The Hidden Guide

Microsoft was supposed to release Windows XP Service Pack 3 (SP3) on April 29, 2008, the service pack only became unofficially available on the download.windowsupdate.com domain. Today, XP SP3 has officially hit the Release to Web (RTW) milestone. In other words, SP3 is available both on Windows Update and the Microsoft Download Center.

The final build of SP3 (5512) reportedly includes 1,073 fixes, including every security update, out-of-band release, and hotfix released since Windows XP SP2 hit Microsoft’s servers back in August 2004.

Download

Network Installation Package

XP SP3 - ISO CD Image

Concerned that customers are confusing the impending end of Windows XP retail availability with the end of support, Microsoft Corp. has reminded users that the aged operating system will be supported until early April 2014. Jared Proudfoot, a manager in Microsoft’s support life cycle group, reiterated the final support dates for Windows XP in a post to a company blog.

“Recently, there have been a number of posts in the blogosphere about Windows XP and the upcoming end of direct OEM and retail license availability,” said Proudfoot. “Some people are interpreting this as the end of support for Windows XP.”

Not so, Proudfoot said. Windows XP will remain in what Microsoft calls “mainstream support” to April 14, 2009, and continue in “extended support” though April 8, 2014, he added. The former delivers free fixes — for both security patches and other bug fixes — to everyone. During the latter, all users receive security updates, but nonsecurity hot fixes are given only to companies that have signed support contracts with Microsoft.

Those are not new dates, Proudfoot reminded customers last week. In early 2007, for instance, Microsoft extended support for Windows XP Home and XP Media Center to the 2009 and 2014 dates to match those already set for Windows XP Professional.

source: ComputerWorld

Microsoft develops updates, fixes, and other improvements that address issues reported by the company’s customers and partners. To make it easier for customers to get these updates and enhancements, Microsoft periodically combines them into a single package, and makes that package available for all Windows customers. It is available on public WIndows Update servers

Windows XP Service Pack 3

Microsoft is allowing Windows XP Service Pack 2 machines to be offered Windows XP Service Pack 3 Release Candidate 2 Refresh via Windows Update. You may also download standalone update packages for Windows XP SP3 RC2, in English, German, and/or Japanese. Windows XP Service Pack 3 will be offered on Windows Update when Service Pack 3 releases in the first half of 2008.

To obtain RC2 via Windows Update, download the script and run it on a machine currently running Windows XP Service Pack 2. The script sets a registry key on your system. The registry key is required for Windows Update to recognize your machine as a valid target for Windows XP Service Pack 3 RC2 Refresh.

Versions of Windows XP Service Pack 3 prior to Release Candidate 2 should be removed before attempting to use the registry key. Windows Update will not offer Release Candidate 2 to machines with previous versions of the Windows XP Service Pack 3 beta.

It is recommended that you apply the resulting update package to an activated, genuine copy of Windows XP, in a test environment. As with any pre-release software, it is also recommended that you back up files and settings on your machine before applying this update package.

Alternatively, you may choose to download the standalone update packages for Windows XP SP3 RC2, in English (ENU), German (DEU), and/or Japanese (JPN).

Important: Windows Service Pack 2 is required in order to install this preview. Please uninstall any previous beta release of Service Pack 3 before installing SP3 RC2.

Download: Windows XP SP3 RC 2 Refresh

Making windows xp look like ubuntu is very easy and fun, all you need to do is copying few files and applying patch

so first you need to download some files and patches used to modify windows xp

Download Uxtheme Multi-patcher used to modify uxtheme.dl to enable non-microsft style
Download Ubuntu Visual Style made by FioreSSJ
Download Tango Shell Patcher which will integrate Tangerine Icons

First you need to apply the Uxtheme mulit-patcher then reboot,

now you need to copy the ubuntu style copy the following folders Wallpaper, cursors , fonts, to

• C:\Windows\Web\Wallpaper..
• C:\Windows\Cursors..
• C:\Windows\Fonts..

Then browse to C:\Windows\Resources\Themes\ and create file name it “Ubuntu” and copy the rest of the files there

Run Human.msstyles this will bring windows properties window click ok to apply , now you need to apply Tango Shell Patcher to intergare icons fonts, cursors then reboot your pc

What is Crash Dump?
Crash Dump is file windows create it when it give you the Blue Screen of death Error (BSOD)

Basically Blue Screen of Death is just an Error so windows creat file called Minidump
it’s located in this path
C:\WINDOWS\Minidump

so if we need to know what cause this Blue Screen of Death Error we need to Analysis the minidump file

to do this we need first to download and Install Debugging Tools for Windows
this can be download from here

After installing Debugging Tools for Windows we need to defined the symbol path

To enter a symbol path in WinDbg

1. On the File menu, click Symbol Path.
2. In the Symbol Search Path window, enter the following:

   “srv*c:\cache*http://msdl.microsoft.com/download/symbols;”

then open file menu and click open crash dump…

it’ll take few second to analysis the crash dump , after that you’ll get the error report and what caused this BSOD

so let’s take look at the last few lines , you can see clearly this line
Probably caused by : bdrsdrv.sys (bdrsdrv+ea6)
ofcourse you going to something diffrent bdrsdrv.sys so all you have to do is google it till you find the solution

in my cause bdrsdrv.sys is what caused the Blue Screen of death, and after i google it i found it belongs to Bitdefender Antivirurs

Do You have important or sensitive Data?, Are you afraid if someone take look at this files?
so the solution is to hide your computer from the Network Users
just by doing few steps

1-Click start menu/run
2-type cmd
3-type the following command in the command prompt window and hit enter

net config server /hidden:yes

Now You computer is hidden from the network users