The Security Center

SP2 centralizes security settings by adding a new Control Panel application called the Security Center. You can launch the Security Center a number of ways, including following the new link added in the Control Panel's category view, as shown in Figure 1-10.

Figure 1-10. Launching the new Security Center.

In the Security Center, you can quickly see the status of three vital security components of XP at a glance: the Firewall, Automatic Updates, and Virus Protection. As you saw earlier in Figure 1-2, the Security Center may not be able to recognize your antivirus program (the system these screenshots were taken on uses Norton). Don't be alarmed; just check the vendor's Website for any updates that add compatibility with the Security Center.

The Security Center will allow you to run a different firewall or even disable the Windows Firewall altogether. It will also let you know if your antivirus software is out of date. Follow the links within the Security Center messages to take corrective action or to make changes in the configuration.

Figure 1-11. Take corrective action in the Security Center.