Bits'n'Bytes

As heard on CJCD

Episode 4

Good morning, and welcome to this week's installment of Bits 'n' Bytes - brought to you by Bowco Computer Services.

By now, most of you who have had a problem with a computer running the Windows XP version of Microsoft's list of operating systems, have been asked which Service Pack you have installed on you machine. Quite often when I ask this question of someone, I get a long pause and a blank stare. "What's a Service Pack?", I get asked.

The short answer to this is that it's Microsoft's way of saying "Ooops", but I'll expand on that a little bit for you.

When Microsoft introduced the Windows NT operating system in 1996, it became a popular business oriented operating system. But, unfortunately, it had mistakes and security flaws in it - lots of them. It had to be fixed, but business owners weren't about to shell out more money for another version of the operating system - they'd already paid a fortune for what they had. So, Microsoft designed the concept of a Service Pack They had their programmers design ways of fixing the mistakes without having to reinstall the operating system from scratch. Then they got all of these fixes together and put them on a CD and called it a Service Pack. I guess it was easier to say than "The Mistake Fixer Upper Disk".

Now, Windows 2000 and Windows XP have their own mistakes in them. And Service Packs have evolved, too. They don't just fix mistakes, they add new programs and features that Microsoft feels are important. Users and techie guys may or may not agree with what Microsoft says is important, but that's a whole other show.

In general, Service Packs are important upgrades to your Operating System, and in general, when they come out, you should have them installed. But, please remember that there are exceptions to every rule.

Stay tuned next week for “How can I put this program on that computer?"

I’m Computer Dave, thanks for your time.