When Windows XP was first released it was bloated, slow, subject to Windows Product Activation, hobbled by numerous security problems, and destabilized by the constant stream of update patches meant to fix those problems. It required more RAM and faster CPUs to do the same tasks as earlier Windows versions. That was over 8 years and 3 Service Packs ago. The update patches are still coming on a regular basis. Windows XP is virtually on a drip-feed of patches. It is also spyware, in the sense that Microsoft feels free to upload information and download changed files without asking or notifying you. All in all, Windows XP is arguably not a very attractive product, in any sense. It might be aptly named "Windows Xtra Problems".

   But now Windows Vista has arrived, followed by Windows 7, which is a minor update of Vista. Windows Vista/7 makes Windows XP seem lean, speedy, sensible, secure and private by comparison. People who forsook Windows 98/ME/2000 for XP may now be saddled with Windows XP for many years to come. So one might just as well make the best of it. With that in mind, the following information and download is aimed at helping people quickly clean up some of the most glaring security, privacy and bloat problems on Windows XP.

What is XPFix and who can use it?

   XPFix is a utility meant to provide convenient configuration of a number of Windows XP's more esoteric settings that normally require Registry edits or arcane operations. XPFix is not a full-scale tweak program with "thousands of settings!". It just provides a set of specific options that can go a long way toward making Windows XP more well-behaved generally - without you needing to do a lot of research and Registry editing.

   XPFix is not intended for everyone using Windows XP. It is for people who are inclined to manage their own PC. For the most part, the options and information provided here require some work. They are not just one-click improvements. For example, the XPFix Utility can be used to help greatly reduce the bloat and security risk caused by unneeded services running in Windows. But anyone who wants to adjust Windows services must be willing to do a bit of research. There are no universal settings that are optimal for everyone.

XPFix Utility

XPFix is a simple utility. It is actually not even software. It is an "HTML Application", comprised of webpages and powered by script. As such, you can edit or add to it as you wish. The settings options available in XPFix are in two categories:

1) A few handy tweaks:
  • Disable various useless nags and "balloon tips" that pop up in Windows XP.
  • Disable Internet Explorer nags and risky Internet functions.
  • Add a couple of handy extras to the right-click menu.
  • Unhide software in Add/Remove programs that Microsoft tries to prevent you from uninstalling.
  • Uninstall PCHealth/System File Protection to regain control of system files and
      reduce pointless wear and tear that can cause early failure of your hard disk.
  • Greatly improve online privacy while increasing security.

2) Reining in services: A "service" is Microsoft's name for a software program that runs in the background, ready to provide some kind of functionality when called upon. The difference between a service and other software is that Windows starts services at boot and they remain running while Windows is running.

   XPFix lists up to 58 distinct services that are likely to be installed and may be running on your PC. In many cases, especially on a stand-alone PC, you may be able to disable all of these services! Some are security risks. Some are useless. Most are expendable for most people. That's up to 58 separate programs that don't need to be using up system resources. Yet Microsoft leaves most of these services enabled by default, and many of them are set to run at startup by default.

   You do not need XPFix to disable these unnecessary services. XPFix just helps by providing information about the services and by singling out almost 60 services that you may not need at all.

How can there be so many superfluous programs (services) running on Windows XP?

   An example of the problem with XP services: If you are at all familiar with Windows services, you may remember that when Windows XP first came out, many people were harassed by message windows asking them to buy software. It turned out that those message windows were coming from online spammers who had figured out how to hijack the Windows Messenger service. (Not the same as Instant Messenger.) The Messenger service provided the ability for network administrators on a corporate network to display messages on PC Desktops across the network. (As in, "To all employees: Don't forget the company picnic on Saturday.") So why was Messenger running on standalone, home and small office PCs? Why, indeed.

   After the Messenger fiasco there was the DCOM/COM+/RPC fiasco that allowed attackers to take control of Windows PCs by calling DCOM. The short story there is that Microsoft designed Windows to allow remote control from other computers. Some of that functionality cannot be disabled at all on Windows XP. (Remote Procedure Call (RPC) is an unnecessary risk for most people, but if the service is stopped Windows cannot run.) DCOM and COM+ can at least be disabled, but DCOM is left running by default in Windows, and COM+ is enabled by default.

   These avoidable problems arise time and again, yet Microsoft never seems to fix them until they have to. There are a large number of network-related services set to run by default on all Windows XP systems to this day. Yet those services should not even be installed if you use a standalone PC (not networked) and don't share files with other computers.

   The difficulty with adjusting Windows services is that there are so many of them and there is only limited documentation available. XPFix provides a list of all services installed, in two parts. The first list is the "58 services" that are likely to be unnecessary for most people. XPFix gives you information about what the service does, what other services might depend on that service, etc., so that you can better decide which services can be safely disabled. XPFix then also provides an easy way to disable any or all of those services.

   Note that the "up to 58 services" that XPFix lists are all Windows services that are typically installed, though not all of these services are installed on all PCs. The second part of the XPFix services list includes all other services installed on your system. XPFix will provide any available information about those other services (which may be other Microsoft services or may be 3rd-party services). With the information available you may be able to decide whether a given service is needed.

Download XPFix (fixpack.zip 48 KB)

XPFix is an HTA webpage utility. See below if you think that you might need help using it.

   With XPFix you can trim down the bloat of XP and make a number of useful improvements. But what about the spyware issue? What about the increasing problem with Microsoft (and many other companies) designing their software to contact their corporate offices without even informing you, much less asking permission? That's the definition of spyware, yet it has become a ubiquitous problem in mainstream commercial software. If Microsoft and others are allowed to run auto-updating that can also be a very destabilizing -- and occasionally disastrous -- problem. (How did so many people come to believe that it makes sense for software to constantly change installed files without asking?)

   For people who do not want Microsoft running their computer, a dependable 2-way firewall is necessary. That means a firewall that allows you to see and control all attempted communication, both outgoing and incoming. There are numerous firewalls available, some of them free. But some research is required if you want a dependable firewall. And some research is required to figure out exactly what should be allowed through the firewall.

   In our own, admittedly limited, research we looked for a good firewall for XP that allows detailed control over what software can go through and how. The first thing that became apparent was that most popular firewalls are extremely bloated. Many of them have installers that weigh in at about 40 MB. That's probably 100+ MB installed! One exception is GhostWall, which is less than 1 MB. But GhostWall comes with no help or guidance. It's an enigma even for experienced people.

   Interestingly, some of the highest rated firewalls offer a free version. In our survey of several top-rated firewalls we liked Online Armor best. It's not as badly bloated as most other products. It provides fine control over processes going online. The free version is all that one really needs. And Online Armor has received favorable ratings compared with other products.

   But it should be stressed that you can find more well-informed advice elsewhere. In particular, see the exhaustive testing data and reports available at this site: http://www.matousec.com/projects/windows-personal-firewall-analysis/leak-tests-results.php.

   Once you have a firewall operational it is important to keep track of what is allowed through it. There are numerous network-oriented processes running on XP by default, such as DCOM, which are serious security risks while being unnecessary to the average person using a standalone PC. This gets into another aspect of services: A number of useless services (like Windows Time) and some quite dangerous ones (like DCOM) will go through the firewall if you don't stop them. In our tests with a typical XP setup, on a standalone PC with no file-sharing, Remote PC, or other risky network functions enabled, it turned out that no system process actually needed to get through the firewall. (If you use DHCP with a router you may need to allow IPSEC, which shows up as lsass, but that can be avoided by using static IP addressing.) Processes that attempted to go online without justification were the following. (Note that some of these may be necessary if you are on a network.)

  • Links to information about XP-specific problems and XP spyware functionality:
    http://www.futurepower.net/microsoft.htm
    http://windowssecrets.com/2007/11/29/01-WGA-better-but-still-not-good-enough
    http://www.computerbytesman.com/privacy/wmp8dvd.htm

   XP Folder Fix is a utility that makes it possible to force all XP folder windows to show at the same size, with the same view style (icons, details, etc.), and with the same sorting style and order (by name, date, size, etc). In all the versions of Windows since 1995, Microsoft has never provided a simple setting that allows you to just choose to "show all folders at this width and this height, with this view". You can choose to "make all folders look like this one". But that doesn't actually work, and even if it did, it only applies to the view style!

   There are ways to control all folders' sizes in Windows versions prior to XP. And pre-XP Windows is also better behaved in terms of remembering your selected view style. But that doesn't help people using Windows XP.

   The commonly suggested way to fix XP folders is to delete all of the folder view settings from the Registry, start fresh, and hope for the best. That might fix the problem of seeing "tiles" when you want icons, and vice versa. But it won't help with folder window sizing.

   XP Folder Fix takes a different approach: Every time you open a folder, the settings get recorded in the Registry. But Windows does not provide any way for you to adjust those settings. And it really doesn't matter anyway, because Windows ignores those settings. Windows stores settings for up to 5,000 folders and then ignores them! XP Folder Fix works by repairing the settings for every folder recorded in the Registry, so that Windows will not ignore those settings, and every folder you have ever opened will henceforth remember its size and view style. XP Folder Fix then also creates Registry values to ensure that those settings are also applied to newly created folders in the future.

   XP Folder Fix is very simple:
    - Select the folder size you want.
    - Select a view style: icons, list, details, or tiles.
    - Select a sorting mode and direction: By name, size, type, or date.

   XP Folder Fix does the rest. (You may need to re-run XP Folder Fix if you change the pixel dimensions of your PC monitor display.)

Last Update: November, 2011

Download XP Folder Fix (xpfolfix.zip - 22 KB)

   XP Folder Fix is an HTA webpage utility. See the topic below explaining HTAs if you think that you may need help using it.

What is an HTA webpage utility:

   XPFix and XP Folder Fix are HTA utilities. HTA stands for "HTML Application". An HTA is just a webpage that runs in Internet Explorer like a program. It is interactive, like a normal program, in the same way that webpages like Google Maps are interactive. But an HTA runs on your own computer, not on the Internet. That allows it to work much better, with more functionality, than an interactive webpage online. What makes an HTA work is script code in the webpage. If you know about scripting, you can edit the code in these programs to customize them. All of the code that makes the program work is right there as plain text. But you don't need to know about scripting to use an HTA.

Why HTA?

   Since an HTA is just script in a webpage, designing the program interface and making it work are easier and faster than they would be with normal software. An HTA is often an ideal vehicle for simple, free utilities. An HTA also does not need to be installed. And as noted above, writing the software as an HTA allows other people to modify it in any way they wish.

How does one use an HTA?

   With "normal" software you usually download an EXE file that installs a program. You then find that program on the Start Menu. An HTA does not install. It is composed of several files inside a folder, which is all packed into a compressed .zip file. You download the .zip file, open it, and take out the folder. Put the folder anywhere (Desktop, C drive, etc.). Inside the folder is a .txt file with information. You will also find a .hta file. Double-click the .hta file to run the program. The only basic requirement is that you need to keep all of the files in the original folder because they work together.

   If you use Windows XP you can double click the file download (xpfolfix.zip) and Windows will show you the contents. You can then just drag the stored folder out onto the Desktop.

Technical requirements for the XP Fix downloads:

   This section is only relevant for people who may have adjusted which services are running on their system. XPFix and XP Folder Fix both use Windows Management Instrumentation (WMI). Under normal circumstances on Windows XP, the WMI service is running. But if you have turned off the WMI service you will need to turn it back on to use these utilities. Also, anything that requires WMI is likely to require the DCOM Process Launcher service.

   IconsXP is a small, simple program. It's function is to replace (or reset) some of the main system icons on Windows XP or earlier.

   According to Microsoft, folder icons cannot be changed on Windows XP. That "official" information is deliberately misleading. Microsoft has used the exact same functionality to set system icons ever since Windows 95. But they don't provide a way to access that ability because they want to sell the "Plus Pack", an extra software package that adds additional games, themes, icons, etc. to Windows.

   While Windows XP icons work as they do in Windows 95/98/ME, XP is somewhat buggy, especially when it comes to the graphical interface or "shell". (Desktop, folder windows, etc.) On Windows 95/98/ME one can change all system icons, including Start Menu icons, Folders, Drives, Control Panel, Printers, Dial-up Networking, etc. On Windows XP, many of those icons can be changed, but not all. And the behavior is not consistent. Folder icons can be changed and that change will show on the Desktop as well as in "Explorer" folder windows, but the default yellow icon might display instead if you open a folder via a custom-made link! Similarly the new icon may not be visible in "File Open" dialog windows, but will probably be visible in icon selection dialog windows. The Control Panel icon can be changed, but the change does not appear everywhere. Some icons can't be changed. And Windows XP actually provides a way to change the icons for Documents, Recycle and My Computer. (Although those settings are well buried in Control Panel -> Display -> Desktop -> Customize Desktop.)

   It's actually very odd just how buggy the Windows graphical interface is. More than 15 years have passed since Windows 95 came out. Very little has significantly changed since then. Yet it seems that Microsoft never quite finishes the job. They never manage to just release a product that works properly, even in the most obvious details. And they never manage to provide clear, accessible settings for things that do work. It's a 15 year history of buggy settings, unnecessary changes, inconsistencies, and hidden Registry tweaks. Windows 98 wouldn't remember folder size. Windows ME had trouble with icons in a folder all "sliding" into one corner. And often WinME would just lose the Desktop altogether. With Windows XP many of the Registry settings were changed -- for no good reason -- but they still don't work consistently. (The problem of folder settings described above is a good example. Explorer saves folder settings in the Registry improperly, and then doesn't read them!)

   IconsXP is designed to make the best of a buggy mess. It will change only those icons that work with reasonable consistency and that Windows does not provide a way to change. Those icons include the following:

Drives
Floppy
Closed Folder
Open Folder
Removable Drives
Program Group (The program folder icons under Start Menu -> Programs.)
Shortcut

   IconsXP can assign a new icon or reverse the process to return to the system default icon. Free icons are available online in many places.

Caution:

   Before changing icons you should be aware of another bug in Windows XP: When icons are changed, Windows Explorer needs to be "told" in order to refresh its cache of system icons and update the display. On Windows XP that process may cause all Desktop icons to be moved into a tight grid arrangement on the left side! If you care about the placement of your Desktop icons then it is strongly recommended that you install Icon Restore before using IconsXP. Icon Restore will allow you to save your Desktop icon layout and then restore it after changing icons.

Download IconsXP (18 KB)

   IconsXP is a small program. The download is a .zip file. Just take IconsXP.exe out of the ZIP file and it's ready to use on Windows 95/98/ME/XP. There is no need to install anything. (Windows Vista/7 is not supported. IconsXP is not tested on Windows Vista/7. If you try to use it on Vista/7, please do not write to JSWare for help.)