HOME

N021- -Windows XP: Hot or not? By Joe WilcoxSpecial to ZDNet News December 19, 2001 9:33 AM PT
November retail sales of Windows XP weren't so hot. But is the operating system a flop? Maybe not, analysts say. Microsoft's biggest operating system launch ever has failed to generate enough retail sales to push past its predecessor, Windows 98, according to market researcher NPD Intelect. Retailers sold 250,000 copies of Windows XP in November, its first full month of availability, down from 400,000 in October. The October sales account for six days on store shelves plus preorders. By contrast, consumers snapped up 580,000 copies of Windows 98 during its first month on store shelves and 350,000 during the following 30 days. But retail sales are not the key measure of an operating system's success, analysts say. Copies sold at retail are "boxed" upgrades or full versions for consumers looking to move to the newest version of Windows. The more accurate measure is client licenses sold to PC makers or businesses. By that accounting, analysts say, Windows XP already is primed to have the most successful first year on the market of any Microsoft operating system. "Retail sales are like gravy for Microsoft," said Howard Dyckovsky, an NPD Intelect analyst. "It helps them get their name out there and keeps them in front of the consumers. But the overwhelming majority is going to be on new computers or client licenses." Dyckovsky attributed XP's slow retail start to a number of factors including the weak economy, the saturated PC market, and presales of Windows XP PCs. While consumers had to wait until Oct. 25 to get a boxed copy of Windows XP, PC makers shipped the operating system on new computers a full month earlier. Additionally, more consumers upgrade their operating systems by buying entirely new computers, rather than buying new versions of Windows to put on older PCs, according to Dyckovsky and several others. Sales were "probably not what Microsoft expected last spring," Dyckovsky said. "But it's probably very close to what they expected after Sept. 11." Retailers responded to the weak economy by stuffing XP holiday stockings with freebies such as RAM and Palm handhelds--often worth more than the cost of the operating system--to encourage sales. IDC analyst Al Gillen said comparisons to Windows 95 and 98 can be deceptive. "Microsoft has a client shipment base of close to 100 million licenses a year," he said. "If you go back to Windows 95, they had a shipment base of about 20 million, and if you added Windows 3.1/DOS, about 50 million. Windows 98 was 73 or 74 million. So you're talking about a very different comparison." In 1996, Windows 95's first full year of availability, Microsoft shipped 19 million licenses, according to IDC. "They've already done 10 million licenses, so they're well on their way to beating the first-year totals for 95," Gillen said. Microsoft sold 12 million to 13 million Windows 98 licenses during 1998, which was a partial year of availability, according to IDC. "If there is a comparison to be made here, and it's for the retail market, from a retail perspective things might not have been as good as they were in the past," Gillen said. "But I still have the expectation that XP in its first full year of availability will surpass anything else that Microsoft has ever launched." Jim Cullinan, Microsoft's Windows XP lead product manager, agreed with Gillen. "Windows XP is the best selling operating system ever in the first two months of availability, and it has exceeded all expectations," he said. "While there is a small percentage of Windows users that are able to upgrade to Windows XP, retailers have reported better than expected sales since launch in October." "Sales of Windows XP have surpassed expectations, even with the very difficult economic climate, because of the compelling experiences it brings to consumers," Cullinan said. Sign of the timesDyckovsky, in fact, concluded that the heyday of big Windows retail sales are over. "It's a sign of the change in the market that operating systems relatively aren't as important in the retail market," he said. "As they require more hardware upgrades, and computers get more powerful and cheaper, the question is: Do I upgrade to a new operating system or do I get a new computer?" Certainly bargain hunters are finding good deals in new XP computers, with fairly beefy configurations starting as low as $599, making the choice of a whole new PC vs. a Windows upgrade very enticing. Still, PC sales during the all-important Thanksgiving week, which retailers use as a barometer to forecast holiday sales, dropped 10 percent from a year earlier, according to NPD Intelect. On the other hand, that was up from steep 20 percent and 30 percent declines in the preceding months. Ultimately, gauging Windows XP's success may depend on the nature of the comparison. Gartner Dataquest estimates 10 percent of PCs sold this year will pack Windows XP compared with 11 percent for Microsoft's earlier Windows Me. Both operating systems sold on new PCs for about the same amount of time, but Microsoft released Me during a stronger sales cycle for new computers. But XP adoption may be the stickler for Microsoft, which again may be affected by the economy and by changes to how often consumers and businesses buy new PCs. Gartner predicted only 26 percent of consumers would be running Windows XP next year, with that figure not topping 50 percent before 2004. "If XP can't do better than those other two products (Windows 95 and 98), there is something wrong," IDC's Gillen said. "But I expect that it will exceed them."

No22- -XP requires load of patches, but beware of automatic updates Nov 5, 2001John McCormick Author's Bio | E-Mail | Archive
On Oct 25, 2001, Microsoft pulled out all the stops in launching Windows XP in New York City. The following day, it was announced that around 20 MB of patches and updates for Windows XP Professional (around 12 MB for the Home Edition) were already available for download directly from Microsoft. While these patches are important for XP users, the way in which Microsoft prefers to deliver themusing Windows Updatehas dubious value for IT departments.
It is quite easy to download and install these patches using the Windows Update service; however, it is cumbersome and challenging to locate, download, and then install the XP patches on an individual basis. While you may think I am nitpicking, the difference between the former and the latter approach is the difference between a push and a pull update. Im going to show you whats in the XP update, and then Im going to tell you why you should opt for the pull rather than the push method of applying it.
What's covered by the update?
If you have new PCs with XP installed or have already installed or ordered the OS upgrade for some of your machines, this update is not something to ignore. Although some of the downloads are probably not applicable to businessesfor instance, Windows Movie Maker requires a 3.2-MB download to run properlyother pieces of the update have important security implications.
The most important download is a 1.9-MB patch needed to fix a security hole in Internet Explorer 6. There is also a 5.2-MB download that fixes a vulnerability in Microsoft Virtual Machine. Other problems addressed by the downloads include incompatibilities with some UPS units, an upgrade to the CD-R utilities, a 2.2-MB download to improve third-party software compatibility, and several other downloads that are probably necessary for most businesses running XP.
Automatic updates may spell trouble
Over the past few months, there has been a lot of talk about Windows XPs Product Activation feature, which forces users to lock each XP copy to specific hardware (unless you purchase a corporate volume license). However, with XP, Microsoft is advancing an older but potentially more onerous technology even harder: Windows Update.
For business networks, Windows Update means a change from pull to push technology for systems updates and patches. This poses a major threat to both corporate security and to system stability and usability.
With Windows Update, Microsoft gives users the option of having their OS automatically find, accept, and install patches and updates downloaded from the Microsoft Windows Update Web site. With Windows XP, this feature is intertwined with the OS even further than in past versions of Windows. In fact, its much more difficult and cumbersome to find and download the needed patches for XP mentioned above than it is to use the Windows Update feature.
But in my opinion, relying on Windows Update is a very bad idea. Can any security specialist or IT manager concerned with simplifying system maintenance really trust Microsoft to make automatic patches to their systems? If you have any doubts, just recall that the recent Microsoft bulletin MS01-052 was only the latest example of a Microsoft patch where the cure turned out to be worse than the illness.
Reasons not to use Windows Update
I can think of four very good reasons why you dont want to choose the Windows Update option:
The patch itself may be flawed and may not do what it was intended to do. This was the case with the initial MS01-052 W2K patch, which closed down Terminal Services instead of fixing them. Being quick to download and install that patch (the benefit of Windows Update) was not a good move in this case. Microsoft has a long history of releasing patches (and software) that need more in-house testing. Those who adopt push patching will become inadvertent beta testers, and their systems will suffer.
Many updates (Microsoft and otherwise) can result in unknown conflicts with other system services, third-party software, or hardware. It is tough enough to deal with this when you discover it through in-house testing. Now consider how much worse it would be if all of your systems got a bad patch simultaneously, and it brought down a large portion of your mission-critical systems.
Someone at Microsoft might intentionally or accidentally insert destructive code or perhaps a back door into a patch that is pushed with Windows Update. Microsoft will say that this is farfetched and that it has many layers of protection designed to prevent this, but recall that Microsoft servers have been compromised internally in the past. Also, remember that just last spring, someone who claimed to work for Microsoft was able to obtain fraudulent digital certificates.
Many businesses still dont have broadband Internet connections that are shared across every computer in their company. Even if all my other objections are meaningless, consider how much downtime you will experience with periodic large downloads being forced into your PCs. Many Microsoft patches run into the megabytes. Since the download is a background task, this isnt a problem if you are connected to a T-1 pipe, but a couple of multimegabyte downloads can seriously tie up a low-bandwidth connection.
Final analysis
In a previous column, I took security personnel to task for failing to patch their servers even after several rounds of attacks by the Code Red worm. Nevertheless, automated push patching from Microsoft is definitely not the answer to this problem, even though many managers who dont think through all the implications may jump to adopt this technologyand not just with Windows XP.

No23- -Get personal with Windows

By Preston Gralla
Unless you've been living under a rock recently, you've noticed by all the hype that Windows XP is here. From the airwaves to the Internet, messages abound that Big Bill and XP are waiting for you. But what if you don't plan to upgrade to the new operating system? Are you a has-been? Are you stuck in the backwaters of computing? No, and there's still plenty of life in the operating system you've got. I'll show you how to customize it and dress it up so it's just the way you like it.
Customize your existing Windows
XP users may strut because of their operating system's new look and feel, but you can customize your existing version of Windows almost any way you want. Just use these downloads.
Window Blinds offers the most comprehensive way you'll find to bend Windows to your will. You can customize your operating system in every way imaginable, from the look of buttons and check boxes, to color schemes, 3D effects, icons, and far more. It's skinnable, with many skins available, and you can also build skins of your own.
DesktopX, from the same author as Window Blinds, goes beyond that program and lets you add special objects to your desktop, such as a calendar or MP3 player. These objects don't just look pretty, they're active components. You can build your own customized desktop from many components.
Another favorite is Tweaki for Power Users, which gives you 500 different ways to tweak Windows so it runs the way you like. Name a Windows feature, and this program probably lets you customize it. Want to rename the Recycle Bin, easily edit and change network IP addresses, place a cascading printer folder on the Start menu? No problem. If you're a chronic tinkerer, you'll want this one.
WinSettings gives you all kinds of control over how Windows looks and runs. You'll be able to easily change the way Windows looks with its Image Changer, and play background MP3 music. It lets you randomize the wallpaper Windows displays and gives you greater control over your screensaver. In addition to these kinds of cosmetic features, it also offers a screen capture component and gives you some privacy features as well.

LoneWolf don't you think they
mean the ENTER on your key
board and not to enter your
house.

No24- -Lab Report: Windows XP More Reliable

Posted: October 29, 2001
A test report from eTesting Labs Inc. shows Windows XP Professional to be significantly more reliable than Windows 98 Second Edition Gold in tests comparing the operating systems. For businesses, the bottom line is that Windows XP users will spend less time calling the help desk, and more time being productive. Each operating system was installed on four computers. The computers were then put through seven days of around-the-clock lab tests, designed to simulate the stress of 31 days in typical home PC use. The tests also included four computers running Windows 2000 Professional. Windows XP Crash-Free in TestsNone of the Windows XP Professional systems had a single applications or operating system failure in 31 equivalent user days. Meanwhile, the Windows 98 Second Edition-based computers often required restarting. The average maximum runtime to failure for Windows 98 Second Edition was 15.7 equivalent user days, or roughly half that of the other two operating systems. eTesting Labs, a Ziff Davis Media company formerly known as ZD Labs, offers independent testing and research for the Internet and technology industry. Microsoft commissioned eTesting Labs to compare Windows XP and the earlier versions. After testing Windows XP, the industry-leading laboratory concludes: We counted the number of application and operating systems failures and found that Windows XP Professional ran over 30 times as long without encountering problems as those systems running Windows 98 SE." Although testing with different applications might show different results, our testing proves that Windows XP Professional is significantly more reliable than Windows 98 SE. Windows XP Reliability EnhancementsWindows XP features several enhancements that prevent problems with your systemthus averting downtime, and allowing you to maximize your productivity. Windows XP Professional starts with the proven code base of Windows 2000, which features a 32-bit computing architecture, and a fully protected memory model. Reliability improvements have been made to the operating system itself, the software and hardware used with the operating system, and how the entire system responds to user actions. You will benefit from the added reliability in several ways, including: broader application compatibility, improved device and hardware support, side-by-side dynamic link library support that helps your system safely share components, an easier way to close unresponsive applications, system installation and update improvements, backup and recovery improvements, and better support systems.

No25- -To go to your System Properties double right click on my computer then left click on properties and you will see 7 tabs. #1 is General #2 is Computer Name #3 is Hardware #4 is Advanced #5 is System Restore Automatic Updates Remote

No29- -Windows XP Security Patch: Unchecked Buffer in UPnP can lead to system compromise
This update resolves the Unchecked Buffer in Universal Plug and Play Can Lead to System Compromise security vulnerability in Windows XP. Download now to prevent a malicious user from compromising your computer, or using it to interfere with another computer's operation. The vulnerability results because the Windows XP Universal Plug and Play feature does not correctly validate inputs before using them. The patch also eliminates the vulnerability discussed in Microsoft Security Bulletin MS01-054.
For More Information - http://www.microsoft.com/technet/security/bulletin/ms01-059.asp
Version - Q315000
Release Date - 19 Dec 2001
Estimated Download Size/Time @28.8 - 586 kb / 4min
System Requirements
Windows XP Professional
Windows XP Home Edition
Operating System - Windows XP
Download Now
Q315000_WXP_SP1_x86_ENU.exe - 600 Kb
IMPORTANT DOWNLOAD INSTRUCTIONS
Select "Run this Program from its Current Location" to start the install immediately. OR
Select "Save this Program to Disk" to copy the download to your machine for installation at a later time.

Rounder119 they are talking
about a Micro-Chip in your
computer and not the chips
that you eat. HeHeHeHeHeHe

This page was last updated on
12/29/2001 at 8:30AM EST By
Mr BOOTS

PC- -HELP #15

PC- -HELP #15