I never upgraded to SP2 because of that whole, you know, having pirated Windows thing. But nobody I know has /complained/ about SP2.

I'm primarily a Linux and OS X user now, but I still use fix my family's windows boxes, and use it sometimes on my dual boot systems. IMO, SP2 is worth it when it works. Though, it really depends on the computer you're using. I've installed SP2 on, like, a dozen different computer models, and most of them have taken it well.

However, when things go wrong with the install, they really go wrong.

When my grandma's old box was updated, it lost all display capability in wind0ze (everything was fine in Linux). I've also seen a couple of laptops run much slower once SP2 was installed. Actually, now that I think about it, all of the computers that had problems were relatively old HPs.

I'd say, if you got your box from a big name distributor, google for any information about problems with SP2 on that model. If you don't find any complaints, you'll probably be fine.

Also: The new security center will probably drive you batty, but rest assured all of its features and notifications can be disabled.

. . . as to the hedonistic qualities of wineglasses, the same is true of brandy and sherry glasses.

Just a note: If you do start using IE7 b2, you're going to need something like this ( http://www.fiddlertool.com/... ) to use sites that are explicitly stating IE6 in their browser recognition functions.

Only if the issue comes up, though. Which it did for my grandma.

I'm so paranoid that I've decided to wait until I can lay hands on a second external HD, (I need one anyway), so I can at least store my files somewhere safe before I upgrade. So it'll probably be a few months, unless I can budget really tightly.