Frustrated with Windows Service Pack 2?

OK, so you’ve tried Windows XP SP2. And you hate it. You installed the update, and a can’t-live-without-it application broke into a billion pieces. Or you can’t connect to the Internet, no matter how many hoops you jump through.

Now your only thought is: Out, damned SP2! Is it possible to get rid of SP2 once you’ve installed it? Or is SP2 like an unwanted guest who comes for a three-day visit but ends up moving into your spare bedroom?

Try these SP2 rollback maneuvers.

Of course, you’ll be removing some of the security features that Microsoft intends for keeping your PC safer. So you should know how to update your OS yourself.

1. Outta here with Add or Remove.
Microsoft has its own preferred order of tactics to dump SP2, and “Add or remove programs” heads the list. It’s also the simplest, so try it first.

It took about 45 minutes and required a reboot, but using “Add or remove programs” to roll back SP2 worked like a charm for us.

From the Start menu in Windows, choose Control Panel > “Add or remove programs.”

Scroll down until you find Windows XP Service Pack 2, then click Remove.

Follow the onscreen instructions.

2. Take out SP2 with a secret folder.
If “Add or remove programs” doesn’t show a Windows XP Service Pack 2 option–unlikely, but possible–there’s an manual, semisecret way of getting to that wizard.

From the Start menu, click Run, then type
C:\windows\$NtServicePackUninstall$\spuninst\spuninst.exe in the Open box and click OK.

When the Windows XP Service Pack 2 Removal wizard opens, click Next.

Follow the onscreen instructions.

3. Still stymied? Try System Restore.
During its installation, SP2 automatically creates a system restore point, in effect saving a snapshot of the PC, before it begins. If the other techniques fail, or if after uninstalling SP2 your computer acts funky, you can get into a Windows’ version of the Way-Back Machine to reverse time.

From the Start menu, select All Programs > Accessories > System Tools > System Restore.

Click Next.

On the calendar, find the date you installed SP2, then click “Installed Windows XP Service Pack 2” in the Restore Point box on the right.

Click Next and follow the onscreen instructions.
Follow the onscreen instructions.