Good for you Bill. As you are undoubtadly aware, there is usually more than one way to "skin a cat".I've run into mup.dll issues in the past myself and it does appear to be MS related. A search on it in google unfortunately turned up very few hits and nothing useful I could share with you. I did get to read an interesting blog, so all was not lost

_________________

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

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

I've had the service pack 2 installed on my computer for two weeks and I've had a huge headache for two weeks... (and 3 other peeps that recently installed the SP2, have either done a system restore to get rid of it, just removed it from add/remove programs, or thrown it out the window) while I'm sure their intentions are good, but it disabled daily functions that we used to use all the time!

For example,

1) when I receive an email either in hotmail, yahoo etc, and there is a link in the email for me to click on to take a look at, when I do it freezes up the screen, thus having to end process, open the browser back up, return to my mail, right-click and "copy shortcut" on my link, paste it into the address bar and press go... ANNOYING yes!!! Same thing happens when viewing regular webpages and sites such as this one... clicking on certain Hyperlinks within the webpage to open another window, is forbidden with this stupid service pack!!! Thus having to take the long way around things!!!

2) in my MSN messenger, the link that allows you to go directly to your inbox to check your mail has basically become inactive...

3) viewing websites such as "CNN" or "Iams" that basically has a little "pop-up" ad screen that appears when entering their site will not let me view their webpage... and yes SP2 gives you the option to add certain websites to their allow list, but that doesn't work... even changing the security settings, and turning off the pop up blocker... The pop-up blocker will not turn off!!! It may "say" it is turned off but still will not allow access to certain, "trusted" sites, and still makes the same noise that it is blocking a pop-up... and I've TURNED IT OFF!!!

So I've stopped using the Internet Explorer for a bit adn tried MSN Explorer, which worked fine, until now!!! Won't even let me sign in so I'm stuck using IE, unless I download Netscape or something...

geesh!!

Microsoft Fixes Vexing XP SP2 Incompatibility
Numerous applications, including some of Microsoft's own, have encountered compatibility problems with Windows XP Service Pack 2 (SP2). But one application in particular wreaked an inordinate amount of havoc until Microsoft created a removal tool, and now, a patch, for it.

That application — which many industry watchers consider to fall more into the adware/spware category — was Total Velocity Software's T.V. Media. TV Media hides on users' PCs and displays commercials.

A number of users with TV Media lurking on their PCs who attempted to load SP2 were hit immediately with the dreaded blue screen of death.

Microsoft posted a Knowledge Base article to its Web site in September that outlined the T.V. Media-SP2 problems. Microsoft posted a downloadable T.V. Media removal tool around the same time.
http://www.microsoft-watch.com/article2/0,1995,1667817,00.asp

d/l it here
http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?amp;amp;amp;displaylang=en&familyid=F94E8B27-B656-45CD-9668-73134A18231B&displaylang=en

Windows XP - Service Pack 2 (SP2) - FAQs & Best Practices
http://forum.aumha.org/index.php?c=16

I noticed that despite his 15% failure Bill Bright is still recommending upgrading. I can't upgrade yet as I don't think this system is completely clean, but I'm still not sure whether or not I should once I get this thing set straight. My dad seems to think SP2 makes it easier for MS to spy on it's users. I had good luck on the last two systems I installed it on but do I want to push my luck. I was quite comfortable with 98 but my current computer has 2000, I like that better than xp... anyway. It was mentioned that SP2 does not fix anything, I'm not entirely sure. This friend of mine, the reason I've been in and out of here..., He had computer trouble. He knew someone that allowed him to have his pc in a repair shop to get worked on free. Well once he got it back it kept rebooting.
So I was in there one day and decided to take a look. It was that lsass.exe shutdown screen, you know, you have 60 seconds... Symptom of the sasser worm I know. I did a ton of research on it, ran every scan possible and it was not the sasser. It did not have errors when the modem was not plugged in, confusing. I talked to the cable company, all they could say was it was a virus. But I didn't think so. I read instructions on delaying shutdown, which gave almost 3 hours instead of 60 seconds, then ran ALL windows updates including xp2. Then, the problem went away.
Ok, so that's not a typical story and it probably had nothng to do with sp2, but it's what happened.
Basically I don't know what to do once this is clean. I've heard from both sides saying do and don't, but I'm just not sure...

Millipede - If this computer will connect to the Internet, you need SP2. It is really that simple. True, some times the upgrade is not pretty but that is because it is almost a whole operating system upgrade, literaly millions of lines of code.

As far as SP2 fixing a computer, what I said was it was not "DESIGNED" to fix a broken PC. However, if a old XP file is corrupt, and SP2 includes a update, that might fix a problem, but that is just by happenstance. If the corruption is of a 3rd party file, such as a device driver, SP2 will not fix that.

I believe your dad is being a bit overzealous about Microsoft's spying intent. However, even if he was correct (and I don't believe he is) - it is not Microsoft, in this case, you have to worry about. It is all the badguys exploiting all the vulnerabilites in an unpatched system that SP2 protects you from, and this is what he, and you, should worry about.

So without out a doubt, everyone using XP should upgrade to SP2, sooner rather than later. Note too, that many newer applications and updates require SP2 and more will in the future.

So, true, it is a hard pill to swallow, but a necessary pill just the same.

_________________
Bill (AFE7Ret)
Freedom is NOT Free!

My experiences of SP-II (aka - The return of the service pack) have also been positive.

I wasn't and am not however interested in the new toys, although at least they are security related.
The "security centre" gets it's service disabled straight off!
The pop-up blocker is irrelevant since the best thing I ever did was move to firefox (but there are a thousand better Pop blockers on the market anyway).

I'm one of those strange people who actually likes Windows, because I know that the big secret is: running less software, service packs or not.
A quick "Hijack This" log for ya'll:

Platform: Windows XP SP2, v.2149 (WinNT 5.01.2600)
MSIE: Internet Explorer v6.00 SP2 (6.00.2900.2149)

Running processes:
C:\WINDOWS\System32\smss.exe
C:\WINDOWS\system32\winlogon.exe
C:\WINDOWS\system32\services.exe
C:\WINDOWS\system32\lsass.exe
C:\WINDOWS\system32\svchost.exe
C:\WINDOWS\System32\svchost.exe
C:\WINDOWS\Explorer.EXE
C:\Program Files\NetLimiter 2 Pro\nlsvc.exe
C:\Program Files\Eset\nod32krn.exe
C:\WINDOWS\system32\ZoneLabs\vsmon.exe
C:\Program Files\Eset\nod32kui.exe
C:\Program Files\ZoneAlarm\zlclient.exe
C:\Program Files\Mozilla Firefox\firefox.exe
C:\Program Files\Nero\Nero 7\Core\nero.exe
C:\Program Files\Common Files\Ahead\lib\NMIndexStoreSvr.exe
D:\Internet\RSS Bandit\RSSBandit.exe
C:\WINDOWS\system32\NOTEPAD.EXE
D:\Applications\Executables\HijackThis.exe

F2 - REG:system.ini: Shell=
O4 - HKLM\..\Run: [nod32kui] "C:\Program Files\Eset\nod32kui.exe" /WAITSERVICE
O4 - HKLM\..\Run: [Zone Labs Client] C:\Program Files\ZoneAlarm\zlclient.exe
O8 - Extra context menu item: Subscribe in default RSS reader - C:\Documents and Settings\Administrator\Application Data\RssBandit\iecontext_subscribefeed.htm
O23 - Service: ATI Smart - Unknown owner - C:\WINDOWS\system32\ati2sgag.exe
O23 - Service: NetLimiter (nlsvc) - Locktime Software - C:\Program Files\NetLimiter 2 Pro\nlsvc.exe
O23 - Service: NOD32 Kernel Service (NOD32krn) - Eset - C:\Program Files\Eset\nod32krn.exe
O23 - Service: TrueVector Internet Monitor (vsmon) - Zone Labs, LLC - C:\WINDOWS\system32\ZoneLabs\vsmon.exe

Something to compare against all the other logs posted here from people with "problems."


Every time you install a new application you're effectively playing "software Russian Roulette" with reliability.
Most (read: all) people tend to find out about a software's integrity (or lack of) when things start going wrong, not before they buy / install it.

Windows holds no fears for me and is 99.9% reliable.
SP-II hasn't changed that at all.
In fact the best thing about SP-II it is that I haven't even noticed it's there.

Sorry if any of this sounds pompous, smug or like I hold contempt for regular PC users (just the ones who install every piece of software ever written and then wander about liberally stating how crap Windows is when they get the odd crash or two).
Just the way I am I guess.

Beyond that and actually more important, if you are running XP and have not yet upgraded to SP2, then you are part of the problem. Your PC IS vulnerable to exploitations and you are a threat to the rest of us on the Internet and others on your own networks.

Bad guys are actively seeking out unpatched PCs to exploit, hijack, turn into zombies, and use to distribute their malware to other systems.

Therefore, the harsh reality is this; if you have yet to upgrade to SP2, and you connect to a network or the Internet, you need to stop being selfish, start being a responsible Internet user, and upgrade now. It is really that simple.

_________________
Bill (AFE7Ret)
Freedom is NOT Free!

Absolutely.
But to be fair, you could say that about everyone running Windows 9x O.S.s (more so in fact) and there are still millions of them.
Even stock XP is a step up in security, especially when combined with a few good security tools.
Anyway, I don't expect everybody even has the bandwidth to get a copy of SP-II.
Are Microsoft still vetting downloaders for legitimate installation status?
That's probably another issue.

People wandering into bad site after bad site like babes in the woods and corporate email users are the ones i'd put against the wall first.
Maybe there should be licensing to see who's got the appropriate IQ level to operate a computer?

Yep.
You're probably right again there.
Despite 9x being more vulnerable most of the files that are turning up on people's machines here do seem specific to XP/NT/2000.

If they wanted to make Windows 75% safer they could always ship it with FireFox instead of I.E.
(Only a matter of time until FireFox starts getting targeted considering it's growth though.)

I think even Microsoft have got the message now that security IS the big issue.
Maybe the balance will start to tip with Vista whenever they decide to release it.
Or is that a flying pig I see?

You're certainly more knowledgable on the subect than I, but I have to say that's not been my own experience.

I've cured many problems for myself and others by using FireFox (it's incredibly stable apart from anything else), but then yes, I am a massive advocate for safe computing as well.
I did migrate to FF primarily for security reasons but stayed for things like tabbed browsing and the amazing third-party plug-ins that people are developing.
Without even needing to buy a licence from Mozilla!

Yes, you may be all patched up for today's threats but what about tomorrow's?
As a FF user that is just not a concern as things stand.
Microsoft can't move fast enough to keep up with the hacks.
Also now they've all but admitted by making IE7 a "separate entity" that IE6(-) represents a natural security liability through being so deeply embedded into Windows.
(Wonder where they got the tabbed browsing for IE7 idea from though.)

But yes, I also thoroughly agree that the whole issue itself arises from the mindless scum who create (read: modify) the threats.
I'm often heard to be saying that myself!

I'm definitely not a MS basher, quite the opposite in fact.
I think Windows and IBM PCs are a great combination!
(And I have the perspective of having owned a: ZX81 / TI99/4A / Sharp-MZ80 / S-Spectrum / Atari STe / Various Macs etc. )
XP was a massive improvement and a real epiphany for me personally.
I do have issues with things like Media Player, Movie Maker, Internet Explorer and other forced elements (like "My Pictures", Explorer Tooltips that can't be disabled, MSN, Messenger etc.), but it's small potatoes considering the overall quality and tactility of the environment.

I was aware of the legacy problem, but hadn't accredited it to the lobbying of manufacturers.
Very illuminating.........

Well, can you honestly say that FF is secure from tomorrow's threats?

Not the makers, consumers that paid for Win95 who insist that Win98 should be free. Or insist their 16-bit card they bought 10+ years ago must still be supported. Now granted, many of these folks, and small businesses, just don't have the IT budgets needed to support hardware and software upgrades every couple years. And I know of several specialty applications, such as accounting and inventory software, that small companies hired local developers to create for their companies, that run on DOS - or maybe Win95 - that will not run on today's hardware, or under today's Operating Systems, but they just can't afford to upgrade, praying every day there's no failures. I admit, it is rough. But they got to do it.

I tried FF for several months and tabbed browsing is great - but I note Netscape had it a couple years before FF! Personally, I use two monitors and created another Quicklaunch toolbar for monitor 2 for sites I visit often - I don't seem to miss tabbed browsing and so use IE. I am not aware of stability issues with IE so that was never an issue with me. My next PC will surely have Vista and IE7 on it. I am sure once I get used to tabbed browsing then, I will wonder how I lived without it.

I am aware of several sites that do not support FF - mostly financial and corporate time keeping (manhour tracking) so that is an issue for some.

Played and used Macs, never owned one. I was fortunate enough to have an MIT Altair 8000 in the late 70's, a C64, and I live about 90 miles from the original Gateway factory where I bought my first PC (486DX33) in '93. The first computer I saw I stood inside it - along with about 100,000 diode vacuum tubes - took up the whole 2nd floor of a NORAD blockhouse.

_________________
Bill (AFE7Ret)
Freedom is NOT Free!