Redundant MS Notification about XP EOS?

[RacerBG]

Microsoft is having a really hard time making XP go away. I see they attack it from all fronts, publishing advertisements about its end of life. My Windows Update has always been off, so I missed this one. Sadly, it seems to be working, because random people, who have no associations with MS, respond to me telling that the source of this or that problem I describe is the outdated OS.

Yay, I'm not the only one with turned off updates!

Now on topic: Windows XP have too large user base to die so quickly. Microsoft wants something that will not happen at least in the next 3 years when there will be newer hardware that clearly will refuse to install on XP, even on Vista. But still I believe that XP will remain there and in use because it is well working, light and good OS.

[Monroe]

I just have a simple batch file to turn "Automatic Updates" and "Background Intelligent Transfer Service (BITS)" on when I need to check the MS Update page and off (Disabled) for most of the month when not needed.

Last month I finally (after much tinkering for the last 8 months) have finally come up with a batch file for the "complete" Services list that seems to be perfect for my setup that has Automatic Updates and BITS Disabled ... and then I have the other batch file mentioned above to turn those two Services back on for a quick check.

I don't see why Windows XP can't continue to work for a very long time ... when I was still with Windows 98SE I spent several years hunting around for 98 software programs that I might need or want later and burned everything to DVDs ... fortunately a lot of these programs also worked on Windows XP and then after switching to XP, I started searching around for good XP software programs to also save on DVDs.

So if some nice programs do disappear down the road, but I don't think that is likely to happen anytime soon ... maybe 20 to 30 years from today there could be a problem with XP but I really do believe there will still be "pockets" of XP holdouts scattered around the world, many will have died off but the "young ones" of today will pick up gauntlet and carry it on till they finally die off and then only maybe will Windows XP finally be a "dead OS".

If you need a scanner or printer that works with XP then get one now or have a few put away if you are youngish and intend to stay with XP.

This is the time to prepare and put chips, hard drives, printers and whatever you think you might need someday ... software programs ... get it now just like people were doing with Windows 98SE.

It's going to be fun, this challenge ... if you get a chance to see the film "Cherry 2000" or have seen it ... remember in the future as high tech crumbled ... people were coming back to "toaster ovens" !!!

Cherry 2000 (1988)

http://www.amazon.com/Cherry-2000-Melanie-Griffith/dp/B0000542CA/ref=sr_1_1?s=movies-tv&ie=UTF8&qid=1394366770&sr=1-1&keywords=Cherry+2000

...

[dencorso]

Here's an InCtrl Installation Report for KB2934207 someone kindly posted on pastebin and some more info on xp_eos.exe, which PE Timestamp is 0x530D4A69 or Wed Feb 26, 2014 01:59:05 GMT and CRC-32 is 0x9B002121.

[Guest]

The likely relevant registry entries (in INF format):

; The entry Automatic Updates and Windows Update is most likely to check to determine that it's installed:HKLM,"SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\HotFix\KB2934207","Installed",0x10001,1; The entry that causes the reminder to run at next Windows restart:HKLM,"SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\RunOnce","XP_EOS",0x20000,"%11%\xp_eos.exe /r"

Edited March 10, 2014 by 5eraph

[Monroe]

Unless I don't quite understand what I am seeing but that little KB2934207 update notification makes all those changes to the registry. I never installed it but I had no idea that an MS update does all that to the registry ... I knew there were changes but nothing like that and all that for just a 504 KB download. I posted below from the link that dencorso posted earlier ... I stopped at the "Values added" ... too many to post.

Pastebin:

http://pastebin.com/bvmctrav

Keys added: 13

--------------

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Updates\Windows XP\SP4

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Updates\Windows XP\SP4\KB2934207

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Updates\Windows XP\SP4\KB2934207\Filelist

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Updates\Windows XP\SP4\KB2934207\Filelist\0

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Updates\Windows XP\SP4\KB2934207\Filelist\1

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Uninstall\KB2934207

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\HotFix\KB2934207

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\HotFix\KB2934207\File 1

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\ControlSet002\Control\Lsa\SspiCache\¼

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\ControlSet002\Control\Lsa\SspiCache\¼

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\ControlSet002\Control\Lsa\SspiCache\¼

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\ControlSet002\Services\Tcpip\Parameters\DNSRegisteredAdapters\H

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\ControlSet002\Services\WS2IFSL\G

Keys deleted: 4

---------------

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\ControlSet002\Control\Lsa\SspiCache\È

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\ControlSet002\Control\Lsa\SspiCache\È

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\ControlSet002\Control\Lsa\SspiCache\È

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\ControlSet002\Services\WS2IFSL\

Values added: 49

[...]

[Flasche]

Interesting I didn't know this update existed. My POS 2009 computer didn't get the update?

[bphlpt]

Well, since POS 2009 is not EOS, then it wouldn't get the update since it does not apply to POS 2009, right?

Cheers and Regards

[JorgeA]

But, what do I know. I'm just an old f&*t that quit their treadmill with 2K and moved on to a FOSS OS for the newer stuff.

If you don't mind my asking, what FOSS OS are you using? (Which flavor?)

--JorgeA

[Flasche]

Well, since POS 2009 is not EOS, then it wouldn't get the update since it does not apply to POS 2009, right?

Cheers and Regards

True, but what made it interesting (at least for me) is that POS 2009 is just a modified XP pro SP3, so I would guess I will get XP pro hot-fixes.

[submix8c]

Flasche - read this thread. POSReady is not a "full" OS and is an entirely different XP-based OS.

http://www.msfn.org/board/topic/157597-win-xp-past-apr-2014-was-will-xp-be-supported-until-2019/

Google

"pos 2009" site:msfn.org

It will say "no hits" but will give you several.

HTH

edit - and please note POSReady is more for (e.g.) Nightclub Cash Registers (yes, I have seen them in action). They're not going to throw them under the bus. Also note this - POSReady 2009 and not XP 2001.

Edited March 11, 2014 by submix8c

[bphlpt]

I'm sure you will get POS 2009 updates, but if the above is any indication, then you will probably not get other XP updates that MS believes do not apply to POS 2009. There might be ways to force them to be installed, but you would want to be sure they really apply.

Cheers and Regards

[bpalone]

But, what do I know. I'm just an old f&*t that quit their treadmill with 2K and moved on to a FOSS OS for the newer stuff.

If you don't mind my asking, what FOSS OS are you using? (Which flavor?)

--JorgeA

THIS IS OFF TOPIC

I am using (by all the young in crowds definitions) an ancient version of Ubuntu. I have everything working and tweaked to how I like it, so why do I need to update? I do however, get the message from various sites that my browser is outdated. To answer your question, Ubuntu 8.04 Hardy is my main OS with my 2K the secondary.

At this time, if I were to recommend a distro for someone making the move, I think it would be Mint with a MATE desktop. Probably a little less desktop shock than Gnome 3 or Unity. As you know, if you don't like the desktop you can change to whatever you like with just few clicks and a short bit of time. But, Mint is also an easy set up, as installing some codecs, etc is a one click affair now and other distros require you to root around a bit to get things to work.

Besides, I like my old hardware and Linux usually does a decent job of continuing to support it. After all, I think it was just last year that they dropped some old 386 specific code from the kernel (I might wrong, as it may of been 486).

bpalone

[Flasche]

Flasche - read this thread. POSReady is not a "full" OS and is an entirely different XP-based OS.

http://www.msfn.org/board/topic/157597-win-xp-past-apr-2014-was-will-xp-be-supported-until-2019/

Google

"pos 2009" site:msfn.org

It will say "no hits" but will give you several.

HTH

edit - and please note POSReady is more for (e.g.) Nightclub Cash Registers (yes, I have seen them in action). They're not going to throw them under the bus. Also note this - POSReady 2009 and not XP 2001.

Ok well I guess me and my cash register are good to go then . I have not had any limits on it yet, Though that would clarify why I did not get that ridiculous update. Thanks for your help submix.

[Flasche]

I'm sure you will get POS 2009 updates, but if the above is any indication, then you will probably not get other XP updates that MS believes do not apply to POS 2009. There might be ways to force them to be installed, but you would want to be sure they really apply.

Cheers and Regards

Thanks too, I'm really hoping I do get updates after xp eol... would be a waste of money if I didnt...

[JorgeA]

But, what do I know. I'm just an old f&*t that quit their treadmill with 2K and moved on to a FOSS OS for the newer stuff.

If you don't mind my asking, what FOSS OS are you using? (Which flavor?)

--JorgeA

THIS IS OFF TOPIC

I am using (by all the young in crowds definitions) an ancient version of Ubuntu. I have everything working and tweaked to how I like it, so why do I need to update? I do however, get the message from various sites that my browser is outdated. To answer your question, Ubuntu 8.04 Hardy is my main OS with my 2K the secondary.

At this time, if I were to recommend a distro for someone making the move, I think it would be Mint with a MATE desktop. Probably a little less desktop shock than Gnome 3 or Unity. As you know, if you don't like the desktop you can change to whatever you like with just few clicks and a short bit of time. But, Mint is also an easy set up, as installing some codecs, etc is a one click affair now and other distros require you to root around a bit to get things to work.

Besides, I like my old hardware and Linux usually does a decent job of continuing to support it. After all, I think it was just last year that they dropped some old 386 specific code from the kernel (I might wrong, as it may of been 486).

bpalone

This is how I'm bringing this back on-topic, more or less:

Thanks for the info. I note the age of your version of Ubuntu. People can complain about XP going EOS, but one thing that gives me pause about making the switch to Linux in the wake of the Windows 8 fiasco, is that the support cycle for Linux is even shorter (way shorter) than for almost any version of Windows. What the Linux folks call "long term" support is what, like three years? Compared to that, Microsoft does a vastly better job of continuing to support previous versions of its operating systems.

Talk about the upgrade treadmill... The first direct experience I had with this was last year when one day (on Patch Tuesday, as it happened) I went to get updates for Zorin OS 5.2 and the server seemed to have been shut down. That's when I first thought, "Uh-oh, if I change over to Linux but want to receive the latest security and functionality fixes, am I really going to have to re-do my PC from scratch every couple of years?? Gimme a break!" Heck, my Vista system has been supported for five years now (ever since I bought the computer, a couple of years into Vista's life) and even after all these moons the time remaining on its support is about the same as that of a Linux "L"TS.

I just did a Web search for Zorin OS and I see that they're already up to version 8. Sheesh.

--JorgeA

EDIT: typo

Edited March 11, 2014 by JorgeA