It is possible that Microsoft has missed a marketing opportunity here, for the pirate environments created and spread the versions of Windows that is stripped of a lot, but that still may be used to most.



An example of such a stripped version, is MicroXP. The entire package, which has been published in several versions, are barely 100 megabytes. Already installed the operating system takes 205 megabytes on the hard disk. It claimed that it can be installed in 5.5 minutes in a virtual machine in VMware and that at the first start-up uses 39 megabytes of memory.

MicroXP is currently based on Windows XP SP3, but for the installation so small, is a lot of functionality been cut off. Much of this functionality is most relevant in corporate environments, but no one would find in the well to run a pirate edition that this work PC?

In an overview of what people can not do, it is established that MicroXP only supports a single user - Administrator. This is of course a security risk, but at the same time is known that most Windows XP users, at least in homes, using an account with full administrative privileges regardless.

Internet Explorer is gone, along with the integrated FTP support. This can be replaced by installing such as Firefox or Opera, also a dedicated FTP program. So you can remove the Service Application Layer Gateway that is always running and using memory.

Because most of Internet Explorer is gone, you can no longer use Windows Update. Many of the updates may be downloaded manually by using other browsers, but it is recommended that you do not, because the changes made to some system files in order to remove the second, as can be overwritten.

What little is left of IE, used by a very simple Web browser called Browzar. This is only included to show compiled HTML help files (CHM) and to download a more complete browser. In the documentation to MicroXP states that the operating system probably is not particularly safer to download updates from Microsoft, since so much of what could be a security risk, no matter has been removed in this version. The support for the storage of passwords is removed, but it would largely affected only IE and Outlook Express, which is also removed. Support for automatic playback of CD discs is stripped away, as are the scheduled execution of software such as antivirus scans. Moreover, support for Remote Desktop and themes taken away. The default setup for the desktop, thus making Windows Classic, but it will be possible to install Windowblinds, that is not based on the Theme service. In addition, the service that supports uninterrupted power supply removed.

More interesting is that what you actually can do.Stripping will not prevent the installation or execution of common software. There are however some applications that can not be installed. Among the programs to operate smoothly, the Office 2007. So far, all games that have been tested, have worked well, often with better performance than other Windows versions. MicroXP can be used to gain access to other computers on the same network, also about all the running MicroXP. It will also have support for digital cameras and scanners, but only via USB, not Firewire. The support for dial-up Internet is in place, and Adobe Flash is already installed. Windows Media Player is not included, but even the most current version can be downloaded because MicroXP supports Windows Genuine Advantage. There are also mentioned several other unofficial versions of Windows. TinyXP does not appear to be as compact, but offers more choices and additional drivers during the installation. TinyVista is a version of Windows Vista Ultimate Edition that will be stripped enough to run smoothly on machines with 256 megabytes of memory and Pentium 3 processor. I would not recommend anyone to use MicroXP or similar products. The purpose of the article is to explain that everything suggests that there is a need out there for such solutions, a need that Microsoft has not covered. The reason that I do not recommend the use of MicroXP, is first and foremost because MicroXP violate it with Microsoft's license terms, even if you use a valid license key with its Windows XP license. One can not know about it or those who have made this, have posted malicious code. Moreover, such large changes that this is talk could affect stability - though not necessarily in a negative direction.