With the release of the Windows XP Service Pack 2 it makes updating to Office 2003 Service Pack 1 even more worrying than usual.
With all the talk about the Windows XP update there’s almost no talk about the other large update from Microsoft – for Office 2003. The last issue of Office Watch was devoted to the Office 2003 update but with the release of the Windows XP Service Pack 2 it makes updating even more worrying than usual.
Our advice for Office 2003 SP1 still stands – wait for a few weeks to see how it shakes out. There’s already reports of SP2 problems. The usual crop of installation hassles that even the massive 70 plus MB download won’t fix. Despite what Microsoft is saying it seems some people still need their Office 2003 install CD handy even when using the full size update.
In stark contrast to the secretive Office updates, the Windows SP2 update is well documented with problems being acknowledged fairly promptly and there’s a long list of Windows programs that will have trouble with the new Service Pack.
What to do? That’s a hard one for anyone who is cautious about Microsoft products and their updates. There’s no doubt that both updates are worth applying, especially the Windows XP update. The real question is when?
We’re inclined to update Windows XP first and make sure the operating system is stable before later applying the Office 2003 update.
