Should you install Microsoft Office 2007 SP 2?
Ok folks, so here’s the big question: Should you install Office 2007 SP2? Will it make your Office run better, or will it in fact bring your Windows machine to a screeching halt? Honestly, I don’t want to scare you. SP2 should not break down your machine, nor result in a terrible loss of data. Far from it. After testing the update for the past week, I can tell you that overall there are some noticeable improvements: My most used office program, Outlook, opens more quickly and seems to process my thousands of e-mails with a veritable speed I had not seen before.
According to Microsoft, that’s the idea. Most users spend the majority of their time in Outlook, and so the official word from Redmond is that Outlook 2007 SP2 is 26% faster than its predecessor (e-mail tasks are 35% percent faster). After installing SP2 users should indeed notice this improved speed and stability of Outlook, better charting functionality in Excel and more control over the appearance of SmartArt graphics.
Have I experienced any problems running SP2? Yes. I hate to say this, but I have been noticing that Outlook freezes from time to time. However, I’m a bit of a power user. I have Windows XP running in Parallels that’s sucking 2GB from my 4GB iMac. I probably have 20 windows open on each operating system at any given moment. I would just as well attribute my freezing Outlook to a Parallels memory glitch or a recent LA Earthquake than to SP2 (and we did receive a 4.0 aftershock today).
The SP2 update is a manual update. Meaning you’ll need to go to Microsoft Update in your control panel to find it. Alternatively, you can also visit the Microsoft Office Download Site and grab the update. If you are a CSG TotalCare or Managed Services customer, we’ll take care of installing the SP2 update across your network automatically.
For a complete and detailed listing of what SP2 has to offer click here to read the Micrsoft Support Article. If you have any additional questions regarding the update, feel free to post your comments below.
