Mar 05, 2014, 01:48 am
Microsoft is going to discontinue support for Windows XP after April of this year. They have already ceased to release new definitions for Security Essentials, and XP cannot upgrade past IE8 and WMP 11. XP will still work; however Microsoft will not release any new security updates. Some websites are saying that XP is still good for running old programs and games, but that it shouldn't go online due to potential vulnerabilities. Others disagree, saying that older OSes are less vulnerable anyway due to dwindling market share (not too many "in the wild" viruses for Windows 3.1 or '95 or Macintosh System 6 anymore); still others say that just to be safe, you should try not to use the programs that MS "integrates" into the system, namely IE, WMP and Security Essentials. A way to make sure this doesn't happen at all is to remove their files from a clean disc image using nLite. In the "features" section (what you want to remove) you can remove things like the search dog animation, Windows Messenger, various control panel applets, the clean up your desktop icons wizard, etc. You can also remove IE and even Media Player (6.4) if you choose; it is possible to "slipstream" newer versions, up to IE8 and WMP 11, but with XP now being put out to pasture, there's debate on whether this is even worth it anymore.
My question is not so much about XP in general but about these "integrated" parts of the OS and people uploading XP editions to TPB. Are outdated versions of IE more prone to attacks, and since IE is so "integrated" as part of the operating system, does an attack on IE threaten the system? If so, should new XP uploads have IE removed with nLite, and an alternate browser like Firefox be "slipstreamed" into the image? Is Media Player vulnerable to attacks too, or as vulnerable as IE (if IE is in fact a risk)? Should both WMP and IE be removed in nLite, replaced by, say, Firefox and VLC? nLite says that removing IE from the image is safe; it's the "Internet Explorer Core Files" that shouldn't be touched because they provide a lot of other functionalities.
The famous MicroXP does not have IE, but includes a "portable" browser called Browzar that lets you go to mozilla.com or opera.com (etc.) and download another browser. AFAIK it does not come with WMP preinstalled, but it is possible to install it later. IE is pretty much disabled for good due to removal of a lot of other stuff. I'm just wondering if the MicroXP method is the "safer" method due to vulnerability of operating system core components, and what uploaders should do if they're thinking of uploading copies of XP now that the old favorite is nearing its last days of support. Should uploaders, and even people looking to install "Final April 2014" images of XP, get rid of IE and WMP completely in the image, or is it no big deal?
My question is not so much about XP in general but about these "integrated" parts of the OS and people uploading XP editions to TPB. Are outdated versions of IE more prone to attacks, and since IE is so "integrated" as part of the operating system, does an attack on IE threaten the system? If so, should new XP uploads have IE removed with nLite, and an alternate browser like Firefox be "slipstreamed" into the image? Is Media Player vulnerable to attacks too, or as vulnerable as IE (if IE is in fact a risk)? Should both WMP and IE be removed in nLite, replaced by, say, Firefox and VLC? nLite says that removing IE from the image is safe; it's the "Internet Explorer Core Files" that shouldn't be touched because they provide a lot of other functionalities.
The famous MicroXP does not have IE, but includes a "portable" browser called Browzar that lets you go to mozilla.com or opera.com (etc.) and download another browser. AFAIK it does not come with WMP preinstalled, but it is possible to install it later. IE is pretty much disabled for good due to removal of a lot of other stuff. I'm just wondering if the MicroXP method is the "safer" method due to vulnerability of operating system core components, and what uploaders should do if they're thinking of uploading copies of XP now that the old favorite is nearing its last days of support. Should uploaders, and even people looking to install "Final April 2014" images of XP, get rid of IE and WMP completely in the image, or is it no big deal?