If I get WinXP, what are the first things I should do?

Shinova · Post by **Shinova** » 2002-12-15 04:23pm

If I get WinXP, what are the first things I should do immediately after installing it? Such as security issues, some features to be disabled, etc.

Einhander Sn0m4n · Post by **Einhander Sn0m4n** » 2002-12-15 04:28pm

Disable anything that has to do with something called "Palladium." then get a Good Strong FIREWALL!!

Post by **Darth Wong** » 2002-12-15 04:37pm

Remove Bill Gates' cock from your mouth.

Einhander Sn0m4n · Post by **Einhander Sn0m4n** » 2002-12-15 04:42pm

Darth Wong wrote:Remove Bill Gates' cock from your mouth.

ROTFLMAO!!!!!! That too!

Faram · Post by **Faram** » 2002-12-15 04:43pm

Start with going to windowsupdate.com and download sp1 for xp, reboot and install all other security related patches.

Then read this:
http://microsoft.com/security/articles/ ... efault.asp

Then head over to the friendly people at dsl reports
http://www.dslreports.com/forum/security,1

and
http://www.dslreports.com/forum/winme

That should get you started.

Andrew J. · Post by **Andrew J.** » 2002-12-15 04:44pm

Commit suicide to spare yourself further suffering.

Hotfoot · Post by **Hotfoot** » 2002-12-15 04:46pm

Darth Wong wrote:Remove Bill Gates' cock from your mouth.

I will translate as best I can.

Translation: Consider making a dual-boot system with a unix-based operating system such as Linux or FreeBSD as the second OS in addition to WinXP. At that point, give unto Gates what is Gates', and give unto 'nix what is 'nix's.

Close enough?

Kelly Antilles · Post by **Kelly Antilles** » 2002-12-15 04:46pm

First off, do it on a clean drive. DO NOT upgrade.

Enlightenment · Post by **Enlightenment** » 2002-12-15 05:03pm

The first thing to do after getting XP is copy the CD onto your HDD, alter the magic numbers to turn it into the corporate edition (no WPA), get a corporate keygen, make a few corporate keys, and burn the whole thing onto a new CD. Only after all this is done, install the corporate edition from the new CD.

If you've already installed the WPA editions, wipe your drive and start again.

Post by **Beowulf** » 2002-12-15 06:06pm

Install Tiny Personal Firewall.
Disable Messenger service.
Install Mozilla and Multizilla.

optional:
Burn your computer for using WinXP.
Install Linux.

kojikun · Post by **kojikun** » 2002-12-15 06:13pm

--Remove Bill Gates' cock from your mouth.--

I was going to say "Throw the disc out and buy a more stable OS like Linux or Windows 3.0" but this just takes the cake.

Shinova · Post by **Shinova** » 2002-12-15 06:19pm

kojikun wrote:--Remove Bill Gates' cock from your mouth.--

I was going to say "Throw the disc out and buy a more stable OS like Linux or Windows 3.0" but this just takes the cake.

Windows 3.0???

Any reason why that would be more preferable?

phongn · Post by **phongn** » 2002-12-15 06:37pm

You probably don't need something like TPF/Kerio. The built-in firewall does fine.

Turn off the theming service if you want to conserve memory and speed up the UI a bit.

The corporate edition hack is your friend.

Head to Windows Update and patch that machine, starting with SP1.

Crazy_Vasey · Post by **Crazy_Vasey** » 2002-12-15 07:13pm

Shinova wrote:
kojikun wrote:--Remove Bill Gates' cock from your mouth.--

I was going to say "Throw the disc out and buy a more stable OS like Linux or Windows 3.0" but this just takes the cake.

Windows 3.0???

Any reason why that would be more preferable?

Maybe he likes co-operative multitasking. I mean who doesn't like a system where any random app can take every last CPU cycle and force you to reboot?

kojikun · Post by **kojikun** » 2002-12-15 08:02pm

--where any random app can ... force you to reboot--

Sounds exactly like Windows XP

Raptor 597 · Post by **Raptor 597** » 2002-12-15 08:15pm

Also get Ad-Aware at http://www.download.com for removing that nice spyware.

Jadeite · Post by **Jadeite** » 2002-12-15 10:03pm

Disable anything that has to do with something called "Palladium."

Whats Palladium?

Enlightenment · Post by **Enlightenment** » 2002-12-15 10:21pm

Jadeite wrote:Whats Palladium?

http://www.cl.cam.ac.uk/~rja14/tcpa-faq.html

Microsoft's bid to destroy open society as we know it.

Newtonian Fury · Post by **Newtonian Fury** » 2002-12-15 11:40pm

I just got a new computer yesterday, and it's loaded with XP too. Yep, I need some help also.

Enlightenment wrote:The first thing to do after getting XP is copy the CD onto your HDD, alter the magic numbers to turn it into the corporate edition (no WPA), get a corporate keygen, make a few corporate keys, and burn the whole thing onto a new CD. Only after all this is done, install the corporate edition from the new CD.

If you've already installed the WPA editions, wipe your drive and start again.

What's WPA? How does one generate corporate keys? What's the advantage?

Shinova · Post by **Shinova** » 2002-12-15 11:46pm

After hearing all your comments, I think I'll be sticking with Win2k, thank you very much

phongn · Post by **phongn** » 2002-12-15 11:47pm

Windows Product Activation is a method Microsoft is using to combat piracy. It involves a hashing of your computer's hardware information, which is sent to Microsoft. You then get a key in return to "activate" your install. It is widely seen as highly intrusive.

Many purchased computers come "pre-activated."

Enlightenment · Post by **Enlightenment** » 2002-12-16 12:00am

Newtonian Fury wrote:What's WPA? How does one generate corporate keys? What's the advantage?

Windows Product Activation. Non-corporate versions of Windows XP are tied to specific hardware configurations and will stop booting if they aren't allowed to phone home to Microsoft for an authorization key. The authorization keys are specific to each XP serial number and hardware configuration and can't be transferred between computers. If you significantly change the hardware configuration of an XP-infested computer you must phone Microsoft, explain your actions and justify your need for a new key. In contrast, the corporate version of XP continues to use the traditional serial number system and installed copies don't need to be identified to Microsoft.

You'll have to find a corporate keygen from the usual sources. Beware that one of the 'keygens' out there is a trojan. The good one has a zipfile size of 20,022 bytes and the keygen executable has a CRC-32 of 0xff2b7008.

EmperorMing · Post by **EmperorMing** » 2002-12-16 02:18am

Get a copy of XPantispy. Do a search on google or something, download and run it. Gets rid of a bunch of intrusive spyware and such.

Alferd Packer · Post by **Alferd Packer** » 2002-12-16 02:41am

Darth Wong wrote:Remove Bill Gates' cock from your mouth.

Yeah, but then it just zips straight over to my ear or my dog's ass. I tell ya, you can't win for losing with this guy.

Vertigo1 · Post by **Vertigo1** » 2002-12-16 02:42am

Captain Lennox wrote:Also get Ad-Aware at http://www.download.com for removing that nice spyware.

Ad-Aware homepage: www.lavasoftusa.com

Do yourself a favor and download Refupdate 2.x and run it every now and then to keep yourself up-to-date. Ad-Aware 6.0 is due to be released pretty soon though.