Showing posts with label windows xp sp3. Show all posts
Showing posts with label windows xp sp3. Show all posts
download free windows vista / free microsoft guides to improve performance of windows vista
download free windows vista / free microsoft guides to improve performance of windows vista
download free windows vista / free microsoft guides to improve performance of windows vista
download free windows vista / free microsoft guides to improve performance of windows vista
Windows XP Service Pack 3 By Microsoft (Freeware)
Windows XP Service Pack 3 includes all the previously released updates for the operating system. This update includes a small number of new functionalities, which do not significantly alter the users experience with the operating system.
This download is the self-extracting executable, which contains the update package for Windows XP Service Pack 3. This final build of Windows XP Service Pack 3 includes all the previously released updates for the operating system from Windows XP Service Pack 3 RC1 going forwards. This release includes more networking and security enhancements for the operating system.
Windows XP is now over ten years old and Microsoft made the decision not to support the ageing operating system any longer for the average user and are now focused on newer technologies.
The Complete Guide to Avoiding (and Removing) Windows Crapware
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Windows has a lot going for it, but it's also saddled with one of computing's biggest annoyances: crapware. Here's everything you need to know about identifying, avoiding, and removing unwanted software from your system.
What Is Crapware?
In simple terms, crapware is software you don't want, but—for one reason or another—gets installed on your system against your will. This can range from legitimate programs that come pre-installed (like Netflix or a trial of McAfee Antivirus) to browser toolbars, auto-starting apps, or something that changes your default search engine.
The former category—the legitimate software that comes pre-installed—is often referred to as "bloatware" as well. Not all pre-installed apps are bad, but more often than not, you'll want to remove 90% of what came on your system. So, for the purposes of this guide, we'll be talking about both kinds of unwanted software.
How to Remove Pre-Installed Bloatware
First, let's talk about the bloatware you get when you buy a new computer. If you built your computer yourself (or bought a "Microsoft Signature" device), you won't have to deal with pre-installed programs, but if you bought a Dell, HP, Toshiba, or other machine, you'll have a lot of pre-installed apps to contend with.
Luckily, removing them isn't too hard, and you have a few choices.
Option One: Manually Remove Unwanted Apps with Revo Uninstaller
Obviously, you could just uninstall the programs you don't want with Windows' built-in uninstaller, but we don't recommend this. Lots of programs—especially those pesky pre-installed ones—often leave things lying around in the Registry and other folders after they leave. So, we recommend using a more powerful uninstaller like Revo:
- Download and install Revo Uninstaller—don't worry, even after you're done here, you'll want to keep it around.
- Start it up and wait for it to generate a list of the programs on your computer.
- Select a program you want to remove and click the "Uninstall" button.
- Repeat step 3 until all the unwanted software has been removed.
Note that you shouldn't just run rampant and uninstall anything that doesn't look familiar. If you know you don't want that McAfee trial, go ahead and remove it, but if you aren't sure what something is, look it up before you go deleting it from your system. Heck, it might even be something worthwhile.
Option Two: Automatically Remove Unwanted Apps with Decrap
Obviously removing programs one-by-one can be a bit of a hassle, so if your computer comes with a lot of bloatware, you may want a more all-in-one solution. Decrap is an awesome program that will scan your system, give you a list of installed software, and check off everything you want to remove. Then, it'll get rid of everything in one fell swoop:
- Download and install Decrap. I recommend downloading the portable version and unzipping it to a folder on your desktop—that way you don't have another program to uninstall later!
- Start Decrap and let it perform its initial setup. It will ask if you want to run it in automatic mode—I recommend leaving this box unchecked.
- It will then scan your computer for currently installed software.
- Once it gives you a list of programs, go through and check the programs you want to remove. You'll likely find these items under the "Automatically Starting Software" category and "Third Party Software" category. You'll probably want to leave "Drivers" and "Windows Related Software" unchecked.
- Click Next and create a System Restore Point when asked.
- Decrap will ask you if you want to automatically install everything, or do it yourself. This is up to you. If you made the correct choices in step 4, you should be fine to uninstall everything automatically and clean the registry.
- Let Decrap run through the unisntallation process. When you're done, you should have a much cleaner PC! Make sure to go through your Start menu and Revo Uninstaller to make sure there aren't any stragglers you forgot.
Once again, if you don't know what something is, Google it before you remove it. It may be something important to the system, or (in some cases) a pre-installed app that's actually good!
Option Three: Go Nuclear and Reinstall Windows from Scratch
Some people prefer to skip the above options and just install Windows from scratch, without the bloatware. You'll need a Windows install disc from Microsoft—not the one that came with your computer, which likely has the bloatware on it—and a valid license key, usually located on a sticker on your computer. Note that this isn't guaranteed to work for everyone, and in some cases you may not be eligible for service if you reintsall a different copy of Windows, so be forewarned.
We have a full guide to reinstalling Windows here, so check that post out for the step-by-step. Installing Windows is easy, but you'll probably have to reinstall some drivers and other software too. It'll take longer than removing the bloatware yourself, but you'll know exactly what's on your system and start with a clean slate. It's up to you whether that's worth your time and energy.
How to Remove Toolbars and Other Bundled Crapware
The second kind of crapware is a bit more sinister than free trials of Microsoft Office. Sometimes, you download a new program, only to find that after installing it, you also have a toolbar in your browser and your default search engine has changed to Yahoo or Ask.com. Often, companies will bundle toolbars or other junk with their free programs. This allows them to offer those programs to you for free, while still making money.
Unfortunately, while that's a nice sentiment, it ends up being quite dishonest, because installers try to "trick" you into agreeing to the crapware you don't want. We'll talk about this in the next section, but first: let's remove the crap you already have.
You have two options here: remove the crapware manually using Option One (Revo Uninstaller) as described above, or use a more automatic program like AdwCleaner. It's quite simple:
- Download AdwCleaner and double-click the icon to run the program—no need to install it.
- Click the Scan button to scan your computer.
- When it's finished scanning, go through each tab (Services, Folders, Files, etc.) and check anything you want to clean. Not everything Adw finds will be crapware—if you aren't sure whether to remove something, try to determine the name of the software from Adw's list and search for it on Should I Remove It's web page.
- Once you're sure you've selected everything you want to remove, click the Clean button. It'll clean the selected options, restart your computer, and provide a report detailing what was deleted.
After running AdwCleaner, I recommend doing one last pass with Revo Uninstaller to see if there's anything left over on your system. Hopefully, though, your PC should be clean as a whistle—at least from toolbars, adware, and other crap.
How to Avoid Unwanted Programs in the Future
Now that you have a clean PC, it's time to keep it that way. As I said earlier, most of these programs come on the back of something you actually wanted to download—usually from a company that's trying to make money, but offering their software for free.
Many people choose to boycott these programs entirely, and only download truly free or open-source software. That's certainly one solution, but it leaves out so many great pieces of software that—crapware aside—are worth having on your system. As long as that program gives you achoice to install the crapware or ignore it—and most do—boycotting isn't necessary.
Avoiding crapware is pretty easy once you become familiar with the tricks installers use to get you to agree to them. Here are some things to keep in mind as you download and install new programs:
- Always download programs from their home page, if possible. Many download sites (like Download.com) will create their own installers with bundled crapware, even if the original download didn't have it.
- Watch for checkboxes on the download page. Sometimes the option to avoid crapware may not be in the installer, but on the download page of the app itself. Adobe, for example, offers you the chance to decline installing McAfee on its download page. Other apps may offer an installer with crapware, but a portable version without it.
- Don't click Next over and over without reading! If you don't pay attention to what you're installing, you're bound to install crapware. Carefully read each page of the installation wizard before you click Next.
- Always choose the Custom Install option. Never choose Automatic. Custom install with almost always offer you the opportunity to decline crapware.
- Read every checkbox. Sometimes they'll hide it on an otherwise unrelated page of the installer. Read every checkbox and uncheck anything that wants you to install something you didn't ask for.
- Don't Click Every "Agree". Sometimes, an installer will make the "crapware agreement" look like the original software's terms of service. Your brain wants to click "Agree" thinking it's the only way to continue with the installation—but read closely. If the "terms" are for a program other than the one you downloaded, you can safely choose "Decline" and continue the installation.
- Watch Out for Multiple Offers. Just because you've avoided one piece of crapware doesn't mean you're done—there could be more bundled apps waiting for you, or multiple offers for the same toolbar in the same installer!
It seems like this is complicated and not worth the trouble, but once you get the hang of it, it's a breeze—you'll be able to outsmart any tricky installer that comes your way. FreewareGenius has a great guide to some of the tricks you'll see, with examples for each, so check that out to familiarize yourself. You can also try using Unchecky, which will automatically uncheck those boxes for you—but it's no replacement for due diligence. Good luck and safe downloading!
via Lifehacker
What went wrong with Microsoft's August updates?
Yesterday they reissued that update, but they also announced that it had its own set of new bugs, one of which can make windows inaccessible or invisible. Three of the four withdrawn updates are still withdrawn and two of those are also subject to the missing window bug. Two other updates, previously uninvolved with the August updates, also have this missing window bug.
I have no hard numbers to go on, but I do suspect that the number of users affected by all these problems is, as Microsoft says, small. Perhaps very small. Even so, it's hard to escape the feeling that something went very wrong recently at Microsoft's update shop.
Not only have the developers at Microsoft had a bad month, but the communications machine has faltered as well. Microsoft has a large collection of blogs, several of which touch on update issues, especially the MSRC (Microsoft Security Response Center) blog. There have been problems with updates in the past and Microsoft has been rather forthright about them in these blogs. But the discussions of the recent troubles with updates are so fleeting, perfunctory and, I would argue, misleading, that the company seems more embarrassed than concerned.
Since I just wrote "misleading," I should explain. The MSRC blog entry announcing yesterday's re-release of MS14-045uses weasel words to give the impression that the problems were caused by a change in the company's scheduling practices for non-security updates, but they don't actually say that this was the cause or that it was even related.
The blog says that Microsoft would start releasing non-security updates on Patch Tuesday, rather than throughout the month. In fact Microsoft has, for a long time, released non-security updates on Patch Tuesday, although they have also released them at other times during the month. For years the fourth Tuesday has been a second Patch Tuesday for non-security updates. Does the new practice mean that the fourth Tuesday will no longer be used? A different Microsoft blog earlier this month indicated that the point of the change in update practice was to bring out new features quickly, when they are available, and not just once a month.
Update on August 28: I have spoken to Microsoft and they say that they will tend towards releasing new features on the regular Patch Tuesday (i.e. the second Tuesday of the month) but that they will continue to release non-security updates on the fourth Tuesday.
A better question is what any of this could possibly have to do with buggy security and non-security updates, unless they are claiming that it led to inadequate testing. This they clearly do not say although, to be honest, they don't say it didn't happen either.
There are other communications gaps. If you read the re-released security bulletin carefully, and specifically read the Update FAQ, you see that "Microsoft strongly recommends that customers who have not uninstalled the 2982791 update [the old update that was withdrawn] do so prior to applying the 2993651 update [the new, re-released update]." They don't say you must do this, just that they strongly recommend it.
What happens if you don't? They don't say. Why does the 2993651 update, or Windows Update, not remove the 2982791 update first? This is unclear. In fact, at the same time, Microsoft recommends relying on Automatic Updates which will install the new update without removing the old one and not inform the user of the fact.
Update on August 28: I have asked Microsoft why the new update does not replace the old one. The company has no official response, but I’m hearing that it is not, in fact, necessary to uninstall the old update before installing the new one. Once the new update is in place it is used by the system and the old code is never executed, even though the update remains installed on the system.
Another communications gap concerns new bugs in the new updates. The security bulletin is silent on them, but if you read the Knowledge Base article for the new update you'll see that there are two known issues with it. Neither are trivial and the second could be quite serious. It changes the z-order, or depth level of windows, so that they may be invisible or hidden behind other windows.
Furthermore, this z-order bug is also present in four other already-released updates (one of them is just a hotfix, so it will be less prevalent).
How often does this bug manifest when the user has any of the installed updates? No word on that but, as I said earlier, I suspect it's actually pretty rare, or we would have heard of them from parties other than Microsoft.
I've also been concerned that the same severe problem, such as the Stop 0x50 blue screen bugs for which the MS14-045 update was originally recalled, are also caused by updates for, at best, tangentially-related software. The same can be said of the z-order bug.
For years, Windows Update and the updates it delivers have had a high level of reliability. This has allowed Microsoft to default to delivery and installation of updates in Windows, to the great benefit of users. August 2014 has called this achievement into question. Can we just blindly trust Microsoft's updates anymore? At the moment, even Microsoft seems not to know.
via ZDnet
Six ways to improve your Wi-Fi network
Find the best place for your Wi-Fi router
Wi-Fi routers are not easy to place. Although they may seem unsightly with their blinking lights, the best place for them may not be behind the TV or inside a cabinet out of sight.
The best place may be in the center of your house, or in a place in your apartment with line-of-sight to other devices. Placing Wi-Fi routers right next to your devices may not also be great for signal, particularly streaming devices. Ethernet cable connections may be best for these if they are close to each other. But try to avoid putting your Wi-Fi router next to brick walls or metal, which can interfere with or limit signal.
If your devices are compatible, switch to a stronger signal
Modern devices, like iPhones, iPads, notebooks, and Android devices, often work with the latest networking standards. Depending on the age of your devices, they may not be compatible with 802.11n or 802.11ac. But if your devices are less than one year old, you may be able to switch to those newer standards to ensure stronger signal and faster speeds.
Security is key, cuts out network hijackers
Living in a populated neighborhood can increase your chance of having unauthorized users on your wi-fi network. Adding WPA2 security to your network (with a strong password) will reduce the chances of people using your wi-fi for streaming and downloading. This will overall improve your own speeds.
Wi-Fi quality-of-service to limit bandwidth hogging apps
Quality-of-service (QoS) allows you to limit the amount of bandwidth certain apps can use, which can be handy if you stream a lot of video or TV content. This means certain apps and services can be dedicated with the greatest speeds and lowest lag, while other apps — such as downloaders — can be limited at certain times of the day.
Wi-Fi channels can reduce interference
Having your Wi-FI network on the same "channel" as other devices in your neighborhood can cause interference with your network. You can use third-party Wi-Fi scanners to determine which channel networks around you are on. Picking one that isn't in use can increase the performance of your Wi-Fi network.
Big house? Buy a repeater
If you have a big property or office, you could invest in a Wi-Fi repeater. These devices are generally cheap — some routers already provide "access point" functionality — and can extend the range of your Wi-Fi network considerably
Microsoft reissues flawed Windows security update with new flaws
At the same time Microsoft withdrew MS14-045, it withdrew three non-security updates, KB2970228, KB2975719 andKB2975331. None of those have been reissued and we have no further information on them.
Updated on August 27: With respect to these remaining updates, Tracey Pretorius, Director, Microsoft Trustworthy Computing, told ZDNet "[w]e continue to work diligently to get the Windows August Update rereleased to customers."
A blog entry from Pretorius implies that the problem was related to a change in the release schedules for non-security updates.
The Knowledge Base article for the revised update (KB2993651) lists a confusing set of Known Issues remaining with the update.
- With the update installed, fonts in the system that are not in the default fonts directory (%windir%\fonts\) cannot be changed when loaded in an active session. For more detail, see the KB article.
- With the update installed, the z-order (depth) of some windows is changed. This means they can be hidden and therefore invisible. Four other earlier updates also cause this problem:
- 2965768 Stop error 0x3B when an application changes the z-order of a window in Windows 7 SP1 and Windows Server 2008 R2 SP1
- 2970228 Update to support the new currency symbol for the Russian ruble in Windows
- 2973201 MS14-039: Description of the security update for Windows on-screen keyboard: July 8, 2014
- 2975719 August 2014 update rollup for Windows RT 8.1, Windows 8.1, and Windows Server 2012 R2
Two of these (2970228 and 2975719) are among the updates withdrawn by Microsoft along with MS14-045. The other two have not been mentioned previously with respect to the recent problems. Those two now-problematic updates are also still available for download as of late afternoon on August 27.
The security bulletin says that "Microsoft strongly recommends that customers who have not uninstalled the 2982791 update [i.e., the old version, released on Patch Tuesday] do so prior to applying the 2993651 update [the new version]." This recommendation applies to users whether they are having problems with the old update or not. Note that Windows Update and Automatic Updates do not remove the old version.
To uninstall the update go to Control Panel, Programs and Features, Installed Updates, find the 2982791 update in the Microsoft Windows section, right click and uninstall. You can find the update by searching for "KB2982791" in the Control Panel for uninstalling updates. See the screen capture below.
The update addresses three Windows kernel bugs, two of which could result in privilege elevation and the third in exposure of sensitive kernel information.
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