I installed the Windows XP Service Pack 2 (SP2) beta in a Windows XP Professional virtual machine environment to see what's new in this interesting release. As a preview, here's a look at some of the new features, most of which are centered around what Microsoft calls "safety technologies." For a more in-depth look at this release, please see my Windows XP Service Pack 2 Beta Preview.
Windows XP SP2 is due by mid-2004, according to Microsoft.
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| First boot screen, System properties, new Automatic Updates settings. | ||||
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| New Windows Update. | ||||
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| New Windows Update. | ||||
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| New Internet Connection Firewall Control Panel applet. | ||||
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| New Internet Connection Firewall. | ||||
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| New pop-up ad blocking in Internet Explorer 6.05. | ||||
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| New pop-up ad blocking and browser add-on management in Internet Explorer 6.05. | ||||
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| New email security features in Outlook Express 6.05. | ||||
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| Outlook Express 6.05. | ||||