I need an Expert on Windows XP SP2 ...

[AnalogOldguy]

Hello Friends,

I'm a guy who runs an old Windows XP Pro with no updates. I've seen games that now require Windows Service Pack 2.

Trainz 2009 seems to be one of them. Another, the Kuju Rail Simulator, I declined to purchase because, (amongst other reasons), It required Windows XP Service Pack 2.

Does anyone know what Windows XP SP2 has that makes it necessary for running certain games? Thanks. Bob P.

 

[Lo_Poly]

I believe it's because of some changes it makes and some stuff it adds. To put it very, very simply.

Why are you unable to get SP2?

 

[danny5]

How & where do you get SP2 for XP?
Thanks Danny5

 

[Trainzlover32]

Hello Friend,

that which is required

is the Shadows Effect Only found in SP2 +

 

[backyard]

...old Pro...

Hello Bob, how is it you still have not updated to SP3?

You are taking a chance not having Auto-Update running because of Security Vulnerabilities in many applications including Internet Explorer & Microsoft Word.

By now you know what programs you use, so click Start, Help, type MS Update & go to the website...

You may not have Internet Explorer-7 since you have no SP3...I would not go back to IE-6. IE-7 has all the bugs worked out & is easy to use.

You should not lose anything by having SP3, since you have WindowsXP Professional you have a computer that can support TS2009 SP1.

 

[johnwhelan]

Hello Friends,

I'm a guy who runs an old Windows XP Pro with no updates. I've seen games that now require Windows Service Pack 2.

Trainz 2009 seems to be one of them. Another, the Kuju Rail Simulator, I declined to purchase because, (amongst other reasons), It required Windows XP Service Pack 2.

Does anyone know what Windows XP SP2 has that makes it necessary for running certain games? Thanks. Bob P.

Go to Windows update and put automatic updates on. Either that or do not connect the machine to the Internet the risks are too high.

SP2 made a fair number of changes to XP mainly for security and probably the problem is the software is tested against XP SP2 rather than anything else although a number of performance enhancements were made.

Cheerio John

 

[AnalogOldguy]

Hello again to you all,

Well, as far as SP2 goes ... I am sort of a stubborn person who, so far, has liked to run Windows my own way. I am on dial-up, so I can type messages to you here, get mail, download some smaller Trainz stuff. And I keep within a low budget.Things on my system have been working very well (for a long time). (about 3 years)

All I have read over the years is that some XP update now requires a further update.. And that such and such an update caused a caused a vulnerabilty in Outlook or IExplorer, you name it... and needs another update! My Windows has just been running very well for 3 years (with the Firefox and Opera browser, and the Zonealarm Pro firewall, and AVG antivirus)

Though I must admit that just about a month ago, 'something' did happen when my Trainz.exe (Classics 1&2 and 2006 SP1) were always starting up my dialer and trying to go online. (not from the CMP, but in Driver and Surveyor) .. I did decide to format the drive on that one... And take my gaming computer offline.

I can go to the local store and buy a Windows (Home) (upgrade) with SP2 easy enough with my Christmas money. Trainzlover32 (banned) said there is a shadows effect. Now that's more in the line of what I wanted to know ... So, there might be a graphics difference. If he knows what he is talking about ...

I have Googled fairly hard to find the answer, (maybe using the wrong words) but so far have not found what the technical difference is. Just wanted to know..

Thanks for your answers and good advice! Maybe someone will know more of the technical answers. But that shadow effect could be the final straw for me, pushing me into SP2. Bob P.

 

[Gandalf0444]

I can go to the local store and buy a Windows (Home) (upgrade) with SP2 easy enough with my Christmas money. Trainzlover32 (banned) said there is a shadows effect. Now that's more in the line of what I wanted to know ... So, there might be a graphics difference. If he knows what he is talking about ...

Shockingly enough he knows what he talking about. It does include new shadows effect,but I don't think trainz takes advantage of them(the older ones that came out before SP2 anyways) I'm not sure about the ones made after. But I do know that several games do take advantage of it,and some even have the option to choose between the 2.....And it only came about after SP2 was installed....

 

[j_maybury]

Just one thing I am sure I'v read somewere that you need the Windows SP3 upgrade if you use the TRS2009 with the upgrade SP1, Iv found it best to use Windows upgrade, I know it's a big faff, but it's worth it in the long run,
just remember to keep backing up the system, just incase you get a problem.
you can always rollback the system, if you get in to trouble. and it will save you a fat wadd of cash to boot.

 

[PetrelBay]

I need to stick to SP2

I am the owner of TS4, TS6 and because of the listed system requirements (Windows SP2) I ordered TS2009 on DVD. Now after the program is out you change the requirements with Windows SP3 which I do not have and do not want. Windows update 3 is a nightmare on my machines, it causes many problems with my system and some of my well used programs will not run at all! Microsoft and I worked to get things back to normal but nothing would bring me back to were I was, the only way to fix things was to go back to SP2 which I did and after much time everything is back to normal! Now you want me to reinstall SP3 to get TS2009 to work. There has to be a better work around!

 

[j_maybury]

I am the owner of TS4, TS6 and because of the listed system requirements (Windows SP2) I ordered TS2009 on DVD. Now after the program is out you change the requirements with Windows SP3 which I do not have and do not want. Windows update 3 is a nightmare on my machines, it causes many problems with my system and some of my well used programs will not run at all! Microsoft and I worked to get things back to normal but nothing would bring me back to were I was, the only way to fix things was to go back to SP2 which I did and after much time everything is back to normal! Now you want me to reinstall SP3 to get TS2009 to work. There has to be a better work around!

Hi PetrelBay,
I think you can run TRS2009 with Windows SP2, you just can't run it with the SP1 upgrade, which some say is not a bad thing. but what about further upgrades, I sould imagine they will need SP3 to work as well.

 

[PetrelBay]

requirements as stated

When a software company creates a software game they always list the computer operating system requirements from the minimum to the recommended as Auran did with Trainz 2009! Windows XP SP2 is listed as the requirement in both cases! Then the way I see it the program should run on Windows XP SP2 as stated and if they upgrade with patches these should be made to work with the computer requirements that we have and were told that we needed!

 

[j_maybury]

When a software company creates a software game they always list the computer operating system requirements from the minimum to the recommended as Auran did with Trainz 2009! Windows XP SP2 is listed as the requirement in both cases! Then the way I see it the program should run on Windows XP SP2 as stated and if they upgrade with patches these should be made to work with the computer requirements that we have and were told that we needed!

I'v no answer to that, I don.t know why they have gone down this route!

 

[johnwhelan]

Hello again to you all,

Well, as far as SP2 goes ... I am sort of a stubborn person who, so far, has liked to run Windows my own way. I am on dial-up, so I can type messages to you here, get mail, download some smaller Trainz stuff. And I keep within a low budget.Things on my system have been working very well (for a long time). (about 3 years)

All I have read over the years is that some XP update now requires a further update.. And that such and such an update caused a caused a vulnerabilty in Outlook or IExplorer, you name it... and needs another update! My Windows has just been running very well for 3 years (with the Firefox and Opera browser, and the Zonealarm Pro firewall, and AVG antivirus)

Though I must admit that just about a month ago, 'something' did happen when my Trainz.exe (Classics 1&2 and 2006 SP1) were always starting up my dialer and trying to go online. (not from the CMP, but in Driver and Surveyor) .. I did decide to format the drive on that one... And take my gaming computer offline.

I can go to the local store and buy a Windows (Home) (upgrade) with SP2 easy enough with my Christmas money. Trainzlover32 (banned) said there is a shadows effect. Now that's more in the line of what I wanted to know ... So, there might be a graphics difference. If he knows what he is talking about ...

I have Googled fairly hard to find the answer, (maybe using the wrong words) but so far have not found what the technical difference is. Just wanted to know..

Thanks for your answers and good advice! Maybe someone will know more of the technical answers. But that shadow effect could be the final straw for me, pushing me into SP2. Bob P.

SP2 is available on CD or DVD I think I may have it lying around somewhere. You don't need to purchase anything.

Flip me an email you you'd like me to dig through my collection of cds and drop you a copy in the post. I can probably add a few .cdps to the DVD if you're interested.

jwhelan0112 gmail.com

You are aware that 20% of Americans have giwen up their land line phone I assume, Skype has dial in and dial out these days at a cheaper rate than conventional phone lines but you do need an internet connection.

Cheerio John

 

[ct_krogen]

I am the owner of TS4, TS6 and because of the listed system requirements (Windows SP2) I ordered TS2009 on DVD. Now after the program is out you change the requirements with Windows SP3 which I do not have and do not want.

what programs would not run on sp3,I just updated to sp3 and ther eis no
problems on my computer

 

[Gandalf0444]

t.

what programs would not run on sp3,I just updated to sp3 and ther eis no
problems on my computer

So far none on my list. I've run games that run back to windows 98(yea remember those?) and they work fine...as well as games that run on windows xp with no SPs,so every game I have works...Great to say.

 

[Screamingman14]

You want (if not that, need) at least SP2, preferably SP3. They are both free and easy to install, but the files are large.

 

[Johnk]

johnwhelan Your comment about landline usage is very interesting. I pay $40 a month for a landline I don't use here in Oz, buy my ISP has just informed me that I'll soon be able to scrap it and have "Naked ADSL2". (No phone required). It will be a big plus for me on a pension.

AnalogOldguy Be as stubborn as you like, but Windows raw and SP1 were so full of holes they should have been called cheese. That program is actually dangerous and Zone Alarm won't save you from possible (or should I say guaranteed) intrusions. Even SP2 was shakey but it was a little better. SP3 hasn't even fixed the IE7 issue that's been reported in the press recently. Running Windows SP1 is like running a doorless bank inside a jail and I'm surprised you're still around to tell us your success (?) with the OS so far.

As others have mentioned, SP2 and 3 are both freely available. Just go to any newsagent and look at the discs attached to computer magazines. Not all will have the upgrades but at least one will.


​

 

[AnalogOldguy]

I'll tell you one thing. You put 'Shadows Effect SP2' into Google and you don't get much of an answer. You get 'Shadow Console'. You get 'Drop Shadows'.

You don't see any good answers in gaming websites either, (as far as I could find).

The most interesting answer I saw was on a Microsoft page ... Vulnerabilities in graphics rendering engine, could allow code execution..upgrade to SP4, (or something like that).

I really long for the days when things just worked !!, especially backwards compatability ...

Like PetralBay said,(after upgrading Windows),'now some well used programs will not run at all'. I have seen many comments like that on the internet.

Well, ....we shall not be discouraged! We shall overcome !!! 'Never Give up! Never Surrender!! Robert.

 

[Johnk]

using Google search effectively comes down to thinking like a compuer. I think the word "SP2" and the use of inverted commas was responsible for the poor search results. Try something like (without the inverted commas" "shadow effect games" "shadow effect video cards" or even "Shadow effect windows games" because SP2 wasn't really developed to address the issue. I haven't tried myself, but I'll bet there are thousands of comments out there.

To really narrow down the search, throw in "forum" also: "shadow effect games forum". That's where the subject is more likely to be discussed and the SE will concentrate on forum posts. And don't forget to try "shadow effect trainz"

If you actually used inverted commas in your search, that asked Google to search for that string of words in that order. If you don't use inverted commas, you will get many unrelated answers, but you can then search within the results by using the Search Within Results link at the bottom of the page. Good luck.

Regarding your comment that some games will not run at all with SP2/3, this is quite possible. Microsoft is only responsible for the OS, not third party products. Often when you install a program you get a window saying that the program is not a Microsoft Certified Product (or words to that effect). This means there is no guarantee it will run under the current version of Windows. To overcome this issue, Microsoft works closely with major program developers to ensure upward/downward compatability, but some developers couldn't give a hoot. The problem is often overcome by running the program/game through Windows compatability Wizard. Use Windows Help to find the Wizard. (Once it was easy to do this but now Microsoft would prefer you just got stuff that worked.)