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Smile! No spyware, just plain funware. Smileycons just keeps getting better! Add emoticons, animations, images, and happy faces to your email.
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All Cloudeight products are compatible with Windows XP SP2!

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Windows XP Service Pack 2 Info

Windows XP SP2 Resources (all links open in a new browser window)

Windows XP Service Pack 2 Home Page | Order XP SP2 On CD FREE | Windows Update Version 5

Programs That May Work Differently on XP SP2 | Turn on Automatic UpdatesLearn More About SP2

If you installed SP2 you may see a red X when trying to preview your email stationery. Or, SP2 may have changed your mail settings to plain text. There are three settings you can adjust if this is a problem. Click here for help

All Cloudeight products are compatible with Windows XP!

"Microsoft Windows XP Service Pack 2 (SP2) provides new proactive security technologies for Windows XP to better defend against viruses, worms, and hackers.  In addition to a more robust security infrastructure, SP2 improves the security configuration options of Windows XP and provides better security information to help users faced with security decisions..."

The above is Microsoft's own leading paragraph on its developers' and IT professionals' Windows XP-SP2 download page. Windows XP Service Pack 2 is, indeed, the most ambitious and far-reaching service pack Microsoft has ever produced. And it has one main focus: Security. Service Pack 2 makes many changes to Windows XP. Besides turning on its improved Windows Firewall by default, Service Pack 2 also makes a strong case to have an anti-virus program installed and keep it updated. SP2's new security center scans for installed Anti-virus software and shows it in the security center. If none is found, it URGES the user to get protected and even recommends two free anti-virus programs: AVG and AVAST. It is estimated that 35% of Windows XP users don't have a working Anti-virus program installed and many that do don't keep them updated. Many people are unaware that anti-virus protection is nearly useless unless it's updated frequently (at least weekly). Another reason for failure to update an anti-virus is due to computer manufacturers who are paid by Norton, McAfee, or others, to include one of their AV suites with the new computer. However, the purchaser of the computer often does not pay the annual "subscription" fee which renders the software useless by not allowing the user to update it. And, if the anti-virus is not kept updated, it leaves the user virtually defenseless against the newest viruses, Trojan Horse and worm threats. Windows XP Service Pack 2 not only urges you to install anti-virus protection but reminds you to keep it current. Click here to see a picture

Our feeling is that anyone who advises others NOT to install Windows XP Service Pack 2 are essentially encouraging them to remain vulnerable and open to Internet threats. If you're not part of the solution, you're part of the problem. We cannot understand why anyone would want to encourage the propagation of worms, Trojans, viruses and DoS attacks, and that's what they're doing when they tell you not to install Windows XP Service Pack 2. Because a few might experience problems with XP SP2 does not justify not installing it. You'll be safer and more secure with Service pack 2 installed and that is a fact.

Windows XP Service Pack 2- What Does it Change?

Network Protection Besides turning on the new, much improved Windows Firewall by default, Network Protection:

Closes ports except when they are in use. Leaving ports open on your PC, when they're not in use, can leave you open to worms, viruses and Trojans.

Improves the user interface for Windows configuration. Microsoft has improved the way you can change some important settings on your computer.

Reduces the attack surface of the Remote Procedure Call (RPC) service: The RPC service that runs on your PC has been improved so that now it will be much harder for a virus, worm or Trojan horse to exploit it and cause harm to your computer.

Disables the Windows Messenger Service by default: This is not referring to the Instant Messenger client but to a service that runs in the background on your Windows XP PC. This is the client service that has been the bane of many and was turned ON by default in Windows XP and XP-SP1 and caused popups, porn ads, and other advertising and "messenger" spam to appear on the desktop. Messenger Service is TURNED OFF by default in XP SP2.

Provides for boot time security: On PC's running Windows XP Service pack 1, there is a brief period of time between when your PC in on the network and when Windows Firewall (or any Firewall) protection begins. This could result in the ability for packets of data to be received and delivered to a service without the Firewall performing any filtering. This exposes your computer to vulnerabilities. In Windows XP Service Pack 2, this vulnerability has been fixed and the Firewall works during boot up. But, there is no boot-time security if Windows Firewall is disabled or you're not using any other Firewall software.

Initiates Memory Protection: Windows XP Service Pack 2 includes a new technology called: Execution Protection (NX).Execution Protection marks all memory locations in a process as non-executable unless the location explicitly contains executable code. This means that ANY "virus" attack on your PC, that attempts to insert and run malicious code into memory, will fail. Execution Protection will intercept these attempts and BLOCK them.

A NEW option to BLOCK all external content in an HTML e-mail, this option is turned ON by default in Windows XP Service Pack 2 .It can be found by navigating to the Tools menu, selecting Options, and then clicking the Security tab. You will now see the NEW "Block images and other external content in HTML e-mail" check box.

Add On Management Tool A new feature of the Windows XP Service Pack 2, is an Internet Explorer Add-on Management tool. This new tool lets users view and control the list of add-ons that can be loaded by the browser. This new Add-On management feature also shows the presence of some browser "add-ons" that were previously not shown and could be very difficult to detect! These "add-ons" might provide undesired functionality or services and, in some cases, might present a security risk, for instances spyware installed as BHOs (Browser Helper Objects). A user might unintentionally install an add-on that secretly records all Web page activity and reports it to a central server (spyware). Previously, specialized software and deep technical knowledge might have been required to identify and remove that "add-on". The new Internet Explorer Add-on Management feature now provides an easier way to detect and disable spyware and other BHOs you may not want or didn't even know you had. Internet Explorer Add-on Management, together with Add-on Crash Detection (see the next item), gives you the power to make your system more secure and more stable by identifying and disabling add-ons you may not have previously been aware of, that were causing issues with your browser or causing instability or browser crashes.

Crash Detection Feature: If Internet Explorer crashes, the "Add-on Crash Detection" program is automatically launched. Add-on Crash Detection is an error analysis program that examines the state of the Internet Explorer executable. It collects the list of dynamic link libraries (DLLs) that are loaded, and the value of the instruction pointer register (EIP) at the time of the crash. Add-on Crash Detection attempts to find the DLL which caused the crash. If a DLL is identified as the cause of the crash (and if it is not a system DLL) and it finds the DLL is the COM server for an Internet Explorer add-on, then the Add-on Crash Detection window appears. This dialog window contains information that indicates which add-on caused the crash, the name of the company associated with the add-on, and the description of the DLL file that contains the add-on code. This can be a great tool in your battle against spyware and malware toolbars which you may have installed without knowing. Many of these spyware/malware add-ons can and do cause problems with Internet Explorer.

Pop Up Blocker: Now this is a GREAT feature and THE best pop-up blocker we have ever used. This built-in popup blocker that will prevent most pop-ups from appearing when you visit a website! And, it's smart enough to know the difference between a pop-up you want (like filling in a form on your banking site) to one you don't (like an advertising popup). You have the ability to block all advertising pop-ups, allow pop-ups for certain sites or you can turn the pop-up blocker completely off (not recommended).


There are many more changes that Windows XP SP2. See the SP2 resource links at the top of this page. Almost all changes are related to your security and keeping  your computer safe. Windows XP Service Pack 2 is a much needed upgrade and makes anyone who installs it less vulnerable to attacks from many sources. It is something that   all users of Windows XP should install as soon as possible.

Windows XP SP2 is about 260 megabytes which makes it larger than some previous versions of Windows!  We URGE everyone to install it despite what you may read elsewhere. You can bet that the 10% that may have trouble installing Windows XP Service pack two or running some programs with it, will be very vocal and you'll hear their voices crying above all. Just remember the 90% who won't have any problems won't make a sound. That's a shame. Those, like us, who've been running various beta versions for months and haven't have a single serious issue with it, will not be heard above the madding crowd of the few who scream that XP-SP2 "broke" this program or that program or caused some major problem. You can do everyone on the Internet a favor by installing  Windows XP Service Pack 2. You'll be more well protected and improve your chances of safely browsing and using the Internet.

Windows XP Service Pack 2 Home Page | Order XP SP2 On CD FREE | Windows Update Version 5

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