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 letters "XP" stand for experience. Codenamed Whistler during its development, Windows XP is the successor to both Windows 2000 and Windows Me, and is the first consumer-oriented operating system produced by Microsoft to be built on the Windows NT kernel and architecture. With the release of Windows XP the Windows 95/98 architecture was finally discontinued. Windows XP was first released on October 25, 2001, and as of 2006 continues to be the most recent consumer version of Microsoft Windows available, with over 400 million copies in use, according to an estimate by an IDC analyst.
The most common editions of the 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 dual processors, and is targeted at power users and business clients. Windows XP Media Center Edition consists of Windows XP Professional with new features enhancing the ability to record and watch TV shows, watch DVDs, listen to music and more. Windows XP Tablet PC Edition is designed to run the ink-aware Tablet PC platform. Two separate 64-bit versions of Windows XP were also released, Windows XP 64-bit Edition for IA-64 (Itanium) processors and Windows XP Professional x64 Edition for AMD64/EM64T processors.
Windows XP is known for its improved stability and efficiency over previous versions of Windows. It presents a significantly redesigned graphical user interface (GUI), a change Microsoft promoted as more user-friendly than previous versions of Windows. New software management capabilities were introduced to avoid the "DLL hell" that plagued older consumer versions of Windows. It is also the first version of Windows to use product activation to combat software piracy, a restriction that did not sit well with some users and privacy advocates. Windows XP has also been criticized by some users for security vulnerabilities, tight integration of applications such as Internet Explorer and Windows Media Player, and for aspects of its user interface.
Service Pack 1
Service Pack 1 (SP1) for Windows XP was released on September 9, 2002.
Its most notable new features were USB 2.0 support and a Set Program Access and Defaults utility. For the first time, users could 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 later brought into the older Windows 2000 operating system with its Service Pack 3. Service Pack 1a was later released to remove Microsoft's Java virtual machine as a result of a lawsuit with Sun Microsystems. LBA-48, which allowed the OS to view and use HDD space above 137 GB, was enabled by default. Native support for Serial ATA was added. Support for Windows XP Service Pack 1 is scheduled to end on October 10, 2006.
Service Pack 2
Service Pack 2 (SP2) was released on August 6, 2004 after several delays, with a special emphasis on security. Unlike previous service packs, SP2 adds new functionality to Windows XP, including an enhanced firewall, improved Wi-Fi support with a wizard utility, a pop-up ad blocker for Internet Explorer, and Bluetooth support. It also includes a new API to allow third party virus scanners and firewalls to interface with a new security center application, which provides a general overview of security on the system. This helps to suppress spyware and viruses. Other features include enhancements to the Internet Connection Firewall (ICF), now the Windows Firewall (which is also turned on by default), advanced memory protection that takes advantage of the NX instruction that is incorporated into newer processors to stop buffer overflow attacks, removal of raw socket support (which has caused a drop in "zombie" machines: infected computers that can be used remotely to launch denial of service attacks), improvements to e-mail and web browsing, and Windows Movie Maker 2. Movie Maker 2 has a new interface and more transactions, video effects and options. A full list of service fixes and modifications in SP2 is available on Microsoft's website[16]. When the service pack was released some programs did stop working, and Microsoft officially listed several of them on its website.[17] The company AssetMetrix reports that one out of ten computers that upgraded to SP2 had severe compatibility problems with their applications. SP2 also includes major updates to Windows XP Tablet PC Edition and Windows XP Media Center Edition, and supports 24 new languages.
There were also some visual changes made with Service Pack 2. On the opening screen (where it says Microsoft Windows XP with the three scrolling squares), the "(C)1985-2001" designation at the bottom was removed, and the edition name was removed (e.g. "Home Edition" or "Professional"). In addition, the Wireless Network Connection Icon, which used to show two computer symbols (like the LAN Connection Icon) now shows just one, with a radio wave symbol on the right side.
While well received in general, Service Pack 2 was not without its critics. Thomas Greene from The Register claimed that SP2 was merely a placebo of sorts in terms of features, fixes, and security updates:
"While we found that there are indeed a few minor improvements worthy of acknowledgment, in particular, some rather low-level improvements that don't show to the admin or user, overall, SP2 did little to improve our system's practical security, leaving too many services and networking components enabled, bungling permissions, leaving IE and OE vulnerable to malicious scripts, and installing a packet filter that lacks a capacity for egress filtering."
Service Pack 3
Windows XP Service Pack 3 is currently in development. It will be released after Windows Vista has been finished; presently, Microsoft's web site indicates a "preliminary" release date of "2nd half 2007" for Service Pack 3. However, if Windows Vista is delayed further, Service Pack 3 may also be delayed. Service Pack 3 may include Internet Explorer 7, Windows Media Player 11, and many other changes, as well as technologies initially created for Windows Vista, but Microsoft has not made any official statement on feature sets. It is likely that many of the features added with Service Pack 3 will be features from Vista, backported to work with XP after its final release.
A document on Microsoft's web site suggests that Service Pack 3 will include additional support for doing true "per-user" application installing. Another page suggests improvements to managing the list of "hidden" wireless networks.
A site titled The Hotfix has been reported as keeping an up-to-date list of downloadable hotfixes that will be included in XP Service Pack 3. Many of the hotfixes on the site have not yet been officially released by Microsoft and users have been warned to not install them all, but many of the fixes have been known to solve specific problems in XP that SP3 will eventually address in 2007.
Download links:
Windows XP Pro SP3
Windows XP Pro SP2
File1 File2 File3 File4 File5 File6
Rar Password: system_hacked
CD KEY: GT9BD-K2PCV-2H49X-KQ4KB-8H2K6
The most common editions of the 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 dual processors, and is targeted at power users and business clients. Windows XP Media Center Edition consists of Windows XP Professional with new features enhancing the ability to record and watch TV shows, watch DVDs, listen to music and more. Windows XP Tablet PC Edition is designed to run the ink-aware Tablet PC platform. Two separate 64-bit versions of Windows XP were also released, Windows XP 64-bit Edition for IA-64 (Itanium) processors and Windows XP Professional x64 Edition for AMD64/EM64T processors.Windows XP is known for its improved stability and efficiency over previous versions of Windows. It presents a significantly redesigned graphical user interface (GUI), a change Microsoft promoted as more user-friendly than previous versions of Windows. New software management capabilities were introduced to avoid the "DLL hell" that plagued older consumer versions of Windows. It is also the first version of Windows to use product activation to combat software piracy, a restriction that did not sit well with some users and privacy advocates. Windows XP has also been criticized by some users for security vulnerabilities, tight integration of applications such as Internet Explorer and Windows Media Player, and for aspects of its user interface.
Service Pack 1
Service Pack 1 (SP1) for Windows XP was released on September 9, 2002.
Its most notable new features were USB 2.0 support and a Set Program Access and Defaults utility. For the first time, users could 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 later brought into the older Windows 2000 operating system with its Service Pack 3. Service Pack 1a was later released to remove Microsoft's Java virtual machine as a result of a lawsuit with Sun Microsystems. LBA-48, which allowed the OS to view and use HDD space above 137 GB, was enabled by default. Native support for Serial ATA was added. Support for Windows XP Service Pack 1 is scheduled to end on October 10, 2006.Service Pack 2
Service Pack 2 (SP2) was released on August 6, 2004 after several delays, with a special emphasis on security. Unlike previous service packs, SP2 adds new functionality to Windows XP, including an enhanced firewall, improved Wi-Fi support with a wizard utility, a pop-up ad blocker for Internet Explorer, and Bluetooth support. It also includes a new API to allow third party virus scanners and firewalls to interface with a new security center application, which provides a general overview of security on the system. This helps to suppress spyware and viruses. Other features include enhancements to the Internet Connection Firewall (ICF), now the Windows Firewall (which is also turned on by default), advanced memory protection that takes advantage of the NX instruction that is incorporated into newer processors to stop buffer overflow attacks, removal of raw socket support (which has caused a drop in "zombie" machines: infected computers that can be used remotely to launch denial of service attacks), improvements to e-mail and web browsing, and Windows Movie Maker 2. Movie Maker 2 has a new interface and more transactions, video effects and options. A full list of service fixes and modifications in SP2 is available on Microsoft's website[16]. When the service pack was released some programs did stop working, and Microsoft officially listed several of them on its website.[17] The company AssetMetrix reports that one out of ten computers that upgraded to SP2 had severe compatibility problems with their applications. SP2 also includes major updates to Windows XP Tablet PC Edition and Windows XP Media Center Edition, and supports 24 new languages.
There were also some visual changes made with Service Pack 2. On the opening screen (where it says Microsoft Windows XP with the three scrolling squares), the "(C)1985-2001" designation at the bottom was removed, and the edition name was removed (e.g. "Home Edition" or "Professional"). In addition, the Wireless Network Connection Icon, which used to show two computer symbols (like the LAN Connection Icon) now shows just one, with a radio wave symbol on the right side.While well received in general, Service Pack 2 was not without its critics. Thomas Greene from The Register claimed that SP2 was merely a placebo of sorts in terms of features, fixes, and security updates:
"While we found that there are indeed a few minor improvements worthy of acknowledgment, in particular, some rather low-level improvements that don't show to the admin or user, overall, SP2 did little to improve our system's practical security, leaving too many services and networking components enabled, bungling permissions, leaving IE and OE vulnerable to malicious scripts, and installing a packet filter that lacks a capacity for egress filtering."
Service Pack 3
Windows XP Service Pack 3 is currently in development. It will be released after Windows Vista has been finished; presently, Microsoft's web site indicates a "preliminary" release date of "2nd half 2007" for Service Pack 3. However, if Windows Vista is delayed further, Service Pack 3 may also be delayed. Service Pack 3 may include Internet Explorer 7, Windows Media Player 11, and many other changes, as well as technologies initially created for Windows Vista, but Microsoft has not made any official statement on feature sets. It is likely that many of the features added with Service Pack 3 will be features from Vista, backported to work with XP after its final release.A document on Microsoft's web site suggests that Service Pack 3 will include additional support for doing true "per-user" application installing. Another page suggests improvements to managing the list of "hidden" wireless networks.
A site titled The Hotfix has been reported as keeping an up-to-date list of downloadable hotfixes that will be included in XP Service Pack 3. Many of the hotfixes on the site have not yet been officially released by Microsoft and users have been warned to not install them all, but many of the fixes have been known to solve specific problems in XP that SP3 will eventually address in 2007.
Download links:
Windows XP Pro SP3
Windows XP Pro SP2
File1 File2 File3 File4 File5 File6
Rar Password: system_hacked
CD KEY: GT9BD-K2PCV-2H49X-KQ4KB-8H2K6
0 comments:
Post a Comment