Microsoft’s manifest destiny to include the kitchen sink in window xp service pack

I've been playing around with Microsoft Windows Vista Ultimate Edition on my Compaq laptop, which works quite well now that I have drivers for the 802.11 wireless card. Today I noticed that Vista, well the Ultimate Edition at least, comes with an image snipping program. It is located in the accessories area of the start menu.

I'll say one thing for Microsoft, they haven't found an application yet that will not put into their operating system. We use SnagIt here at TechRepublic for capturing screen images and it works great. Of course, it costs a few bucks and is developed by a company other than Microsoft. While the Vista snipping applet certainly does what it is supposed to do, it lacks some of the more advanced features of SnagIt. However, if you don't have SnagIt then the snipping applet will do the trick.

It's amazing what you can find roaming around an operating system like Vista. This last image was created using the Snipping Tool.

Adding new toolbars to your start menu in window xp service pack 1 2 3

Here is a shortcut I use to keep all of my favorites accessible from my Start menu. I recommend you take advantage of adding new toolbars to your start menu in window xp. It is very simple and easy to do. Let’s begin.

Right-click on your desktop and choose Toolbars | New Toolbar . . . (Figure A).

Figure A.

Next, choose the folder that you want to appear in your Start menu (Figure B.)

Figure B.

Your custom toolbar now appears in the Start menu. You can use this feature to put all of your favorite folders on your toolbar (Figure C & D).

Figure C.

Take advantage of password protecting your screen saver in windows xp service pack

If you work in an office setting where prying eyes would love to see the information on your screen, you might want to take advantage of password protecting your screen saver. To perform these steps do the following:

Right-click on the Desktop of Windows Vista and choose Personalize (Figure A).

Figure A.

Next, choose Screen Saver (Figure B).

Figure B.

On the Screen Saver Settings page, tick the On resume, display logon screen checkbox (Figure C).

Figure C.

How to Keep the activation status intact when reinstalling window xp service pack

Have you ever wanted to reformat the hard disk and reinstall Windows XP service pack on a system but you didn't want to mess around with Microsoft's Product Activation after the reinstall? Fortunately, you don't have to.

As long as you aren't making any hardware alterations, you can back up the activation status files before you reformat the hard drive and then restore them after you reinstall the operating system.

To perform the backup, follow these steps:

1. Use Windows Explorer to open the C:\Windows\System32 folder.
2. Copy the Wpa.dbl and Wpa.bak files to a floppy disk or CD.

To perform the restore, follow these steps:

1. Decline the activation request at the end of the installation procedure, and restart Windows XP.
2. During bootup, press [F8] to access the Windows Advanced Options menu.
3. Choose the Safe Mode (SAFEBOOT_OPTION=Minimal) option.
4. Use Windows Explorer to open the C:\Windows\System32 folder.
5. If they exist, rename the new Wpa.dbl and Wpa.bak files to Wpadbl.new and Wpabak.new.
6. Copy the original Wpa.dbl and Wpa.bak files from the floppy disk or CD to the C:\Windows\System32 folder.
7. Restart the system.

How to create a safe mode option to the boot menu in windows xp

Follow these steps to create a Safe Mode option to the Boot menu.

When you're experiencing a problem with Windows XP, you may need to boot the system into Safe Mode more than once. However, doing so can be a tiresome process. When the Boot menu appears, you must press [F8], and then you must select Safe Mode from yet another menu.

Wouldn't it be nice if Safe Mode were available from the Boot menu? In fact, it's relatively easy to add a Safe Mode option to the Boot menu.

Follow these steps:

1. Press [Windows][Break] to open the System Properties dialog box.
2. On the Advanced tab, click the Settings button in the Startup And Recovery section.
3. In the System Startup section, click the Edit button.
4. When the Boot.ini file opens in Notepad, locate the line that ends with the /fastdetect switch.
5. Highlight and copy that line, and paste it in the line below.
6. Change the section on the line that reads WINDOWS="Microsoft Windows XP Professional" to WINDOWS="Safe Mode."
7. Add the following to the end of the line:

/safeboot:minimal /sos /bootlog

When i need uncover windows xp’s built-in image resizing utility

If you’ve ever had to resize a group of digital picture files, you’ve likely launched your image editing program and then resized each image individually — this is an extremely time-consuming task. Windows XP has a built-in image resizing utility buried inside the Send Pictures Via E-Mail dialog box that can quickly and easily resize a large group of digital picture files at once. Follow these steps:

1. Press [Windows]E to launch Windows Explorer.
2. Make sure the Tasks pane is visible. (The Folders button acts like a toggle switch. If the Tree pane is showing, clicking the Folders button will display the Tasks pane. Click the Folders button if the Tree pane is showing.)
3. Open the folder containing the group of digital pictures you want to resize. Select the group.
4. Under the File And Folder Task list, select the E-Mail The Selected Items command.
5. When you see the Send Pictures Via E-Mail dialog box, click the Show More Options link to expand the dialog box.
6. Select a radio button next to one of the available sizes and click OK. A new mail message window containing the resized digital pictures as attachments will appear.
7. Pull down the File menu, select the Save Attachments command, and save all the attachments to a different folder.
8. Close the mail message window and click No in the Save Changes dialog box.

Note: This tip applies to both Windows XP Home and Windows XP Professional.

Tip for redirect the command prompt to a folder of your choosing

As you probably know, when you open a Command Prompt, from the Start menu or by typing CMD in the Run dialog box, the Command Prompt window will always open in the C:\Documents and Settings\{yourname} folder. (Where {yourname} is the name of your user account.)

The reason for this is that by default Windows XP is programmed to start the Command Prompt in the folder designated by the %HOMEDRIVE%%HOMEPATH% environment variable, which in most cases translates into C:\Documents and Settings\{yourname}.

However, having the Command Prompt window open in the C:\Documents and Settings\{yourname} by default may not always be convenient. As such, you’re left to using the CD (Change Directory) command to manually navigate to the folder of your choice. Fortunately, you can reconfigure the Command Prompt shortcut to open in any folder that you want. Here’s how:

Right click on the Command Prompt shortcut on the Start menu and select Properties the command.

When you see the Shortcut tab, double-click the Start in text box to select %HOMEDRIVE%%HOMEPATH% environment variable.

Type the path to the folder in which you want the Command Prompt windows to open.

(If you need more flexibility when opening a Command Prompt window than this tip provides, you might be better served by downloading and installing the Open Command Window Here PowerToy from Microsoft.)

Using the recovery console for restore window xp registry

Your current registry may be missing or corrupted if you have an error similar to the one below. It may be due to an unscheduled shutdown/reboot and/or damaged hard-drive. Errors may look like:

Windows XP could not start because the following file is missing or corrupt: \WINDOWS\SYSTEM32\CONFIG\SYSTEM
Windows XP could not start because the following file is missing or corrupt: \WINDOWS\SYSTEM32\CONFIG\SOFTWARE
Stop: c0000218 {Registry File Failure} The registry cannot load the hive (file): \SystemRoot\System32\Config\SOFTWARE (or its log or alternate)

Windows could not start because the following file is missing or corrupt: c:\Windows\system32\config\system

To resolve this issue you may restore your registry from a restore point but have to use the Windows XP CD that came with your computer.

1. Boot off of a Windows XP CD. Press R to get to the recovery console.
Welcome to Setup: To repair a Windwos XP installing using Recovery Consule, press R.

2. Press 1 to log onto Windows. You will need the administrative password to get into to command prompt. If the administrator password was blank press enter. If your SAM and/or SECURITY registry is bad it will not prompt you for a password.
Which Windows installation would you like to log onto (To cancel, press ENTER)?

2. Change directory to the configuration folder to the c:\windows\system32\config folder. type: cd system32\config

3. Backup the current configuratioin by renaming 5 files. Type in the following commands (no particular order):

type: rename default default.bak
type: rename sam sam.bak
type: rename system system.bak
type: rename software software.bak
type: rename security security.bak

This will backup the current registry settings.

4. Switch to the system volume information folder. type: cd\

then type: cd "system volume information"
If you do not have access to the system volume information folder you will have to copy the registry files from c:\windows\repair folder and set permissions and passwords. Follow these instructions if you do not have access to the system volume information folder. You may continue with those instructions from step 4.

5. To see the directory type: dir

6. Change the directory into the restore folder that will have a similiarly long name but will look different on each machine. type: cd _restore{987E0331-0f01-427......}

7. to see the directory type: dir

8. Change into the rp directory with the lastest date. EX: If rp139 has the latest date type: cd rp139

9. Change the directory into snapshot folder. type: cd snapshot

10. To see the directory type: dir

11. copy and rename the files by typing in the following commands (no particular order):

type: copy _REGISTRY_USER_.DEFAULT c:\windows\system32\config\default
type: copy _REGISTRY_MACHINE_SAM c:\windows\system32\config\sam
type: copy _REGISTRY_MACHINE_SECURITY c:\windows\system32\config\security
type: copy _REGISTRY_MACHINE_SOFTWARE c:\windows\system32\config\software
type: copy _REGISTRY_MACHINE_SYSTEM c:\windows\system32\config\system

12. Type: Exit
The computer will restart. Take the Windows CD out of the drive.

You have just copied registry settings for that restore point from that date to the configuration folder. The next time you restart you will be restarting with those settings in safe and normal modes. If that didn't work try restoring to an earlier restore point. All of the passwords will be reset to whatever they were on that restore point date.

It is recommended to back up all the files and programs you need then reformat and reinstall Windows. Running a disk check is also recommended.

Windows XP service pack System Restore tool

Windows XP's System Restore lets you restore your computer to a previous time if a problem occurs. To accomplish this feat, System Restore continuously monitors your system looking for significant changes to the operating system, such as an application or driver installation procedure, automatically creating a restore point when it detects an impending change. System Restore will also create restore points every 24 hours. Restore points are essentially snapshots of your system state, which comprises crucial system files including certain parts of the registry. System Restore maintains multiple restore points, which gives you the choice of restoring your computer to any number of previously saved states. Here are 10 things you should know about getting the most from Windows XP's System Restore tool.

Data files and System Restore

Because System Restore is described as a tool that allows you to restore your computer to a previous time, many people mistakenly assume that they will lose any data files they've created since the restore point was created. However, System Restore doesn't monitor or save the contents of the My Documents folder, any files that use common data filename extensions, such as .doc or .xls, e-mail message stores, browsing history, or even password files. Those files will remain intact when you restore your system.

However, keep in mind that the Desktop is not a protected folder, and any files that exist there could be lost during a restore operation. So before you perform a restore operation, you should move any crucial files you have saved on the Desktop to the My Documents folder.

Undoing a restore operation

If you perform a restore operation and then determine that the problem still exists, you can undo the operation. To do so, you must immediately run System Restore. When you see the Welcome To System Restore screen, select the Undo My Last Restoration option and click Next. On the Confirm Restoration Undo screen, click Next. System Restore will restore the previous system state and restart the computer. When the system restarts and you log on, you'll see System Restore's Undo Complete screen, which lets you know the operation was successful.

If you perform a restore operation and then determine that you selected the wrong restore point date, simply run System Restore again and select the restore point date you wanted.

If you perform a successful restore operation and discover that your computer won't boot Windows normally, you can still undo the restore operation. First, boot the system into Safe Mode. After you log on, a Warning dialog box will appear, allowing you to launch System Restore and select the Undo My Last Restoration option.

If the restore operations fails, the Restoration Was Unsuccessful screen will appear, and your computer will automatically return to the same state it was in when you activated the restore operation. In other words, no changes will be made to your computer.

Running System Restore from a command prompt

If your computer won't boot Windows normally and won't boot into the Safe Mode GUI, you can still access System Restore. Start by booting the system using the Safe Mode With Command Prompt option. After you log on, type the following command line at the command prompt:

%systemroot%\system32\restore\rstrui.exe

Press [Enter], and System Restore will run as it normally does. You can follow the steps in the wizard to perform a restore operation.

Purging restore points

System Restore by default claims a maximum of 12 percent of the available hard disk space to save the restore points. (The amount of storage space will depend on the size of your hard disk.) Once the 12 percent mark is reached, System Restore will purge the oldest restore points in its database to make room for new ones. However, there may be situations where you need or want to purge restore points to free up disk space. Fortunately, the Disk Cleanup utility will allow you to delete all but the most recent restore point.

You can launch Disk Cleanup from the Start | All Programs | Accessories | System Tools menu. Once Disk Cleanup is up and running, select the More Options tab and click the Cleanup button in the System Restore panel. You'll then be prompted to confirm the delete operation.

Reining in System Restore's disk space usage

To perform its operations, System Restore requires at least 200 MB of available hard disk space. However, if more disk space is available, System Restore will claim up to 12 percent of it to save the restore points. Although System Restore can use that full 12 percent if it's available, this chunk of disk space is not reserved. System Restore will yield disk space back to the system if it's needed. Furthermore, restore points more than 90 days old are automatically purged by default.

If you want to see how much hard disk space System Restore has potentially set aside on your system, press [Windows][Break] to bring up the System Properties dialog box and then choose the System Restore tab. Next, select your hard disk from the Available Drive list and click the Settings button. When the Drive Settings dialog box appears, you'll see a number in the Disk Space Usage panel that represents the amount of space in MB that System Restore is using to amass restore points.

For example, on a system with an 80GB hard disk, System Restore's 12% amounts to nearly 9 GB. If you feel that System Restore has the potential to take up too much disk space, move the slider to the left to specify a more reasonable amount of hard disk space for System Restore to store its multiple restore points.

Manually creating a restore point

System Restore will automatically create restore points, but you can manually create one anytime you want. To do so, launch System Restore and then follow along with the wizard. If want to save yourself a few steps, you can simplify the launching process by copying the System Restore shortcut from the Start | All Programs | Accessories | System Tools menu to the desktop

Bypassing the System Restore Wizard

If you want to be able to manually create a restore point without having to go through the wizard, you can create a simple two-line VBScript file that uses WMI (Windows Management Instrumentation) to instantly create a restore point. Just launch Notepad and type these two lines:

Set IRP = getobject("winmgmts:\\.\root\default:Systemrestore")

MYRP = IRP.createrestorepoint ("My Restore Point", 0, 100)

Then, save the file as MyRestorePoint.vbs. Now, you can easily create an restore point by double-clicking the script's icon. When you do, System Restore will run in the background without displaying its interface and will create a restore point called My Restore Point.

Steps to avoid restoring viruses

If you know that your system is infected by a virus, you should temporarily turn off System Restore. Otherwise, the virus could be saved along with other system files in a restore point and reintroduced to your system during a restore operation at a later date.

To turn off System Restore, press [Windows][Break] to bring up the System Properties dialog box. Then, choose the System Restore tab, select the Turn Off System Restore check box, and click OK. As soon as you do, you'll see a confirmation dialog box warning you that turning off System Restore will delete all existing restore points. Click Yes to continue.

You can now use your antivirus software to clean up your system. When the virus has been eradicated, access the System Restore tab again and clear the Turn Off System Restore check box. Click OK to re-enable System Restore.

Disabling System Restore for data drives

If you have additional hard disks connected to your computer, System Restore will automatically add them to its list of monitored drives. If these additional drives just store data or data backups, there's no reason to have System Restore monitor them.

To disable System Restore for data drives, press [Windows][Break] to bring up the System Properties dialog box. Then, choose the System Restore tab. Next, select your hard disk from the Available Drive list and click the Settings button. When the Drive Settings dialog box appears, select the Turn Off System Restore On This Drive check box and click OK. You'll see a confirmation dialog box warning that by turning off System Restore on this drive, you won't be able to track or undo harmful changes on it. Click Yes to continue. Then, click OK to close the System Properties dialog box.

Determining the actual amount of space System Restore is using

You can easily determine how much disk space System Restore can potentially use, but you may also want to determine how much disk space System Restore is actually using. If you're running Windows XP Professional and the hard disk is using NTFS, you can find out.

You'll begin by making a few configuration changes from an Administrator account that will allow you to investigate the hidden and protected folder called System Volume Information, located in the root directory of your hard disk. Keep in mind that this information is meant only for investigative purposes. Making any changes to the files in the System Volume Information folder will disrupt or otherwise damage System Restore's ability to do its job.

From within Windows Explorer, access the View tab of the Folder Options dialog box. Then, select the Show Hidden Files And Folders option, deselect the Hide Protected Operating System Files check box, and click Yes in the Warning dialog box. (If the system is in a workgroup, you'll need to deselect the Use Simple File Sharing check box as well.) Click OK to close the Folder Options dialog box.

Now, access the root directory of the hard disk, right-click on the System Volume Information folder, select Properties, and access the Security tab. Then, click the Add button, enter your user account name in the Select Users or Groups dialog box, and click OK twice to close both dialog boxes.

At this point, you can open the System Volume Information folder, right-click on the _restore folder, and select Properties. Once Windows XP finishes tallying, check the Size On Disk value to see the exact amount of space System Restore is using for restore points. To ensure the security of the restore point files, you should remove your user account from the System Volume Information folder once you finish your investigation.

Instantly create Restore Points in Windows XP

Takeaway: The System Restore utility automatically creates a Restore Point if it senses a change to the system, or even some application, files. If you'd like to instantly create a Restore Point, read this Windows XP tip to find out how all it takes is two lines of VBScript.

Windows XP's System Restore utility continuously monitors your system looking for changes to the system files, and even some application files. This utility will automatically create a Restore Point if it senses a change.

If you wish to manually create a Restore Point, you can launch the System Restore utility by clicking Start | All Programs | Accessories | System Tools | System Restore and then following the steps in the wizard. You can simplify the launching process by copying the System Restore shortcut to your desktop, but you still have to walk through the wizard.

However, there's a great method for creating a Restore Point with just the click of your mouse. All you have to do is create a simple two line VBScript file that uses the WMI (Windows Management Instrumentation) moniker to access the SystemRestore class and create a Restore Point. Here's how:

1. Launch Notepad.
   
2. Type these two lines:
   
3. Set IRP = getobject("winmgmts:\\.\root\default:Systemrestore") MYRP = IRP.createrestorepoint ("My Restore Point", 0, 100)
4. Save the file as InstantRestorePoint.vbs.
   

Now, when you're ready to create an instant Restore Point, all you have to do is launch the script. When you do, System Restore will run in the background without displaying its interface, and it will create a restore point called My Restore Point.

Window xp :Investigate the Restore Point files in Windows XP service pack

If you've ever been on a troubleshooting expedition involving a problem with System Restore, chances are that you've wondered where System Restore actually keeps the files associated with Restore Points.

System Restore stores the Restore Point files in a hidden and protected folder called System Volume Information that is located in the root directory of your hard disk. This folder is invisible and inaccessible to all users without making a few configuration changes from an Administrator account.

If you want to take a peek at the Restore Point files, here's how you can access the System Volume Information folder:

(Keep in mind that if you use the information contained in this tip solely for investigative purposes, you need to exercise extreme caution. Inadvertently making any changes to the files in the System Volume Information folder will disrupt or otherwise damage System Restore's ability to do its job. So be very careful!)

1. Launch Windows Explorer and go to Tools | Folder Options and click the View tab.
2. Select the Show Hidden Files And Folders option button, clear the Hide Protected Operating System Files check box, and click the Yes button in the Warning dialog box. (If the system is in a workgroup, you'll need to clear the Use Simple File Sharing check box as well.) Click OK to close the Folder Options dialog box.
3. Access the root directory of the hard disk, right click on the System Volume Information folder, select Properties and access the Security tab.
4. Click the Add button, enter your user account name in the Select Users, Computers, or Groups dialog box and click OK twice.

Now you can now access the System Volume Information folder and view the files.

In order to ensure the security of the Restore Point files, you should remove your user account from the System Volume Information folder once you've finished your investigation.

Note: These steps only apply to Windows XP Professional using NTFS.

Window XP: The Disk Cleanup utility will allow you to delete all Restore Points except for the most recent Restore Point.

Windows XP's System Restore feature automatically creates Restore Points every 1 day, in addition to any time that you make a major system configuration change or install new software.

In order to be able to perform its operations, System Restore claims a maximum of 12% of the available hard disk space to save the Restore Points. (Although you can alter that value from the System Restore tab in the System Properties dialog box, it's generally not a good idea.)

Once the 12% mark is reached, System Restore purges the oldest Restore Points in its database in order to make room for new ones. However, there may be situations in which you need or want to purge all the Restore Points in the database in order to free up disk space.

Follow these steps to purge Restore Points:

1. Go to Start | All Programs | Accessories | System Tools | Disk Cleanup.
2. Select the More Options tab in the Disk Cleanup dialog box.
3. Click the Clean Up button in the System Restore panel.
4. Press the Yes button when prompted to confirm the delete operation.

Tips that is useful possible to user windows service pack 2

Fearful experience from user window xp service pack 2

You've heard scary stories of window xp service pack 2 installations gone wrong, and you live by the "if it ain't broke, don't fix it" creed. So you've decided not to muck around with a working copy of Windows XP because the possible result--a PC reduced to a pile of rubble--is too horrible to imagine.

For better or for worse, Microsoft's mission is to make sure service pack 2 makes its way onto your machine. Saying that "it's one of the most important service packs ever released," the boys and girls in Redmond have put service pack 2 into the Windows Automatic Update queue. In other words, if your machine is connected to the Internet and you haven't turned off Automatic Update, you may end up with service pack 2 whether you've asked for it or not.
Turn off Automatic Update
Like its name implies, Windows' Automatic Update feature automatically downloads and installs bug fixes and other upgrades, service pack 2 included. You can disable it with these steps, but please note: Doing so will stop any other essential patches or fixes Microsoft may try to roll out, so make sure you follow steps 2 and 3, as well.

• From the Start menu, choose Control Panel > Performance > Maintenance.
• Double-click System, then click the Automatic Updates tab.
• Select the "Turn off Automatic Updates" radio button and click OK.

Don't be tempted by Windows Update
Windows Update is the manual mechanism that grabs OS updates and downloads them; it's an alternative to Automatic Update. If you don't use Automatic Update, you can regularly head to the Windows Update site to scout out fixes, such as this month's security patches (Microsoft releases regular updates on the second Tuesday of each month).

• Go to the Windows Update Web site, but...
• Click the Custom Install option on the first screen you see.
• Ignore the service pack 2 download/install (it should be at the top).
• Instead, click the Review Other Updates button to see, select, download, and install other fixes.

Put service pack 2 on hold until April 2005
If you disable Automatic Update to keep service pack 2 out, you also keep your PC from retrieving other updates, such as the monthly patches that Microsoft posts to plug yet another hole in Windows. Not good. Fortunately, there's nothing stopping you from stealing a tool Microsoft made for big corporations to keep Automatic Update and Windows Update working correctly but to ignore service pack 2.


Want to avoid service pack 2 like a blind date? Open this file, and your PC won't download the update until April 12, 2005.

Return to the System Control Panel applet and the Automatic Update tab, as described in step 1.
Select the Automatic (recommended) radio button and click OK.

• Open Internet Explorer and surf to this site.
• When the dialog box appears, click Open.
• A standard Microsoft End-User License Agreement appears. Click Yes.
• A new window briefly opens and closes. That's it. You've just blocked service pack 2, but nothing else, from Automatic Update.

Note: This block is only temporary and expires on April 12, 2005. On that date, Automatic Update will download service pack 2 come hell or high water, and Windows Update will again start showing service pack 2 in its list of recommended downloads.

Change your mind? To toggle Automatic Update and Windows Update so that they will download or display service pack 2, use Internet Explorer to head to this page.

How to contact Technical support for microsoft window xp service pack 2

Technical support for window xp service pack 2 covers the usual bases: you can e-mail questions to Microsoft or find answers to some questions on an online FAQ page. Toll-free phone support is available from 5 a.m. to 9 p.m. (PT) on weekdays and from 6 a.m. to 3 p.m. on weekends. We called the phone line with our problem of dropped wireless connections and spent nearly two hours getting nowhere. The support technician we spoke with chalked it up to a driver conflict and stressed that window xp service pack 2 was essentially a new operating system and that driver problems were to be expected. At press time, the issue was still not resolved, but it was escalated to Microsoft's research division. You can try it

Window xp service pack 3 Yields Performance Gains

Since window xp service pack 3 was supposed to be mostly a bug-fix/patch consolidation release - unlike w/Vista SP1, Microsoft made no promises of improved performance for XP - the unexpected speed boost comes as a nice bonus. In fact, XP SP3 is shaping-up to be a "must have" update for the majority of users who are still running Redmond's not-so-latest and greatest desktop OS.

Of course, none of this bodes well for Vista, which is now more than 2x slower than the most current builds of its older sibling. Suffice to say that performance-minded users will likely choose to stick with the now even speedier Windows XP - at least until more "Windows 7" information becomes publicly available.

window xp service pack 1 Vista a Performance Dud

With the initial performance characteristics of Windows Vista leaving much to be desired, many IT organizations have put off deploying the new OS until the first service pack (window xp service pack 1) is released by Microsoft early next year. The thinking goes that window xp service pack 1will address all of these early performance issues and somehow bring Windows Vista on par with - or at least closer to - Windows XP in terms of runtime performance.

Unfortunately, this is simply not the case. Extensive testing by the exo.performance.network (www.xpnet.com) research staff shows that window xp service pack 1 provides no measurable relief to users saddled with sub-par performance under Vista.

How We Tested

The above conclusion is based on an analysis of the RC0 (v.658) build of Service Pack 1 for Windows Vista. Testing was conducted on a dual-core Dell notebook with 1GB of RAM. The staff ran a variety of test scenarios against both "before" (RTM w/no updates) and "after" (RTM w/window xp service pack 1 installed) configurations, using the DMS Clarity Studio testing framework to capture scenario scoring and metrics data for upload to the exo.repository.

• During office productivity testing, the staff used the DMS Clarity Studio OfficeBench test script to drive Microsoft Office 2007 through a scripted set of productivity tasks, including creating a compound document and supporting workbooks and presentations materials.
  
• To test multitasking performance, the staff used the ADO, MAPI and WMP Stress modules - all part of DMS Clarity Studio - to generate a multi-process workload scenario involving client/server database, workflow and streaming media tasks.

Note: DMS Clarity Studio is available as a free download from the exo.performance.network (www.xpnet.com) site. Simply register for your free DMS Clarity Analysis Portal account to access these and other free tools from xpnet.

Test Results

During OfficeBench testing we noted a statistically insignificant delta (~2%) in favor of the window xp service pack 1-patched configuration. CPU Saturation, Memory Pressure and I/O Contention factors were all comparable, as were process specific metrics - including the Thread Utilization and Thread Growth Potential Indices.

Figure 1 - OfficeBench Completion Times (Seconds)

The multitasking scenario was also comparable, with the ADO and MAPI Stress workloads showing a delta of less than 1% in favor of the window xp service pack 1-patched configuration. As with the OfficeBench test scenario, system and process metrics for CPU, Memory and I/O were all nearly identical between the two configurations.

Figure 2 - ADO and MAPI Avg. Transaction Times (Seconds)

Note: For more information on the various system and process metrics employed in this article, please login to your private DMS Clarity Analysis Portal site and refer to the Glossary section of the Online Help

Conclusions

After extensive testing of both RTM and window xp service pack 1-patched versions of Windows Vista, it seems clear that the hoped-for performance fixes that Microsoft has been hinting at never materialized. Vista + window xp service pack 11 is no faster than Vista from the RTM image.

Bottom Line: If you've been disappointed with the performance of Windows Vista to date, get used to it. window xp service pack 1 is simply not the panacea that many predicted. In the end, it's Vista's architecture - not a lack of tuning or bug fixes - that makes it perform so poorly on systems that were "barn-burners" under Windows XP.

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How to install window xp service pack 2

The real surprise with Microsoft (NSDQ:MSFT) windows XP Service Pack 2 isn't potential compatibility issues, but the mayhem that can occur when windows XP Service Pack 2 is downloaded onto a system.

CRN Test Center engineers evaluated a release candidate two (RC2) version of windows XP Service Pack 2, and upon completion of the install on three out of five systems, the machines blue-screened. A message stated that "winserv" was missing. The blue screen occurred on bothAdvanced Micro Devices (NYSE: AMD) (AMD) and Intel platforms, and all systems were running Windows XP Pro with Service Pack 1 installed. Every possible avenue to get back into Windows failed.

To remedy the problem, CRN Test Center engineers reached out to Microsoft. The company provided instructions on how to work around the blue screen and uninstall windows XP Service Pack 2, but it didn't answer questions on what causes the blue screen or the specific systems that may be affected. Microsoft recommended using the Windows XP recovery console to boot the system and then accessing the "%windir%\$NtServicePackUninstall$\spuninst" folder.

Once in the folder, engineers had to rename "spuninst.txt" to "spuninst.bat" and execute the batch command "batch spuninst.bat." When that process was completed, a rollback of the Service Pack file should have occurred. That didn't happen. So the batch file had to be executed a second time, and then access to Windows XP was restored--but with some caveats. Once back in the Windows operating system, Test Center engineers had to open the registry and set "HKLM\System\CurrentControlSet\Services\RpcSs\ObjectName" to "LocalSystem." Next, engineers executed the "windir%\$NtServicePackUninstall$\spuninst\spuninst.exe," which prompted additional rollback changes to the registry.

After that process finished, some interesting events occurred. The rollback process uninstalled every device that existed in the PC. Network cards, video cards and all system resources were uninstalled. The PC was able to recover all of the uninstalled items, except one, upon a reboot. The graphics card, the Matrox Millennium P650, couldn't be recovered. Engineers tried to reinstall the drivers but, oddly enough, the Matrox folder was erased from the system and unable to be recovered. The only way to correct the problem was to go to Matrox's Web site and download the drivers from the support page.

The rollback also removed SP1; absolutely no remnants of SP1 existed anywhere in the system. To verify that problem, CRN Test Center engineers went to the Windows update page, and windows XP Service Pack 1 existed as a critical update, which needed to be installed again.

Before applying windows XP Service Pack 2, make sure a full backup of the PC is implemented. Imaging software, such as Symantec (NSDQ:SYMC) Ghost or Acronis True Image Backup, probably offers the best defense against problems caused by ill-behaved patches.

Microsoft's objective with windows XP Service Pack 2 is to make it easier for end users to configure and manage security resources via new functionality and stronger security settings. Microsoft hopes the new settings will translate into safer Web browsing and improved security infrastructure for both businesses and individuals.

The smoke around the campfire, though, is that windows XP Service Pack 2 will wreak havoc on many security and firewall software utilities, forcing a redesign of antivirus suites, e-mail clients and firewalls. Test Center engineers installed windows XP Service Pack 2 on systems with utilities including Panda Software, Trend Micro, Symantec and Avast antivirus software, and all worked seamlessly. Symantec recently claimed that folks who download windows XP Service Pack 2 will need a Norton patch to co-exist with windows XP Service Pack 2. Yet Test Center engineers found that not be the case.

The functionality that windows XP Service Pack 2 brings to the table may make many third-party security utilities--such as popup blockers and software firewalls--obsolete. That functionality may push many security ISVs to rethink their marketing strategies.

Preview compatibility in IE 6 for Windows XP Service Pack 2

Internet Explorer 6 for Microsoft Windows XP Service Pack 2 (SP2) introduces significant additions and changes to security features. Developers should review this document against their code because applications developed for earlier versions may break. A applications compatibility tool is available that you can run against your applications that can help you to find if they will break.

Windows XP Service Pack 3

Windows XP Service Pack 3 is currently in development. As of January 2008, Microsoft's web site indicates a "preliminary" release date to be in the first half of 2008. A feature set overview has been posted by Microsoft and details new features available separately as standalone updates to Windows XP, as well as features backported from Windows Vista, such as black hole router detection, Network Access Protection and Windows Imaging Component.

Microsoft has begun a beta test of Service Pack 3. According to a file released with the official beta, and relayed onto the internet, there are a total of 1,073 fixes in Windows XP Service Pack 3.

This update to Windows allows it to be installed without a product key, and be run until the end of the 30-day activation period without a product key. The latest testing build of Service Pack 3 is the Release Candidate build.

On December 4, 2007, Microsoft released a release candidate of windows XP Service Pack 3 to both TechNet and MSDN Subscribers. On December 18, 2007, this version was made publicly available via Microsoft Download Center.

Special emphasis on security from window xp service pack 2

window xp service pack 2 was released on August 6, 2004 after several delays, with a special emphasis on security. Unlike the previous service packs, window xp service pack 2 adds new functionality to Windows XP, including an enhanced firewall, improved Wi-Fi support, such as WPA encryption compatibility, with a wizard utility, a pop-up ad blocker for Internet Explorer, and Bluetooth support. Security enhancements include a major revision to the included firewall which was renamed to Windows Firewall and is enabled by default, advanced memory protection that takes advantage of the NX bit that is incorporated into newer processors to stop some forms of buffer overflow attacks, and removal of raw socket support (which supposedly limits the damage done by zombie machines). Additionally, security-related improvements were made to e-mail and web browsing. Windows XP Service Pack 2 includes the Windows Security Center, which provides a general overview of security on the system, including the state of anti-virus software, Windows Update, and the new Windows Firewall. Third-party anti-virus and firewall applications can interface with the new Security Center.

On August 10, 2007, Microsoft announced a minor update to window xp service pack 2, called Service Pack 2c (SP2c).The update fixes the issue of the lowering number of available product keys for Windows XP. This update will be only available to system builders from their distributors in Windows XP Professional and Windows XP Professional N operating systems. SP2c was released in September 2007.

window xp service pack 1

window xp service pack 1 for Windows XP was released on September 9, 2002. It contains post-RTM security fixes and hot-fixes, compatibility updates, optional .NET Framework support, enabling technologies for new devices such as Tablet PCs, and a new Windows Messenger 4.7 version. The most notable new features were USB 2.0 support, and a Set Program Access and Defaults utility that aimed at hiding various middleware products. Users can control the default application for activities such as web browsing and instant messaging, as well as hide access to some of Microsoft's bundled programs. This utility was first brought into the older Windows 2000 operating system with its Service Pack 3. The Microsoft Java Virtual Machine, which was not in the RTM version, appeared in this service pack.

On February 3, 2003, Microsoft released Service Pack 1 (SP1) again as Service Pack 1a (SP1a). This release removed Microsoft's Java virtual machine as a result of a lawsuit with Sun Microsystems

I think that window xp service pack 2 negatively affected at even MSN program

Should MSN be able to offer window xp service pack 2 sufficiently debugged to avoid conflicts with, say, Money? I think so, but it still caused the program to malfunction and also negatively impacted many other Windows and DOS programs on my Gateway computer running WIN-XP.

Fortunately, MSN techs assisted me to delete window xp service pack 2 from every nook and cranny and restored my functionality. Any issue then? Of course: all this takes time and costs money (lost revenues, undone work) and prompts me to avoid MSN downloads which regularly have bugs in them.