Hardening Windows XP Professional
Windows XP has considerably more functionality than Windows 2000. With this functionality come more services and more potential security holes. Some of the measures undertaken by IST to reduce the risk are outlined in the extracts below. These are the security-related sections IST follows when building a Windows XP image for distribution within Academic Support.
NOTE: Most of these changes require you to sign on as an administrator.
The first and most important change to be applied is to set a password on all user accounts. Next it is very strongly advised that you do not log on with an administrative account but rather a ?User? or ?Power User? account.
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Microsoft to Kill Pirated Windows XP Professional
Having dealt with the SoftMod Windows Vista activation crack, Microsoft will start hunting down and “killing” pirated copies of Windows XP Professional, the flavor of the operating system labeled by the company as most popular with pirates.
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25.3.2009 Windows 7 RTM Professional 110-Screenshot Gallery
With Windows 7, Microsoft is no longer referring to the business edition of the platform as, well, Business.
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13.9.2009 Dell to Sell Windows XP Professional with PCs Through 2009
In a letter to some of Dells customers, they said that "XP Professional is available for OEM installation on your Dell PC purchases through at least 2009 and likely longer."
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9.6.2008 Windows 7 Professional Build 7055 - winmain.090303-2130
Microsoft’s “translucent” and mum communication strategy on the actual development milestones of Windows 7 as the operating system advances in the development process should in no way be considered a mark of inactivity.
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17.3.2009 Cup of IT professional
IT professional in gallery
Microsoft Windows XP Professional Service Pack 2c Release
Windows XP Professional with Service Pack 2c has released to manufacturing and will be available to system builders in September 2007.
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10.8.2007 Advanced Installer Professional 4.9
Advanced Installer Professional is a Windows Installer authoring tool which enables developers and system administrators to easily build reliable MSI packages.
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5.4.2007 EASEUS Partition Master Professional 3.5
EASEUS Partition Master is a comprehensive partition software, which not only provides a comfortable user-interface to simplify your tasks but also enables you to configure and manage partitions of hard disk(s).
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12.5.2009 Differences between the XP Home and Professional Edition !
Windows XP is based on Windows NT4 and Windows 2000 technology. Microsoft is positioning the Windows XP Professional Edition to replace Windows NT4 and Windows 2000 Professional. In addition, the Windows XP Home edition will be replacing Windows 95/98/ME.
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Feature Comparison: XP SP3 Professional vs. Vista SP1
Call it a sign of desperation, a new attempt to blow some wind in the sails of its latest platform, or a reaction to the proverbial last drop, but Microsoft is delivering its own perspective in terms of the comparison between its two Windows clients sharing the vast majority of the operating system market. Just ahead of the availability cut-off date for Windows XP through the OEM and retail channels, the Redmond company has “come out gunning” in a move designed to settle once and for good the XP vs. Vista face-off.
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22.5.2008 How to Downgrade from Windows Vista Business or Ultimate OEM Edition and Install Windows XP Professional
A lot of users still don’t getting used to Windows Vista. A lot of reviews have been labeling Windows Vista as bloated, hard to use, tons of compatibility issues, inconvenient, not user friendly, not stable and etc.
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22.8.2008 Hack windows home edition cd into professional edition
Easy way how to spare some money. Raymond found this hack from Technipages and think it's pretty cool. It enables the features found in Windows XP Professional on your Windows XP Home Edition installation with this hack. It will allow you to turn your Windows XP Home CD into a Windows XP Professional CD.
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27.12.2006 Windows 7 Professional $99.99 and Home Premium $49.99 Discounts Now Live
On the same day that it announced officially the pricing of Windows 7, Microsoft also revealed that customers would have the opportunity to buy the two main editions of the next iteration of Windows at discounted prices.
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26.6.2009 Vista SP1, and then Windows 7, Windows 8 and Non-Windows Midori
2008 saw the release of Windows Vista Service Pack 1, Windows XP Service Pack 3 and Windows Server 2008, but Microsoft's journey on the Windows path is far from over.
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5.8.2008 Windows 7 RC Brings Windows XP Mode Beta and Windows Virtual PC Beta
The Release Candidate of Windows 7 will bring with it the first Beta development milestones for Windows XP Mode and Windows Virtual PC.
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29.4.2009 Windows Reactivator 2.0 - Backup & Restore Activation Status of Windows XP with Windows Reactivator
Every time you reinstall your windows XP you need to reactivate it online using your product key & worst if you lost your Windows XP product key.
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3.6.2009 Windows Vista SP1 vs. Windows Vista RTM vs. Windows XP SP2
Feb 26th, 2008. Principled Technologies has released two Microsoft commissioned reports on Windows Vista SP1 performance. In these tests, Principled Technologies measured responsiveness of Windows Vista SP1 vs. Windows Vista RTM vs. Windows XP SP2 when performing a set of common business and home tasks.
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28.2.2008 Windows 7, Windows 8, Windows 9 – 1 Billion and Counting
Is Windows dead? Or, at least, is this the beginning of the end for Microsoft's proprietary operating system?
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15.9.2008 Week in Microsoft: Windows 7, Windows 8, Windows 9
This week in Microsoft, we covered 128-bit support possibly coming to Windows 8 and Windows 9, Windows 7, Windows Mobile 6.5, Bill Gates, Office 2010 Starter, Microsoft MVP status, Windows Live Hotmail, the EU, and Microsoft Security Essentials.
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10.10.2009 Windows Vista Build 5231 and Windows Media Player 11 Leaks!
Windows Vista Build 5231 has leaked to the web. The new build is said to include Windows Media Player 11 included. View the screenshots below! This is a Main branch build that was released on September 12th, 2005 at 8:20PM.
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Windows Vista SP1 and Windows XP SP3: Official Release Dates
A French website, PC Inpact, has posted the official Microsoft product change request forms for Vista SP1 and Windows XP SP3.
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6.2.2008 Download Free Windows Vista and Windows XP SP2 Straight from Microsoft
Via the Internet Explorer Application Compatibility VPC Image. That's right! Microsoft is offering access to free downloads of Windows Vista and Windows XP SP2.
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6.3.2008 Windows Vista SP1 outperforms Windows XP SP2 in file copy
"Its interesting that people seem to think that Vista under performs in every area of the system which is quite an incorrect perception.
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27.5.2008 Windows Fiji Has RTMd as Windows Media Center TV Pack 2008
Microsoft officially confirmed that Windows Fiji has been released to manufacturing.
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18.7.2008 Windows 7 Beta Doesn't Play Nice with Windows Azure Cloud OS Tools
The promise for Windows 7 is that it will deliver an evolution when it will come down to stretching into the Cloud compared to its precursor, Windows Vista.
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16.1.2009 Internet Explorer 8 MUI packs for Windows XP, Windows Server 03
As detailed in our previous blog post, the following Internet Explorer MUI packs shipped today.
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17.5.2009 Windows Home Server Power Pack 3 Beta adds Windows 7 support
Microsoft announced the release of Windows Home Server Power Pack 3 Beta, along with news that it will feature Windows 7 support.
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20.7.2009 Check for RAM Error or Defect in Windows 7 and Vista with Windows Memory Diagnostic
Memory or RAM is one of the most important electronic hardware component on a computer systems, not only in term of speed or clock frequency and size, but also the reliability of hardware ecosystem of the RAM sticks or memory modules and its subsystem.
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1.10.2009Exploring the World of
Professional Computer Gaming
Joel Durham Jr. is content as
a writer, but he dreams of
being a professional gamer.
It's a possibility, and you
might even be qualified!
Here's a look at two options:
the World Cyber Games and the
Cyberathlete Professional
League...
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10.01.2006Exploring Windows XP
Professional x64 Edition
In this overview of Windows XP
Professional x64 Edition,
Columnist Charlie Russel
explains what hardware and
software it supports...
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04.01.2006Frequently asked questions
about Windows XP Professional
x64 Edition
Columnist Charlie Russel
answers questions about
Windows XP Professional x64
Edition that have appeared
frequently in the new (and
very active) Microsoft Windows
64-bit Newsgroup...
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04.01.2006Windows 7 pre-order sales remain strong
After Microsoft started selling Windows 7 Home Premium and Professional upgrades at a discount, consumers were flocking to take advantage of these
discounts resulting in strong sales, and according to Information Week, those pre-order sales continue to remain strong. Windows 7 Home Premium
Upgrade continues to remain number one in Amazon's software category, while the Professional version remains at number two. This is good news for
Microsoft, which saw Windows sales fall 16% in the most recent quarter. Currently, Windows 7 Home Premium upgrade is being sold for $49, while
Windows 7 Professional upgrade is being sold for $99 until July 11th or "while supplies last".
Read full story.....
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08.07.2009Free Windows 7 Professional at launch events across the US
Starting September 28 through November 4 Microsoft is hosting free Windows 7, Server 2008 R2 and Exchange Server 2010 launch events across the United
States as part of the "New Efficiency" marketing campaign. Attendants of the event will get a free copy of Windows 7 Professional while supplies
last. Here are the list of cities the launch event will be at and the dates the event will be held: * Atlanta - Sep. 28 * Baltimore - Nov. 9
* Boston - Oct. 5 * Chicago - Oct. 20 * Cleveland - Oct. 12 * Dallas - Nov. 4 * Denver - Sep. 24 * Detroit - Oct. 28 *
Houston - Nov. 9 * Kansas City - Nov.
Read full story.....
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16.08.2009Windows 7 RTM available on MSDNAA on 6th August (NZT)
Microsoft has announced, through their official "Imagine Cup New Zealand" Facebook page that the Windows 7 Professional RTM will be available on
individual MSDNAA students websites on the 6th August, 2009, New Zealand Time. This means, for people in other parts of the world that Windows 7
Professional will be available on the 5th of August (this may be dependent on your country settings).
Read full story.....
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05.08.2009System Builders: Microsoft Windows XP Professional Service Pack 2c RTM
Windows XP Professional with
Service Pack 2c has released
to manufacturing and will be
available to system builders
in September 2007.
Due to the longevity
of Windows XP Professional, it
has become necessary to
produce more product keys for
system builders in order to
support the continued
availability of Windows XP
Professional through the
scheduled system builder
channel end-of-life (EOL) date
of January 31, 2009.
There are no other
features or fixes included in
this service pack; it will
only allow for the inclusion
of additional product keys.
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09.08.2007OEMs to Continue Shipping XP
If you already own an XP license and are still hesitant to switch to Vista, Microsoft's "downgrade rights" policy, which initially began to be
exercised in 2001, may be in your favor if you would still like to purchase a machine running Windows XP after the June 30, 2008 deadline when
Microsoft will stop offering the operating system. OEMs such as Dell have said that they still have no plans to stop offering XP as an option:
"Dell has the ability to exercise 'Windows Vista downgrade rights' on your behalf in the factory if your business is still reliant upon
Windows XP and you'd prefer to have Windows XP Professional preinstalled on your PCs," according to their new downgrade policy section for XP.
"Downgrade Rights means that anyone with a Windows Vista Business or Windows Vista Ultimate operating system can downgrade to Windows XP
Professional provided they have the media for Windows XP Professional."
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27.04.2008Gateway Sheds Professional Computer Division
Gateway continued to reposition itself following its sale to Acer on Monday, saying that it had sold its professional division -- which includes
desktops, laptops, and tablets -- to MPC (formerly Micron) for an undisclosed sum.
While initially the transition will be
seamless to customers, within one year the MPC brand will replace Gateway's on professional products. Support relationships will be assumed
immediately.
With Gateway's professional unit in tow, MPC will have annual sales of about $1.1 billion USD with 1,000
employees. "Virtually all" of Gateway's employees in the professional division have been transitioned to new jobs within MPC, the companies
said.
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15.10.2007Dell to Sell Windows XP Professional with PCs Through 2009
In a letter to some of Dells customers, they said that " XP Professional is available for OEM installation on your Dell PC purchases through at
least 2009 and likely longer." The "official" OEM and retail end date from Microsoft is June 30, 2008, just a few weeks away. There has been
much talk of whether Microsoft would bow to the demand of the consumers to keep XP alive, and with this it is still hard to tell if Dell bought a
years stock of licenses ahead of time, or if this is the precursor to an announcement from Microsoft.
Dell's plan for users is to have
Windows XP Professional installed on their machines, but include the Vista install disk for when they are ready to upgrade. "With XP installed,
we will send media for both Vista and XP with each PC so that when you are ready to migrate to Vista you may at no addition upgrade cost." The
demand seems high, so let's hope others follow suit to allow companies the time and resources to fully upgrade.
Read full story.....
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10.06.2008Windows XP Common Criteria Administrator Guide 3.0
This guide provides sufficient guidance to allow an administrator to securely operate Windows XP Professional in accordance with the requirements
stated in the Windows 2003/XP Common Criteria (CC) Security Target (ST).
The Windows 2003/XP CC ST, henceforth referred to as the
Windows 2003/XP ST, provides a set of security requirements taken from the CC for Information Technology (IT) Security Evaluation. The Windows XP
Professional product was evaluated against the Windows 2003/XP ST and found to satisfy the ST requirements.
This guide is
targeted at the administrator and provides a description of how to perform the administrative security functions needed to securely operate Windows XP
Professional in accordance with the ST requirements.
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15.09.2008Windows XP Mode final release coming October 22
Microsoft's Windows XP Mode for Windows 7 Professional or higher has RTM'd (Release to Manufacturing) today and will be available for download
from Microsoft Download Center on October 22. OEM manufactures will be able to offer Windows XP Mode on their PC's, based on their shipping
schedules to consumers. The design purpose for Windows XP Mode is to help put businesses minds at ease when upgrading to Windows 7 to ensure their
applications are backwards compatible. Windows XP Mode will allow any program to run smoothly in Windows 7 Professional or higher just as it does in
Windows XP.
Read full story.....
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02.10.2009HP netbooks will likely run 3 versions of Windows 7
Hewlett-Packard said it will likely offer at least 3 different editions of Windows 7 - The Starter, Professional and the Home Premium editions on
future models of its Mini netbooks. Kyle Thornton, category manager for Business Notebook PCs at HP, said in an interview that Windows 7 Beta
testing is going on in the Mini netbook line and it runs very well on the Minis, even with Aero turned on. Besides the three editions of Windows 7
that HP plans to support, Thornton also hopes to continue to pre-install both Windows XP Professional and Vista Business on its business-oriented
netbooks.
Read full story.....
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10.02.2009Windows XP SP3 Final Available at MajorGeeks
Windows XP Service Pack 3 (SP3) includes all previously released updates for the operating system. This update also includes a small number of new
functionalities, which do not significantly change customers experience with the operating system.
Supported Operating Systems:
Windows XP; Windows XP Home Edition ; Windows XP Home Edition N; Windows XP Media Center Edition; Windows XP Professional Edition ; Windows XP
Professional N; Windows XP Service Pack 1; Windows XP Service Pack 2; Windows XP Starter Edition; Windows XP Tablet PC Edition.
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23.04.2008Microsoft Office 2007 Professional VHD v1.1 Available
This VHD contains both the 30 day edition of Windows Vista Enterprise Edition and an evaluation of Office 2007 Professional which includes Publisher,
Excel, Outlook, Outlook, PowerPoint, Access, and Word. See how with these new platforms can simplify how people work together, find information and
improve business insight, help protect and manage content, and reduce IT costs and improve security. Test drive today to experience how Windows Vista
and Office 2007 work better together!
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06.11.2007Apple Releases Professional
Photo Suite
Aiming to serve the
professional photographer set,
Apple on Wednesday released
Aperture, a post-production
tool that will allow for the
editing of RAW images. The
company compared the product
to Final Cut Pro, its tool for
editing of video content...
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20.10.2005Microsoft Windows XP Professional Service Pack 2c Release
Windows XP Professional with
Service Pack 2c has released
to manufacturing and will be
available to system builders
in September 2007.
Critical Action Item:
System builders who use
imaging must create new
Windows XP Professional images
with Service Pack 2c when
shipping Service Pack 2c
product keys; otherwise end
users will not be able to
complete installation.
SP2c to Resolve
Shortage of Windows XP Product
Keys
Due to the
longevity of Windows XP
Professional, it has become
necessary to produce more
product keys for system
builders in order to support
the continued availability of
Windows XP Professional
through the scheduled system
builder channel end-of-life
(EOL) date of January 31,
2009.
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10.08.2007Nvidia launches entry-level professional GPUs
Nvidia has announced the Quadro FX 470, the first integrated professional motherboard GPU, and Quadro FX 370 Low Profile, an entry-level Quadro
graphics boards for small form factor (SFF) systems.
Increasing performance and reliability both boards are certified for key DCC and CAD
applications from independent software vendors such as Autodesk and Adobe, said Nvidia. Designed to fit in space-saving configurations, the Quadro FX
370 LP GPU has a price at US$149 and offers professional graphics performance with fanless cooling for a quieter work environment. The Quadro FX
470 GPU expands end customer access to professional graphics by enabling systems to achieve a price point under US$700.
Read full story.....
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07.11.2008Helping Small Businesses With Windows 7 Professional and Windows XP Mode
Q&A: Scott Woodgate discusses how Windows XP Mode helps customers maximize productivity and manage their technology infrastructure, while migrating to
Windows 7. Woodgate also shares how Windows Virtual PC works with Microsoft Enterprise Desktop Virtualization (MED-V)...
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29.04.2009New Windows Genuine authenticator can blank desktop backgrounds
If in the last week or so you've noticed that your desktop background in Windows XP Professional goes completely black exactly every 60 minutes,
don't worry, it's not a virus...
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28.08.2008
