Windows XP Service Pack 1 Test
Dec 18, 2006 04:20 PM
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According to Microsoft the Service Pack 1 combines more than 300 individual patches and it is that this first Service Pack for Windows XP does not let be more than that, a compilation of the patches that have appeared to date for the last one UNDER de Microsoft. Nevertheless so much has been the controversy that it has generated that its disposition for the public in the middle of September is the fruit of a long way, and one long dispute between the American Department of Justice and Microsoft. The reason: the anti-trust judgment that’s still pending resolution can be seen attenuated due to the agreements in the matter of competition at which they have arrived. Initially this package on watch of Windows XP did not have to appear until end of year or principles from which it comes. Nevertheless fruit of the initiative Security Push that caused the reframing of the objectives of Microsoft for each product and its approach towards the increase in the security and diminution of the number of holes and errors that could jeopardize it, has been the effort much that has been put in reviewing lines of code.
This effort imagined in the extensive revision of code carried out during February/March of 2002, in the denominated initiative Trustworthy Computing. And it is that the own development of Windows .NET Server was lengthy during several months because of this revision that in words of Greg Sullivan, Lead Product Manager of Windows XP has completely changed the process of development of software of the company. Therefore, many of the possible holes in software that could jeopardize the security of the system developing Windows .NET, have also been resolved in Windows XP with Service Pack. However, the main fact so that this Service Pack 1 (SP1) has appeared of so steep and early form relies on the agreements between Microsoft, the Department of Justice and nine states, that fruit of the anti-trust litigation against the giant of software with result of illegal ruses cons their competitors forced the first a to introduce a series of modifications within the nucleus of the Operating system before the end of the summer period. Therefore, at the end of June the public program of the Service Pack began beta, with the liberation of compilation 1050 (the initial compilation was the 2600.1.1001).
Ways of Service Pack 1 installation.
The objective of this Service Pack, in words of directors of Microsoft, is to increase to the reliability, compatibility, security of the operating system and although internal improvements make sure that they are translated in a general improvement of the speed of the system, the certain thing is that after applying to the Service Pack the System it will behave exactly just as did to date. Solely applications as Office seem to behave of smoother form. This Service Pack appears to us as the denominated “Installation Network comes being habitual in form of prohibitive unloading from something more than 130 megas (However, also we can choose to install the version “Express” from the Web of Windows Update, that after the small unloading of a feasible one, will unload the rest of the updated archives of the Web of Microsoft depending on the components of Windows which we have installed and as of them or they have been updated previously through Windows Update or the service of automatic update. The typical unloading if we choose this method will be of 30Mb.
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| Windows XP SP1 Installation Screenshot |
Finally we can obtain our Windows XP Service Pack 1 integrated in the boxes of Windows XP, so that if we acquired our new one UNDER now, probably it contains the bits of Service Pack 1 including. If during the installation we choose to make a backup when we have installed the Service Pack 1, from the panel “To add or to clear programs” we will be able to eliminate the Windows XP Service Pack 1 and to recover the system to its original state. However, when initiating the reinstallation, will appear a picture of dialogue listing the applications installed after the application of the Service Pack 1, whose operation does not make sure once eliminated the package on watch. Despite the Service Packs installed of integrated form they cannot be eliminated, and the programs that specifically need bits the Service Pack 1 can let work correctly.
In order to install the Service Pack 1 will be necessary to close the opened sessions of all the users being excepted that has administrator right. Of the same form the Service Pack 1 will refuse to settle if the user is executing applications that have replaced the nucleus of Windows (ntoskrnl.exe), such as BootXP, reason why will be necessary to reinstall these applications before applying the Service Pack.
New features inside Service Pack 1
The launching of this Service Pack for Windows XP silences (at the moment) the voices that began to announce a Windows XP (Second Edition) in the measurement in which all the assets of Microsoft seem focused to develop the successor of Windows XP, whose key name is Longhorn. It has been spoken much of the contents that this Service Pack was going to include. Although at first it was spoken of the inclusion of new components, such as the support Bluetooth (delayed until end of 2002), the certain thing is that in the end the changes introduced in the system are minimum. Whatsoever, this Service Pack includes almost 10 megas in new controllers, has supported for 2,0 USB and the support for Tablet PC and Media Center in the English versions of the product, that it elevates to more than the 15000 devices supported by Windows XP with no need of additional controllers. Nevertheless to take advantage of the additional characteristics that include Tablet PC and Media Center it will be necessary to count on specific devices of hardware, including a remote control and its associated interface. The update of Windows Movie Maker 1,2 has not even been including in the Service Pack that yes includes an updated version of the reproductive Windows Media Player or an updated version of Windows Messenger (4.7.00.41), with important updates with respect to security characteristics, although still the conversations between contacts will continue being sent through Internet in flat text format. In the internal section but, several have been the improvements introduced in the services of Terminal, that will make our experience remote something but pleasant and efficient.
Windows XP SP1 also includes Internet Explorer 6 in its updated version to Service Pack 1. This means that it includes the 4 individual patches and 6 cumulative ones (joint of patches) appeared for Internet Explorer 6.0. Also they have been solved near a 33% of the errors sent through the tool of report of errors, including like newness in Windows XP, the Service Pack 1 also includes an updated version of the service “automatic Updates” as well as important changes in the configuration interface and general security related to the radio networks. Nevertheless all the found problems of security in Windows XP have not been solved with this Service Pack.
Anti-trust
Between the propose modifications in the agreement with the federal government, the company acceded to develop in 1 year from the launching of Windows XP a mechanism accessible from the writing-desk or the menu beginning for the end users or from kits of reinstallation for assemblers OEM to as much activate or to deactivate the access to all the denominated products Middleware of Microsoft as of other manufacturers to allow the user to designate to a product middleware Microsoft not to develop those functions that originally the Microsoft products make. This agreement appears like a new component in the panel “To add or to clear programs” called “To form programs by defect”, that allows to define the predetermined programs to make navigation Web (by defect Internet Explorer), to interchange electronic mail (by defect Outlook Express), to reproduce contents multimedia (by defect Windows Media Player), instantaneous mail (by defect Messenger Windows), and predetermined virtual machine Java.
Of this Microsoft form it has been able not to have to eliminate of Windows no of its Middleware products, since the agreement establishes like objective to deactivate the access to the end user. To deactivate, according to Microsoft, means solely to eliminate the icons of the beginning menu and writing-desk, as well as to establish like predetermined for each function the programs of other designated manufacturers, so that manually we will be able to invoke these applications since they will not be eliminated. Outside this agreement other applications have left middleware including the product, such as Windows Movie Maker or MSN Explorer, reason why the competition with other companies still does not seem to be clean absolutely. The operation of this panel is as simple as little effective. To the user they appear to him between 3 and 4 configurations available:
- Microsoft Windows. This configuration establishes all the predetermined applications of Microsoft like, so that all the equivalent products middleware of other manufacturers will have their hidden access.
- Not-Microsoft Programs. This configuration will hide to all the applications Middleware of Microsoft, establishing equivalent products middleware of other predetermined manufacturers like.
- Customized. By means of this configuration we will be able to personalize that application middleware will be the predetermined one for each one of the functions of Windows, so that we will be able to hide the access to applications individually, or to establish certain predetermined applications like in each one of the areas
- Assembler of the computer. This configuration will give back to the configuration of the programs middleware to so and as the assembler of our PC provided us, so that if our assembler chose to include Netscape Navigator like navigator predetermined for web pages and QuickTime Player like reproducer of archives multimedia, the access to Internet Explorer and Windows Media Player it will be hidden.
Nevertheless, so that these functions really have utility, the manufacturers of applications equivalent to including within Windows XP will have to include a code that identifies them like so, to be able to be settled down or to be hidden in the different configurations. In the end this means that the monopoly of Microsoft will become oligopolies of a pair or 3 of companies, and will become impossible for example to establish like predetermined the Sonique reproducer for our archives multimedia, or the navigator operates to surfer the network. Of the same form, as the users of Windows XP know well, Windows XP did not include the virtual machine Java, and “by convenience” this one was arranged to the users in unloading form from the Web of Windows Update. Part of the legal disputes was related to the form in which Microsoft had handled Java and the right fact that tapeworm not to distribute to their implementation to traverse and the Web since the license rights solely allowed to include it with Windows.
Punch to the piracy
Nevertheless one of the greater new features than includes east Service Pack will undergo all those users whom they do not have installed a legal version of Windows XP. Although at first the certain thing was spoken that the use of pirate keys would block the access to Windows Update solely, is that previous to the installation of the Service Pack, this one will verify that the installation key is bids, refusing to settle if the used key is some of which they have appeared in the network. This is because the company has detected that most of pirate copies of Windows XP they are bound to an only product key of volume license, so that it has been deactivated for his use with Service Pack 1.
Of the same form, those users who “have cracked” the protection of the system of some way, after the installation of the Service Pack 1, this will be deactivated, granting to the users a period to them of grace of 14 days to be able to acquire a license valid and to be able to reactivate therefore the product.
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