Troubleshooting and customizing settings

Want to learn how to customize security-related settings and other features delivered in Windows XP SP2? These Microsoft Knowledge Base articles and support topics can help.

• Some programs seem to stop working after you install SP2
  After you install SP2, some programs may seem not to work. By default, Windows Firewall is enabled and blocks unsolicited connections to your computer. This article discusses how to make an exception and enable a program to run by adding it to the list of exceptions.
• How to use the Security Alert dialog box when it appears on your screen
  When a program tries to use one or more of the resources or the ports on your system that are covered by the firewall, a Security Alert dialog box appears. This article describes the Security Alert dialog box options available to you.
• How to Disable Firewall Alerts
  Windows Firewall will automatically be enabled in SP2 and Windows Security Center will tell you the status of the firewall and display an alert if it stops working. If you install and run another firewall, you should turn off Windows Firewall.
• How to Disable Antivirus Alerts
  If you're running SP2, Windows Security Center should tell you the status of your antivirus software and display an alert if it stops working. However, if you use an antivirus program that Windows doesn't recognize, you may want to disable the antivirus Security Center alerts.
• Troubleshooting Bluetooth connection problems in Windows XP Service Pack 2
  After you install SP2, a Bluetooth device that previously functioned correctly in Windows XP SP1 and that supported Bluetooth wireless devices may not function correctly. This article discusses how to troubleshoot Bluetooth connection issues in SP2.
• How to help protect your computer if you decide to remove Windows XP Service Pack 2
  If you remove Microsoft Windows XP Service Pack 2 (SP2) from your computer and you have installed any security updates since you installed Windows XP SP2, your computer may be left vulnerable to the issues that the security updates were helping protect your computer from. This article describes how to help protect your computer if you decide to remove Windows XP SP2 from your computer.
• Device drivers known to cause instability in SP2 are blocked during installation
  SP2 includes the Driver Protection feature, which helps protect operating system stability by preventing the operating system from loading drivers that are known to cause stability problems.
• Cannot use an MP3 or WMA file as background sound for an e-mail message in Outlook Express
  This article describes workaround methods for formatting Outlook Express e-mail messages with backgroun sound.
• Windows Messenger in Windows XP Service Pack 2 blocks certain files that you receive
  This article describes the scenarios in which Windows Messenger may block file transfers in SP2.
• How to perform basic Internet Explorer troubleshooting in SP2
  After you upgrade to SP2, some SSL-secured (128-Bit) Web pages and Web sites may not work correctly. Frequently, this behavior is caused by security changes in SP2. This article describes how to determine why the pages do not display correctly.
• Red "X" is displayed in place of images and graphics in Outlook Express e-mail messages
  This article describes the new "Block images and other external content in HTML e-mail" security option in Outlook Express.