Windows updates? Load 'em up

Q: I've been receiving the message to download Microsoft Service Pack 3 for several months now. I don't have a reliable source to talk to about this release, i.e., has it been out long enough to be considered safe, how many bugs, what repercussions, if any, etc. (Part of the notification advises to do a save before downloading.) Any advice?

E.Z., Raleigh

A: Service Pack 3 bundles all of Windows' updates from the past few years, and while it may introduce its own bugs, it also corrects many known issues, said Joe Vohwinkel, president of the Raleigh IT firm Agave Partners Consulting.

"It is a right pain, but installing it does get rid of all the messages," he said. "With automatic updates, the worst should already be covered, but it is always a good idea to maintain up-to-date patch levels."

CMIT Solutions of North Raleigh has successfully installed Service Pack 3, or SP3, on several computers in the past few weeks and hasn't experienced any major or minor issues as a result, said Paul Tucker, a technical consultant with the IT firm.

Backing up your system before installing SP3 is just a standard operating procedure. Any update or new software install can potentially cause issues in your system, but you will more than likely not experience any problems with SP3, he said.

Vohwinkel did have one SP3 installation not complete successfully, but he said the system did a good job backing out of the changes and restoring all of his old settings. It took a while, but the second attempt went smoothly.

To learn more about the update, Tucker suggests visiting www.microsoft.com/windows/products/windowsxp/sp3/default.mspx.

Q: How can I get back into my WordPerfect? I was out of town for three months and have been locked out of WordPerfect ever since I've returned. It keeps asking for my serial number. I know my son told me to put the disk in a safe place when he installed the program and, although I've searched the house, I've been unable to locate it. If I have to invest in a new WordPerfect, will I be able to access the files I have stored?

F.H.

A: I'm not sure why your computer has locked you out of WordPerfect, but if it's asking for the serial number, it's unlikely there's a way to get around it.

Never fear; if you purchase another copy of WordPerfect, you should be able to get to your files just fine. They're still safely saved on your computer.

However, you don't have to spend money on new software. Microsoft Word, if you have it, can open WordPerfect files, as can OpenOffice.org, a free office suite. You can download it at www.OpenOffice.org.

However, OpenOffice's maker warns that the program can't save to the WordPerfect format. That's important only if you plan on going back to WordPerfect someday; otherwise, you should be able to save as OpenOffice documents with no problems.

I heard from several readers who were unsuccessful in their attempts to set their computers to automatically log in, a process I addressed in my last column. If you had trouble while setting this up, the following steps should help you bypass the autologin process and return your settings to the way they were.

Power up or reboot your computer. Once you see the Windows XP logo, hold down the shift key (and keep holding it down) until the computer is finished booting. This should take you to the Windows welcome screen. Select your account and log in.

Now you'll want to fix the broken automatic log-in process. Click "Start," then "Run" and type "control userpasswords2". Re-check the box at the top of the window and click OK. You are now back to where you were before.