So I'm supposed to shut the entire business operations down a week for SP2? M$ had good intentions but really missed their mark on this SP So goes the console stereo approach.

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No, like any smart admin they testbed it. They also usually wait a month or so before deployment that way service packs have had their "shaken down" period, in which patches from vendors are released. And remember, these aren't "SP2 suddenly broke the program", those vendor patches fix the insecurity in their own source code that SP2 won't allow anymore.

Pick up a white paper, subscribe to a mailing list, but for the love of Tao do anything to get away from "M$ goss1p" so that you can get to the heart of things.

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They cannot lock down their OS without causing more problems then the pack solves.

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I was going to mention this:-


Security ----------------------------------------------------------------------- Usability

But I guess Pooh beat me to it..... ;)

I have an AMD 64 2800 on a MSI K8T FIS2R board, 2 200GB Sata drives in stripe and 2gig memory, WIndows XP. For 3 days I was having trouble with the computer taking 4 minutes to boot. Found that we had to disable legacy USB support. Anyway after all that fighting we got it to work. I was doing all the updates and installed XP SP2. After the reboot got the BSOD. Had to reinstall. Found that AMD 64's have troubles with SP2.