| Mr. Fixit's PC Upgrade and Repair |
| Windows XP's Features & Improvements |
 |  |  |  |  |  |  |
Windows Firewall replaced Internet Connection Firewall in SP2 with support for filtering IPv6 traffic as well. By default, Windows
Firewall performs stateful packet filtering of in-bound solicited or unsolicited traffic on all types of network interfaces (LAN/WLAN, PPPoE,
VPN, or dial-up connections). When the firewall blocks a program, it displays a notification. Excepted traffic can be specified by
TCP/UDP port, application filename and by scope (part of the network from which the excepted traffic originates). It supports port
mapping and ICMP. Security log capabilities are included, which can record IP addresses and other data relating to connections
originating from the home or office network or the Internet. It can record both dropped packets and successful connections. This can be
used, for instance, to track every time a computer on the network connects to a website. Windows Firewall also supports configuration
through Group Policy. Applications can use the Windows Firewall APIs to automatically add exceptions.
Windows Security Center was added in Service Pack 2 to provide users with the ability to view the status of computer security settings
and services. Windows Security Center also continually monitors these security settings, and informs the user via a pop-up notification
balloon if there is a problem. Windows Update settings and status are also monitored and reported.
Wireless Zero Configuration service supports automatic wireless network configuration with re-authentication when necessary thus
providing seamless roaming capability and setting the preferred order of connections. In the absence of a wireless access point,
Windows XP can set up an ad hoc wireless network. There is native support for WPA and WPA2 authentication in infrastructure
networks with the latest service packs and/or updates applied. Windows XP includes a Wireless Network Setup Wizard which supports
the Windows Connect Now: USB Flash Drive (WCN-UFD) method to ease setting up the wireless network for inexperienced users.
Windows XP can connect to hotspots created using Wireless Provisioning Services.
Bluetooth support was added with SP2 and SP3 for versions 1.1, 2.0, and 2.0+EDR. Windows XP's Bluetooth stack supports the
following profiles natively: PAN, SPP, DUN, HID, HCRP. The stack can be replaced by a third party stack which may support more
profiles or newer versions of Bluetooth.
Background Intelligent Transfer Service is a Windows service that facilitates prioritized, throttled, and asynchronous transfer of files
between machines using idle network bandwidth. BITS will only transfer data whenever there is bandwidth which is not being used by
other applications, for example, when applications use 80% of the available bandwidth, BITS will use only the remaining 20%. BITS
constantly monitors network traffic for any increase or decrease in network traffic and throttles its own transfers to ensure that other
foreground applications (such as a web browser) get the bandwidth they need. BITS also supports resuming transfers in case of
disruptions. Windows XP components such as Automatic Updates, Windows Update/Microsoft Update use BITS to download updates so
only idle bandwidth is used to download updates and downloading can be resumed in case network connectivity is interrupted. BITS
uses a queue to manage file transfers and downloads files on behalf of requesting applications asynchronously, i.e., once an application
requests the BITS service for a transfer, it will be free to do any other job, or even terminate. The transfer will continue in the background
as long as the network connection is there and the job owner is logged in. BITS supports transfers over both HTTP and HTTPS. If a
network application begins to consume more bandwidth, BITS decreases its transfer rate to preserve the user's interactive experience,
except for Foreground priority downloads. BITS is exposed through Component Object Model (COM), making it possible to use with
virtually any programming language.
Desktop Cleanup Wizard was introduced to help users reduce clutter on their desktops, by looking at the shortcuts on the Desktop and
moving any unused ones into a directory called "Unused Desktop Shortcuts". The Desktop Cleanup Wizard operates as a scheduled
task that runs once a day to determine if it's been 60 days since the last time the wizard was run.
There are 3 Service Packs available for Windows XP:
Service Pack 1 (SP1) was released September 9, 2002 and contains over 300 minor, post-RTM bug fixes, along with all security
patches released since the original release of XP. This Service Pack added USB 2.0 support, Microsoft Java Virtual Machine, .NET
Framework support, and support for technologies used by the new Media Center and Tablet PC editions of XP. The most important
changes in SP1 was the addition of Set Program Access and Defaults, a settings page which allows users and OEMs to set default
programs for certain types of activities (such as media players or web browsers) and disable access to bundled, Microsoft programs
(such as Internet Explorer or Windows Media Player), as part of the company's settlement in the case United States v. Microsoft Corp.
It states that Microsoft would allow users to "enable or remove access to each Microsoft Middleware Product or Non-Microsoft
Middleware Product by displaying or removing icons, shortcuts, or menu entries on the desktop or Start menu, or anywhere else in a
Windows Operating System Product where a list of icons, shortcuts, or menu entries for applications are generally displayed."
On February 3, 2003, Microsoft released Service Pack 1a (SP1a) to remove Microsoft Java Virtual Machine as a result of a lawsuit with
Sun Microsystems (now Oracle America).
Service Pack 2 (SP2) was released August 25, 2004 adding new functionality to Windows XP, such as WPA encryption compatibility
and improved Wi-Fi support (with a wizard utility), a pop-up ad blocker for Internet Explorer 6, and partial Bluetooth support.
Service Pack 2 also added new security enhancements that included a major revision to the included firewall (renamed Windows
Firewall, and now enabled by default), Data Execution Prevention gained hardware support in the NX bit that can stop some forms of
buffer overflow attacks. Raw socket support was removed (which supposedly limits the damage done by zombie
machines).Security-related improvements were made to e-mail and web browsing. Service Pack 2 added Security Center, an interface
which provides a general overview of the system's security status, including the state of the firewall and automatic updates. Third-party
firewall and antivirus software can also be monitored from Security Center.
SP2b contains a patch that requires ActiveX controls to require manual activation in accordance with a patent held by Eolas. Microsoft
has since licensed the patent, and released a patch reverting the change in April 2008. SP2c was released for XP Professional,
extending the number of available product keys for the operating system to "support the continued availability of Windows XP
Professional through the scheduled system builder channel end-of-life (EOL) date of January 31, 2009."
Windows XP Service Pack 3 (SP3) was released May 6, 2008 that included 1,174 fixes. Service Pack 3 can be installed on systems with
Internet Explorer versions 6, 7, or 8. Internet Explorer 7 and 8 are not included as part of SP3. Service Pack 3 is not available for the 64
bit version of Windows XP because it is based on Windows Server 2003 kernel. Service Pack 3 contains updates to the operating
system components of Windows XP Media Center Edition (MCE) and Windows XP Tablet PC Edition, and security updates for .NET
Framework version 1.0, which is included in these editions. However, it does not include update rollups for the Windows Media Center
application in Windows XP MCE 2005. SP3 also omits security updates for Windows Media Player 10, although the player is included in
Windows XP MCE 2005. The Address Bar DeskBand on the Taskbar is no longer included due to legal restrictions.
Firewall performs stateful packet filtering of in-bound solicited or unsolicited traffic on all types of network interfaces (LAN/WLAN, PPPoE,
VPN, or dial-up connections). When the firewall blocks a program, it displays a notification. Excepted traffic can be specified by
TCP/UDP port, application filename and by scope (part of the network from which the excepted traffic originates). It supports port
mapping and ICMP. Security log capabilities are included, which can record IP addresses and other data relating to connections
originating from the home or office network or the Internet. It can record both dropped packets and successful connections. This can be
used, for instance, to track every time a computer on the network connects to a website. Windows Firewall also supports configuration
through Group Policy. Applications can use the Windows Firewall APIs to automatically add exceptions.
Windows Security Center was added in Service Pack 2 to provide users with the ability to view the status of computer security settings
and services. Windows Security Center also continually monitors these security settings, and informs the user via a pop-up notification
balloon if there is a problem. Windows Update settings and status are also monitored and reported.
Wireless Zero Configuration service supports automatic wireless network configuration with re-authentication when necessary thus
providing seamless roaming capability and setting the preferred order of connections. In the absence of a wireless access point,
Windows XP can set up an ad hoc wireless network. There is native support for WPA and WPA2 authentication in infrastructure
networks with the latest service packs and/or updates applied. Windows XP includes a Wireless Network Setup Wizard which supports
the Windows Connect Now: USB Flash Drive (WCN-UFD) method to ease setting up the wireless network for inexperienced users.
Windows XP can connect to hotspots created using Wireless Provisioning Services.
Bluetooth support was added with SP2 and SP3 for versions 1.1, 2.0, and 2.0+EDR. Windows XP's Bluetooth stack supports the
following profiles natively: PAN, SPP, DUN, HID, HCRP. The stack can be replaced by a third party stack which may support more
profiles or newer versions of Bluetooth.
Background Intelligent Transfer Service is a Windows service that facilitates prioritized, throttled, and asynchronous transfer of files
between machines using idle network bandwidth. BITS will only transfer data whenever there is bandwidth which is not being used by
other applications, for example, when applications use 80% of the available bandwidth, BITS will use only the remaining 20%. BITS
constantly monitors network traffic for any increase or decrease in network traffic and throttles its own transfers to ensure that other
foreground applications (such as a web browser) get the bandwidth they need. BITS also supports resuming transfers in case of
disruptions. Windows XP components such as Automatic Updates, Windows Update/Microsoft Update use BITS to download updates so
only idle bandwidth is used to download updates and downloading can be resumed in case network connectivity is interrupted. BITS
uses a queue to manage file transfers and downloads files on behalf of requesting applications asynchronously, i.e., once an application
requests the BITS service for a transfer, it will be free to do any other job, or even terminate. The transfer will continue in the background
as long as the network connection is there and the job owner is logged in. BITS supports transfers over both HTTP and HTTPS. If a
network application begins to consume more bandwidth, BITS decreases its transfer rate to preserve the user's interactive experience,
except for Foreground priority downloads. BITS is exposed through Component Object Model (COM), making it possible to use with
virtually any programming language.
Desktop Cleanup Wizard was introduced to help users reduce clutter on their desktops, by looking at the shortcuts on the Desktop and
moving any unused ones into a directory called "Unused Desktop Shortcuts". The Desktop Cleanup Wizard operates as a scheduled
task that runs once a day to determine if it's been 60 days since the last time the wizard was run.
There are 3 Service Packs available for Windows XP:
Service Pack 1 (SP1) was released September 9, 2002 and contains over 300 minor, post-RTM bug fixes, along with all security
patches released since the original release of XP. This Service Pack added USB 2.0 support, Microsoft Java Virtual Machine, .NET
Framework support, and support for technologies used by the new Media Center and Tablet PC editions of XP. The most important
changes in SP1 was the addition of Set Program Access and Defaults, a settings page which allows users and OEMs to set default
programs for certain types of activities (such as media players or web browsers) and disable access to bundled, Microsoft programs
(such as Internet Explorer or Windows Media Player), as part of the company's settlement in the case United States v. Microsoft Corp.
It states that Microsoft would allow users to "enable or remove access to each Microsoft Middleware Product or Non-Microsoft
Middleware Product by displaying or removing icons, shortcuts, or menu entries on the desktop or Start menu, or anywhere else in a
Windows Operating System Product where a list of icons, shortcuts, or menu entries for applications are generally displayed."
On February 3, 2003, Microsoft released Service Pack 1a (SP1a) to remove Microsoft Java Virtual Machine as a result of a lawsuit with
Sun Microsystems (now Oracle America).
Service Pack 2 (SP2) was released August 25, 2004 adding new functionality to Windows XP, such as WPA encryption compatibility
and improved Wi-Fi support (with a wizard utility), a pop-up ad blocker for Internet Explorer 6, and partial Bluetooth support.
Service Pack 2 also added new security enhancements that included a major revision to the included firewall (renamed Windows
Firewall, and now enabled by default), Data Execution Prevention gained hardware support in the NX bit that can stop some forms of
buffer overflow attacks. Raw socket support was removed (which supposedly limits the damage done by zombie
machines).Security-related improvements were made to e-mail and web browsing. Service Pack 2 added Security Center, an interface
which provides a general overview of the system's security status, including the state of the firewall and automatic updates. Third-party
firewall and antivirus software can also be monitored from Security Center.
SP2b contains a patch that requires ActiveX controls to require manual activation in accordance with a patent held by Eolas. Microsoft
has since licensed the patent, and released a patch reverting the change in April 2008. SP2c was released for XP Professional,
extending the number of available product keys for the operating system to "support the continued availability of Windows XP
Professional through the scheduled system builder channel end-of-life (EOL) date of January 31, 2009."
Windows XP Service Pack 3 (SP3) was released May 6, 2008 that included 1,174 fixes. Service Pack 3 can be installed on systems with
Internet Explorer versions 6, 7, or 8. Internet Explorer 7 and 8 are not included as part of SP3. Service Pack 3 is not available for the 64
bit version of Windows XP because it is based on Windows Server 2003 kernel. Service Pack 3 contains updates to the operating
system components of Windows XP Media Center Edition (MCE) and Windows XP Tablet PC Edition, and security updates for .NET
Framework version 1.0, which is included in these editions. However, it does not include update rollups for the Windows Media Center
application in Windows XP MCE 2005. SP3 also omits security updates for Windows Media Player 10, although the player is included in
Windows XP MCE 2005. The Address Bar DeskBand on the Taskbar is no longer included due to legal restrictions.