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Microsoft Windows

Microsoft hurts own market dominance - WPA, WGA

[ed. note: this was originally posted on 6/30/2006 09:21:00 AM]
There were stories going around about Microsoft having the ability to 'pull the plug' on XP installations if Windows Genuine Advantage (WGA) is not installed on a user's machine:

D-Link DWL-650 Drivers

D-Link DWL-650 Info and Drivers

Interesting article regarding an external
antenna for this card:

http://c0rtex.com/~will/antenna/
(older version archived here) http://www.guerrilla.net/reference/80211_mod/dwl-650_ext_antenna/

Alternative drivers for D-Link DWL-650 wireless network card may be located
at D-Link's UK site:

DLL Error: Illegal System DLL Relocation

Find and fix DLL errors

Having DLL problems in Windows XP or Vista? Check our DLL error repair guide.

If you are running Windows XP SP2 (including Media Center and Tablet Edition), and you have applied the Microsoft updates 925902 (MS07-017) and security update 928843 (MS07-008), and you are using Realtek audio components on your system, you may receive this error message when trying to use ElsterFormular, Realtek HD Audio Control Panel, TUGZip, and CD-Tag.

{application name} - Illegal System DLL Relocation

The system DLL user32.dll was relocated in memory. The application will not run properly. The relocation occurred because the DLL C:\Windows\System32\Hhctrl.ocx occupied an address range reserved for Windows system DLLs. The vendor supplying the DLL should be contacted for a new DLL.

Ask not for whom the bell tolls; it tolls for Windows XP!

It looks as if Windows XP's number is up. According to various reports, Microsoft will be pulling the rug out from under Windows XP by forcing manufacturers to stop selling machines with XP by the end of 2008.

DLL Error: esent.dll and wuauclt.exe - Access violations and other errors after user logs in

A friend had me check out his ailing Windows XP Home notebook computer last night. Every time he booted the computer, it would display an endless stream of error messages about wuauclt.exe having caused an access violation. This message would reappear every 30 seconds or so.

Microsoft has a hotfix (see 'related links', below) that is supposed to address this problem, but I was unable to install the hotfix - the system would display an error message saying that it could not verify the system configuration, and therefore could not install the hotfix.

Windows XP Themes

Windows XP supports look and feel customization using 'themes'. Themes are collections of settings and images that provide a complete appearance 'package' for your XP system.

When you select a new theme, Windows XP takes on a customized appearance that is controlled by the theme's settings and imagery. The customizations can include fonts, colors, desktop wallpaper, and other Windows XP visual styles elements. You can give your Windows XP system a completely unique look and feel.

Adware and spyware and how to remove them

An epidemic of uninvited guests

One of the recurring problems I encounter is spyware and adware. When helping home or other casual Windows users with performance problems on their Windows XP systems, I frequently encounter programs that have installed themselves without the users' knowledge - invariably, I hear "I have no idea how that got there."

Upon inspection, I often find a variety of 'hidden' program set to run when the computer is started. These unwelcome and uninvited guests pests bring a variety of problems with them, so it's always best to eliminate them from the computer whenever possible.

lsass.exe - what is it?

LSASS.exe (the 'LSA Shell') is part of the Windows security services, dealing mainly with local security policies. I've seen two major variants: the export version (weak crypto) and the domestic version, which is supposed to offer 128-bit encryption.

SysTrayScanCmd 0.0.9.2b released

Version 0.0.9.2.b (Beta) of the Windows shell tray scan utility is now available. This command-line utility provides a list of programs that have placed icons in the Windows shell tray, including the path to the executable file.

WinXP/IE6/Sendmail.dll

Updated: 2005.08.18
Added links to WFP info and tools

When you click the "Send a Link..." menu item in Internet Explorer 6, Outlook Express 6 attaches a .URL file, but doesn't insert a plain-text version of the link in your email message.

I don't know who thought that this was a good thing, but it is annoying.

Here's some info on how you might be able to fix it. (I had used these techniques on a pre-SP1 XP Pro installation, but there have been some changes since then, so please check the updates below.)

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