ZDNet UK


Skip to Main Content

ZDNet.co.uk - Winner of Best Business Website 2007
  1. Home
  2. News
  3. Blogs
  4. Reviews
  5. Jobs
  6. Resources
  7. Community
  8. My ZDNet

 

ZDNet UK RSS Feeds


Desktop platforms Toolkit in association with http://ad.doubleclick.net/clk;205413468;14699245;m?http://adfarm.mediaplex.com/ad/ck/2397-58840-22058-14

Windows XP Service Pack 2: a first look

Kai Schmerer ZDNet Germany

Published: 24 Mar 2004

  • Email
  • Trackback
  • Clip Link
  • Print friendly
  • Post Comment


Protection from memory overflow

Under Service Pack 2, protection from memory overflow -- which can be exploited by malicious code -- is ensured by new processors that support the NX (No eXecute) feature in hardware (AMD Athlon 64, AMD Opteron, Intel Itanium).

PCs that use the Pentium 4 and other chips that do not offer hardware-enforced execution protection (the NX feature), must rely on execution protection built into the operating system. However, this procedure – known as 'sandboxing' -- is not as effective as the hardware implementation in NX-enabled chips.

AMD and Microsoft are currently planning a campaign to promote the value of the NX feature to users.


AMD's Athlon 64 processors offer protection from memory overflow with the NX feature. Windows XP provides support for this feature in Service Pack 2.

Next

Previous

1 2 3 ... 9


Related articles

Microsoft unprepared for SP2 support nightmare?

News Update: Microsoft seems unprepared for the deluge of technical support calls expected when it releases the much-publicised security update for Windows XP [05 Apr 2004]

6 Talkbacks

  • Email
  • Trackback
  • Clip Link
  • Print friendly
  • Post Comment

Did you find this article useful?
202 out of 377 people found this useful


Talkback

Post a comment


Full Talkback thread

24 comments

  1. There is missing things in the conclusions: 1. It... utomo
  2. OOps I Tought the review based on Win Xp Sp2 Rc1 (... Utomo
  3. The reviewer makes a couple of naive and potential... David Wright
  4. I agree with David comments. the firewall is too s... Utomo
  5. While the ability to block pictures and HTML in Ou... Check Your SP2 Facts
  6. will the inclusion of xp sp2,orgment or supersede... grahamlee
  7. Three things need clarifying. Firstly, will the m... Charles Stewart
  8. I just uninstalled it. It killed my Panda Anti-Vi... Anonymous
  9. I have installed the release version of SP2 a... A Reynolds
  10. I am also having problems with sp2 and Panda.... Anonymous
  11. I uninstalled Service Pack 2 due to the... Doug Thompson
  12. I recentley installed SP2 on a laptop. When the la... Anonymous
  13. This has happened also on my Packard Bell lap... Anon
  14. Here same problem, when unplugging my ro... Pierre
  15. I have the SAME problem. With SP2 c... suz
  16. I have the same problem as you. (acer ferrari... suz
  17. After installing sp2 on a packardbell ip... peter
  18. Installed it on top of SP1 on a machine I just rec... Mike Cartwright
  19. how did these people get sp2 Jack Hackman
  20. I have downloaded the Beta version of Windows XP S... Joe Wildeisen
  21. I have been running Winows xp with service p... Anonymous
  22. I have been using winxp sp2 and i have to say big... John
  23. I downloaded and installed XP SP2 and found that w... David Blackford
  24. SP2 caused a major problem for me - a total crash... Peter hutchinson

Related Links

More In Desktop platforms



New Products

Google Chrome (beta)

Google Chrome (beta)

Google has launched Chrome, an open-source browser that sends a clear challenge to Microsoft in the way it lets users work with applications.

Internet Explorer 8 beta 2: a first look

Internet Explorer 8 beta 2: a first look

IE8 (beta 2) should satisfy Microsoft's loyal browser base, but it's unlikely to lure committed Firefox users back to the fold.

Windows Small Business Server 2008: a first look

Windows Small Business Server 2008: a first look

Microsoft's 2008 bundle of server OS, applications and services for small businesses will ship on 12 November. Here are our impressions of the public preview release, which shows some big changes from the previous version.

Acrobat 9 Pro Extended: a first look

Acrobat 9 Pro Extended: a first look

Adobe's Acrobat 9 document-creation software is adding dynamic features such as animation integration, dynamic maps, 256-bit encryption and improved forms.

View all Previews

Desktop Management Benchmarking

Test Your Desktop Management Systems

How good are your company's desktop management solutions? How do they compare with those of your peers?

Take two minutes to complete our new Desktop Management and Energy Consumption benchmark, and find out what issues your business needs to focus on.