Windows Operating System Support for windows XP, Vista Support

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Windows Vista and Windows Server 2008 originally began as part of a single development project, and as such they share a number of new technologies across networking, storage, security and management. Although the development of Windows Vista and Windows Server 2008 have branched into separate releases with different release cycles, many of these enhancements apply to both Windows Vista (Microsoft Vista Support) and Windows Server 2008. When organizations deploy both operating systems, they will see how the combined client-server infrastructure provides even greater advantages.

Features

IT professionals who are administering a Windows Vista / Windows Server 2008 infrastructure will notice many improvements in how they control and manage their environment.

•	Maintenance is greatly simplified by the use of a single model for updates and service packs across client and server.
•	Client computers can monitor for specific events and forward to Windows Server 2008 for centralized monitoring and reporting.
•	Windows Deployment Services provides much faster and more reliable operating system deployment.
•	Network Access Protection features on Windows Server 2008 ensure that Windows Vista clients connecting to the network are compliant with security policies and restricted from accessing network resources if not.

The reliability, scalability, and overall responsiveness of the infrastructure are greatly increased by improvements made to both Windows Vista and Windows Server 2008.

•	Clients can render print jobs locally before sending them to print servers to reduce the load on the server and increase its availability.
•	Server resources are cached locally so that they are available even if the server is not, with copies automatically updating when the client and server are reconnected.
•	Applications or scripts that need to run on both client and server can take advantage of the Transactional File System to reduce the risk of error during file and registry operations and roll back to a known good state in the event of failure or cancellation.
•	Policies can be created to ensure greater Quality of Service for certain applications or services that require prioritization of network bandwidth between client and server.

Windows Vista clients connecting to networks where Windows Server 2008 has been deployed can experience greatly improved communication speeds and reliability.

•	Searching Windows Server 2008 servers from a Windows Vista client avails of enhanced indexing and caching technologies on both to provide huge performance gains across the enterprise.
•	Native IPv6 support across all client and server services creates a more scalable and reliable network, while the rewritten TCP/IP stack makes network communication much faster and more efficient.
•	The new Server Message Block 2.0 protocol provides a number of communication enhancements, including greater performance when connecting to file shares over high-latency links and better security through the use of mutual authentication and message signing.
•	Terminal Services on Windows Server 2008 have many improvements, including providing Windows Vista clients with remote access to internal resources through an HTTP gateway and seamless remote applications that run as if on the local desktop.

With the computers and mobiles going globule today, a new domain of industry has started to build around and they are identified as Technical Support Services providers.

Technical support is a range of services providing assistance with computer hardware, software, or other electronic or mechanical goods. In general, technical support services attempt to help the user solve specific problems with a product—rather than providing training, customization, or other support services.

Technical support is now evolving from simple call handling into an integrated help desk. India can be considered the best to have proven its capabilities in outsourcing strategic technical services. With most Indian IT majors able to deliver services to any part of the globe, the current scenario is seeing waves of transition in tech support.

There has been a sudden surge in the number of companies providing online tech support with the reason being technological changes in products which certainly increase complexities for typical end users. They want to embrace advancements with right understanding of the product, a factor leading to steady growth of tech support services. The trend is the highest among computer savvy who look out for unique visual approach to troubleshoot their PC problems.

Opposed to this, there are many other upcoming computer support organizations which offer comprehensive online tech support and computer repair services ranging from simple installation to advanced PC diagnostic. These services now form part of new offerings, thereby driving an innovation in tech support industry. Of these renowned names are IBM, Geeksquad, iYogi and Firedog. The USP of these companies is their ability to move out of the background of the customer help desk function into the limelight as worthy aids for availing the best computer support at incredible prices.

Does your PC seem a bit sluggish these days? Take the following steps to give Perform PC Health Check for your computer a boost in speed.

Block malware and spyware by making sure you’re totally up to date with Microsoft’s system patches. To ensure you have the latest fixes installed on your computer, open Internet Explorer, then choose Tools > Windows Update.

Let Windows manage your Virtual Memory. In your Control Panel, choose System, then Advanced, then click the Settings button under Performance. Click Advanced once more, then click the Change button under Virtual Memory. Make sure System Managed Size is selected and you’re good to go.

The Complete process has been depicted in the Fig 1 below with the arrows for the way to approach.

Fig 1

Clean up your hard disk and then defrag defrag defrag. Honestly, when was the last time you defragmented, eh? Here’s what you need to do. Next time you leave your computer for the night or right before you leave work at the end of the day, open up My Computer, click on the C:Drive icon,

                                                                                               Fig 2

choose Properties, as shown in Fig 2 above

then Tools. As shown in Fig 3

                                                                 Fig 3

 

Go ahead and click the Check Now button and then,

when the scan is complete, click the Defragment Now button. Ok, and don’t forget to close all your programs and disable your screen saver first, and make sure you give the process plenty of time to complete. It can take a few hours.

Microsoft announced that Windows Server 2008, the most advanced Server operating system to date, has been released to manufacturing (RTM) and will be available to customers on March 1st, with global launch of Windows Server 2008, Visual Studio 2008 and SQL Server 2008, which will take place in Los Angeles on February 27th, 2008, and in Amman on March 11th, 2008.

Windows Server 2008 helps alleviate the pressures from rapidly changing technology, increasing costs, security concerns and expanding business needs by automating daily management tasks, tightening security, improving efficiency and increasing availability. It also offers virtualization solutions that will enable IT professionals to reduce costs, increase hardware utilization, optimize infrastructure and improver server availability.

“Building upon the strength and reliability of Windows Server 2003, Windows Server 2008 brings customers the most secure, reliable and tested version of Windows Server.”

To add to the benefits customers will be receiving from Windows Server 2008, Microsoft also announced that Microsoft Windows Vista Service Pack 1 (SP1) has been released to manufacturing and will be available to customers in March so that when combined with Windows Server 2008 customers will see a number of improvements in security, manageability, overall system performance, as well as streamlined planning and deployment.

So, finally the Windows Vista SP1 have came along with some of customers, and will be their to others will be receiving it before the end of the week, and MSDN and TechNet subscribers will receive it by the end of the month.

Many Windows customers are excited about finally getting their hands on Windows Vista’s first service pack, SP1, which promised to deliver not only bugfixes, but performance upgrades.  After a slow release schedule, Microsoft picked up the pace and made plans to ship early to select customers.

One key question on Windows Vista users’ minds is exactly how does Windows post SP1 measure up against the initial copy of Windows Vista in terms of performance.  In initial testing at CNET Labs, the results are in, and they are rather mixed.  Testers found that while SP1 improves performance under some condition, it actually decreases performance under others.  For the most part, testers concluded, few will notice the difference between the base installation and an SP1 installed system.

Vista does offer bundled updated third party drivers which do upgrade performance significantly, but most of these were already available.  Customers who have kept current with Window’s Updates and their third party driver updates will find little new here, and thus will see no real performance change.  Microsoft definitely can take credit in a big picture sense for providing improved performance, though, as it has been devoting considerable resources to helping third party vendors make their products better compatible with Windows, gradually improving performance over the last year.

Probably the single biggest changes in performance have to do with file copying.  Windows XP used an cached I/O mode to improve write times.  Windows Vista on the other hand used a slower predominately uncached I/O system.  The upgrade to SP1 adds caching back into the mix, which in most cases, testers discovered, improves results. New service packs for Vista added security-related APIs to expand the use of anti-exploit technology.

On the other side of things, the SP1 update has somehow created a performance degradation in copy times to external USB 2.0 hard drives.  Something is going wrong in Windows Vista SP1 during USB copies, and the issue is currently under investigation.  Meanwhile Windows Vista SP1 takes a 40 to 50 percent performance hit in this type of file copies, when compared to base Windows Vista.

Testers did comment on SP1’s rather good job in delivering bug fixes.  This leads to a more stable environment.  Still, feelings towards SP1 will probably depend heavily on users’ expectations as it delivers a mixed bag of performance changes.

When Windows XP detects a problem from which it cannot recover, it displays Stop messages. These are text-mode error messages that report information about the condition.

Stop messages, sometimes referred to as blue screens (BSoD), contain specific information that can help you diagnose and possibly resolve the problem detected by the Windows kernel.

This list describes these messages and helps you understand and interpret them.

This list is NOT exhaustive or meant to resolve EVERY error.
This list of messages is a guide to individual messages and their possible causes and resolutions… Having a basic understanding of these error messages enables you to communicate with your technical support professional more effectively too.

With all these Stop messages, you can pretty much assume someone else has encountered the problem before you. That is why tying in the error message into www.google.com , posting a notice for help on a relevant newsgroup and entering the stop code into the "Microsoft Knowledge Base" can yield help just when you need it!

Here is the (long) list:

Stop 0x0000000A or IRQL_NOT_LESS_OR_EQUAL

The Stop 0xA message indicates that a kernel-mode process or driver attempted to access a memory location to which it did not have permission, or at a kernel interrupt request level (IRQL) that was too high. A kernel-mode process can access only other processes that have an IRQL lower than, or equal to, its own. This Stop message is typically due to faulty or incompatible hardware or software.

Possible Resolutions:

• A Stop 0xA message might occur after installing a faulty device driver, system service, or firmware. If a Stop message lists a driver by name, disable, remove, or roll back the driver to correct the problem. If disabling or removing drivers resolves the issues, contact the manufacturer about a possible update. Using updated software is especially important for multimedia applications, antivirus scanners, and CD mastering tools.

• A Stop 0xA message might also be due to failing or defective hardware. If a Stop message points to a category of devices (video or disk adapters, for example), try removing or replacing the hardware to determine if it is causing the problem.

• If you encounter a Stop 0xA message while upgrading to Windows XPl, the problem might be due to an incompatible driver, system service, virus scanner, or backup. To avoid problems while upgrading, simplify your hardware configuration and remove all third-party device drivers and system services (including virus scanners) prior to running setup. After you have successfully installed Windows XP, contact the hardware manufacturer to obtain compatible updates.

Stop 0x0000001E or KMODE_EXCEPTION_NOT_HANDLED

The Stop 0x1E message indicates that the Windows XP kernel detected an illegal or unknown processor instruction. The problems that cause Stop 0x1E messages share similarities with those that generate Stop 0xA errors in that they can be due to invalid memory and access violations. This default Windows XP error handler typically intercepts these problems if error-handling routines are not present in the code itself.

Possible Resolutions:

• Stop 0x1E messages typically occur after installing faulty drivers or system services, or they can indicate hardware problems, such as memory and IRQ conflicts. If a Stop message lists a driver by name, disable, remove, or roll it back to correct the problem. If disabling or removing applications and drivers resolves the issue, contact the hardware manufacturer about a possible update. Using updated software is especially important for multimedia applications, antivirus scanners, and CD mastering tools.

• If the Stop message mentions the file Win32k.sys, the source of the error might be a third-party "remote control" program. If such software is installed, you might be able to disable it by starting the system in safe mode. If not, use Recovery Console to manually delete the system service file that is causing the problem.

• Problems can result from system firmware incompatibilities. Many Advanced Configuration and Power Interface (ACPI) issues can be resolved by updating to the latest firmware.

• Other possible causes include insufficient disk space while installing applications or performing certain functions that require more memory. You can free up space by deleting unneeded files. Use Disk Cleanup to increase available disk space. From Recovery Console, remove temporary files (those with .tmp file extensions), Internet cache files, application backup files, and .tmp files generated by Chkdsk.exe or Autochk.exe. You can also choose to install additional applications to another hard disk with more free space or move data files, paging files, and so on.

• The problem might be due to a memory leak caused by an application or service that is not releasing memory correctly. Poolmon (Poolmon.exe) helps you to isolate the components that are causing kernel memory leaks. For more information about troubleshooting memory leaks, see Microsoft Knowledgebase articles Q177415, "How to Use Poolmon to Troubleshoot Kernel Mode Memory Leaks," and Q298102, "Finding Pool Tags Used by Third Party Files Without Using the Debugger."

Stop 0x00000024 or NTFS_FILE_SYSTEM

The Stop 0x24 message indicates that a problem occurred within Ntfs.sys, the driver file that allows the system to read and write to NTFS file system drives. A similar Stop message, 0x23, exists for the file allocation table (FAT16 or FAT32) file systems.

Possible Resolutions:

• Malfunctioning SCSI and Advanced Technology Attachment (ATA) hardware or drivers can also adversely affect the system’s ability to read and write to disk, causing errors. If using SCSI hard disks, check for cabling and termination problems between the SCSI controller and the disks. Periodically check Event Viewer for error messages related to SCSI or FASTFAT in the System log or Autochk in the Application log.

• Verify that the tools you use to continually monitor your system, such as virus scanners, backup programs, or disk defragmenters are compatible with Windows XP. Some disks and adapters come packaged with diagnostic software that you can use to run hardware tests.
To test hard disk or volume integrity

Method 1:

1. In the Run dialog box, in the Open box type:
cmd

2. Start the Chkdsk tool, which detects and attempts to resolve file system structural corruption. At the command prompt type:
chkdsk drive: /f

Method 2:

1. Double-click My Computer, and then select the hard disk you want to check.
2. On the File menu, click Properties.
3. Click the Tools tab.
4. In the Error-checking box, click Check Now.
5. In Check disk options, select the Scan for and attempt recovery of bad sectors check box. You can also select the Automatically fix file system errors check box.

If the volume you are checking is in use, a message asks whether you want to delay disk error checking until the next time you restart your computer. After you restart, disk error checking runs and the volume chosen is not available to run other tasks during this process. If you cannot restart the computer due to the error, use safe mode or Recovery Console.

If you are not using the NTFS file system, and the system partition is formatted with the file allocation table (FAT16 or FAT32) file system, long file name (LFN) information can be lost if hard disk tools are started from an MS-DOS command prompt. A command prompt appears when using a startup floppy disk or when using the command prompt startup option on multiple boot systems that use FAT16 or FAT32 partitions with Microsoft® Windows® 95 OEM Service Release 2 (OSR2), Microsoft® Windows® 98, or Microsoft® Windows® Millennium Edition (Me) installed. Do not use tools meant for other operating systems on Windows XP partitions!

• Nonpaged pool memory might be depleted, which can cause the system to stop. You can resolve this situation by adding more RAM, which increases the quantity of nonpaged pool memory available to the kernel.

Stop 0x0000002E or DATA_BUS_ERROR

The Stop 0x2E message indicates a system memory parity error. The cause is typically failed or defective RAM (including motherboard, Level 2 cache, or video memory), incompatible or mismatched memory hardware, or when a device driver attempts to access an address in the 0x8xxxxxxx range that does not exist (does not map to a physical address). A Stop 0x2E message can also indicate hard disk damage caused by viruses or other problems.

Possible Resolutions:

• Stop 0x2E is typically due to defective, malfunctioning, or failed memory hardware, such as memory modules, Level 2 (L2) SRAM cache, or video adapter RAM. If you added new hardware recently, remove and replace it to determine if it is causing or contributing to the problem. Run diagnostics software supplied by the system manufacturer to determine if the component has failed.

• Stop 0x2E messages can also occur after installing faulty drivers or system services. If a file name is given, you need to disable, remove, or roll back that driver. Disable the service or application and confirm that this resolves the error. If so, contact the hardware manufacturer about a possible update. Using updated software is especially important for backup programs, multimedia applications, antivirus scanners, and CD mastering tools.

• Hard disk corruption can also cause this Stop message.

• The problem might also be due to cracks, scratched traces, or defective components on the motherboard. If all else fails, take the system motherboard to a repair facility for diagnostic testing.

Stop 0x0000003F or NO_MORE_SYSTEM_PTES

The Stop 0x3F message indicates one or more of the following problems:

• The system Page Table Entries (PTEs) are depleted or fragmented due to the system performing a large number of input/output (I/O) actions.

• A faulty device driver is not managing memory properly.

• An application, such as a backup program, is improperly allocating large amounts of kernel memory.

Possible Resolutions:

• Stop 0x3F messages can occur after installing faulty drivers or system services. If a file name is given, you need to disable, remove, or roll back that driver. Disable the service or application and confirm that this resolves the error. If so, contact the hardware manufacturer about a possible update. Using updated software is especially important for backup programs, multimedia applications, antivirus scanners, and CD mastering tools.

• The system might not actually be out of PTEs, but a contiguous memory block of sufficient size is not available to satisfy a driver or application request. Check for the availability of updated driver or application files and consult the hardware or program documentation for minimum system requirements.

• Another cause is excessive demands for system PTE by applications. This situation is more common in server environments. Windows XP Professional provides a registry entry, SystemPages, that you can use to increase the number of PTEs allocated.
Caution

o Do not edit the registry unless you have no alternative. The registry editor bypasses standard safeguards, allowing settings that can damage your system, or even require you to reinstall Windows. If you must edit the registry, back it up first…

To increase the number of PTEs allocated in the registry
1. In the Run dialog box, and in the Open box, type: regedit

2. In the registry editor, navigate to the subkey HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\
Session Manager\Memory Management.

3. Double-click on PagedPoolSize and SystemPages to view the value for each entry.

4. If PagedPoolSize is not zero, assign a value of 0.

5. If SystemPages is not zero, assign a value of 40000 for systems with 128 MB (or less) of memory, or 110000 for systems with 128 MB to 256 MB of memory. For systems with more memory, do not increase the SystemPages value above 110000 without contacting Microsoft technical support.

6. Click OK, and then close the registry editor.

7. Restart your computer.

Stop 0x00000050 or PAGE_FAULT_IN_NONPAGED_AREA

The Stop 0x50 message indicates that requested data was not in memory. The system generates an exception error when using a reference to an invalid system memory address. Defective memory (including main memory, L2 RAM cache, video RAM) or incompatible software (including remote control and antivirus software) might cause Stop 0x50 messages.

Possible Resolutions:

• If you added new hardware recently, remove and replace the hardware to determine if it is causing or contributing to the problem. Run diagnostics software supplied by the hardware manufacturer to determine if the component has failed.

• Stop 0x50 messages can also occur after installing faulty drivers or system services. If the file name is listed, you need to disable, remove, or roll back that driver. If not, disable the recently installed service or application to determine if this resolves the error. If this does not resolve the problem, contact the hardware manufacturer for updates. Using updated drivers and software is especially important for network interface cards, video adapters, backup programs, multimedia applications, antivirus scanners, and CD mastering tools. If an updated driver is not available, attempt to use a driver from a similar device in the same family. For example, if printing to a Model 1100C printer causes Stop 0x50 errors, using a printer driver meant for a Model 1100A or Model 1000 might temporarily resolve the problem.

Stop 0x00000077 or KERNEL_STACK_INPAGE_ERROR

The Stop 0x77 message indicates that a page of kernel data requested from the paging (virtual memory) file could not be found or read into memory. This Stop message can also indicate disk hardware failure, disk data corruption, or possible virus infection.
Possible Resolutions:

• Stop 0x77 messages can be caused by bad sectors in the virtual memory paging file or a disk controller error. In extremely rare cases, depleted nonpaged pool resources can cause this error. If the first and third parameters are zero, the stack signature in the kernel stack is missing, which is an error typically caused by defective hardware. If the I/O status is 0xC0000185 and the paging file is on a SCSI disk, check for cabling and termination issues. An I/O status code of 0xC000009C or 0xC000016A indicates that the requested data could not be found. You can try to correct this by restarting the computer. If a problem with disk integrity exists, Autochk, a program that attempts to mark bad disk sectors as defective so that they are not used in the future, starts automatically. If Autochk fails to run, you can manually perform the integrity check yourself by following the instructions to run Chkdsk provided in "Stop 0x00000024 or NTFS_FILE_SYSTEM" earlier in this list.

• Another cause of Stop 0x77 messages is defective, malfunctioning, or failed memory hardware, such as memory modules, Level 2 (L2) SRAM cache, or video adapter RAM. If you added new hardware recently, remove and replace it to determine if it is causing or contributing to the problem. Run diagnostics software supplied by the system manufacturer to determine if the component has failed.

• The problem might also be due to cracks, scratched traces, or defective components on the motherboard. If all else fails, take the system motherboard to a repair facility for diagnostic testing.

• Problems that cause Stop 0x77 messages can also cause Stop 0x7A messages. For more information about Stop 0x7A messages, see "Stop 0x0000007A or KERNEL_DATA_INPAGE_ERROR" later in this list.

Stop 0x00000079 or MISMATCHED_HAL

The Stop 0x79 message indicates that the hardware abstraction layer (HAL) and the kernel type for the computer do not match. This error most often occurs when ACPI firmware settings are changed. For example, you might install Windows XP on an x86-based computer with the firmware ACPI enable option enabled and later decide to disable it. This error can also result when mismatched single and multi-processor configuration files are copied to the system.

Possible Resolutions:

• A Stop 0x79 message occurs when the system is using out-of-date Ntoskrnl.exe or Hal.dll files. This can occur after manual repairs that involve copying incorrect files to the system. This error also occurs when using mismatched files, such as copying a multiprocessor HAL on to a system using a single-processor kernel (or vice versa). The kernel and HAL files for single-processor and multiprocessor systems are stored on the Windows XP Professional operating system CD using two different file names. For example, the single and multi-processor versions of the kernel, named Ntoskrnl.exe and Ntkrnlmp.exe respectively. Setup copies either Ntoskrnl.exe or Ntkrnlmp.exe to your system as Ntoskrnl.exe. In Recovery Console, you can use the Copy command to copy the correct HAL or kernel files from the CD to the appropriate folder on the hard disk.

• If you experience Stop 0x79 messages after changing firmware settings, restore the original settings used during Windows XP Professional Setup.

Because systems that use the ACPI HAL ignore IRQ assignments stored in firmware, you can only manually change IRQ settings for non-ACPI (Standard PC HAL) systems. Some x86-based provide the option to toggle ACPI functionality. To disable or re-enable ACPI, you must change firmware settings and reinstall Windows XP. Because of the numerous registry and system file changes required, you must run Setup again (an upgrade installation does not work).

Stop 0x0000007A or KERNEL_DATA_INPAGE_ERROR

The Stop 0x7A message indicates that a page of kernel data was not found in the paging (virtual memory) file and could not be read into memory. This might be due to incompatible disk or controller drivers, firmware, or hardware.

Frequently, the cause of this error can be determined from the second parameter, the I/O status code. Some common status codes are:

• 0xC000009A, or STATUS_INSUFFICIENT_RESOURCES, indicates a lack of nonpaged pool resources.

• 0xC000009C, or STATUS_DEVICE_DATA_ERROR, indicates bad blocks (sectors) on the hard disk.

• 0xC000009D, or STATUS_DEVICE_NOT_CONNECTED, indicates defective or loose data or power cables, a problem with SCSI termination, or improper controller or disk configuration.

• 0xC000016A, or STATUS_DISK_OPERATION_FAILED, indicates bad blocks (sectors) on the hard disk.

• 0xC0000185, or STATUS_IO_DEVICE_ERROR, indicates improper termination, defective storage controller hardware, or defective disk cabling, or two devices attempting to use the same resources.

Possible Resolutions:

• Stop 0x7A can be caused by bad sectors in the virtual memory paging file, disk controller error, virus infection, or memory hardware problems. In extremely rare cases, depleted nonpaged pool resources can cause this error. If the first and third parameters are zero, the stack signature in the kernel stack is missing, an error typically caused by defective hardware. If the I/O status is 0xC0000185 and the paging file is on a SCSI disk, check for cabling and termination issues. An I/O status code of 0xC000009C or 0xC000016A indicates that the requested data could not be found. You can try to correct this by restarting the computer. If a problem with disk integrity exists, Autochk, a program that attempts to mark bad disk sectors as defective so that they are not used in the future, starts automatically. If Autochk fails to run, you can manually perform the integrity check yourself by following the instructions to run Chkdsk provided in "Stop 0x00000024 or NTFS_FILE_SYSTEM" earlier in this appendix.

• Another cause of Stop 0x7A messages is defective, malfunctioning, or failed memory hardware, such as memory modules, Level 2 (L2) SRAM cache, or video adapter RAM. If you added new hardware recently, remove and replace it to determine if it is causing or contributing to the problem. Run diagnostics software supplied by the system manufacturer to determine if the component has failed.

• Check the hardware manufacturer’s Web site for updates to disk adapter firmware or drivers that improve compatibility. Verify that your disks and controller support the same set of advanced features, such as higher transfer rates. If necessary, select a slower transfer rate if an update is not yet available. Consult your hardware or device documentation for more information.

IMPORTANT
o You can install disk controller drivers not present on the Windows XP Professional operating system CD by responding to the following prompt shortly after starting Setup:

o Press F6 if you need to install a third party SCSI or RAID driver.

o Press F6, and when prompted, provide the appropriate storage controller driver (ATA or SCSI) supplied by the manufacturer.

• The problem might also be due to cracks, scratched traces, or defective components on the motherboard. If all else fails, take the system motherboard to a repair facility for diagnostic testing.

• Problems that cause Stop 0x7A messages can also cause Stop 0x77 messages. For more information about Stop 0x77 messages, see "Stop 0x00000077 or KERNEL_STACK_INPAGE_ERROR" earlier in this list.

Stop 0x0000007B or INACCESSIBLE_BOOT_DEVICE

The Stop 0x7B message indicates that Windows XP has lost access to the system partition or boot volume during the startup process. Installing incorrect device drivers when installing or upgrading storage adapter hardware typically causes stop 0x7B errors. Stop 0x7B errors could also indicate possible virus infection.

The second parameter is very important because it can indicate whether the 0x7B Stop message was caused by file system issues or problems with storage hardware and drivers. Values of 0xC000034 or 0xC000000E typically indicate:

• Disks or storage controllers that are failing, defective, or improperly configured.

• Storage-related drivers or programs (tape management software, for example) that are not fully compatible with Windows XP Professional.

Possible Resolutions:

• During I/O system initialization, the controller or driver for the startup device (typically the hard disk) might have failed to initialize the necessary hardware. File system initialization might have failed because of disk or controller failure, or because the file system did not recognize the data on the boot device.

• Repartitioning disks, adding new disks, or upgrading to a new disk controller might cause the information in the Boot.ini file, or Boot Manager, to become outdated. If this Stop message occurs after installing new disks to your system, edit the Boot.ini file or adjust the Boot Manager parameters to allow the system to start. If the error occurs after upgrading the disk controller, verify that the new hardware is functioning and correctly configured.

• Verify that the system firmware and disk controller BIOS settings are correct and that the storage device was properly installed. If you are unsure, consult your computer’s documentation about restoring default firmware settings or configuring your system to auto-detect settings. If the error occurs during Windows XP Professional setup, the problem might be due to unsupported disk controller hardware. In some cases, drivers for new hardware are not in the Windows XP Professional Driver.cab library, and you need to provide additional drivers to complete the Windows XP setup successfully. If this is the case, follow the hardware manufacturer’s instructions when installing drivers. Periodically check for driver and firmware updates.

• Hard disk corruption can also cause this Stop message. For more information about checking hard disk integrity, see the instructions provided in "Stop 0x00000024 or NTFS_FILE_SYSTEM" earlier in this list.

• Problems that cause 0x7B errors might also cause Stop 0xED errors. For more information about 0xED Stop messages, see "Stop 0x0000007B or INACCESSIBLE_BOOT_DEVICE" later in this list.

Stop 0x0000007F or UNEXPECTED_KERNEL_MODE_TRAP

The Stop 0x7F message indicates that one of three types of problems occurred in kernel-mode:

• A condition that the kernel is not allowed to have or intercept (also known as a bound trap).

• Software problems.

• Hardware failures.

Possible Resolutions:

• Stop 0x7F messages are typically due to defective, malfunctioning, or failed memory hardware. If you added new hardware recently, remove and replace it to determine if it is causing or contributing to the problem. Run diagnostics software supplied by the system manufacturer to determine if the component has failed.

• Running the CPU beyond the rated specification, known as "overclocking," can cause Stop 0x7F or other error messages due to heat buildup. When diagnosing problems on overclocked systems, first restore all clock and bus speed settings to the manufacturer recommended values to determine if this resolves the issues.

• The problem might also be due to cracks, scratched traces, or defective components on the motherboard. If all else fails, take the system motherboard to a repair facility for diagnostic testing.

• Stop 0x7F messages can occur after installing incompatible applications, drivers, or system services. Contact the software manufacturer about possible Windows XP specific updates. Using updated software is especially important for backup programs, multimedia applications, antivirus scanners, and CD mastering tools.

Stop 0x0000009F or DRIVER_POWER_STATE_FAILURE

The Stop 0x9F message indicates that a driver is in an inconsistent or invalid power state.

Possible Resolutions:

• Stop 0x9F messages can occur after installing faulty applications or drivers or system services. If a file is listed by name and you can associate it with an application, uninstall the application. For drivers, disable, remove, or roll back that driver to to determine if this resolves the error. If it does, contact the hardware manufacturer for a possible update. Using updated software is especially important for backup programs, multimedia applications, antivirus scanners, and CD mastering tools.

• For information about troubleshooting standby and hibernate mode issues, see KB article Q266169, "How to Troubleshoot Problems with Standby Mode, Hibernate Mode, and Shutting Down Your Computer in Windows 2000."

Stop 0xBE or ATTEMPTED_WRITE_TO_READONLY_MEMORY

The Stop 0xBE message indicates that a driver attempted to write to read-only memory.

Possible Resolutions:

• A Stop 0xBE message might occur after installing a faulty device driver, system service, or firmware. If a Stop message lists a driver by name, disable, remove, or roll back the driver to correct the problem. If disabling or removing drivers resolves the issues, contact the manufacturer about a possible update. Using updated software is especially important for multimedia applications, antivirus scanners, DVD playback, and CD mastering tools.

Stop 0xC2 or BAD_POOL_CALLER

The Stop 0xC2 message indicates that a kernel-mode process or driver incorrectly attempted to perform memory operations in the following ways:

• By allocating a memory pool size of zero bytes.
• By allocating a memory pool that does not exist.
• By attempting to free a memory pool that is already free.
• By allocating or freeing a memory pool at an IRQL that was too high.

This Stop message is typically due to a faulty driver or software.

Possible Resolutions:

• A Stop 0xC2 messages might occur after installing a faulty device driver, system service, or firmware. If a Stop message lists a driver by name, disable, remove, or roll back the driver to correct the problem. If disabling or removing drivers resolves the issues, contact the manufacturer about a possible update. Using updated software is especially important for multimedia applications, antivirus scanners, DVD playback, and CD mastering tools.

• A Stop 0xC2 messages might also be due to failing or defective hardware. If a Stop message points to a category of devices (such as disk controllers, for example), try removing or replacing the hardware to determine if it is causing the problem.

• If you encounter a Stop 0xC2 message while upgrading to Windows XP, the problem might be due to an incompatible driver, system service, virus scanner, or backup. To avoid problems while upgrading, simplify your hardware configuration and remove all third-party device drivers and system services (including virus scanners) prior to running setup. After you have successfully installed Windows XP, contact the hardware manufacturer to obtain compatible updates.

Stop 0x000000CE or DRIVER_UNLOADED_WITHOUT
_CANCELLING_PENDING_OPERATIONS

This Stop messages indicates that a driver failed to cancel pending operations before exiting.

Possible Resolutions:

• Stop 0xCE messages can occur after installing faulty drivers or system services. If a driver is listed by name, disable, remove, or roll back that driver to confirm that this resolves the error. If so, contact the manufacturer about a possible update. Using updated software is especially important for backup programs, multimedia applications, antivirus scanners, DVD playback, and CD mastering tools.

Stop 0x000000D1 or DRIVER_IRQL_NOT_LESS_OR_EQUAL

The Stop 0xD1 messages indicates that the system attempted to access pageable memory using a kernel process IRQL that was too high. Drivers that have used improper addresses typically cause this error.

Possible Resolutions:

• Stop 0xD1 messages can occur after installing faulty drivers or system services. If a driver is listed by name, disable, remove, or roll back that driver to confirm that this resolves the error. If so, contact the manufacturer about a possible update. Using updated software is especially important for backup programs, multimedia applications, antivirus scanners, DVD playback, and CD mastering tools.

Stop 0x000000EA or THREAD_STUCK_IN_DEVICE_DRIVER

A device driver problem is causing the system to pause indefinitely. Typically, this problem is caused by a display driver waiting for the video hardware to enter an idle state. This might indicate a hardware problem with the video adapter or a faulty video driver.

Possible Resolutions:

• Stop 0xD1 messages can occur after installing faulty drivers (especially video drivers) or system services. If a driver is listed by name, disable, remove, or roll back that driver to confirm that this resolves the error. If so, contact the manufacturer about a possible update. Using updated software is especially important for backup programs, multimedia applications, antivirus scanners, DVD playback, and CD mastering tools.

Stop 0x000000ED or UNMOUNTABLE_BOOT_VOLUME

The kernel mode I/O subsystem attempted to mount the boot volume and it failed. This error might also occur during an upgrade to Windows XP Professional on systems that use higher throughput ATA disks or controllers with incorrect cabling. In some cases, your system might appear to work normally after you restart.

Possible Resolutions:

• If using higher throughput ATA disks and controllers, those capable of data transfer rates above 33.3 megabytes per second, replace the standard 40-pin cable with an 80-pin cable. Using an 80-pin cable is optional for transfer rates up to and including 33.3 megabytes per second, but is mandatory for higher transfer rates. The additional grounded pins are required to avoid data loss.

• Some firmware enables you to force higher transfer rates even when you are using the incorrect cable type. Your firmware might issue a warning but allow the startup process to proceed. Restore the default firmware setting for ATA cable detection.

• Problems that cause 0xED errors might also cause Stop 0x7B errors. For more information about 0x7B Stop messages, see "Stop 0x0000007B or INACCESSIBLE_BOOT_DEVICE" earlier in this appendix.

Stop 0xC0000221 or STATUS_IMAGE_CHECKSUM_MISMATCH

This Stop message indicates driver, system file, or disk corruption problems (such as a damaged paging file). Faulty memory hardware can also cause this Stop message to appear.

Possible Resolutions:

• You can use Driver Rollback or System Restore from safe mode, to restore a previous driver. You can also use Windows XP Professional recovery features such as the Last Known Good Configuration startup option, Backup, or Automated System Recovery to restore a previous working configuration. After restoring from backup media, you might need to reapply service packs or hotfixes, depending on when the backups were made.

• If the Stop message names the specific file, try replacing it manually with a fresh copy from the Windows XP Professional operating system CD using safe mode or Recovery Console. For systems using the FAT16 or FAT32 file system, you have the option of using a Windows 98 or Windows Millennium Edition Emergency Boot Disk to access the hard disk.
If the original file from the operating system CD has a file name that ends with an underscore (_) character, you cannot use the file until it is uncompressed. The Recovery Console’s Copy command is ideal for copying compressed files because it detects and expands them. If you do not specify a destination file name, you must rename the expanded file with the correct extension before using it. From safe mode or Recovery Console, you can use the Expand command to uncompress and copy a file to a destination location. In Recovery Console, the expanded file is given the correct name after being copied to the destination location. For more information about the Copy or Expand commands, see Windows XP Help and Support Centre.

Most people think about backing up data about 10 minutes after it’s too late to do any good. If you realize that you really need a good backup program after your hard disk crashes you’re setting yourself up for a data disaster. Are you prepared to lose? What would you do if your entire collection  disappeared tomorrow in a puff of electrons? Just look at the business implications of data loss. Do you have backup copies of your electronically-filed tax return or your crucial correspondence? As data backup recovery becomes critical to all.

Fortunately, backing up your essential files is neither difficult nor time-consuming. In fact, the whole process can take as little as 10 minutes a week, and you can let Windows XP do most of the work.

Get Started

Before you can even think about creating a backup, you have to get your files in order. This doesn’t mean you need compulsively rearrange every file in every folder. Just check to make certain all your essential data files are stored in one easy-to-find location.

Windows XP makes this task especially easy by giving every user account its own personal profile, which consists of a set of subfolders in the Documents and Settings folder. Your profile holds your personal files (in the My Documents folder), Outlook Express e-mail messages, Internet Explorer Favorites and cookies, and information about your settings and preferences. If you have personal data stored elsewhere, consider moving it into the My Documents folder to make backing up easier. If you’re unwilling or unable to move those files, make a note of where they’re located so you can be sure you add them to your backup set later.

Open Windows XP Backup

Windows XP includes its own backup program, although you may need to do some digging to find it. You can also take your pick of third-party programs (listed at the end of this column) that add bells and whistles you won’t find in the basic Windows XP Backup utility.

If you use Windows XP Professional, the Windows Backup utility (Ntbackup.exe) (online data backup) should be ready for use. If you use Windows XP Home Edition, you’ll need to follow these steps to install the utility:

1.	Insert your Windows XP CD into the drive and, if necessary, double-click the CD icon in My Computer.
2.	On the Welcome to Microsoft Windows XP screen, click Perform Additional Tasks.
3.	Click Browse this CD.
4.	In Windows Explorer, double-click the ValueAdd folder, then Msft, and then Ntbackup.
5.	Double-click Ntbackup.msi to install the Backup utility.

With that chore out of the way, you’re ready to begin backing up. By default, the Backup utility uses a wizard that makes the process straightforward. To start Backup:

1.	Click Start, point to All Programs, point to Accessories, point to System Tools, and then click Backup to start the wizard.
2.	Click Next to skip past the opening page, choose Back up files and settings from the second page, and then click Next. You should see the page shown in Figure 1, which represents your first decision point.

Decide What to Back Up

You might be tempted to click All information on this computer so that you can back up every bit of data on your computer. Think twice before choosing this option, however. If you’ve installed a slew of software, your backup could add up to many gigabytes. For most people, the My documents and settings option is a better choice. This selection preserves your data files (including e-mail messages and address books) and the personal settings stored in the Windows Registry.

If several people use your computer—as might be the case on a shared family PC—select Everyone’s documents and settings. This option backs up personal files and preferences for every user with an account on the computer.

If you know that you have data files stored outside your profile, click Let me choose what to back up. This option takes you to the Items to Back Up page shown in Figure 2.

Select the My Documents check box to back up all the files in your personal profile, and then browse the My Computer hierarchy to select the additional files you need to back up. If some of your files are on a shared network drive, open the My Network Places folder and select those folders.

This option also comes in handy if you have some files you now you don’t want to back up. For instance, I have more than 20 GB of music files in the My Music folder. To keep my data file backup to a reasonable size, I click the check box next to the My Music folder. This clears the check box from all the files and subfolders in My Music.

Decide Where to Store Your Backup Files

On the Backup Type, Destination, and Name page, Windows asks you to specify a backup location. If you’re one of those exceedingly rare individuals with access to a backup tape, the Backup utility gives you a choice of options in the Select a backup type box. No tape drive? No problem. Backup assumes you’re going to save everything in a single file; you just have to choose a location for that file and give it a name.

By default, Backup proposes saving everything to your floppy drive (drive A). Although that might have made sense 10 years ago, it’s hardly a rational choice today. You’d need dozens, perhaps hundreds of floppy disks to store even a modest collection of data files, especially if you collect digital music or photos.

Instead, your best bet is to click Browse and choose any of the following locations:

•	Your computer’s hard disk. The ideal backup location is a separate partition from the one you’re backing up. If your hard disk is partitioned into drive C and drive D and your data is on drive C, you can safely back up to drive D.
•	A Zip drive or other removable media. At 100-250MB per disk, this is an option if you don’t have multiple gigabytes to back up. Unfortunately, the Windows Backup utility can’t save files directly to a CD-RW drive.
•	A shared network drive. You’re limited only by the amount of free space on the network share.
•	An external hard disk drive. USB and IEEE 1394 or FireWire drives have dropped in price lately. Consider getting a 40 GB or larger drive and dedicating it for use as a backup device.

After you’ve chosen a backup location, enter a descriptive name for the file, click Next to display the wizard’s final page, as shown in Figure 3, and then click Finish to begin backing up immediately.

Set a Schedule—and Stick to It

If you’re disciplined enough, you can repeat the above steps once each week and perform regular backups when you’re ready. If you’d rather not count on remembering to perform this crucial task, however, set up an automatic backup schedule for Windows. When you get to the final page of the Backup Wizard (see Figure 3 above), don’t click Finish. Instead, click the Advanced button, and click Next to open the When to Back Up page. Choose Later, and then click Set Schedule to open the Schedule Job dialog box shown in Figure 4.

This example shows the settings for a weekly backup on Friday afternoon—a good way to make sure your week’s work is protected. But you can set almost any schedule you want by poking around in the extensive set of options available in this dialog box. After you click OK to save your changes, Windows XP runs the backup automatically. Just remember to leave your computer turned on.

Online Email Support 

Many partners in the Microsoft (NSDQ:MSFT) galaxy are none too pleased about Redmond’s decision earlier this week to withhold downloads of Vista service pack 1 until mid-March. But after a firestorm of online protest from disaffected partners, it appears that Microsoft may consider revising its decision.

During beta testing, Microsoft says it discovered device driver glitches in systems with Vista SP1 installed, which reportedly have to do with audio drivers, graphics drivers, and network drivers being disabled after installing Vista SP1. Although the issues can be fixed by uninstalling and reinstalling the drivers — a relatively simple task for most IT professionals — Microsoft decided not to release Vista SP1 while it spends the next six weeks ironing out the problems in conjunction with its hardware partners.

Several posters on the Windows Vista Team blog have been voicing their frustrations and demanding to know why Microsoft chose not to allow them to download Vista SP1 from its Download center, TechNet, or MSDN Websites.

"I can understand and even support not releasing it immediately to Windows Update to give IT folks and developers a head start, but [don’t understand] not releasing it to the download center, MSDN, and TechNet," wrote a poster who goes by the name ‘daedalus.’

"As an IT professional, I am disappointed that Microsoft does not see the benefit in releasing [Vista SP1] as a download for IT professionals. Although six weeks is not long, it could be [a] very valuable time to test SP1 in one’s business environment," wrote poster ‘rmwestbrook’.

Andy Kretzer, director of sales and marketing at Bold Data Technology, a Fremont, Calif.-based system builder, told ChannelWeb his firm would also have appreciated the opportunity to use this time to test the SP1 RTM.

"While Vista sales have been extremely slow for us, the last thing we would want is to have a much anticipated service pack in the hands of our customers prior to being tested and evaluated by our engineers on our systems," said Kretzer.

Susan Bradley, a Microsoft Small Business Specialist partner in Fresno, Calif., believes Microsoft is making an error in judgment by not allowing testers to download Vista SP1. "What will end up happening is that SP1 will end up on BitTorrent somewhere, thus reinforcing that piracy appears to the the way to go," Bradley said.

In a Wednesday comment on the Windows Vista team blog, Nick White, a product manager with the Vista team, told disgruntled posters he plans to relay their concerns to the Vista SP1 Release team.

"I for one understand where you’re coming from and am making that case accordingly; if anything changes, we’ll announce it here on the blog," White wrote.

However, a Microsoft spokesperson wouldn’t comment on whether Microsoft may be reviewing its plans for releasing Vista SP1.

Vista SP1 remains on track for a mid-March release through Windows Update and Microsoft’s Download Center, and systems containing drivers that are known to interfere with installations of Vista SP1 won’t be able to download the update, according to the spokesperson.

Imagine that you recently started a small business and are trying to build your client base—salespeople out on the road every day, working on getting new business. You don’t want your salespeople to be left without documents they need while meeting with important clients. You can empower your employees to have important data at their fingertips, at all times.

Remote Desktop, included with Windows XP Professional, enables you to connect to your computer across the Internet from virtually any computer, Pocket PC, or Smartphone. Once connected, Remote Desktop gives you mouse and keyboard control over your computer while showing you everything that’s happening on the screen. With Remote Desktop, you can leave your computer at the office without losing access to your files, applications, and e-mail. Your sales force will be able to access the latest pricing sheet from on the road by using Remote Desktop in Windows XP Professional.

To use Remote Desktop

With Remote Desktop, you can connect to your work computer from home and access all of your programs, files, and network resources as though you were actually sitting in front of your computer at work. They are also used widely for remote tech support services

You need three things to create a remote location:

1.	Microsoft Windows XP Professional must be installed on the computer containing the files and programs that you want to access from a remote computer. The computer must also be part of a corporate network in which Remote Desktop connections are permitted. This computer is known as the host.
2.	The remote computer must be running Windows 95 or later. This computer must also have the Remote Desktop Connection client software installed. The remote computer is known as the client.
3.	Both computers must be connected to the Internet through a VPN connection. Note: If you’re not connecting to the host computer through a VPN, you’ll need to use the actual IP address of the host computer instead of the computer name.

To set up the Remote Desktop, start with the host computer, which in this example is your work computer.

1.	Verify that you are signed in as the administrator.
2.	Click Start, click Control Panel, and then click Performance and Maintenance.
3.	Click System.
4.	Click the Remote tab, select the Allow users to connect remotely to this computer check box, and then click OK.

Next, make sure you have Windows Firewall set up to allow exceptions.

1.	In the Control Panel, click Security Center.
2.	Under Manage security settings for, click Windows Firewall.
3.	Make sure the Don’t allow exceptions check box is not selected.
4.	Click the Exceptions tab, and verify that the Remote Desktop check box is selected.
5.	Click OK, and then close the Windows Security Center window. Your host computer is now set up to allow remote access. You will need the name of the host computer.
6.	In Control Panel, click Performance and Maintenance, click System, and then click the Computer Name tab.
7.	Write down the full computer name, and then click OK.
8.	Close Control Panel.
9.	Leave this computer running, locked, and connected to the corporate network with Internet access.

Connect your remote computer to the host computer

To connect your home computer, which is the client (or remote) computer to your work (or host) computer, follow these steps:

1.	On your home computer, click Start, point to All Programs, and then point to Accessories.
2.	In the Accessories menu, point to Communications, and then click Remote Desktop Connection.
3.	In the Computer box, type the computer name of your host computer, which you wrote down earlier.
4.	Click Connect.
5.	When the Log On to Windows dialog box appears, type your user name, password, and domain (if required), and then click OK. The Remote Desktop window opens, and you see the desktop settings, files, and programs that are on your host computer, which in this example is your work computer. Your host computer remains locked, and nobody can access it without a password. In addition, no one will be able to see the work you are doing remotely.

To end your Remote Desktop session:

1.	Click Start, and then click Log Off at the bottom of the Start menu.
2.	When prompted, click Log Off.

The Hibernate function in Windows XP Professional can make the batteries in your laptop computer last longer.

Windows XP supports the industry standard power management technology known as the Advanced Configuration and Power Interface (ACPI), which enables the operating system to control power to your computer and peripheral devices. The power management features in Windows XP include Hibernate and Standby. Hibernate saves an image of your desktop with all open files and documents, and then it powers down your computer. When you turn on power, your files and documents are open on your desktop exactly as you left them. Standby reduces the power consumption of your computer by cutting power to hardware components you are not using. Standby can cut power to peripheral devices, your monitor, even your hard drive, but maintains power to your computer’s memory so you don’t lose your work.

Power Management Performance

Windows XP wakes from Hibernate faster than any earlier version of Windows. So you can preserve your batteries without taking time to close all your files and shut down, and then restart and open all your files when you’re ready to work again. If you need to leave your computer, you can just leave it. Windows XP can automatically put your computer into Hibernate mode after a specified period of inactivity. Or Windows XP can detect when your batteries are running low, and then automatically put your computer in Hibernate mode to save your work before the battery fails. To put your computer into hibernation, you must have a computer that is set up by the manufacturer to support this option.

To automatically put your computer into hibernation

You must be logged on to your computer with an owner account in order to complete this procedure.

1.	Open Power Options in Control Panel. (Click Start, click Control Panel, and then double-click Power Options.)
2.	Click the Hibernate tab, select the Enable hibernate support check box, and then click Apply. If the Hibernate tab is unavailable, your computer does not support this feature.
3.	Click the APM tab, click Enable Advanced Power Management support, and then click Apply. The APM tab is unavailable on ACPI–compliant computers. ACPI automatically enables Advanced Power Management, which disables the APM tab.
4.	Click the Power Schemes tab, and then select a time period in System hibernates. Your computer hibernates after it has been idle for the specified amount of time.

To manually put your computer into hibernation

You must be logged on as an administrator or a member of either the Administrators or Power Users group in order to complete this procedure. If your computer is connected to a network, network policy settings might also prevent you from completing this procedure.

1.	Open Power Options in Control Panel. (Click Start, click Control Panel, and then double-click Power Options.)
2.	Click the Hibernate tab, and then select the Enable hibernate support check box. If the Hibernate tab is not available, your computer does not support this feature.
3.	Click OK to close the Power Options dialog box.
4.	Click Start, and then click Shut Down. In the What do you want the computer to do drop-down list, click Hibernate.

If you are using Windows XP Home Edition, or Windows XP Professional with Fast User Switching turned on, the Shut Down menu will present the options to Stand By, Turn Off, or Restart your computer. Hold down the Shift key, and the Stand By button will change to Hibernate.

As laptops have gotten smaller, thinner, and lighter, they’ve had to sacrifice the longer-lasting power that comes with large batteries. But at the same time, laptop chipsets and processors have gotten smarter about power management, making the most of these smaller batteries. Windows XP provides several options to manage the power consumed by your laptop—or your desktop.

The Power Options will vary depending on the exact hardware configuration you have. To use Power Options, the computer must be Advanced Configuration and Power Interface (ACPI)-compliant, which dictates that all components are capable of power management. If one or more components are not capable of power management, you might not have ACPI functionality, or you might experience erratic behavior.

Power Options in Windows XP allow you to control the power management features of:

•	Your display
•	Your hard drive
•	Shut Down, Hibernate, and Stand by
•	Low battery warnings

Additionally, many laptop manufacturers provide even greater control, giving you more components and devices, and allowing you to shut off or reduce the power consumption of specific pieces of your hardware. We can’t begin to cover all the options of the various manufacturers and their power management utilities. In this column, we’ll discuss how to use power management in Windows XP.

Managing Your Monitor

Power management of your display screen is something that almost everyone is used to these days. It’s a good idea to shut off your display when you’re not using it, even when you’re running a desktop computer. Although laptop displays don’t use as much power, it’s still a relatively big power consumer.

Reducing Power Consumption by Your Hard Drive

The two biggest users of power on your laptop are the display and the hard drive. Windows XP lets you tell your hard drive to stop spinning when you’re not actively using it, allowing you to save energy and thus battery power.

Putting Your Computer on Standby or Hibernate

There are two basic options for putting your laptop to sleep when you’re not actively using it, but don’t want to completely shut it down—Standby or Hibernate. Standby is energy conserving, because your entire computer switches to a low-power state. Devices, such as the monitor and hard disks, turn off and your computer uses less power. It’s easy to return to work, because Standby leaves applications and files open on your desktop. Standby is perfect when you’re going to be taking a break because the cabin attendant just came by with what passes for lunch on airplanes these days, and you want to quickly pick up exactly where you left off. (Note that airlines often request that you completely turn off your computer during take off and landing. In Standby mode, your computer might appear to be turned off but it could automatically restart. So shut down your computer completely when it’s not in use on an airplane.) Standby is not appropriate for long term use—on many laptops, overnight is probably pushing it on standby. And it has one important limitation—everything is in memory, not yet saved to the hard drive.

Hibernate mode writes an image of what you’re currently working on to a special file on your hard drive, and then shuts your computer almost completely off. It takes a bit longer than Standby, since it needs to write to your hard drive. Hibernate also takes a bit longer to resume, since you must go through essentially the normal boot process, although in Windows XP your computer wakes faster from Hibernate than in previous versions of Windows. The advantage is that you can leave your laptop in Hibernate mode for days without any ill effect. When you start it back up, you’ll see everything exactly as you left it. Hibernate is the perfect mode for shutting down for the night or even the weekend.

If you are using Windows XP Home Edition, or Windows XP Professional with Fast User Switching turned on, the Turn Off Computer menu will present the options to Stand By, Turn Off, or Restart your computer. To put your computer into Hibernate mode, click Start, and then click Turn off computer. Press and hold the Shift key. The label under the first button changes from Stand By to Hibernate. Click Hibernate.

Adjusting Low Battery Warnings

In Power Options for Windows XP, you can set the low battery warnings for your computer. You can choose exactly how much warning you’ll receive when the battery gets low and what actions are taken. There are two levels: Low Battery Alarm and Critical Battery Alarm. I find I like to set the Low Battery Alarm level to around 10% of remaining battery, which gives me plenty of time to finish up what I’m doing and shut down in an orderly fashion. And I don’t have the Low Battery Alarm actually do anything, other than notify me. The Critical Battery Alarm, however, is set to go off at 3% remaining battery and initiates a forced hibernation. This saves my work and lets me later connect to an external power source and pick up exactly where I left off. The one caution here: Make sure you check Force standby or shutdown even if a program stops responding.

Configuring Power Settings

Using Power Options in Control Panel, you can adjust any power management option that your computer’s unique hardware configuration supports. Because these options may vary widely from computer to computer, the options described may differ from what you see. Power Options automatically detects what is available on your computer and shows you only the options that you can control. To configure your power settings:

1.	Click Start, click Control Panel, click Performance and Maintenance, and then click Power Options.
2.	Or, if you see the little battery indicator on your task bar, right-click it and then click Adjust Power Properties. The Power Options Properties dialog box opens

In the Power Options dialog box, you set options for a power scheme. Windows XP comes with several preconfigured profiles. I’ve shown the Normal profile for my laptop here, but you can easily create custom profiles that fine tune the properties for your particular circumstances. You can create a new power scheme by clicking the time settings you want, clicking Save As, and typing a name. I’ve got one used for playing music CDs, for example, that shuts off the hard drive and screen almost immediately, but doesn’t ever put the system into standby mode.

Enabling Hibernation Mode

Finally, if your machine doesn’t have Hibernate enabled, it’s easy to enable it. If your computer is set up by the manufacturer to support Hibernate: Open the Power Options Properties dialog box and click the Hibernate tab to open the page.

Just click the Enable Hibernation check box and you’re all set. You will, however, need enough free disk space to hold all of your memory in a single file. This means, if your laptop has 512 MB of RAM as mine does, you’ll need roughly 512 MB of free disk space on drive C.

Microsoft has increased security on Vista, XP and the new Server offering, according to a source.

New service packs for Vista and XP will add security-related APIs to expand the use of anti-exploit technology.

The new APIs will allow developers to call Data Execution Prevention (DEP) into their applications and will especially benefit those writing solutions running on Windows Server 2008.

A blog post from Windows revealed the step up in security, saying that they wanted more people to "opt-in to using DEP" (also known as No eXecute).

The APIs lets the program opt-in to DEP support when they are run, meaning that both users and developers gain more flexibility.

"If you support DEP but want to allow customers to disable DEP if there are serious compatibility issues, then this is the API to use," said the blog.

A recent Windows flaw was described as "highly exploitable" by security experts and could open businesses up to attack, reported Computer World.

Spyware Removal   Virus Removal

A Service Pack for Microsoft Vista is awaited by the masses from a while but the wait has to be a there till March as users won’t be able to actually download it until mid-March, company officials said Monday.

During beta testing for Vista SP1, Microsoft found that some device drivers were causing problems on systems with SP1 installed. Although the issues can be fixed by uninstalling and reinstalling the drivers, Microsoft decided this would be too complicated for most users. As a result, Microsoft will spend the next month hunting for additional problematic device drivers, said David Zipkin, senior product manager in Windows Client Group.

"With drivers, we wanted to make sure when folks upgrade to Vista that they have a smooth experience," Zipkin said.

Microsoft is currently working with its hardware partners to hammer out the device driver glitches, according to Zipkin, who declined to name the partners.

In mid-March, Microsoft plans to release Vista SP1 in 5 languages — English, French, Spanish, German and Japanese — through Windows Update and the Download Center, Zipkin said, adding that Microsoft will ensure that SP1 isn’t pushed out to PCs that have the aforementioned drivers installed.

In April, Microsoft will begin auto updates of Vista SP1 to users who’ve chosen this option, and will also release the rest of the language specific versions of Vista SP1, Zipkin said.

Microsoft has handed off the final Vista SP1 bits to its OEM partners, and if testing goes well, they’ll soon begin building new PCs based on Vista SP1 images. Microsoft has also begun pressing Vista SP1 DVDs for its retail and volume licensing customers, said Zipkin.

Vista and Windows Server 2008 are closely aligned and are both very similar from an engineering point of view, with a 95 percent shared code base, said Bob Visse, senior director of marketing in the Windows Server Marketing Group.

Microsoft is working with ISV partners and hardware partners to help them build Server 2008 compatible applications. As part of this effort, Microsoft has established three tiers for ISVs to pledge their support for the Server 2008 platform, each with successively more stringent application testing requirements.

Microsoft currently has 80 ISVs in the highest tier and expects that number to jump to 225 within the next three months, said Visse, who expects the "vast majority" of Microsoft’s approximately 1000 ISV partners to extend their support for Server 2008.

News Source: Channel Web Network

Social Engineering is “The art and science of getting people to comply to your wishes”, “an outside hacker’s use of psychological tricks on legitimate users of a computer system, in order to obtain information he needs to gain access to the system”, or “getting needed information (for example, a password) from a person rather than breaking into a system”. In reality, social engineering can be any and all of these things, depending upon where you sit. The one thing that everyone seems to agree upon is that social engineering is generally a hacker’s clever manipulation of the natural human tendency to trust. The hacker’s goal is to obtain information that will allow him/her to gain unauthorized access to a valued system and the information that resides on that system.

Dumpster diving, also known as trashing, is another popular method of social engineering. A huge amount of information can be collected through company dumpsters. The following items are potential security leaks in any body’s trash: “company phone books, organizational charts, memos, company policy manuals, calendars of meetings, events and vacations, system manuals, printouts of sensitive data or login names and passwords, printouts of source code, disks and tapes, company letterhead and memo forms, and outdated hardware.”

Security is all about trust. Trust in protection and authenticity. Generally agreed upon as the weakest link in the security chain, the natural human willingness to accept someone at his or her word leaves many of us vulnerable to attack. Many experienced security experts emphasize this fact. No matter how much we are aware of network holes, patches, and firewalls, we can only reduce the threat but cant get ride of it

Target and Attack

The basic goals of social engineering are the same as hacking in general: to gain unauthorized access to systems or information in order to commit fraud, network intrusion, industrial espionage, identity theft, or simply to disrupt the system or network. Typical targets include telephone companies and answering services, big-name corporations and financial institutions, military and government agencies, and hospitals. The Internet boom had its share of industrial engineering attacks in start-ups as well, but attacks generally focus on larger entities.

As for why organizations are targeted through social engineering – well, it’s often an easier way to gain illicit access than are many forms of technical hacking. Even for technical people, it’s often much simpler to just pick up the phone and ask someone for his password. And most often, that’s just what a hacker will do.

Social engineering attacks take place on two levels: the physical and the psychological. First, we’ll focus on the physical setting for these attacks: the workplace, the phone, your trash, and even on-line. In the workplace, the hacker can simply walk in the door, like in the movies, and pretend to be a maintenance worker or consultant who has access to the organization. Then the intruder struts through the office until he or she finds a few passwords lying around and emerges from the building with ample information to exploit the network from home later that night. Another technique to gain authentication information is to just stand there and watch an oblivious employee type in his password.

On-Line Social Engineering

The Internet is fertile ground for social engineers looking to harvest passwords. The primary weakness is that many users often repeat the use of one simple password on every account: Yahoo, Travelocity, Gap.com, whatever. So once the hacker has one password, he or she can probably get into multiple accounts. One way in which hackers have been known to obtain this kind of password is through an on-line form: they can send out some sort of sweepstakes information and ask the user to put in a name (including e-mail address – that way, she might even get that person’s corporate account password as well) and password. These forms can be sent by e-mail or through US Mail. US Mail provides a better appearance that the sweepstakes might be a legitimate enterprise.

Another way hackers may obtain information on-line is by pretending to be the network administrator, sending e-mail through the network and asking for a user’s password. This type of social engineering attack doesn’t generally work, because users are generally more aware of hackers when online, but it is something of which to take note. Furthermore, pop-up windows can be installed by hackers to look like part of the network and request that the user reenter his username and password to fix some sort of problem. At this point in time, most users should know not to send passwords in clear text (if at all), but it never hurts to have an occasional reminder of this simple security measure from the System Administrator. Even better, sys admins might want to warn their users against disclosing their passwords in any fashion other than a face-to-face conversation with a staff member who is known to be authorized and trusted.

E-mail can also be used for more direct means of gaining access to a system. For instance, mail attachments sent from someone of authenticity can carry viruses, worms and Trojan horses. A good example of this was an AOL hack, “In that case, the hacker called AOL’s tech support and spoke with the support person for an hour. During the conversation, the hacker mentioned that his car was for sale cheaply. The tech supporter was interested, so the hacker sent an e-mail attachment ‘with a picture of the car’. Instead of a car photo, the mail executed a backdoor exploit that opened a connection out from AOL through the firewall.”

And last but not the list on the Topic is this

A True Story

One morning a few years back, a group of strangers walked into a large shipping firm and walked out with access to the firm’s entire corporate network. How did they do it? By obtaining small amounts of access, bit by bit, from a number of different employees in that firm. First, they did research about the company for two days before even attempting to set foot on the premises. For example, they learned key employees’ names by calling HR. Next, they pretended to lose their key to the front door, and a man let them in. Then they "lost" their identity badges when entering the third floor secured area, smiled, and a friendly employee opened the door for them.

The strangers knew the CFO was out of town, so they were able to enter his office and obtain financial data off his unlocked computer. They dug through the corporate trash, finding all kinds of useful documents. They asked a janitor for a garbage pail in which to place their contents and carried all of this data out of the building in their hands. The strangers had studied the CFO’s voice, so they were able to phone, pretending to be the CFO, in a rush, desperately in need of his network password. From there, they used regular technical hacking tools to gain super-user access into the system.

In this case, the strangers were network consultants performing a security audit for the CFO without any other employees’ knowledge. They were never given any privileged information

If you’ve come across this page looking for a way to create a password protected, secure, hidden or locked folder in Windows XP for free, you’ve come to the right place. Unfortunately, Windows XP does not have any user-friendly built-in tools to create secure folders on computers with multiple users. Of course, you can encrypt data on your hard disk, but this only helps if your computer is stolen.

This method is useful if you want to hide a folder or file and you’re pretty sure that anyone who is using the computer will have no idea how to un-hide the data. If you’re dealing with someone a little more computer savvy, there is another way to create a secure locked folder without having to buy any 3rd party software.

It basically involves using a script to morph the folder into something completely different so that it’s still visible, but nothing inside the folder is accessible. In order to view the data, you have to run another script to morph it back. Anyone who clicks on the folder will be brought to the Control Panel and simply think it is a shortcut.

Here are the steps to create the protected folder in Microsoft Windows XP:

• First create a folder that you will use to store your confidential data. For example, I have created a folder called Fonts at the root of my D drive. Since the hidden folder will bring you to the Control Panel, it’s best to name the folder as one of the programs inside there. 

• In the same location where you created the new folder, create a new file in Notepad, copy the following below into it, replace Fonts with the name of your folder and save it as loc.bat.

ren Fonts Fonts.{21EC2020-3AEA-1069-A2DD-08002B30309D}

• To save the file as a .bat file in Notepad, just put the whole thing in quotes, like “loc.bat” and then click Save. 

• Now you should have a bat file named loc in the same directory as your Fonts folder, not inside the Fonts folder.

• Create another NotePad file and type in the following listed below and save it as “key.bat”.

ren Fonts.{21EC2020-3AEA-1069-A2DD-08002B30309D} Fonts

• Now you’ll have loc.bat and key.bat along with your folder. Go ahead and double-click on loc.bat and your folder will turn into the Control Panel and nothing inside can be viewed. Clicking on it will simply bring you to the Control Panel. You’ll notice the icon should have changed also.

• To view the data inside your folder again, click on key.bat and your folder will return to normal! Pretty simple!

Of course, keeping the key.bat file in the same folder will defeat the purpose of securing the folder, so it’s best to move the key.bat file somewhere else, or even better, put it on a USB stick or CD that only you can access.

Most people will be probably look at the folder and simply ignore it since it has the control panel icon and it links directly there. Of course, if someone knows this trick also, they can create their own key.bat file, etc and open it back up. However, if you’re dealing with someone who can do all of that, it’s best you check out more advanced 3rd party software to lock down a folder.

When Microsoft bid $44.6bn for Yahoo on Friday the first question on everyone’s lips was: what will Google make of this? Now we have our answer…

Using the Official Google Blog, David Drummond - the company’s Senior VP of Corporate Development and Chief Legal Officer - was surprisingly defensive. In typical Google fashion, Drummond started by praising the concept of the Internet (an approach which will feed the company’s detractors who label it something of a technological hippy) before questioning the legality of the move.

"Microsoft’s hostile bid for Yahoo! raises troubling questions," Drummond explained. "This is about more than simply a financial transaction, one company taking over another. It’s about preserving the underlying principles of the Internet: openness and innovation. Could Microsoft now attempt to exert the same sort of inappropriate and illegal influence over the Internet that it did with the PC? While the Internet rewards competitive innovation, Microsoft has frequently sought to establish proprietary monopolies - and then leverage its dominance into new, adjacent markets."

Hang on, this isn’t what we were expecting! Where’s the bravado? He continued:

"Could the acquisition of Yahoo! allow Microsoft - despite its legacy of serious legal and regulatory offenses [sic] - to extend unfair practices from browsers and operating systems to the Internet? In addition, Microsoft plus Yahoo! equals an overwhelming share of instant messaging and web email accounts. And between them, the two companies operate the two most heavily trafficked portals on the Internet. Could a combination of the two take advantage of a PC software monopoly to unfairly limit the ability of consumers to freely access competitors’ email, IM, and web-based services?"

Drummond closed asking that "the merits of this proposed acquisition are examined and alternatives explored" and quite frankly, we’re rather surprised.

Riyad got it spot on in his editorial The Searchers, which addressed the takeover bid directly, when he questioned the considerable overlap between the two companies and whether "big MS feels that two struggling search strategies are somehow better than one". Personally, I suspect Google is being overly cautious here and could even stand to benefit long term as its biggest competitor is forcefully jammed inside the Redmond collective.

 News Source:- Trustedreviews.com

Microsoft has offered to buy Yahoo for around $44,6bn in cash and shares, to better compete with Google in the market for online services.

Microsoft expects the market for online advertising to almost double in size over the next three years, from $40bn in 2007 to $80bn by 2010. A merger will allow it to realise economies of scale and to reduce capital costs as it addresses this market, it says.

Microsoft expects to cut costs by $1bn a year by realizing synergies with Yahoo in four areas: obtaining economies of scale as its audience increases; combining its research and development efforts with Yahoo’s to innovate faster; eliminating operational redundancy to cut costs, and pooling expertise to innovate in video and mobile.

"We see this announcement as the next major milestone in Microsoft’s company-wide transformation to embrace online services overall and to invest very successfully in search and advertising," Ballmer adds.

A merger might give Google some extra competition, but it wouldn’t unseat it as the top search provider, and it would take some time to convince advertisers that they would do better on a Microsoft-Yahoo platform over Google’s highly successful ad business, said Mark Mahaney of Citigroup.

 Googles Stand on the Bid

Hi Everybody.. This morning i got to my computer and found my PC a lot fishy to respond to my commands after getting here and there i some how manage to get some important tips to get it done for my needs. I think some of you will be interested in some of the tweaks I make to my PCs to make them quicker. I’ve focused here on the ones which are simple to do and won’t cause problems if you get it wrong, rather than listing registry tweaks etc.

1. Disable Indexing Services

Indexing Services is a small little program that uses large amounts of RAM and can often make a computer endlessly loud and noisy. This system process indexes and updates lists of all the files that are on your computer. It does this so that when you do a search for something on your computer, it will search faster by scanning the index lists. If you don’t search your computer often, or even if you do search often, this system service is completely unnecessary. To disable do the following:

• Go to Start
• Click Settings
• Click Control Panel
• Double-click Add/Remove Programs
• Click the Add/Remove Window Components
• Uncheck the Indexing services
• Click Next

2. Optimise Display Settings

Windows XP can look sexy but displaying all the visual items can waste system resources. To optimise:

• Go to Start
• Click Settings
• Click Control Panel
• Click System
• Click Advanced tab
• In the Performance tab click Settings
• Leave only the following ticked:

• Show shadows under menus
• Show shadows under mouse pointer
• Show translucent selection rectangle
• Use drop shadows for icons labels on the desktop
• Use visual styles on windows and buttons

3. Speedup Folder Browsing

You may have noticed that everytime you open my computer to browse folders that there is a slight delay. This is because Windows XP automatically searches for network files and printers everytime you open Windows Explorer. To fix this and to increase browsing significantly:

• Open My Computer
• Click on Tools menu
• Click on Folder Options
• Click on the View tab.
• Uncheck the Automatically search for network folders and printers check box
• Click Apply
• Click Ok
• Reboot your computer

4. Disable Performance Counters

Windows XP has a performance monitor utility which monitors several areas of your PC’s performance. These utilities take up system resources so disabling is a good idea.

To disable:

• download and install the Extensible Performance Counter List
• Then select each counter in turn in the ‘Extensible performance counters’ window and clear the ‘performance counters enabled’ checkbox at the bottom.button below

5. Improve Memory Usage

Cacheman Improves the performance of your computer by optimizing the disk cache, memory and a number of other settings.

Once Installed:

• Go to Show Wizard and select All
• Run all the wizards by selecting Next or Finished until you are back to the main menu. Use the defaults unless you know exactly what you are doing
• Exit and Save Cacheman
• Restart Windows

6. Optimise your internet connection

There are lots of ways to do this but by far the easiest is to run TCP/IP Optimizer.

• Download and install
• Click the General Settings tab and select your Connection Speed (Kbps)
• Click Network Adapter and choose the interface you use to connect to the Internet
• Check Optimal Settings then Apply
• Reboot

7. Optimise Your Pagefile

If you give your pagefile a fixed size it saves the operating system from needing to resize the page file.

• Right click on My Computer and select Properties
• Select the Advanced tab
• Under Performance choose the Settings button
• Select the Advanced tab again and under Virtual Memory select Change
• Highlight the drive containing your page file and make the initial Size of the file the same as the Maximum Size of the file.

Windows XP sizes the page file to about 1.5X the amount of actual physical memory by default. While this is good for systems with smaller amounts of memory (under 512MB) it is unlikely that a typical XP desktop system will ever need 1.5 X 512MB or more of virtual memory. If you have less than 512MB of memory, leave the page file at its default size. If you have 512MB or more, change the ratio to 1:1 page file size to physical memory size.

8. Run Boot Vis - Improve Boot Times

BootVis will significantly improve boot times

• Download and Run
• Select Trace
• Select Next Boot and Driver Trace
• A Trace Repetitions screen will appear, select Ok and Reboot
• Upon reboot, BootVis will automatically start, analyze and log your system’s boot process. When it’s done, in the menu go to Trace and select Optimize System
• Reboot.
• When your machine has rebooted wait until you see the Optimizing System box appear. Be patient and wait for the process to complete

9. Remove the Desktop Picture

Your desktop background consumes a fair amount of memory and can slow the loading time of your system. Removing it will improve performance.

• Right click on Desktop and select Properties
• Select the Desktop tab
• In the Background window select None
• Click Ok

10. Remove Fonts for Speed

Fonts, especially TrueType fonts, use quite a bit of system resources. For optimal performance, trim your fonts down to just those that you need to use on a daily basis and fonts that applications may require.

• Open Control Panel
• Open Fonts folder
• Move fonts you don’t need to a temporary directory (e.g. C:\FONTBKUP?) just in case you need or want to bring a few of them back. The more fonts you uninstall, the more system resources you will gain.

Hope you find these 10 tips useful please leave a comment below and please share any other tips you may have with other readers.

 

And for the Vista Users also i have some of them to share with 10 Simple Ways To Speed Up Windows Vista

Service Pack 3

Windows XP Service Pack 3 (SP3) 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 Microsoft 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 SP3.

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 Refresh 2, build 3282.

On December 4, 2007, Microsoft released a release candidate of Service Pack 3 (build 3264) to both TechNet and MSDN Subscribers. On December 18, 2007, this version was made publicly available via Microsoft Download Center.

Service Pack 1

Service Pack 2

Service Pack 2

Service Pack 2 (SP2) (codenamed "Springboard") was released on August 6, 2004 after several delays, with a special emphasis on security. Unlike the previous service packs, SP2 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 6, and Bluetooth support. Security enhancements include a major revision to the included firewall which was renamed to Windows Firewall (Configure 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 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 Microsoft Windows XP Professional and Windows XP Professional N operating systems. SP2c was released in September 2007.

 Service Pack 1

 Service Pack 3

The story of Service Packs

Microsoft continually works to improve its software. As part of this effort, they develop updates and fixes to recognized issues and release them for customers. On a regular basis, they combine many of these fixes into a single package and make the package available for you to install on your computers. These packages are called Service Packs.

Service Pack 1 (SP1) for Microsoft 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.

 Service Pack 2

 Service Pack 3

Here is some of the Optimizing Vista PC Repair tips which i came across on. Hope it will help u all toooo..

Tweak Windows Vista’s Indexing Options

Windows Vista works in the background to automatically index all the files in the Start Menu, user profile folders and files setup for offline access by default. If you have many files in these locations and the files change often, the indexing service may slow down your system’s performance. Unlike Windows XP, Vista now allows you to easily tweak the indexing service following the steps below. It is recommended that you disable indexing for the other locations other than the Start Menu for maximum performance. Bear in mind that while this tweak speeds up your overall system performance, it will also slow you down when searching for files in those locations.

1. Click on the Start Button and enter Indexing Options. Hit Enter and the Indexing Options should load.
2. Click on the Modify button, followed by Show all locations.
3. Scroll through the tree-view and uncheck all options except the Start Menu. Hit OK.

Speed-Up Microsoft Windows Vista Start Menu Search

When you perform a search using the search box in the start panel, Windows Vista automatically searches the file index as well. The file index can be quite large because it includes all the files on your hard drive. One way to speed-up searching in your Start Menu applications is to narrow the scope of the search so that it does not include files on the hard drive:

Method 1: Registry Hack

1. Open registry editor using regedit.
2. Navigate to HKEY_CURRENT_USER > Software > Microsoft > Windows > CurrentVersion > Explorer and select Advanced.
3. Find and right-click on Start_SearchFiles and select Modify.
4. Set the Value to 0.
5. Restart the Explorer.exe process or reboot the computer.

Method 2: Start Button

1. Right-click on the Start Button and select Properties.
2. Click on the Customize button.
3. Uncheck Search Communications.
4. Set Search Files to Don’t Search for files.
5. Click OK.

Increase SATA Disk Drive Performance

You can squeeze a more performance out of your SATA hard disk drive by enabling write caching. The price though, is an increased risk for data loss/corruption should you experienced a power loss - this risk is less in a laptop because of its battery:
1. Click on the Start Button, enter Device Manager and hit Enter.
2. Expand Disk Drives.
3. Right-click on your hard disk drive and select Properties.
4. On the Policies tab, check Enable Advanced Performance.
5. Click OK and close Device Manager.

Speed-up Windows Vista’s Aero

Windows Vista is a step-up in terms of eye candy but it can slow your system down a bit. There are 2 things you can do to speed-up the Aero interface in Windows Vista:

Method 1: Disable Transparent Glass Effect

1. Click on the Desktop and select Personalize.
2. Select Windows Color And Appearance.
3. Uncheck Enable Transparency.

Method 2: Disable Windows Minimize/Maximize Animation

1. Click on the Start Menu, enter SystemPropertiesPerformance and hit Enter.
2. On the Visual Effects tab, uncheck Animate Windows When Minimizing/Maximizing.
3. Click OK.

Stop Applications That Auto-start On Startup

There are 2 ways to stop applications that auto-start when you login to Windows Vista. You can either use the System Configuration Utility or the new Software Explorer in Windows Defender:

Method 1: System Configuration Utility

1. Click on the Start Button, enter msconfig and hit Enter.
2. Click on the Startup tab.
3. Uncheck items that you do want to auto-start and click OK.

Method 2: Windows Defender

1. Click on the Start Button, enter Windows Defender and hit Enter.
2. Click on the Tools from the top menu bar.
3. Click on Software Explorer and select Show for All Users.
4. Select an application to either Remove or Disable.

Windows Vista is a rather heavy operating system with many neat features, but unfortunately they all come at a price. Right out of the box it requires a pretty hefty system to run (arguably). Before you run out and buy a new computer just so you can run your base operating system, check out these

10 Simple Ways To Speedup Windows Vista tips to lighten the load. This is just the first in the series, so many of them may be very apparent to those experienced in tweaking. If you’re still using Windows XP, then check out 10 Simple Ways To Speedup Windows XP.

1. Turn off UAC, or at least make it less annoying

Now, there’s a lot of talk about the new user account control policy in Vista, and all I can say is: as it is, it annoys the hell out of me and slows down my normal computer usage. Just why, oh why, does it have to flash my video card to a black screen, take 5 seconds and really just make itself a royal pain in the arse? To turn it off, the easiest way is to go into the Control Panel and type in ‘UAC‘ into the search bar. It’ll bring up a search result of ‘Turn User Account Control (UAC) on or off’. Just follow the prompts from there. To keep some of the security of the UAC, let’s just turn off the crazy annoying blacking out screen bit. To do this: open group policy (start | run | gpedit.msc) then navigate to Computer Configuration | Windows Settings | Security Settings | Local Policies | Security Options Find the policy named ‘User Account Control: Switch to the secure desktop when prompting for elevation’. Set this to disabled. Much better, eh? You might say ‘but what’s that got to do with speed?’ Well, as I mentioned, it prompts me a couple times an hour at least and then takes several seconds to figure itself out. My productivity goes up, so it’s a speed enhancer

2. Disable Aero

I personally do not do this, as I am a fan of the graphical styles, but I realize it comes at a cost. It does tend to eat up both RAM and CPU usage (as well as video card usage). While it is turned off during gaming, you can still notice its effects during normal computer usage. When it is really cranking, it can use 15% of your CPU. Ouch. Vanity comes at a cost. If you do like it, at least turn it down a couple notches. Some performance increases have nothing to do with strain on hardware, or amount of processing. Sometimes, things are designed to take longer than they should, though only maybe a fraction of a second, but the end result to the user is a faster machine. Minimizing and maximizing does an animation. Watch closely. Pretty quick eh? Still, it does slow you down, and, really, what does it add to your experience? I am all about vanity and aesthetics, but this feature has got to go. Relish in the fact you will be increasing your productivity by 0.2 seconds per minimize/maximize. Open your start menu, go to run, and type in ’systempropertiesperformance’ From the Visual Effects tab, uncheck ‘Animate windows when minimizing and maximizing’ While you are here, might as well check out the other goodies you can disable.

3. ReadyBoost

ReadyBoost is one of the more innovative features of Microsoft Windows Vista. The idea behind it is to use solid state memory as a secondary memory cache (before hard drive caching). It does require a certain level of speed from your USB (or other) flash drive. Do a quick search on google for just the fastest USB flash drive you can get your hands on (don’t worry they are cheap) and buy one. To enable ReadyBoost, just plug in a fast flash drive, and AutoPlay should come up with a dialog stating that you can use it for readyboost. If you have disabled it, you can just go to the properties for the drive and select it under the readyboost tab. Easy as cake. It is no substitution for RAM, but one can get a several GB flash drive for very little. Some sites have stated that the improvements are not as much as MS says they are, but even a minor improvement for such a low investment makes this worth your while. Do find the best drive you can for random reads/writes (the drive speed is usually rated for sequential reads which won’t help you much). What speed drive do I need? 2.5MB/sec throughput for 4K random reads and 1.75MB/sec throughput for 512K random writes. What size drive do I need? 256MB to 4GB, where as best performance is gotten at around a 1:1 to a 2:1 flash to ram ratio. So really, you should never try this with a flash drive smaller than 1GB-2GB. Continue on, and see the rest. I’ll get more complex as I go.

4. Tweak Indexing Service

I personally don’t mind the new search too much. It still hogs a lot of resources though. To turn it off completely: Go to my computer, right click on C: drive, go to the General tab, and uncheck Index this drive for faster searching, select Include subfolders and files. If you want, you can just remove any extra areas of search, so you can keep your fast searching for some areas. I personally find the indexing of control panel options and start menu items to be a blessing, so I would leave those alone. Just find items in the tree that you really don’t wish to be indexed (like your documents).

5. While you are at it, fix the rest of your search options

It is often that I do searches for text in files, like a method use in a PHP file, or maybe something in a java file. Regardless of the situation, Windows Vista has a very limited number of file extensions flagged for full text searching, which causes you to get ‘no results’ when you know there are some. Open Control panel and type in ‘indexing’ into the search box (or you can do this from your start menu, but many people turn it off). Select ‘Indexing Options’ Select Advanced Button Select ‘File Types’ Tab In this list you will see a list of extensions. When you click on most of them, the bottom radio button will change from ‘index properties only’ or ‘index properties and file contents’ Honestly, index properties only is pretty useless for what most people will use search for (i.e. really only search by date). Uncheck a box to have it removed from search. This can be done for a variety of extensions that honestly, you don’t want in search anyway. It will actually help your results.

Change the radio button to ‘index properties and file contents’ to have these file types included in your searches (should be set for word docs, etc and any other text-based files you search for)

6. Get rid of the sidebar

Pretty self explanatory. It’s a heavy and ugly. If you use it, great, if you don’t reclaim some desktop space. Install googles version. Or yahoos.

7. Defender has a use?

Yes, windows defender actually has a purpose! Open it up Click on tools Click on Software Explorer This will let you select groups of items, the default is Startup Programs. Now you can see that oh, Open Office quickstart is there, and I can just disable it there. Items in this list are very likely to be programs that are running 100% of the time your computer is on, so if you can live without them, kill em. Almost to the end of part 1. The final page is filled with some more advanced things you can do, but they can take a bit of time…

8. Tweak your services

Well, this one is arguable. Many sites preach Optimize Start-Up Settings as the end all of tweaks, and Vista does have a lot of services (like 130). However, a good portion of them are set to manual or disabled by default. Manual will only start the service when the operating system thinks it needs to use that program. However, Vista does have a lot of services set to Automatic by default that are not needed for many people. Granted, they are usually sleeping, not using any CPU, and if they use memory, they usually get paged out to disk pretty fast. But, regardless, it is fairly quick to do, and will gain you some improvement. First off, how to tell what you should really be worried about. One new feature in Vista is the ‘Go to Service’ feature in Task Manager (or at least I never noticed it before). Open Task Manager, Processes tab, right click on a particularly heavy process, and select ‘Go to Service (s)’. This will jump you over to the services tab, and select all the services that are running under that process (multiple ones are usually running under svchost.exe, many of the others only map to one service). It also works in reverse (select service, right click and go to process) I have something like 75 services running at this very moment. Many of them I have exactly zero use for. I do not have a printer, but print spooler is running and using a whole whopping 1MB of my ram at the moment. There are heavier examples, but even if you can remove 20 of these, is it worth your time? Well, yes and no. Like I said, many of them are already paged out, so they really aren’t affecting your system’s memory. There is added overhead because the scheduler still needs to manage them, but I cannot for the life of me remember how it is done in Windows. Overall maybe minimal, but if you are going for every ounce of tweak-ness, give it a shot. I’d recommend Speedyvista look for their cheatsheet or registry files pages so you can keep a copy of the default services around for when/if you mess it up and need to get back to default.

9. How to find out the next area for improvement – Tweak your programs

Well, you’ve gotten the operating system down to a certain point, what’s next? Well, figure out where your bottlenecks still are! There’s probably some software on your computer that just kills performance (or 6-7 of them). Don’t blame MS quite yet. Anyway, luckily for you Windows Vista has a simple tool included that can help you identify the problem and remedy it quickly. Open the task manager (many ways to get to it, easiest is ctrl+alt+delete then select Start Task Manager) Navigate to the Performance tab Click on Resource Monitor Expand the disk section and sort by either reads or writes column. Additionally, you can check out cpu, memory usage and network usage in the same way. Now you will probably notice that your virus scanner is using 20x the resources of Aero, as it insists on scanning your RAM all the time, and scanning every damn file you read from, write to, or execute. But, what can you do? Try to find a couple programs that are too greedy, or running when they have no reason to be running (Example: itunes has a couple services installed that run constantly. Why? I’ve no idea why it takes 2-3 services running and several threads to just be looking out for when you just might plug in your ipod, because that functionality is already built into windows). Office also has a preloader ‘quick start’ service (as does open office) to make sure that things run ‘better’ for you. Even though you do have super fetch which should do it automatically without the need for any extra memory usage.

10. Not really a tweak but…

Ok, #10 isn’t really a speed tweak, but it’s something I’ve always found annoying on many operating systems. Many of us have 2 LCDs, and oh wouldn’t it be nice to be able to set different backgrounds for both? There are programs out there that do it, but here’s a way to just do it inside windows. Right click on the background and select Personalization. Click on Desktop Background Select a background image that is at least as wide as the combined resolution of both of your monitors (or scale the image up so it is big enough, else you will get tiling.. it takes some tweaking, so get out your photo editor of choice for this one. Select the Tile picture positioning option as shown below. This is the only option that will display your background image across multiple monitors Alright, tune in next time for more advanced Windows Vista tweaks. If you have any questions doing any of the above, let me know, or if you wish to debate their usefulness, etc. If you wish to give your own, even better!

Windows Vista is a line of operating systems developed by Microsoft for use on personal computers, including home and business desktops, laptops, Tablet PCs, and media centers.

Microsoft’s primary stated objective with Windows Vista, however, has been to improve the state of security in the Windows operating system. One common criticism of Windows XP and its predecessors has been their commonly exploited security vulnerabilities and overall susceptibility to Spyware Removal, viruses and buffer overflows. In light of this, Microsoft chairman Bill Gates announced in early 2002 a company-wide "Trustworthy Computing initiative" which aims to incorporate security work into every aspect of software development at the company.

Windows Vista system requirements

Microsoft Windows Vista contains hundreds of new and reworked features; some of the most significant include an updated graphical user interface and visual style dubbed Windows Aero, improved searching features, new multimedia creation tools such as Windows DVD Maker, and completely redesigned networking, audio, print, and display sub-systems. Vista also aims to increase the level of communication between machines on a home network using peer-to-peer technology in an effort to simplify sharing files and digital media between computers and devices. Windows Vista includes version 3.0 of the .NET Framework, which aims to make it significantly easier for developers to write applications than with the traditional Windows API.

Windows Vista ships in six editions. These editions are roughly divided into two target markets, consumer and business, with editions varying to cater for specific sub-markets. For consumers, there are four editions, with three available for developed countries. Windows Vista Starter edition is limited to emerging markets. Windows Vista Home Basic is intended for budget users with low needs. Windows Vista Home Premium covers the majority of the consumer market. Windows Vista Ultimate contains the complete feature-set and is aimed at enthusiasts. For businesses, there are two versions. Windows Vista Business is specifically designed for small business, while Windows Vista Enterprise, the premium business edition is only available to customers participating in Microsoft’s Software Assurance program.

All editions except Windows Vista Starter support both 32-bit (x86) and 64-bit (x64) processor architectures.

In the European Union, Home Basic N and Business N versions are also available. These versions come without Windows Media Player, due to EU sanctions brought against Microsoft for violating anti-trust laws. Similar sanctions exist in South Korea.

Windows Vista Service Pack 1 (SP1) is currently in development and is planned for release alongside Windows Server 2008 in the first quarter of 2008.

In the coming posts we are going to take on the issues and hacks more concerned with Windows XP and Vista so keep your self counting on the post.

Microsoft Vista SP1 Available by Mid-March

Windows XP is a line of operating systems developed by Microsoft for use on general-purpose computer systems, including home and business desktops, notebook computers, and media centers. The name "XP" stands for eXPerience. It was codenamed "Whistler". Windows XP was first released on October 25, 2001, and over 400 million copies were in use in January 2006.

The most common editions of the Microsoft Windows XP operating system are

Windows XP Home Edition which is targeted at home users, and

Windows XP Professional which has additional features such as support for Windows Server domains and two physical processors, and is targeted at power users and business clients.

Windows XP Media Center Edition has additional multimedia features enhancing the ability to record and watch TV shows, view DVD movies, and listen to music. Windows XP

Tablet PC Edition is designed to run the ink-aware Tablet PC platform.

Windows XP introduced several new features to the Windows line, including:

• Faster start-up and hibernation sequences
• The ability to discard a newer device driver in favour of the previous one (known as driver rollback), should a driver upgrade not produce desirable results
• A new, arguably more user-friendly interface, including the framework for developing themes for the desktop environment
• Fast user switching, which allows a user to save the current state and open applications of their desktop and allow another user to log on without losing that information
• The ClearType font rendering mechanism, which is designed to improve text readability on Liquid Crystal Display (LCD) and similar monitors
• Remote Desktop functionality, which allows users to connect to a computer running Windows XP from across a network or the Internet and access their applications, files, printers, and devices
• Support for most DSL modems and wireless network connections, as well as networking over FireWire, and Bluetooth.

System requirements for Windows XP Home and Professional editions as follows:

In addition to the Windows XP system requirements, Service Pack 2 requires an additional 1.8 GB of free hard disk space during installation.

Service Pack’s

Microsoft occasionally releases service packs for its Windows operating systems to fix problems and add features. Each service pack is a superset of all previous service packs and patches so that only the latest service pack needs to be installed, and also includes new revisions. Older patches need not be removed before application of the most recent one.

Windows XP Service Packs on Offer were

Service Pack 1

Service Pack 2

Service Pack 3

Support for Windows XP without a service pack (RTM) ended on September 30, 2004 and support for Windows XP Service Pack 1 and 1a ended on October 10, 2006

Windows Me is a hybrid 16-bit/32-bit graphical operating system released on September 14, 2000 by Microsoft. It was originally codenamed Millennium.

Windows Me was the last DOS-based version of Windows

Minimum system requirements of Microsoft Windows Millennium Edition are

150 MHz Pentium or compatible processor

320 megabytes of free hard drive space

32 megabytes of RAM.

Recommended system requirements are

Pentium II 300 MHz

96 megabytes of RAM

2 gigabytes of free hard drive space.

Window ME came with some of the features to name them with are here

System Restore: Windows Me introduced the "System Restore" logging and reversion system, which was meant to simplify troubleshooting and solving problems. It was intended to work as a "safety net" so that if the installation of an application or a driver adversely affected the system, the user could undo the install and return the system to a previously working state.

System File Protection: System File Protection aimed to protect system files from modification and corruption silently and automatically. When the file protection is in effect, replacing or deleting a system file causes Windows Me to immediately and silently restore the original copy.

New TCP/IP Stack: Windows Me includes the Windows 2000 networking stack and architecture which was known to be more reliable, full-featured, stable and offered better performance. Support for networking over FireWire, wireless infrared and a new Home Networking wizard is also included.

Universal Plug and Play: Windows Me introduced support for Universal Plug and Play, often shortened to UPnP.

Windows Image Acquisition: Windows Me also introduced the Windows Image Acquisition API for a standardized and officially supported method of allowing Windows applications to transparently and more easily communicate with image acquisition devices, such as digital cameras and scanners.

Automatic Updates: The Automatic Updates utility automatically downloads and installs critical updates from the Windows Update Web site with little user interaction. It is set up to check Windows Update once every 24 hours by default. Users can choose to download which update that they want, although high-priority updates must be downloaded and installed.

Compressed Folders: Windows Me includes a folder encryption and compression utility called Compressed Folders. With this feature, a user can create and access ZIP files. The user can also restrict access to files with a password using compressed folders. This utility is not installed by default, but can be installed manually using Add/Remove Programs in Control Panel.

Image Preview: In Windows Me, images can be viewed by using the Image Preview utility. This feature makes it possible to rotate an image, print or zoom in/out an image. Image Preview supports images with bmp, .dib, .emf, .gif, .jpeg, .png, .tif and .wmf file name extensions.

Games: Windows Me offers several new games: Internet Backgammon, Internet Checkers, Internet Hearts, Internet Reversi, Internet Spades, Spider Solitaire and Pinball.

On-Screen Keyboard: Originally introduced with Windows 2000, a program called On-screen Keyboard has been added, which makes it possible to input characters by using the mouse instead of the keyboard. This feature is useful for computers that use a pen as the primary pointing device.

System Configuration Utility has been updated with three new tabs called "Static VxDs", "Environment" and "International". The Static VxDs tab allows the user to enable or disable static virtual device drivers to be loaded at startup, the Environment tab allows the user to enable or disable an environment variable, and the last one allows the user to change language settings.

System Monitor has been updated with a Dial-Up Adapter section. Users can now monitor items such as Connection Speeds, Bytes Received or Transmitted / Second.

Compared with other releases of Windows, Windows Me had a short shelf-life of just over a year; it was soon replaced by the NT-based Windows XP, which was launched on October 25, 2001.

Windows 2000 (also referred to as Win2K) is a preemptive, interruptible, graphical and business-oriented operating system designed to work with either uniprocessor or symmetric multi-processor computers. It is part of the Microsoft Windows NT line of operating systems and was released on February 17, 2000.

Four editions of Windows 2000 have been released: Professional, Server, Advanced Server, and Datacenter Server.

Windows 2000 Professional was designed as the desktop operating system for businesses and power users. It is the basic unit of Windows 2000, and the most common. It offers greater security and stability than many of the previous Windows desktop operating systems. It supports up to two processors, and can address up to 4 GB of RAM.

Windows 2000 Server products share the same user interface with Windows 2000 Professional, but contain additional components for running infrastructure and application software. Furthermore, Windows 2000 introduced a DNS server which allows dynamic registration of IP addresses.

Windows 2000 Advanced Server is a variant of Windows 2000 Server operating system designed for medium-to-large businesses. It offers clustering infrastructure for high availability and scalability of applications and services, including main memory support of up to 8 gigabytes (GB) on Physical Address Extension (PAE) systems and the ability to do 8-way SMP. It has support for TCP/IP load balancing and enhanced two-node server clusters based on the Microsoft Cluster Server (MSCS) in the Windows NT Server 4.0 Enterprise Edition.

Windows 2000 Datacenter Server is a variant of the Windows 2000 Server that is designed for large businesses that move large quantities of confidential or sensitive data frequently via a central server. As with Advanced Server, it supports clustering, failover and load balancing.

System Requirements

Windows 2000 Professional:

•  133 MHz or higher Pentium-compatible CPU
•   32 megabytes (MB) of RAM minimum (64MB recommended)
•   700 megabytes hard disk space (2GB recommended)

Windows 2000 Server:

• 133 MHz CPU
• 256 MB of RAM minimum
• 2 GB hard disk space

Windows 2000 Advanced Server:

• 133 MHz CPU
• 256 MB of RAM recommended minimum
• 2 GB hard disk space

All editions of Windows 2000 Server have the following services and functionality

• Routing and Remote Access Service (RRAS) support, facilitating dial-up and VPN connections, support for RADIUS authentication, network connection sharing, Network Address Translation, unicast and multicast routing schemes.
• DNS server, including support for Dynamic DNS. Active Directory relies heavily on DNS.
• IP Sec support and TCP/IP filtering
• Smart card support
• Microsoft Connection Manager Administration Kit (CMAK) and Connection Point Services
• Support for distributed file systems (DFS)
• Hierarchical Storage Management support including remote storage functionality, a service that runs in conjunction with NTFS that automatically transfers files that are not used for some period of time to less expensive storage media
• Fault tolerant volumes, namely it supports Mirrored and RAID-5
• Group policy (part of Active Directory)
• IntelliMirror, a collection of technologies for fine-grained management of Windows 2000 Professional desktops (Roaming profiles, MSMQ 2.0, Offline files (also known as Client Side Caching or CSC) , TAPI 3.0, COM+ and MTS application host, software installation, settings management).
• Integrated Windows Authentication (including Kerberos and SPNEGO authentication).
• MS-CHAP v2 protocol
• Public Key Infrastructure (PKI) and Enterprise Certificate Authority support
• Terminal Services and support for the Remote Desktop Protocol (RDP)
• Internet Information Services (IIS) 5.0

The Server editions include more features and components, including the Microsoft Distributed File System (DFS) , Active Directory support and fault tolerant storage.

Windows 2000 has now been superseded by newer Microsoft operating systems. Microsoft replaced Windows 2000 Server products with Windows Server 2003, and Windows 2000 Professional with Windows XP Professional. The Windows 2000 family of operating systems moved from mainstream support to the extended support phase on June 30, 2005

Microsoft Certified Technical Support 

Windows 98 (codenamed Memphis) is a graphical operating system released on June 25, 1998. it is a hybrid 16-bit/32-bit monolithic product based on MS-DOS.

The system requirements for Windows 98 needed were as under

System requirements

• 486 DX2, 66 MHz or higher processor
• 16MB of RAM (24MB recommended)
• At least 500 MB of space available on HDD. The amount of space required depends on the installation method and the components selected, but virtual memory and system utilities as well as drivers should be taken into consideration.

• VGA or higher resolution monitor
• CD-ROM or DVD-ROM drive
• Microsoft Mouse or compatible pointing device

The first edition of Windows 98 was also available in a floppy disk version that required a floppy drive rather than a CD-ROM drive.

Some of the System Tools available with Windows 98 were

• Scandisk - Well known program used to maintain the file system. It offers a DOS and a GUI version. Used to check the integrity of the file system and files stored within.
• Disk Defragmenter - Used to counter the negative effects of filesystem fragmentation. It collects fragmented file parts, reconnects them and rearranges all files in optimal order, thus speeding up file access and allowing faster boot times. Note that Microsoft changed the utility shipping with Windows 2000 and XP, which operates faster than the previously used program but can destroy data when partitioning hard disk drives. This happens as, contrary to the old program, the new defragmenter doesn’t necessarily put all files on the same sectors, resulting in the deletion of files when a used drive is partitioned.
• Scanreg - Used to restore the System registry. It tests the registry’s integrity and saves a backup copy each time. The maximum amount of copies is eight. Due to a bug the oldest registry copy available cannot be restored (before restoration, the current configuration is backed up and it erases the oldest registry backup listed). The restoration of a faulty registry can only be done in DOS mode. Important DOS commands: scanreg/opt - optimizes the registry by deleting dead entries; scanreg/fix - repairs registry settings.
• MsConfig - A system utility used to disable programs and services which are not required to run the computer. It is a very efficient tool that can multiply the system’s stability and speed.
• Sysedit - A system utility used to modify system configuration files in a text window.
• Regedit - Allows manual editing of the registry.

Microsoft planned to discontinue its support for Microsoft Windows 98 on January 16, 2004. However, due to the continued popularity of the operating system (27% of Google’s pageviews were on Windows 98 systems during October-November, 2003), Microsoft decided to maintain support until July 11, 2006. Support for Windows Me also ended on this date

And friends I don’t want to miss this opportunity to share the story of Blue Screen of Death with you all..

The release of Windows 98 was preceded by a notable press demonstration at Comdex in April 1998. Microsoft CEO Bill Gates was highlighting the operating system’s ease of use and enhanced support for Plug and Play (PnP). However, when program manager Chris Capossela plugged a scanner in and attempted to install it, the operating system crashed, displaying a Blue Screen of Death. Gates remarked after a nervous silence "I guess that’s why we’re not shipping Windows 98

Windows OS has came a long way after its first release in Nov 1985 with Windows Version 1.0. Window 1.0 lacked a degree of functionality and achieved little popularity, and was to compete with Apple’s own operating system.Windows 1.0 is not a complete operating system; rather, it extends MS-DOS.

Microsoft Windows version 2.0 was released in November, 1987 and was slightly more popular than its predecessor. Windows 2.03 (release date January 1988) had changed the OS from tiled windows to overlapping windows.

Microsoft Windows version 3.0, released in 1990, was the first Microsoft Windows version to achieve broad commercial success, selling 2 million copies in the first six months. After that a whole new world of GUI being explored and redefined by Windows.

Here is the list of Windows OS  for your review

Timeline of releases

Release date Product name Version Notes November 1985 November 1987 March 1989 May 1990 March 1992 October 1992 July 1993 December 1993 January 1994 September 1994 May 1995 August 1995 July 1996 June 1998 May 1999 February 2000 September 2000 October 2001 March 2003 April 2003 April 2005 July 2006 November 2006 (volume licensing)/January 2007 (retail) July 2007 February 2008 (planned) 2010 or later (planned)

Windows 1.01	1.01	Unsupported
Windows 2.03	2.03	Unsupported
Windows 2.11	2.11	Unsupported
Windows 3.0	3.0	Unsupported
Windows 3.1	3.1	Unsupported
Windows For Workgroups 3.1	3.1	Unsupported
Windows NT 3.1	3.1	Unsupported
Windows For Workgroups 3.11	3.11	Unsupported
Windows 3.2 (released in Simplified Chinese only)	3.2	Unsupported
Windows NT 3.5	3.5	Unsupported
Windows NT 3.51	3.51	Unsupported
Windows 95	4.0.950	Unsupported
Windows NT 4.0	4.0	Unsupported
Windows 98	4.10.1998	Unsupported
Windows 98 SE	4.10.2222	Unsupported
Windows 2000	5.0.3700.6690	Extended Support until 13 July 2010
Windows Me	4.90.3000	Unsupported
Windows XP	5.1.2600	Unsupported for RTM and Service Pack 1. Current for Service Pack 2.
Windows XP 64-bit Edition 2003	5.2.3790	Unsupported
Windows Server 2003	5.2.3790	Unsupported for RTM. Current for Service Pack 1, R2 and, Service Pack 2.
Windows XP Professional x64 Edition	5.2.3790	Current
Windows Fundamentals for Legacy PCs	5.1.2600	Current
Windows Vista	6.0.6000	Current
Windows Home Server	5.2.4500	Current
Windows Server 2008	6.0.6001	Future release
Windows 7 (Formerly codenamed Blackcomb, then Vienna)	7.0	Future release

Well friends be their in the coming posts going by the historical legacy we will try to check out some of the OS such as
Windows 98
Windows 2000
Windows ME
Windows XP
Windows Vista