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New Windows XP Support Deal Vetoed by Whitehall Technology Chiefs

In an amazing new twist to the seemingly endless death throws of Windows XP, it seems that someone in the corridors of power has managed to negotiate a contract with Microsoft to further extend support, and so prolong use in government departments.

Sales of Windows XP licenses to original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) ceased on June 30, 2008, although they continued for netbooks until October 2010. Extended support for Windows XP ended on April 8, 2014, after which the operating system ceased receiving further support or security updates to most users.

When the previous XP support arrangement was signed last year, the intention was to give 12 months breathing space for government users to move off XP. However, in a move that seems to be right out of an episode of Yes Minister, the Crown Commercial Service (CCS) had negotiated a contract with Microsoft to replace the one-year deal with a contract to support XP and Windows Server 2003, which reaches its end of life on 14 July 2015.

However, according to Computer Weekly sources, the proposed deal was put together without involvement from the Technology Leaders Network, the forum for government CTOs that governs Whitehall technology policy. Fortunately the Whitehall technology chiefs have vetoed new Windows XP support deal.

It is difficult to describe the continuing use of this ancient and venerable Operating System (OS) in government circles, without making reference to zombies, or the walking dead. Whether the metaphor refers to the Windows XP operating system, or the civil servants haunting the corridors of power, we will leave it to your imagination.

For more information on Microsoft and the Extended Windows XP Support see:

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Government Signs Deal to Extend Microsoft Windows XP Support

In a move that sends shivers down the spines of security and IT professionals across the country, the government has signed a deal with Microsoft to provide Windows XP support and security updates across the whole UK public sector for 12 months after regular support for the operating system ends on 8 April. The agreement is worth £5.548m, and covers critical and important security updates for Windows XP, Office 2003 and Exchange 2003, all of which have reached end of life in Microsoft’s normal product cycles.

While it is difficult to get any accurate figures for the numbers of Windows XP desktops which are still in use in government circles, approximately 800,000 PCs in the NHS still ran XP as of September 2013, and 27% of all desktops worldwide still run XP (Netmarketshare.com).

Perhaps some bold MP would like to ask Parliament why government users are still using using this outdated operating system. You could buy an awful lot of Linux support for £5.548m.

For more information on the Extended Microsoft Windows XP Support see:

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Maximum Size of a FAT-32 Partition

Have you ever wondered what the maximum size of a FAT-32 partition could be?

Do you have an external drive which needs to be accessed on different operating systems such as Windows and Mac OSX? Have you moved from Windows to Mac or Linux and find that you can no longer access the Windows (NTFS) drive you used for your media files? How about plugging your media library into the DVD or other player, but find that it can not read NTFS or one of the Linux formats? That means that you probably need to format your disk using FAT32.

FAT32 provides the maximum level of compatibility between OS X and Windows machines. OS X has the capability of reading and writing to FAT32 drives built into the OS, and naturally Windows can see these drives too. But what is the Maximum Size of a FAT-32 Partition?

According to Microsoft, when you use the FAT32 file system with Windows XP:

  • Clusters cannot be 64 kilobytes (KB) or larger. If clusters are 64 KB or larger, some programs (such as Setup programs) may incorrectly calculate disk space.
  • A FAT32 volume must contain a minimum of 65,527 clusters. You cannot increase the cluster size on a volume that uses the FAT32 file system so that it contains fewer than 65,527 clusters.
  • The maximum disk size is approximately 8 terabytes when you take into account the following variables: The maximum possible number of clusters on a FAT32 volume is 268,435,445, and there is a maximum of 32 KB per cluster, along with the space required for the file allocation table (FAT).
  • You cannot decrease the cluster size on a FAT32 volume so that the size of the FAT is larger than 16 megabytes (MB) minus 64 KB.
  • You cannot format a volume larger than 32 gigabytes (GB) in size using the FAT32 file system during the Windows XP installation process. Windows XP can mount and support FAT32 volumes larger than 32 GB (subject to the other limits), but you cannot create a FAT32 volume larger than 32 GB by using the Format tool during Setup.
  • You cannot create a file larger than (2^32)-1 bytes (this is one byte less than 4 GB) on a FAT32 partition.

Remember, the maximum file size on a FAT32 drive is 4GB. So if you have a file that’s larger than 4GB, you can not use FAT32. It is not uncommon for raw HD video files to be much larger than 4GB, particularly when recording live events. If you are planning to access such video files on both Windows and Mac OSX machines, do not have access to network connectivity and want to avoid third party add-ons, then download the files onto a Windows NTFS drive which a Mac will subsequently be able to access (read-only).

So according to Microsoft’s calculations above, the Maximum Size of a FAT-32 Partition is approximately 8 terabytes.

For additional information about the FAT32 file system, see the links below:

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McAfee Security Scan Problems

It was reported by one of our Windows XP users that they were getting a message from McAfee Security Scan® with a request to Check My Security Status. As we protect all of our Windows PCs using McAfee, this message was not out of place, and the user clicked Scan Now. The alarm bells started when the Security Scan reported that there was no anti-virus software installed, which just is not true.

A cursory glance (right click on the Shield in the system tools) shows that VirusScan Enterprise was alive and well on his machine, and the consol showed that the last auto-update was successful. Initial attempts to uninstall the unwanted program using Control Panel, Add or Remove Programs were unsuccessful. Googling the phrase How do I get rid of McAfee Security Scan turned up several suggestions involving booting into Safe Mode or installing anti-malware programs. There were also several suggestions that McAfee Security Scan is downloaded with an update to Adobe Reader, which our user had recently installed.

This is the removal method which worked for us:

  • Run msconfig using the Start, Run dialoge
  • When msconfig has loaded, click on the Startup tab
  • Find the entry for McAfee Security Scan, and uncheck the box
  • Then click on Apply

This will prevent the application from reloading next time you start up. Next you need to uninstall the application:

  • Call up Windows Task Manager
  • Click on the Applications tab
  • Click on McAfee Security Scan then click the End Task button
  • Fire up Control Panel then double click Add or Remove Programs
  • Wait a minute and McAfee Security Scan will relaunch and appear again in Task Manager, just like malware!
  • In Task Manager, click McAfee Security Scan, then End Task again
  • In Control Panel, immediately click Change for McAfee Security Scan, then Remove

If you have found this program installing itself without your conscious intent or consent we suggest that you voice your disapproval to Adobe. If enough people post their disapproval of this forced installation of annoying software to Adobe, they might just change their policy.

To any Adobe directors reading this, let me be the first to admit that you market some brilliant software, which is a credit to your company. Why risk your excellent corporate image with this offensive and shoddy software installation tactic?

For anyone else who is installing or upgrading Adobe Flash or Reader, take special note that there is an optional McAfee Scan listed in the installation that must be unchecked if you do not want to install McAfee Security Scan.