It’s an unsafe world out there for Windows-based computers. Microsoft wants to address the problem with its new megapatch, Service Pack 2 for Windows XP. Does it succeed? Not entirely. But the big fix does so much to close security holes and to make protecting your PC simpler that it’s still an essential upgrade.

This giant patch–the biggest single update since Windows XP itself was released–promises to cure many of the known security ills that have befallen XP since it debuted in late 2001, and to preemptively put a stop to a still-unknown number of others.

But it’s not just a big security fix; SP2 makes Wi-Fi and Bluetooth networks easier to navigate, adds new features to Tablet and Media Center PCs, and updates XP’s multimedia components. It all comes in a 220MB package that (at press time, when we saw only the Release Candidate 2 beta version) installs in under an hour over broadband.

Other Information

• License Type: Free
• Date Added: May 17, 2007
• Operating Systems: Windows XP
• Requirements: Windows XP Home, Windows XP Professional
• Author: Microsoft

Download Windows XP Service Pack 2