Windows XP - For FReeper Binary Edification (Or just some things you probably didn't know.)

Me ^ | 15 MAY 2005 | Me

[rdb3]

Here you go, some interesting things on Windows XP that may be of use to you.

Windows XP Hidden Applications

To run any of these applications, click Start --> Run and type the executable name, for example: charmap

1. Character Map = charmap.exe (very useful for finding unusual characters)

2. Disk Cleanup = cleanmgr.exe

3. Clipboard Viewer = clipbrd.exe (views contents of Windows clipboard)

4. Dr Watson = drwtsn32.exe (Troubleshooting tool)

5. DirectX diagnosis = dxdiag.exe (Diagnose & test DirectX, video & sound cards)

6. Private character editor = eudcedit.exe (allows creation or modification of characters)

7. IExpress Wizard = iexpress.exe (Create self-extracting / self-installing package)

8. MCFT Synchronization Manager = mobsync.exe (appears to allow synchronization of files on the network for when working offline. Apparently undocumented).

9. Windows Media Player 5.1 = mplay32.exe (Retro version of Media Player, still available on WinXP).

10. ODBC Data Source Administrator = odbcad32.exe (something to do with databases)

11. Object Packager = packager.exe (to do with packaging objects for insertion in files, appears to have comprehensive help files).

12. System Monitor = perfmon.exe (very useful, highly configurable tool, tells you everything you ever wanted to know about any aspect of PC performance, but for uber-geeks like me only, really. )

13. Program Manager = progman.exe (Legacy Windows 3.x desktop shell).

14. Remote Access phone book = rasphone.exe (documentation is virtually non-existant).

15. Registry Editor = regedt32.exe [also regedit.exe] (for hacking the Windows Registry WARNING! Don't jack around the registry if you don't know what you are doing!).

16. Network shared folder wizard = shrpubw.exe (creates shared folders on network).

17. File siganture verification tool = sigverif.exe

18. Volume Control = sndvol32.exe (I've included this for those people that lose it from the System Notification area).

19. System Configuration Editor = sysedit.exe (modify System.ini & Win.ini just like in Win98! ).

20. Syskey = syskey.exe (Secures XP Account database - use with care, it's virtually undocumented but it appears to encrypt all passwords, I'm not sure of the full implications).

21. MCFT Telnet Client = telnet.exe

22. Driver Verifier Manager = verifier.exe (seems to be a utility for monitoring the actions of drivers, might be useful for people having driver problems. Undocumented).

23. Windows for Workgroups Chat = winchat.exe (appears to be an old NT utility to allow chat sessions over a LAN, help files available).

24. System configuration = msconfig.exe (can use to control starup programs)

25. gpedit.msc used to manage group policies, and permissions

Happy hacking! We Linux users aren't all that mean...
Heh, heh, heh...

[JennysCool]

Just got XP and this will be helpful! Thanks!

[Mike Bates]

Don't jack around the registry if you don't know what you are doing!).

Why? Does it really make a dif UABaJ50EsGwAAvQTv/gAAAQABAAUAIwooCgEABQAjCigKPwAAAAAAAAAEAAQA AgAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAACIAAAD2LwAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAASdwAAAAAA wAgAV2kJAPOWEEFsGwAAvQTv/gAAAQABAAUAhAgoCgEABQCECCgKPwAAAAAAAAAEAAQAAgAAAAAA AAAAAAAAAAAAACUAAAAYMAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAIfAAAAAAAcAcAznwH ACHmNjyyGwAAvQTv/gAAAQAAAAcAAAD6JAAABwAAAPokPwAAAAAAAAA

Michael M. Bates: My Side of the Swamp

[Mo1]

for a later read
semi

[CrawDaddyCA]

Bookmarking. Thanks from a very computer challenged person.

[cardinal4]

Thanks for taking the time!

[Museum Twenty]

Thank you bump!

[VaRepublican]

Oh thats funny!

[general_re]

20. Syskey = syskey.exe (Secures XP Account database - use with care, it's virtually undocumented but it appears to encrypt all passwords, I'm not sure of the full implications).

Syskey is used to do one of three things, relating to a startup key for additional system security.

1) It generates a random key to encrypt the password information stored in the registry, and obfuscates the key by hiding it in the registry. This is of minimal benefit: the obfuscation routine is well-known, and this method will barely slow down an attacker.

2) It generates a key by deriving it from a user-supplied passphrase and uses that key to encrypt the password information. This requires the user to enter this master password upon bootup, thus allowing access to the account information and letting the user login. This is quite a bit more secure than method 1, but if you forget the passphrase, you're very likely to be up s*** creek - you'll have a box that you can't login to, and because the account info is encrypted, those Linux boot disks that many sysops keep handy for changing forgotten Windows passwords won't work either. Your only hope might be to overwrite the registry with a previous, unencrypted version, but of course if you've made many changes since then, you're basically guaranteeing that the system will be crippled, even if you get it to boot and login - it's a last resort that should probably only be done to remove data in preparation for wiping the system and reinstalling, and hopefully the second time around you'll remember your passphrase ;)

3) It randomly generates a key used to encrypt the local password information, and stores that key on a floppy disk. This requires the floppy to be inserted at bootup so that the system can decrypt the password info and allow logins. This is also more secure than method 1, but like method 2, if you lose that disk or someone else gets hold of it, you're seriously hosed.

Anyway, Syskey is not well known, but the documentation definitely exists - it hasn't changed much since it was introduced in NT4, but you can get the gory details here.

[JerseyHighlander]

a bump for later.

Instead of using MSCONFIG.EXE, from the start>run, Use SERVICES.MSC from Start>Run. Much more information is provided this way. Also, misuse of msconfig.exe or services.msc is as dangerous as misusing regedit.exe, i.e. a series of FUBAR SOL curses following huorse of trying to recoup vital data before wiping the box clean.

Here's a website I've had bookmarked for a few years on Windows XP services http://www.theeldergeek.com/services_guide.htm

Some services can be disabled, e.g. like Wireless Zero Configuration for people NOT using 802.11 wireless connections, and will speed up system boot by a fraction of a second, and free up ram and virtual memory.

[Echo Talon]

two that i use ALL the time regedit an msconfig

[Eagles6]

save.

[rdb3]

save.

What? He was out by a mile! Oh, you said "save." Nevermind.

[solitas]

Hey - get THIS one! (from http://news.com.com/2102-1016_3-5704942.html?tag=st.util.print)

---

Windows for India, others won't run on faster chips

By Michael Kanellos
http://news.com.com/Windows+for+India%2C+others+wont+run+on+faster+chips/2100-1016_3-5704942.html

Story last modified Thu May 12 10:54:00 PDT 2005

When Microsoft said that Windows XP Starter Edition, the cut-rate version of Windows for emerging markets, was for beginning computer users, the company wasn't kidding.

The operating system will not work on computers running Intel's Pentium 4 processors or the Athlon from Advanced Micro Devices, a public relations representative said on behalf of Microsoft. Instead, it will run on computers containing Intel's Celeron chips, AMD's Duron or Geode chips, or processors from Via Technologies.

"When you try to load it onto a Pentium 4 machine, it gets to the processor ID and stops functioning," said P.R. Lakshmanan, senior vice president of Zenith Computers in Mumbai, India, who tried it as an experiment. Zenith is one of India's larger local PC makers. Starter Edition for India won't be released publicly until June.

Selective incompatibility appears to be geared at preventing Starter Edition from supplanting standard versions of Windows XP. Starter Edition doesn't support the same level of functionality as the standard Windows XP. However, PC makers have to pay only $15 to $35 for each copy, according to various PC makers in these markets. Windows XP Home costs $70 to $80 per copy and the Professional Edition costs even more.

Without the incompatibility, PC makers and dealers could potentially start bundling the OS onto computers for business customers. Microsoft does not sell the OS separately. It sells it only to PC makers, who then load it onto PCs.

"Windows XP Starter Edition is designed for beginner home computer users who are seeking a more affordable computing solution for their homes. As such, it is designed for low-cost, entry-level desktop PCs running value-based processors," a representative for Microsoft said in an e-mail.

Microsoft has released or will release versions of Starter Edition for Brazil, Malaysia, Russia, Indonesia, Thailand and India. These are some of the fastest-growing PC markets in the world, and the software is designed to make it easier for ordinary people in these markets to learn about computing.

Linux, though only a blip in the desktop market, is gaining popularity. In India, for instance, professor Jitendra Shah has translated a version of Linux and a number of applications into the regional languages of India to help villagers learn computing.

Microsoft hopes to use Starter Edition to familiarize these markets with its products. Plus, because these countries are also havens for piracy, the Redmond, Wash.-based software maker wants to use perks such as bug patches and alerts to demonstrate the value of legal software.

Sales, though, have been somewhat slow to date in the countries where Starter Edition has been released. Thailand PC makers have sold it since October, while the OS has been available in Malaysia and Indonesia since February.

Copyright ©1995-2005 CNET Networks, Inc. All rights reserved.

[bert]

I tried and failed.

C:\charmap.exe
C:\windows\charmap.exe

more geekiness is required......

[rdb3]

Try it again without the ".exe". Just try "charmap".

[Asphalt]

tech

[GodBlessUSA]

Thanks very much!:) I just cleaned disk and gained more space!

[Khurkris]

Thanks rdb3

[calcowgirl]

I'm hoping you can give me some advice. I just installed a new Dell computer w/ Windows XP. I'm still in the process of customizing settings, etc. Thus far, I have only loaded Norton Internet Security and Microsoft Office 2003. I am using Internet Explorer. I have added all of the Microsoft recommended updates to their software.

Everything seems to be working fine EXCEPT for Free Republic. When I go to post something, I am getting either partial screens or blank screens after hitting 'post' or 'preview'. For example, after hitting preview, I see the next page and want to post it, but the screen cuts off halfway down and does not include the Spell/Preview/Post options at the bottom of the page. After several attempts, it might work. On other attempts, I gave up after about 8 tries.

I have no clue why this is happening or where to even start. Could it be something to do with perl? If you don't have any suggestions, could you ping anyone you know who might have some input? I'd really appreciate it.

And yes... I am technology challenged, lol.