Just publishing a short comprehensive guide I made on how to run Steam on Windows XP/Vista after 1 January 2019... (as opposed to reading the relevant chunks of the steam thread)

It's not very hard, as you only need to download THIS archive, and then extract it, and you will have a working steam.

On Windows XP at least you'll need to use ProxHTTPSProxy or a similar solution if you want to get game pictures/icons to load. ( Such as the version Heinoganda complied)

Note: With using ProxHTTPSProxy I've noticed that sometimes I need to click 'retry' a few times when logging in.

(Video version I made on YouTube)

Welcome to the club "Windows XP Spotter", a club which aims to collect pictures of running Windows XP (or XP based, like WES, WePOS, POSReady2009 and Server 2003) machines during these days. I'm gonna start:

London Victoria Station, Ground Floor, McDonald's uses Windows PosReady (XP-based) tills, but I didn't manage to get a pic of them (yet).

In the meantime, I got a supermarket (running XP):

And a friend of mine living in Italy, Ivo, sent me this:

Ok people, go out and conquer the world shoot pictures of running XP (or XP-based) machines.

Since there's not much info out there on the web unless you spend a considerable amount of time googling, I thought i'd post the solution so more people can find it quickly.

Update: The latest problem with activation affects both XP and Vista however it’s relatively easy to fix, you need to update your root Certificates (The same issue causes problems browsing the net too)

I have created a Batch script that will download and update the Root Certificates accordingly but it will be a couple of days before I can post it.

Below is the Original Fix I posted

Turns out it's exceedingly easy to restore Windows XP Online Activation

• Open the Start Menu
• Right Click on Internet and choose "Internet Properties"
• Goto the Advanced Tab
• Scroll down near the bottom to the Security Section and uncheck both:
• "Check for publisher's certificate revocation"
• "Check for server certificate revocation"

Now you can activate online as normal or use the "Windows XP Product Key Change Tool"

I would reccomend re-enabling both options afterwards even if you dont use Internet Exploder (which you REALLY REALLY should not be)
 

If you’re still having problems:

I highly recommend downloading the “Windows XP Product Key Change Tool” it’s an official Microsoft tool and you should be able to download it from majorgeeks worked in every other instance for me where the built in one didn’t. (And in think it also lets you use different type of keys from the media the OS was installed from, such as Retail on OEM and such)

Also make sure your clock is set correctly (A common source of TLS problems)

Original January 4, 2019 post title was "Update IE8 to TLS1.2 for (nearly) Last Skype 7.36.0.150 on Windows XP".  Update title changed May 1, 2019.   Readers wanting Skype-specific info should page or find down to the ORIGINAL INTRODUCTION. 

UPDATE INTRODUCTION:
This compiled procedure, Instructions To Add TLS1.2 To Windows XP OS & IE8, turns out to be useful for non-Skype purposes, and may now be obsolete for the intended purpose of running Windows XP Skype 7.36.0.150 (see posts below).  For convenience of other readers, I've reorganized the original post so that the procedure steps now start near the top.  I've also edited OS registry variations in steps 9A and 9B, made a change in step 11, and added a 12th procedure step, each helpfully noted by posters below.  

-----------------------------------------------------------------
INSTRUCTIONS TO ADD TLS1.2 TO WINDOWS XP OS & IE8  
              (Compiled from MSFN source posts credited)
-----------------------------------------------------------------

1) If not already updated, download and install Microsoft's updated Windows Installer 4.5 (KB942288-v3) from
https://download.microsoft.com/download/2/6/1/261fca42-22c0-4f91-9451-0e0f2e08356d/WindowsXP-KB942288-v3-x86.exe

2) Set a System Restore point marked, say, "Spoof POSReady ID registry edit"

3) Put the following POSReady spoof text (omit the hyphen lines) in POSReady.txt, rename to POSReady.reg, right-click Merge, Yes.
----------
Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\WPA\PosReady]
"Installed"=dword:00000001
                                                                                [<-- BLANK LINE]
                                                                                [<-- BLANK LINE]
----------

4) Navigate to:

https://www.catalog.update.microsoft.com/search.aspx?q=kb4019276

5) Find down to POSReady, Windows XP Embedded versions of KB4019276

Click Download button for that version. Click English in the opening language window (or other language).

6) Navigate to:

https://www.catalog.update.microsoft.com/search.aspx?q=KB4230450
 
7) Find down to POSReady, Windows XP Embedded versions of KB4230450:

Click Download button for that version. Click English in the opening language window (or other language).

8) For each KB file: click, accept install, reboot.  (Both create restore points just in case.)

9) Edit the following Windows XP registry entries in 9A and 9B to read as shown.  If you aren't sure how, look up Regedit 5 editor instructions.  For convenient automatic registry edit-merge, these lines may be pasted into Notepad text files, renamed .reg ,then just click the file after closing it (expect no response).  (But to be careful, I edited them manually with Regedit 5.)

9A) After navigating the chain of registry keys, click the key TLS1.1, in the right panel, right-click "OSVersion", click Modify, enter the Value data already shown (not sure why), click OK.  (I had to change "3.6.1.0.0" to "3.5.1.0.0" shown in obvious German in the source.) (EDIT: Other posters report below that if this key is absent, this step may be safely skipped.)
----------
[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\AdvancedOptions\CRYPTO\TLS1.1]
"OSVersion"="3.5.1.0.0"
----------

9B) Next click the key TLS1.2, in the right panel, right-click "OSVersion", click Modify, enter the Value data shown above, click OK.  (Likewise I had to change "3.6.1.0.0" to "3.5.1.0.0") (EDIT: Likewise, if missing, skip this step.)
----------
[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\AdvancedOptions\CRYPTO\TLS1.2]
"OSVersion"="3.5.1.0.0"
----------

10) Click Start, hover Control Panel, click Internet Options, Advanced tab, pull the thumb bar all the way down.  You should see new checkbox options for "Use TLS 1.1", "Use TLS 1.2". (KB4230450 will install these checkboxes, but they won't work without KB4019276.)

11) Check "Use TLS 1.2".  Leave unchecked "Use TLS 1.1" (already obsoleted by TLS 1.2; and, TLS 1.3 was approved in 2018).  (EDIT:) Leave checked "Use TLS 1.0".  Click OK.  The TLS 1.0's AES component is not insecure.  TLS 1.0 may best remain checked for legacy websites needing AES or 3DES.  (See explainers in posts below.) 

12) (EDIT:) The following registry edits disable TLS 1.0's insecure cipher suites: DES, RC2, RC4, plus the insecure MD5 cipher hash.  3DES may be disabled optionally, but legacy websites without AES may need 3DES (Triple DES).  TLS 1.0's secure cipher suite AES remains enabled, unchanged (no edit shown).  Edit the following registry entries to read as shown: 
----------
[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\SecurityProviders\SCHANNEL\Ciphers\DES 56/56]
"Enabled"=dword:00000000
[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\SecurityProviders\SCHANNEL\Ciphers\RC2 128/128]
"Enabled"=dword:00000000
[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\SecurityProviders\SCHANNEL\Ciphers\RC2 40/128]
"Enabled"=dword:00000000
[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\SecurityProviders\SCHANNEL\Ciphers\RC2 56/128]
"Enabled"=dword:00000000
[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\SecurityProviders\SCHANNEL\Ciphers\RC4 128/128]
"Enabled"=dword:00000000
[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\SecurityProviders\SCHANNEL\Ciphers\RC4 40/128]
"Enabled"=dword:00000000
[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\SecurityProviders\SCHANNEL\Ciphers\RC4 56/128]
"Enabled"=dword:00000000
[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\SecurityProviders\SCHANNEL\Hashes\MD5]
"Enabled"=dword:00000000
----------

You may need Triple DES (3DES) at websites which don't (yet) support AES.  Here is the optional edit (not yet recommended) to disable 3DES (0's mean Not "Enabled", equals Disabled):
----------
[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\SecurityProviders\SCHANNEL\Ciphers\Triple DES 168/168]
"Enabled"=dword:00000000
----------

The above registry edits (manual for transparency) are included in a larger set of one-click automatic edits in a download .reg file posted below. 

Pardon any source text compiling errors.  If you have problems, try reading the sources (long).  

Source posts credited:  
● https://msfn.org/board/topic/171814-posready-2009-updates-ported-to-windows-xp-sp3-enu/
POSReady 2009 updates ported to Windows XP SP3 ENU
By glnz, March 19, 2013 in Windows XP
● https://msfn.org/board/topic/177500-upgrading-ie8-to-tls-12/
Upgrading IE8 to TLS 1.2
By Thomas S., June 9, 2018 in Windows XP
● https://msfn.org/board/topic/178087-update-ie8-to-tls12-for-nearly-last-skype-7360150-on-windows-xp/
Update IE8 to TLS1.2 for (nearly) Last Skype 7.36.0.150 on Windows XP
By Mathwiz, January 4, 2019 in Windows XP

----------

ORIGINAL INTRODUCTION:

I'm posting a step-by-step fix to add TLS1.2 to IE8, so that Skype 7.36.0.150 (for a few months did) run on Windows XP-SP3.  (While 7.41.x.x may be actual "last" for WinXP, it may or not nag you to "update", requiring a separate fix or version downgrade.  My version 7.36 didn't get the nag, and 7.40 was also reported to lack the nag when it mattered before April 12.)   

I've compiled pieces of the fix puzzle I found elsewhere on MSFN, because the complete fix isn't obvious to WinXP Skypers searching from elsewhere on the web.  The fix isn't that difficult, but the usual warnings that novices should back up the registry before editing it, do apply.  The download KB file installs, and each set their own restore points.  I hope just setting a Restore point before starting the edit will be adequate.  

I haven't used my desktop PC WinXP-SP3 Skype (mostly chat) for months while the power supply was down.  Yesterday I fixed it.  To my surprise, Skype errored with "Sorry, we couldn't connect to Skype.  Please check your Internet connection and try again."  But the internet was ok.

Many Skypers aren't techies, and most of the posted complaints about  "Sorry, we couldn't connect to Skype", don't have a fix other than get a new OS like Win7, or use web Skype. 

For good reasons, we don't want to give up WinXP, at least as a backup to Win7 (or even Win8.1 for my keytablet).  I've thoroughly tested Win10, but I'm not interested in that control-freak bugfest.

One elsewhere-posted answer with no fix, helpfully explained that Skype had switched to using the more secure https encryption protocol TLS1.2.  Skype for WinXP uses the SSL/TLS protocols built into Internet Explorer 8, which is the last Internet Explorer version for WinXP.  IE8 normally has a maximum version of TLS1.0.  Skype servers apparently turned off insecure TLS 1.0 sometime after I had to quit using this Skype last year (2018).  So the fix is to add TLS1.2 to IE8, and it did work for me.  

At MSFN I found the bitter-end holdouts on WinXP, same website where I found the Win98 bitter-enders. (Btw, one poster at MSFN said the famous Windows OS bitter-ender AXCEL216 aka MDGx aka George, is still alive!).

One or more MSFN gurus noticed that Microsoft is still updating Windows XP embedded OS for computerized cash registers (etc.), a WinXP variant known as "POSReady" (POS= Point Of Sale).  They figured out how to spoof WinXP-SP3's identity, so that it will pose as, and accept POSReady updates, including those which to add TLS1.2 to IE8.  

(If still relevant to Skype readers, do the procedure above.  Even if another post-April 12 Skype for XP fix is found, this procedure will likely be needed as well.)

When I did this procedure (in January of 2019), the "we couldn't connect to Skype" error went away.  However, a new sub-login dialog appeared that only allows a Microsoft school or business account.  This dialog went away after I clicked on an existing chat account. 

(See new Skype 7 login obsolescence described in posts below, first reported elsewhere as of about April 12, 2019.)

I hope this helps.

Al

Special Thanks to Russian Guys of Driver Pack Team ,BlackWingCat, Four Finger,IVAN

Intel HD 4200\4400\4600\P4600\ P4700\5000\5100 Iris DRIVER ::

32BIT LINK :: http://drivers.drp.su/Video_Intel-XP/Intel/FORCED/5x86/Haswell_6.14.10.5445/Intel-FORCED-5x86-Haswell_6.14.10.5445-drp.exe

64BIT LINK :: http://drivers.drp.su/Video_Intel-XP/Intel/FORCED/5x64/Haswell_6.14.10.5445/Intel-FORCED-5x64-Haswell_6.14.10.5445-drp.exe

32Bit  Leaked :: https://web.archive.org/web/20131108095246/http://downloadmirror.intel.com/22875/a08/WinXP32.zip

Intel Skylake Graphics ::

Intel LAN Latest ::

32Bit :: http://drivers.drp.su/LAN_Intel/Intel/FORCED/5x86/OLD/Intel-FORCED-5x86-OLD-drp.exe

64Bit:: http://drivers.drp.su/LAN_Intel/Intel/FORCED/5x64/OLD/Intel-FORCED-5x64-OLD-drp.exe

Management Engine Interface ::

32bit::  http://drivers.drp.su/Chipset/Intel/WinAll/Chipset/9.4.0.1007_HECI/Intel-WinAll-Chipset-9.4.0.1007_HECI-drp.exe

intel(R) Display Audio

32Bit:: http://drivers.drp.su/Sounds_HDMI/Intel/FORCED/Audio/5x86/2807/Intel-FORCED-Audio-5x86-2807-drp.exe

Bluetooth Hands-free Audio Device

32bit :: http://drivers.drp.su/Bluetooth/CSR/Allx86/CSR-Allx86-drp.exe

Bluetooth Stereo Audio

http://drivers.drp.su/Bluetooth/CSR/Allx86/CSR-Allx86-drp.exe

More will be added soon

Please stay tuned

https://forums.malwarebytes.com/topic/233530-issues-with-112197/

My Problems:

https://www.wilderssecurity.com/threads/malwarebytes-anti-exploit.354641/page-152#post-2770670

So I've noticed an issue for the last few months.  I figure I'll run it past the usual suspects while I still have the chance.  My XP machine is a dual boot setup.  I usually run it in Linux Mint where I don't notice the problem.  However when I boot into XP on occasion it will have the wrong time by 7 hours in the future.  The timezone is setup correctly.  I've tried changing time servers and that does not appear to have helped.  I don't think it's the cmos battery as I haven't notice the problem while I'm in Linux.  After I do a re-sync with the Time Server it does get back on track.  Any ideas?

Which browsers are still actively supported? I mean security patches, not new features...

Hi folks!

Python (multi-platform programming language) officially dropped its support for Windows XP. Python programs are slightly different compared to other programs, because they are not compiled when you download them: they are just scripts. When you click on them, they will look for Python "assemblies" in order to quickly compile the program during the runtime. (It's not 100% true, but that's an over-simplyfied explanation). So... since Python dropped its support for XP, this meant a big issue for Python programs 'cause the old "assemblies" can't compile 3.5 scripts; that's why Python 3.5 Runtime Redistributable - Windows XP is here for you.

Please note that this is an unofficial Runtime Redistributable package. Extract it to "C" and rename it "Python35". The core and its dependencies have been compiled to run in Windows XP, but I have been able to test with a single program 'cause I don't have any other programs written for Python 3.5.

You'll find the official Python website screen and the backported version below.

Link

Can someone help me please

When Firefox crashes it doesn't restore my previous tabs open it , used to (wait a few seconds) , till i had to a fresh install

when it crashed and I reopened FF the restore box would come up, it doesn't anymore.

Even a normal close with FF set to remember my browse and tabs it doesnt it is greyed out and No history even thought it is set to

I have  sessionstore-backups folder with 2 files in

 there is no file(s) sessionstore.js  Recovery.js.Recovery.bak Previous.js  sessionstore.bak  sessionstore.bak in profile folder

I have closed FF & reopened, still no tabs & greyed out "Restore Previous Session". I closed FF again

is there any files I need or amendments to about config

thnx

EDIT..................

I have found a sessionstore.js in "some old profile folders although its not in others

can I copy the sessionstore from a old profile in to my new one

I wish to trace out changes in latest important  changes in latest chromium (security and rendering fixes) and apply on top of chromium 49 and recompile. 

Version number should be of latest one.

So my question is does chromium src code is available as tar.gz file? I can't download such a big repo.

First of all - I apologize if this post seems somehow "lazy", as all the information required for accomplishing the task mentioned in the title is surely covered in various threads on this subforum - but I feel there's a need for gathering all the info that's needed to activate and update WinXp (while it's still possible) in one place, in an up-to-date form.

As I understand it, the update servers for Windows XP are to be decommissioned in 19th of July this year, after which it's no longer possible to connect to Windows Update and download any updates. Therefore the last moments are at hand if one wants to preserve a fully updated Windows XP installation for future use. However, as it turns out, downloading updates from Windows Update is not so simple anymore, although not yet impossible (as far as I understand).

Firstly, connecting to Windows Update and downloading updates manually seems to require that the Windows installation used is activated (or so it did at least the last time I checked). But connecting to the activation servers appears to require support for the TLS 1.2 protocol, which is not supported by a fresh installation of WinXP SP3 (or even a fully updated installation with all the official updates up to April 2014). Furthermore, updating the root certificates seems to be needed, as reported in this thread by CyberAxe - is this still the current situation, i.e. does the workaround (disabling certificate revocation checking) no longer work?

Secondly, Windows Update in its current form is not (and hasn't been for a long time) compatible with the original version of IE8, thus the manual installation of certain updates is needed before one is even able to connect to Windows Update.

So, if I have a fresh install of Windows XP SP3 with only the original version of IE8 manually installed on it, which procedures I have to go through in order to be able to activate the OS and download all the updates that are available through Windows Update? Which hotfixes I have to manually install before being able to do so? If someone could write an up-to-date list of all the steps needed, I would be deeply grateful.

Many thanks in advance!

I'm getting reports, and also tested myself that Internet Games in Windows XP (and Windows ME) no longer can connect to the game server.
I've tested Windows 7 Internet Games and they seem to work fine.

Can any of you fine XP diehards here test if they are not working for you either?

Hi guys,

I know it is pretty useless to whine about things that are completely out of someone's control; but I am so p***ed that I needed to vent out.

I have not been using my Windows XP machine for some time now, ever since I found out that MS Office 2010 does not work anymore due to Microsoft's own cretinous updates. Back then I did not have the nerve and the patience to try to fix the issue and shelved the computer temporally.

A few days ago I decided to play some old game on it, and turned it on. Almost immediately it became clear that:

- Windows Defender's definitions cannot be updated any longer; I tried to update via the program itself, via the Microsoft Update, and manually - none of these worked.

- Adblock and AdblockPlus no longer work in Firefox 52.9.1 ESR. When I try to browse any site now on the Internets, I get flooded by such a river of spams and ads that it is practically useless.

- TeamViewer (11.0.xxxxx) drops the remote session to another computer after a few minutes, displaying some idiotic message that you have to update. Problem is, newer versions on TeamViewer are not compatible with Windows XP (at least I could not get it to work).

- Skype 7.36.0.150 does not work either.

All in all, there is concerted effort to forcefully make people give up on WinXP - even though it is perfectly usable OS for people who do not care for the latest software or like me play older games. Worse even, we are running out of alternatives to programs that are needed in WinXP but do not work any more. I just cannot understand one thing: nobody puts a gun to the head of Microsoft and their ilk and try to make them continue support for WinXP and programs running on it. Why can't they leave it at least working instead of shutting down almost everything related to this OS?

Greets.

On 5/6/2019 at 4:36 PM, win32 said:

Firefox 54 is the first multithreaded version

You can force "multiprocess mode" in FF 52 by creating the Boolean preference browser.tabs.remote.force-enable and setting it to true. (Also works in Serpent, BTW.)

This splits FF (or Serpent) into two processes. Not as good as Chrome, where each tab is a separate process, but it can still help.

Although this could go in the "browsers" thread, I didn't want this to get buried in the many pages of that thread.

After some detective work, I've located Firefox 52.9.1 ESR buried on Mozilla's servers and confirmed it works on Windows XP. The 52.9.0 version is dated 25-JUN-2018 while the 52.9.1 version is dated 06-SEP-2018.

The links are https://download-origin.cdn.mozilla.net/pub/firefox/tinderbox-builds/mozilla-esr52-win32/1536215521/firefox-52.9.1.en-US.win32.installer.exe and alternate link is https://archive.mozilla.org/pub/firefox/tinderbox-builds/mozilla-esr52-win32/1536215521/firefox-52.9.1.en-US.win32.installer.exe. I've also added it to my FTP: http://sdfox7.com/xp/sp3/EOL/firefox-52.9.1.en-US.win32.installer.exe

I'm not sure why Mozilla didn't make this release public, but ENJOY! Note that I don't use XP 64 bit but I would expect the same results.

I use Outlook 2010 as email client.

To get in contact with my email providers it is neccessary to have modern TLS protocols, TLS1.0 / SSL is no more supported.

And to solve this problem I use sTunnel (latest version for 32bit is 5.49).

The advantage of sTunnel is that the Windows certificate storage can be used, which greatly simplifies the configuration in this case.

So sTunnel only needs to be installed and activated as a service, as well as using this simple configuration (example of stunnel.conf):

debug = 4
engine = capi
options = NO_SSLv2
options = NO_SSLv3
options = NO_TLSv1

[gmx-pop3s]
client = yes
EngineID = capi
accept = localhost:xxxx
connect = pop.gmx.net:995

[gmx-smpts]
client = yes
EngineID = capi
accept = localhost:yyyy
connect = mail.gmx.net:465

In Outlook the local ports are set as default connection (server localhost and port POP xxxx / SMPT yyyy)

Thats all.

It works also for other email clients, so this may be a good advice for a configuration.

Hi All,

Just done a reinstall of XP and currently having an issue getting Windows Update to work. I’ve installed ie8, SP3, Windows Update Agent 3, ie8 cumulative update from last year, tls update and still I’m having no luck. 

IE tries to open the page then redirects to the KB article but just says page cannot be displayed.

Any help would be greatly appreciated and thankyou in advance

Private Search Engines - The Ultimate Guide (2019) recently updated by Sven Taylor elects Startpage as the best private search engine.

Quote

 

...Finding the best private search engine for your unique needs is a subjective process and there’s no one-size-fits-all, with many factors to consider. Ideally, a search engine would return great results while also respecting your privacy. Unfortunately, there is often a tradeoff here, so it really comes down to the user and what you determine works best for your situation.

That being said, Startpage earned the title of “best private search engine” for 2019, and we’ll explain why below....

 

https://restoreprivacy.com/private-search-engine/

Pale Moon default search engines do not include Startpage.
For those who want to add this search engine:

https://addons.palemoon.org/search-plugins/

With New Moon I choose to save my personal settings without a cookie.
I set the Homepage in New Moon via the Obfuscated URL

With I.E.8 it is not possible to use Startpage,I use DuckDuckGo.

Which Search Engine do you prefer?