Introduction
When Windows XP was first released it was bloated, slow, subject to Windows Product Activation,
hobbled by numerous security problems, and destabilized by the constant stream of update patches meant to fix
those problems. It required more RAM and faster CPUs to do the same tasks as earlier Windows versions. That was
over 6 years and 3 Service Packs ago. The update patches are still coming on a
regular basis. Windows XP is virtually on a drip-feed of patches. It is also spyware, in the sense that Microsoft
feels free to upload information and
download changed files without asking or notifying you. All in all, Windows XP is arguably not a very attractive
product, in any sense. It might be aptly named "Windows Xtra Problems".
But now Windows Vista has arrived and it makes Windows XP seem
lean, speedy, sensible, secure and private by comparison. People who forsook Windows 98/ME/2000
for XP may now be saddled with Windows XP for many years
to come. So one might just as well make the best of it. With that in mind, the following information
and download is aimed at helping people quickly clean up some of the most glaring security, privacy
and bloat problems on Windows XP.
What is XPFix and who can use it?
XPFix is a utility meant to provide convenient configuration of a number of
Windows XP's more esoteric settings that normally require Registry edits or arcane operations.
XPFix is not
a full-scale tweak program with "thousands of settings!". It just provides a set of specific options
that can go a long way toward making Windows XP more well-behaved generally - without you needing to do a lot of
research and Registry editing.
XPFix is not intended for everyone using Windows XP. It is
for people who are inclined to manage their own PC. For the most part, the options
and information provided here require some work. They are not just one-click improvements.
For example, the
XPFix Utility can be used to help greatly reduce the bloat and security
risk caused by unneeded services running in Windows. But anyone who wants to adjust Windows
services must be willing to do a bit of research. There are no universal settings that are
optimal for everyone.
XPFix Utility
XPFix is a simple utility. It is actually not even software. It is an
"HTML Application", comprised of webpages and powered by script. As such, you can edit or add to it as you wish.
The settings options available
in
XPFix are in two categories:
1) A few handy tweaks:
• Disable various useless nags and "balloon tips" that pop up in Windows XP.
• Disable Internet Explorer nags and risky Internet functions.
• Add a couple of handy extras to the right-click menu.
• Unhide software in Add/Remove programs that Microsoft tries to prevent you from uninstalling.
• Uninstall PCHealth/System File Protection to regain control of system files and
reduce pointless wear and tear that can cause early failure of your hard disk.
• Greatly improve online privacy while increasing security.
2) Reining in services: A "service" is Microsoft's name for a software program
that runs in the background, ready to provide some kind of functionality when called upon. The difference between
a service and other software is that Windows starts services at boot and they remain running while Windows is running.
XPFix lists up to
58 distinct services that are likely to be
installed and may be running on your PC.
In many cases, especially on a stand-alone PC, you may be able to disable
all of these services!
Some are security risks. Some are useless. Most are expendable for most people. That's up to
58 separate programs that don't need to be using up system resources. Yet Microsoft leaves most
of these services enabled by default, and many of them are set to run at startup by default.
You do not need XPFix to disable these unnecessary services. XPFix just helps
by providing information about the services and by singling out
almost 60 services that
you may not need at all.
How can there be so many superfluous programs (services) running on Windows XP?
An example of the problem with XP services: If you
are at all familiar with Windows services, you may remember that when Windows XP first came
out, many people were harrassed by message windows asking them to buy software. It turned
out that those message windows were coming from online spammers who had figured out how
to hijack the Windows Messenger service. (Not the same as Instant Messenger.) The Messenger service
provided the ability for network administrators on a corporate network to display messages
on PC Desktops across the network. (As in, "To all employees: Don't forget the company picnic on Saturday.")
So why was Messenger running on standalone, home and small office PCs? Why, indeed.
After the Messenger fiasco there was the DCOM/COM+/RPC fiasco that allowed attackers
to take control of Windows PCs by calling DCOM. The short story there
is that Microsoft designed Windows to allow remote control from other computers. Some of that functionality
cannot be disabled at all on Windows XP. (Remote Procedure Call (RPC) is an unnecessary risk for
most people, but if the service is stopped Windows cannot run.) DCOM and COM+ can at least be disabled, but
DCOM is left running by default in Windows, and COM+ is enabled by default.
These avoidable problems arise time and again, yet Microsoft never seems to fix them
until they have to. There are a large number of network-related services set to run by default on
all Windows XP systems to this day. Yet those services should not even be installed if you use a standalone
PC (not networked) and don't share files with other computers.
The difficulty with adjusting Windows services is that there are
so many of them
and there is only limited documentation available. XPFix provides a list of all services installed, in two parts.
The first list is the "58 services" that are likely to be unnecessary for most people.
XPFix gives you information about what the service does, what other services might depend on that service, etc.,
so that you can better decide which services can be safely disabled.
XPFix then also provides an easy
way to disable any or all of those services.
Note that the "up to 58 services" that
XPFix lists are all Windows services
that are typically installed, though not all of these services are installed on all PCs. The second part of the
XPFix services list includes all other
services installed on your system. XPFix will provide any available information about those other
services (which may be other Microsoft services or may be 3rd-party services). With the information
available you may be able to decide whether a given service is needed.
Firewall Issues
With
XPFix you can trim down the bloat of XP and make a number
of useful improvements. But what about the spyware issue?
For people who do not want Microsoft running their
computer, a dependable 2-way firewall is necessary. That means a firewall that allows
you to see and control all attempted communication, both outgoing and incoming.
There are numerous firewalls available, some of them free. But some research is required if you want a dependable firewall. For
example,
Zone Alarm, from Zone Labs, was one of the first popular firewalls and
has been well-regarded in the past. There is also a free version of
Zone Alarm. But in later versions of
the program, Zone Labs cooperated with Microsoft to allow various Windows XP programs
like svchost.exe through the firewall without allowing control over that setting.
In still later versions of
Zone Alarm it was even found that
Zone Labs themselves were spying!
And in more recent versions, Zone Alarm has succumbed to the widespread problem of software bloat: The earlier ZA installer was
under 3 MB. It's now over 40 MB.
So there are a lot of firewall products, in a lot of versions, that you may want to look into.
The links below may help to choose an appropriate firewall. Note that when using
a non-Microsoft firewall on XP the Windows Firewall needs to be disabled.
• This link leads to a published article detailing tests and ratings of firewall software available for Windows.
(The Windows Firewall came in dead last.) The list may help in searching for a good firewall program:
http://www.matousec.com/projects/windows-personal-firewall-analysis/leak-tests-results.php
• Zone Alarm v. 2.6 (v. 2.6.88 or v. 2.6.342) is a compact version that is
compatible with Windows XP and predates the problem of svchost.exe
and other system files having uncontrollable free access through the firewall. These two links should
both work to get Zone Alarm v. 2.6:
http://oldapps.com/old_version_download_ZoneAlarm.php
http://wcarchive.cdrom.com/pub/bws/bws_38/zonalm26zla.exe
• Links to information about XP-specific problems and XP spyware functionality:
http://www.futurepower.net/microsoft.htm
http://windowssecrets.com/2007/11/29/01-WGA-better-but-still-not-good-enough
http://www.computerbytesman.com/privacy/wmp8dvd.htm
XP Folder Fix Utility
XP Folder Fix is a utility that makes it possible to force all XP folder windows to show at the same size and with the same
view style (icons, details, etc.). In all the versions of Windows since 1995, Microsoft has never provided a simple
setting that allows you to just choose to "show all folders at this width and this height, with this view". You can choose
to "make all folders look like this one. But that usually doesn't work, and it only applies to the view style, anyway.
There are ways to control all folders' sizes in Windows versions prior to XP. And pre-XP Windows is also better
behaved in terms of remembering your selected view style. But that doesn't help people using Windows XP.
The commonly suggested way to fix XP folders is to delete all of the folder view settings from the Registry, start fresh,
and hope for the best. That
might fix the problem of seeing "tiles" when you want icons, and vice versa. But
it won't help with folder window sizing.
XP Folder Fix takes a different approach: Every time you open a folder, the settings get recorded in the Registry.
But Windows does not provide any way for you to adjust those settings. And it really doesn't matter anyway, because
Windows ignores those settings.
Windows stores settings for up to 5,000 folders and then ignores them!
XP Folder Fix works by repairing the settings for every folder recorded in the Registry, so that Windows will not
ignore those settings, and every folder you have ever opened will henceforth remember its size and view style.
XP Folder Fix is very simple. Just select the folder size you want and select your choice of view style:
icons, list, details, or tiles. XP Folder Fix does the rest. (You may need to re-run XP Folder Fix occasionally, if
you create new folders or change the pixel dimensions of your PC monitor display.)
Download XP Folder Fix (xpfolfix.zip - 10 KB)
XP Folder Fix is an HTA webpage utility. See the next topic if you think that you may need help using it.
What is an "HTA webpage" program?
What is an HTA webpage utility:
HTA stands for "HTML Application". An HTA is just a webpage that runs in Internet Explorer
like a program. It is interactive, like a normal program, in the same way that webpages like Google Maps
are interactive. But an HTA runs on your own computer, not on the Internet. That allows it to work much
better, with more functionality, than an interactive webpage online. What makes an HTA work is script code in
the webpage. If you know about scripting, you can edit the code in these programs to customize them.
All of the code that makes the program work is right there as plain text. But you don't need to know about scripting
to use an HTA.
Why HTA?
Since an HTA is just script in a webpage, designing the program interface
and making it work are easier and faster than they would be with normal software. An HTA
is often an ideal vehicle for simple, free utilities. An HTA also does not need to be installed. And as noted above,
writing the software as an HTA allows other people to modify it in any way they wish.
How does one use an HTA?
With "normal" software you usually download an EXE file that installs a program. You then
find that program on the Start Menu. An HTA does not install. It is composed of several
files inside a folder, which is all packed into a compressed .zip file. You download the .zip file,
open it, and take out the folder. Put the folder anywhere (Desktop, C drive, etc.). Inside
the folder is a .txt file with information. You will also find a .hta file. Double-click the .hta file to run the program.
The only basic requirement is that you need to keep all of the files in the original folder
because they work together.
If you use Windows XP you can double click the file download (xpfolfix.zip) and Windows will show
you the contents. You can then just drag the stored folder out onto the Desktop.
Technical requirements for the XP Fix downloads:
This section is only relevant for people who may have adjusted which services
are running on their system. XPFix and XP Folder Fix both use Windows Management Instrumentation (WMI).
Under normal circumstances on Windows XP, the WMI service is running. But if you have turned
off the WMI service you will need to turn it back on to use these utilities. Also, anything that
requires WMI is likely to require the DCOM Process Launcher service.
