Windows XP Service Pack 2 (SP2) brought a large amount of bug fixes and new functionalities to the Windows XP operating system, but at the same time it caused a lot of problems for some applications. If you have recently tried installing Service Pack 2 on your operating system and are facing difficulties, the good news is that it's not too difficult to solve some of the most common problems associated with Windows XP SP2.

SP2 Installation Problems

If you're trying to install Service Pack 2 but are having trouble, make sure that your copy of Windows is legitimate. Illegal copies of XP will often refuse to install SP2 if their registration key has been blacklisted. You should also check that your user account has administrator privileges, since Service Pack 2 cannot install unless you are either logged in as the Administrator or your account has administrator privileges.

Booting and Shutdown Issues

Repeated reboot and restart problems can usually be fixed by applying a BIOS or other driver update to your machine. Outdated BIOS drivers can cause the computer to hang, reboot without warning or refuse to shut down properly. To update your BIOS, download the updated driver set from the manufacturer's website, start the computer and press F8 at the startup screen to access the Windows boot menu. Select the option to start "Safe Mode with Networking" and log in to Windows when the prompt appears. Install the BIOS drivers (or any other updated drivers you have found) and restart the computer normally.

Connection Issues

If you are having trouble connecting to the Internet or to other computers in your network, it may be a firewall issue because SP2 makes some changes to the Windows firewall system. Try opening the Windows firewall and enabling "File and Print Sharing" and see if that fixes the issue with sharing files across your network. You should also check the other firewall entries if you are having trouble getting to the web, since some of your software (like web browsers or email clients) may have been blocked. If you can't get the Messenger service to work, you'll need to enable it by opening the "Control Panel," going to the "Admin Tools" section, opening "Services" and setting the Messenger service to "Automatically Start." After you reboot your computer, the Messenger service will be running.

Source:

Windows XP Service Pack 2/3 Problem Solver