:RANT ON:

This is rediculous. XP was BILLED (BY BILL) as being the most secure version of WinBLOW's ever, was it not?

It is absolutely CRIMINAL that an out of the box brand new computer is capable of being DISABLED within a minute of being connected to a network.

People are buying new PC's to 'fix' these innocuous problems in droves. I think this is more about PLANNED OBSOLESENCE than responsible engineering. Just about every MS OS was eventually 'patched' into oblivious use.

The new SP2 is turning good computers into DOGS that take longer to boot and run slower.

It is time for SOMEONE to build an OS from the ground up that has real scrupples (MS products are just repackaged IBM goods ).

MS shouldn't be praised for advancing the computer industry, it should be sued for all the damage it has caused.

:RANT OFF: