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razor1394
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Posts: 3571
Location: Sweden
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 Posted: Sun, 6th Feb 2005 10:27 Post subject: Windows XP myths |
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Myth (Definition) - A fiction or half-truth, especially one that forms part of an ideology. There are numerous Myths floating around the Internet regarding Windows XP, especially relating to Optimizations and Security. Hopefully this site will debunk some of these. |
| Quote: | RAM Optimizers/Defragmenters - Source
Myth - "Increasing the amount of available RAM improves performance."
Reality - "RAM Optimizers have no effect, and at worst, they seriously degrade performance. Although gaining more available memory might seem beneficial, it isn't. As RAM Optimizers force the available-memory counter up, they force other processes' data and code out of memory. Say that you're running Word, for example. As the optimizer forces the available-memory counter up, the text of open documents and the program code that was part of Word's working set before the optimization (and was therefore present in physical memory) must be reread from disk as you continue to edit your document. The act of allocating, then freeing a large amount of virtual memory might, as a conceivable side effect, lead to blocks of contiguous available memory. However, because virtual memory masks the layout of physical memory from processes, processes can't directly benefit from having virtual memory backed by contiguous physical memory. As processes execute and undergo working-set trimming and growth, their virtual-memory-to-physical-memory mappings will become fragmented despite the availability of contiguous memory."
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Interesting. It's very logical when you think about it, but I never noticed it. 
Source -> http://mywebpages.comcast.net/SupportCD/XPMyths.html
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nerrd
Posts: 3607
Location: Poland / USA
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| Posted: Sun, 6th Feb 2005 17:50 Post subject: |
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Myth: SP2 Is bad for you.
| Quote: | The newest version of Windows XP isn't perfect, but many IT administrators say they are generally happy with the changes, despite the hype about newly discovered flaws and its potential for breaking applications.
Overall, administrators and experts say XP Service Pack 2 is much improved, and they accept that there will be some difficulties, as there would be with any major piece of new software.
"We are happy for the stronger security," said George Defenbaugh, manager of global IT infrastructure projects at Amerada Hess Corp., the New York-based fuel company and refinery. "We know it will alter and break things, and we are not unhappy about it. It's just a matter of testing."
Defenbaugh said he isn't sure if the XP SP2 firewall is strong enough for his liking because it only blocks inbound traffic. By blocking outbound traffic, it could help prevent spyware from adhering to the desktop. Nevertheless, the company will roll out XP SP2 to a limited number of end users this year.
The early flaws don't bother Driggers. "We find them and we will find workarounds or get them fixed," he said. "With a product as big as [XP SP2], is it going to be perfect? Come on!"
Bill Arrington, a network administrator for Children's Hospital in Boston, said he too is in the early testing phase with some of his applications. Provided there aren't any major problems, the hospital will roll out the service pack to users in about a month. "Any service pack will have bugs," Arrington said. "By the time we roll it out, most of them will probably be caught.
But a virus can strike anytime, Arrington said, so he knows the importance of regular patching. Some workstations at the hospital were hit by the Blaster worm about a year ago, and for Arrington, it was an eye-opening experience. The servers were quickly patched using desktop management software.
"If there is a security risk, Microsoft has been timely about getting their patches out," Arrington said.
The XP SP2 package as a whole -- with the fixes and security improvements -- is a significant improvement, no question, said Microsoft security expert and author Brett Hill, of Boulder, Colo.
"There are some bumps in the road with something this ambitious on the part of Microsoft, but there is no way they can cover every possible circumstance," Hill said. "And it's a Catch-22 for them. If they are aggressive, they get nailed because it's not perfect, or they get nailed because they are not aggressive."
Hill said IT administrators should expect some glitches, but nothing beyond what they would normally encounter. "You can't hold this kind of update up to a standard of perfection," he said.
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http://searchwindowssecurity.techtarget.com/originalContent/0,289142,sid45_gci1002436,00.html
Old article but very fitting and true. There are always goona be some flaws with the new service packs, but if you just think about it, they really make sence and are necessary
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Mutantius
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Location: In Elektro looking for beans
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