Anyone having gaming issues since inst. SP2?

[MKIIVR6]

Just as the topic states, I installed Service Pack 2 for Windows XP several weeks ago. I am running Windows XP Pro, and now several of the games on my PC won't load. I have heard complaints from other people here and there about this issue, sometimes those people are running networks and other's aren't. Anyone have this issue and can recommend a fix?

[burn_your_money]

I haven't insalled SP2 yet, it's still in the mail. After reading this I'm not so sure I want to. Are the games legal or downoads?
I would think that the best place to check for fixes is microsofts page or the specific game's website.

[burn_your_money]

Here's some info I got on SP2 in one of the newsletters I subscribe to

2) Paper or Plastic? (SP2 Upgrade)

Hi Fred, I really need help with this. (Remember the TV
commercial: paper or plastic? Where the person can't decide
between the two? That's me, right now. <g>)

I have a stand-alone desktop PC, Windows XP Home (SP 1,
obviously). Up until a couple of months ago, faithfully
downloading/installing all the necessary updates. And I'm the
only user. Period.

I quit being so faithful in updating when there was a warning
about potential problems with one of the updates (don't
remember which one). Because of your references (and
recommendation?), I also subscribed to other newsletters, and
saw some cautionary words about installing an update or two.
Then the talk turned to how great SP2 was going to be, so I
thought, I'll just wait for that. Then it was how late SP2 was
going to be. Then it was ready to roll. Nope, not yet. Okay
now!

So I procrastinated. Now we finally have the "real" (?) SP2,
and maybe some general enthusiasm about it, but there may be
some apps that won't run under it....And I've read about some
of the problems with some installations -- systems hang, what-
not...

I've been a software junkie since before the WWW as we know
it, and like to play with new freeware and shareware apps in
my spare time -- 15 min here, 30 there, sometimes maybe a
whole hour at a time. It irks me that I may have to spend
much of that time upgrading to SP2, then having to wait until
I find something that won't work, or quits working as well in
my installed apps....

Bottom line: I don't have the time, and no longer have the
enthusiasm, to keep track of what _I_ need to do to keep _my_
machine up-to-date, so that I don't have to worry about the
workings of the machine. If I can't determine what's critical
to me, and safe for me, why should I bother. Paper or plastic?
---<G>eorge Davis

You're not alone, George. But, if done with care, SP2 can actually be
part of the solution, rather than another problem. That's because it's a
roll-up of a *huge* number of separate fixes, tweaks, and updates, all
in one. (See the list here:
http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;%5bLN%5d;811113 ) It
also includes a new "Data Execution Prevention" (DEP) feature that tries
to address the general problem of "buffer overruns" that have caused so
many security problems in the past.

It's so big and far-reaching that, back in the days when Microsoft's
arrogance knew no bounds, SP2 probably would have come out as a "new"
version of XP--- XP2004, or some such--- and Microsoft would have
charged for it. After all, that's exactly what they did with "Windows
Millennium Edition", which was really just a glorified update of
Win98SE.

And had it gone that way--- if SP2 were a $99 upgrade--- I'd advise
against it, just as I once advised against Windows ME as not being worth
the cost. But to its credit, MS didn't play games with SP2. It's offered
free, and isn't renamed to make it look like a new version of Windows.
(A curious aside: SP2 does strip off the word "Professional" or "Home"
from the opening start-up screen: All SP2 installs simply say "Windows
XP" at startup, regardless of which version they really are. Hmmm.)

As for the time required to install it, remember that Microsoft will
mail you a free SP2 CD, and even pay the postage for you. A CD install
eliminates the long download (especially for dial-up users); CD-based
SP2 installation time is measured in tens of minutes, not hours or days.
And for that investment of time, you're getting a major refresh and
update of your OS.

My original reservations about SP2 were, in fact, due to that very size
and complexity: It was bound to cause trouble on some systems. But SP2
has been out long enough now so that the worst problems have been
identified and can be known in advance of an installation. That's hard-
won information that some SP2 pioneers paid dearly for. But now, you
don't have to:

Read through the resources below and, if everything checks out, make a
backup of your system, and then go ahead and install SP2 via download,
or by free CD. My guess is that it will be a very worthwhile update in
the long run.

Free SP2 CD:
http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/downloads/updates/sp2/cdorder/en_us/default.mspx

Known hardware, software problems with SP2; troubleshooting; step-by-
step how-tos; more:
http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=fh;ln;xpsp2swhw

Windows XP SP2 Info for IT Professionals
http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?pr=windowsxpsp2it

Additional technical info:
http://www.microsoft.com/technet/prodtechnol/winxppro/maintain/winxpsp2.mspx

Non-technical (consumer) info:
http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?pr=windowsxpsp2

Real-Life Experiences With XP's SP2
http://www.informationweek.com/story/showArticle.jhtml?articleID=46200911

Source : langa.com

Hope this helps you out.

[GoodDayForADrive]

Yea, If you read the statement Microsoft gives about the service pack, you'll notice they say that certain programs will possibly not run correctly. I have purposely not installed the pack because of this,

[Mr_Diesel]

I don't game, so that's why I havent noticed a difference.... I did notice the popup blocker in IE works fairly well.