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Take Back Windows XP

(3/18/2004: It appears that the old BugNet site has been shut down. I've re-created these articles here because they are still useful, and people still come looking for them..)

While Windows XP has some definite advantages, it also comes with a number of features that most people view as annoyances -- some intrusive marketing, some "Big Brother" activity, and the like.

Some you can't avoid -- such as the Product Activation. However, many of these other annoyances can be turned off. I wrote a series of articles for BugNet describing many of them, that were all tested with the original RTM version of Windows XP.

The first is here
and talks about turning off the automatic updates. (It originally appeared at http://www.bugnet.com/analysis/0112/sftakingbackxp.html)

Then comes How to add Java
(Originally found at http://www.bugnet.com/analysis/0201/sftakingbackxp.html)

Windows Media Player -mind your own business
(Originally found at http://www.bugnet.com/analysis/0202/sftakebackxp.html)

Firewalls should work both ways
(Originally found at http://www.bugnet.com/analysis/0203/sftakebackxp.html)

Turn off Windows Messenger
(Originally found at http://www.bugnet.com/analysis/0205/takebackxp.html)