Criticism of Windows XP
![]() | This article has multiple issues. Please help improve it or discuss these issues on the talk page. (Learn how and when to remove these template messages)
|
Part of a series of articles on |
Windows XP |
---|
Siblings |
Criticism of Windows XP deals with issues with security, performance and the presence of product activation errors that are specific to the Microsoft operating system Windows XP.
Security issues
Windows XP has been criticized for its vulnerabilities due to buffer overflows and its susceptibility to malware such as viruses, trojan horses, and worms. Nicholas Petreley for The Register notes that "Windows XP was the first version of Windows to reflect a serious effort to isolate users from the system, so that users each have their own private files and limited system privileges."[1] However, users by default receive an administrator account that provides unrestricted access to the underpinnings of the system. If the administrator's account is compromised, there is no limit to the control that can be asserted over the PC. Windows XP Home Edition also lacks the ability to administer security policies and denies access to the Local Users and Groups utility.
Microsoft stated that the release of security patches is often what causes the spread of exploits against those very same flaws, as
Many attacks against Windows XP systems come in the form of trojan horse e-mail attachments which contain worms. A user who opens the attachment can unknowingly infect his or her own computer, which may then e-mail the worm to more people. Notable worms of this sort that have infected Windows XP systems include Mydoom, Netsky and Bagle. To discourage users from running such programs, Service Pack 2 includes the Attachment Execution Service which records the origin of files downloaded with Internet Explorer or received as an attachment in Outlook Express. If a user tries to run a program downloaded from an untrusted security zone, Windows XP with Service Pack 2 will prompt the user with a warning.
Windows XP offers some useful security benefits, such as
On April 8, 2014, extended support of Windows XP ended. As this means that security vulnerabilities are no longer patched, the general advice given by both Microsoft and security specialists is to no longer use Windows XP.
Antitrust concerns
In light of the
In 2001, ProComp – a group including several of Microsoft's rivals, including
Microsoft responded on its "Freedom to Innovate" web site,
To avoid the possibility of an injunction, which might have delayed the release of Windows XP, Microsoft changed its licensing terms to allow PC manufacturers to hide access to Internet Explorer (but not remove it). Competitors dismissed this as a trivial gesture.
In addition, in the first release of Windows XP, the "Buy Music Online" feature always used Microsoft's Internet Explorer rather than any other web browser that the user may have set as their default. Under pressure from the United States Department of Justice, Microsoft released a patch in early 2004, which corrected the problem.[13]
Backward compatibility
Migrating from Windows 9x to XP can be an issue for users dependent upon MS-DOS. Although XP comes with the ability to run DOS programs in a virtual DOS machine, it still has trouble running many old DOS programs. This is largely because it is a Windows NT system and does not use DOS as a base OS, and because the Windows NT architecture is different from Windows 9x.[14] Some DOS programs that cannot run natively on XP, notably programs that rely on direct access to hardware, can be run in emulators, such as DOSBox or virtual machines, like VMware, Virtual PC, or VirtualBox. This also applies to programs that only require direct access to certain common emulated hardware components, like memory, keyboard, graphics cards, and serial ports. With DOS emulators, 32-bit versions of Windows XP can run almost any program designed for any previous Microsoft operating system. Only 64-bit versions of XP have major backward-compatibility issues. This is because old 16-bit Windows programs require a tool called NTVDM, which is only present in the 32-bit version of the OS. However, this is true of every version of Windows that comes in both 32-bit and 64-bit versions, and it is not specific to XP; additionally, virtual machine software such as VirtualBox can run 16-bit DOS and Windows programs even on 64-bit versions of Windows.
Product activation and verification
Product activation
In an attempt to reduce piracy, Microsoft introduced product activation in Windows XP. Activation required the computer or the user to activate with Microsoft (either online or over the phone) within a certain amount of time in order to continue using the operating system. If the user's computer system ever changes — for example, if two or more relevant components of the computer itself are upgraded — Windows will return to the unactivated state and will need to be activated again within a defined grace period. If a user tried to reactivate too frequently, the system will refuse to activate online. The user must then contact Microsoft by telephone to obtain a new activation code.
However, activation only applied to retail and "system builder" (intended for use by small local PC builders) copies of Windows. "Royalty OEM" (used by large PC vendors) copies are instead locked to a special signature in the machine's
Product key testing
In addition to activation, Windows XP service packs will refuse to install on Windows XP systems with product keys known to be widely used in unauthorized installations. These product keys are either intended for use with one copy (for retail and system builder), for one OEM (for BIOS locked copies) or to one company (for volume license copies) and are included with the product. However a number of volume license product keys (which as mentioned above avoid the need for activation) were posted on the Internet and were then used for a large number of unauthorized installations. The service packs contain a list of these keys and will not update copies of Windows XP that use them.
Microsoft developed a new key verification engine for Windows XP Service Pack 2 that could detect illicit keys, even those that had never been used before. After an outcry from security consultants who feared that denying security updates to illegal installations of Windows XP would have wide-ranging consequences even for legal owners, Microsoft elected to disable the new key verification engine. Service Pack 2 only checks for the same small list of commonly used keys as Service Pack 1. This means that while Service Pack 2 will not install on copies of Windows XP which use the older set of copied keys, those who use keys which have been posted more recently may be able to update their systems.
Windows Genuine Advantage
To try to curb piracy based on leaked or generated volume license keys, Microsoft introduced Windows Genuine Advantage (WGA). WGA comprises two parts, a verification tool which must be used to get certain downloads from Microsoft and a user notification system. WGA for Windows was followed by verification systems for
If the license key is judged not genuine, it displays a
On August 26, 2008, Microsoft released a new WGA activation program that displays a plain black desktop background for computers failing validation. The background can be changed, but reverts after 1 hour.[18]
Common criticisms of WGA have included its description as a "Critical Security Update", causing Automatic Updates to download it without user intervention on default settings, its behavior compared to spyware of "phoning home" to Microsoft every time the computer is connected to the Internet, the failure to inform end users what exactly WGA would do once installed (rectified by a 2006 update),[19] the failure to provide a proper uninstallation method during beta testing (users were given manual removal instructions that did not work with the final build[17]), and its sensitivity to hardware changes which cause repeated need for reactivation in the hands of some developers. Also if the user has no connection to the Internet or a phone, it will be difficult to activate it normally.
Strictly speaking, neither the download nor the install of the Notifications is mandatory; the user can change their Automatic Update settings to allow them to choose what updates may be downloaded for installation. If the update is already downloaded, the user can choose not to accept the supplemental EULA provided for the Notifications. In both cases, the user can also request that the update not be presented again. Newer Critical Security Updates may still be installed with the update hidden. However this setting will only have effect on the existing version of Notifications, so it can appear again as a new version. In 2006, California resident Brian Johnson attempted to bring a
Default theme
Windows XP's default theme, Luna, was criticized by some users for its childish look.[22][23]
See also
- Criticism of Microsoft
- Criticism of Internet Explorer
- Criticism of Windows Vista
- Criticism of Windows 10
- Free Software Foundation anti-Windows campaigns
- Windows refund
References
- ^ Petreley, Nicholas (2004-10-22). "Security Report: Windows vs Linux | The Register". The Register. Retrieved 2010-01-31.
- ^ Leyden, John. "The strange decline of computer worms | Channel Register". Channel Register.
- ^ "Microsoft: Spyware could bungle SP2 update". USA Today. 2 September 2004. Retrieved 10 November 2013.
- ^ "Archived copy" (PDF). www.procompetition.org. Archived from the original (PDF) on 5 June 2001. Retrieved 13 January 2022.
{{cite web}}
: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link) - ^ "Archived copy" (PDF). www.procompetition.org. Archived from the original (PDF) on 3 October 2003. Retrieved 13 January 2022.
{{cite web}}
: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link) - ^ "News Briefs: May 26–31, 2001". Techlawjournal.com. May 31, 2001. Retrieved 2010-01-31.
- ^ Declan McCullagh (May 31, 2001). "MS Launches Counter PR Attack". Wired.com. Retrieved 2010-01-31.
- ^ David Kleinbard (June 28, 2000). "Oracle's Ellison rips into Bill Gates". money.cnn.com. CNN. Retrieved 2010-01-31.
- ^ Newsletter - June 5, 2001 Archived October 15, 2008, at the Wayback Machine Freedom To Innovate Network; Microsoft. June 5, 2001. Retrieved 2010-05-31.
- ^ Wilcox, Joe (July 11, 2001). "Microsoft changes Windows license terms | CNET News.com". News.com.com. Retrieved 2010-01-31.
- ^ "XPlite and 2000lite Uninstall Windows Components". Product info. Litepc.com. Retrieved 2010-01-31.
- ^ "nLite — Deployment Tool for the bootable Unattended Windows installation". Product info. Nliteos.com. Retrieved 2010-01-31.
- ^ "The "Shop for music online" link starts Internet Explorer instead of your default Web browser in Windows XP". Support.microsoft.com. Microsoft Inc. October 26, 2006. Retrieved 2010-01-31.
- ^ "Troubleshooting MS-DOS-based programs in Windows XP". Knowledge Base. Microsoft Product Support. Archived from the original on 2004-10-16.
This means that Windows does not support 16-bit programs that require unrestricted access to hardware. If your program requires this, your program will not work in Windows NT, Windows 2000, or Windows XP.
- ZDNet. Archived from the originalon October 11, 2007. Retrieved 2007-12-16.
- ^ Steve Reynolds (2007-10-04). "Internet Explorer 7 Update". Microsoft. Retrieved 2007-12-16.
- ^ a b "Description of the Windows Genuine Advantage Notifications application". Retrieved 2006-10-31.
- ^ "Description of the Windows Genuine Advantage Notifications application". Support.microsoft.com. 2010-07-02. Retrieved 2010-08-26.
- MSDN Blogs. 2006-09-29. Retrieved 2006-12-03.
- ^ "Lawsuit Labels Windows Genuine Advantage as Spyware". eWeek. 2006-07-29. Retrieved 2010-08-19.[permanent dead link]
- ^ "Microsoft wins Windows XP WGA lawsuit". Ars Technica. 2010-02-09. Retrieved 2010-08-19.
- PCWorld. IDG. Archived from the originalon 2009-10-08.
- ^ Bright, Peter (2014-04-10). "Memory lane: Before everyone loved Windows XP, they hated it". Ars Technica. Condé Nast. Archived from the original on 2014-04-24. Retrieved 2014-06-20.
External links
External videos | |
---|---|
![]() |