MrMaguire

I tested Harkaz's fixed KB3013455 update on an XP install that already had the botched version from Microsoft. After a reboot the garbled fonts returned to normal.

Getting your head around the unofficial updates for Windows 2000 can be difficult. Above is a rough guide to unofficially updating a Windows 2000 Professional installation, from Tomasz86 on his website, http://www.windows2000.tk. You can find everything mentioned in the comment above in Tomasz86's download archive, which is a Google drive account linked from his website. A user of the unofficial Windows 2000 updates has been working on a guide to help people understand what everything is and what order it should be installed in, which should be ready at some point in the near future.

I meant they're mostly the same in the sense that they mostly fix the same reported bug, or implement the same security fix on both OSes. Of course the updates for Windows Server 2003 for example cannot be installed onto 32bit Windows XP.

The POSReady 2009 updates are - from what I can gather - mostly the same as Windows Server 2003's. I think the Windows updates mostly fix the exact same problem in every version of Windows that is supported, providing also that the OS is affected by the given problem.

Great, another update to block through WSUS.

Just stop installing updates? Sure, why not. I used XP Pro x64 for over 5 months after its EOL in April. I really didn't encounter any problems whatsoever, even compared to my XP Pro x86 installs which were receiving the POSReady 2009 updates every month. Not to mention using Windows 2000 4 years after its EOL. Generally speaking, if you know what you're doing, you don't need any safety nets, and if you're not experiencing any bugs, you're just exercising futility by installing someone else's updates.

It really sounds like you want to use your own choice of software, instead of what the computer was bundled with. If you have some way of restoring Windows 7 after the fact, why not just try it? It looks like the ThinkPad X201 has Windows XP drivers but not Windows 2000 drivers. You may be able to use those XP drivers on 2000, since I've never tried it, I don't know. Of course there are also the security risks to be considered that come with using an operating system that's no longer in extended support. Windows XP still gets what you might call support because you can trick Windows Update rather easily into thinking that it's Windows Embedded POS Ready 2009, which has extended support until 2019. If it's Windows 2000 that you want, there are ways of extending its usage so it works as a somewhat current operating system, but of course it hasn't received official security patches from Microsoft for almost five years now.

I think the Compaq Deskpro EN lacks a reset button, but that would have been ideal. As far as implementing the Windows 9x style "It is now safe to turn off your computer" message into Windows 2000. The Windows 2000 bitmaps are located in NTOSKRNL.EXE as separate components. The banner logo is separate from the window that has the actual message on it, and the blue background must be determined in some other way that I'm currently not aware of. Windows 98 SE on the other hand uses LOGOS.SYS in the C:\Windows directory. That sys file can be renamed to .bmp and opened to reveal the bitmap image. It's strange, the bitmap seems squashed inwards, just the same as the boot logo in LOGO.SYS and the shutdown logo in LOGOW.SYS. Anyway, my point is that to implement the Windows 9x bitmap into Windows 2000, some things would need to change. I'm thinking that references to the resources in NTOSKRNL.EXE would need to be changed somehow, perhaps in the registry, though I'm still not sure how the blue background can be changed.

submix8c, I hope your reply wasn't intended to sound as rude as it did.

Windows Server 2008 Standard shouldn't require KMS activation, only Datacenter I'm pretty sure. If this copy came from eBay I'd be wary of the possibly of it being counterfeit. The quality of fakes has definitely improved in recent years.

I know what you mean. Changing the look of that screen may or may not be straight forward. It will probably involve replacing resources in system files. As far as adding in the missing Ctrl-Alt-Del functionality, I'm not sure. I'm guessing that it works in Windows 95 because that screen runs in real mode, because it's basically DOS, as opposed to the protected mode that Windows 2000 would run in since it's NT based. That's just a guess though.

To setup an unofficially updated Windows 2000 machine, you need: - Unofficial Service Pack 5.1 - Update Rollup 2 (unofficial package) and - Unofficial Update Rollup (Which is a rolling release. Latest release: November 30th, 2014) Everything else available is either some variation of the same thing, or something that's not completely necessary to run for example the latest version of Firefox. There are things like the Group Policy Client Side Extension and the Windows Imaging Component that help with certain things, but aren't essential. I've been using Windows 2000 with unofficial updates for well over 6 months now. The only problems that I've encountered have been results of my own daring to mess with what isn't broken, certain expected incompatibilities and installing MS Office 2007 (It can be installed using the Chrome Tool, but don't, trust me ). Of course there are security risks to using an operating system that hasn't been updated properly in almost 5 years on the internet. But, if you're sensible, you should be okay, especially if you use an up-to-date browser, which is totally possible. As far as stability goes, I once had my unofficially updated Windows 2000 machine running 24/7 with no reboots for over a month, with constant daily usage (My main computer at the time). I only had to shut it down so I could physically move it. I really want to put together a comprehensive guide to the Unofficial Windows 2000 Update packages. So far I haven't made much progress. __________ I'd like to include this posting from tomasz86 on his website: ^ That really helped me when I was new at this. And yes, finding something specific on BlackWingCat's website can be a challenge. ___________ Oh and by the way, SSDs don't need to operate with the SATA controller in AHCI mode, it's just beneficial because of the bandwidth increase.

Have you ever looked at the logon screen in Windows Server 2003 R2 and thought "Wait a minute. Something looks a little bit off here." Well, you'd be right. In every version of Windows NT 5.x there are two banner bitmaps that are used on the logon screen. One used for the logon prompt, and the one used for the status messages between the differing stages of logging on. That is every version, except Server 2003 R2 (and also Windows XP Embedded, but anyway.). It looks like this: For some reason Microsoft just never bothered to make two bitmaps. But I did: See. Much better. Most of you will probably think that this is totally stupid and doesn't matter in the grand scheme of things. But for those of you that do think it matters, here are what you need. These registry values for Server 2003 R2 Standard Edition (only). Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\Winlogon\CustomBrand][HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\Winlogon\CustomBrand\{F20B21BE-5E3D-11d2-8789-68CB20524153}]@="r2brand.dll, -1001"[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\Winlogon\CustomBrand\{F20B21BF-5E3D-11d2-8789-68CB20524153}]@="r2brand.dll, -1002"[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\Winlogon\CustomBrand\{F20B21C0-5E3D-11d2-8789-68CB20524153}]@="r2brand.dll, -1010"[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\Winlogon\CustomBrand\{F20B21C1-5E3D-11d2-8789-68CB20524153}]@="r2brand.dll, -1011"And this modified version of "r2brand.dll" with the new added bitmap images. http://www.mediafire.com/download/786f3e33er8vao4/r2brand.dll Note: This is not for the x64 Editions of Windows Server 2003 R2. Replace r2brand.dll - through the Recovery Console or whatever method you have - first, then run the registry file. _______________________ For those of you not running Server 2003 R2 Standard Edition, you'll need to delve into the registry a little bit. Got to that part of the registry and you should find references to the same resource in r2brand.dll. The bottom two references are the banner for the logon prompt. One is a black and white basic image, and the other is the full colour version. (the one that needs to be changed). The full colour version that we need to change in this case is the 3rd one down in that list of four keys. Change the value in that key to the number that corresponds to your version of Server 2003 R2. Example: If you have Enterprise Edition, use 1013. If you have Datacenter Edition, use 1015. Reboot, and that should be that. Sooner or later I'll come up with a registry file that works on all three major releases of Server 2003 R2, and then maybe the x64 Editions.

Well, derp. This is what I get for being a lazy reader. Good news though: Even though this group policy setting is not present in Windows 2000, simply copying its registry value over to Windows 2000 will give the same result. I achieved that by entering "shutdown.exe -s -t 00" into the run prompt, as opposed to clicking shut down in the start menu.

There is a group policy setting for this in Windows XP with Service Pack 1 onward. I tried copying its registry value over to Windows 2000, and it didn't work. But it didn't work on XP either, maybe Virtual PC is to blame. Just in case you want it, here's the registry value from Windows XP: Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\Windows NT]"DontPowerOffAfterShutdown"=dword:00000001

I wouldn't say that Windows 2000 has ever been forgotten. The people that know about it and have used it before usually really like it and will always talk about it, the people that never used it way back when just think it's an old version of Windows, and the people that don't even know it exists of course have no opinion. I didn't know that Windows 2000 existed until I started using the internet on a regular basis in 2007. I suppose I never knowingly saw it because it looks a lot like Windows 95 or 98, so does NT 4.0 for that matter, and I wasn't aware that existed either until around the same time frame. I knew that Windows 95, 98 and Me existed because my friends, family and schools had it on their computers. I would say that the whole NT 5.x line was the best combination of reliability, stability, compatibility and featuring a sane user interface with welcome changes that Microsoft ever produced. I particularly like Windows XP because I feel that compared to Windows 2000, it's just a more improved experience.

Well, I've been busy. I've managed to add the toggles for the setting. Now I just need to actually link them to something. Anybody have any pointers for where to go from here? I've been looking in the registry and haven't found anything promising. Maybe some more system files need to be modified.

A couple of Unofficial Update Rollup users have noticed that the nightly builds of Firefox will install without using the Application Compatibility Launcher. I know there are registry values that can be added to Windows 2000 to negate the use of the Application Compatibility Launcher when installing Firefox. Have those been integrated into the most recent release of Unofficial Update Rollup?

There is no problem, other than the fact that Microsoft never bothered to implement any proper Wi-Fi configurator into Windows 2000. That's what I want to do. I've used Intel PRO/Set before on Windows 2000, and it has worked, but I just think it'll be a more pleasant and convenient experience with the software built into Windows. What doesn't support WPA2?

If you want to use Wi-Fi on Windows 2000, you have to use the configurator that comes bundled with your driver, like Intel PRO/Set for example. Trouble is, these configurators aren't always great, and seem to overcomplicate simple things, like having the system connected to its appropriate network by the time it reaches the logon screen at startup. I would like to be able to use the Wireless Zero configurator from Windows XP on Windows 2000. I'm not really sure where to start, but I think at least two services (Wireless Zero Configuration and NDIS Usermode I/O Protocol) need to be installed on Windows 2000 and probably some system files too. Has anyone else tried this before? A Google search didn't return anything related.

I hope that there someday will be a Service Pack 6 for Windows 2000. A more elegant and intuitive way of unofficially updating the operating system. With all of the official and unofficial components, some optional of course, not everybody has the same taste. Tomasz86 may be a busy man, but I feel like there has been a surge in the interest of unofficially updating Windows 2000 over the past year or so. Who knows what the future holds.

I solved the issue. I had to forcibly reinstall the Windows Update Agent, which then prompted Windows Update to install Microsoft Update again and now updates are working. The issue came about after upgrading to Windows XP from an unofficially updated Windows 2000 install.

I am again getting the same message (0x80248015) on my Windows XP laptop. I only have one computer with me right now, can anyone else confirm the same issue?

Thanks for the link. I downloaded those colour palettes, but I couldn't find an option in Fireworks MX 2004 to load them. I also tried GIMP and got to loading them, but when I did the bitmap remained completely blank.

Great success! I stitched together some registry exports from the install used in the first post. Now I have a .reg file that can change the theme to the Windows 2000 style classic theme in an instant! Here it is for anyone interested: Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00[HKEY_USERS\.DEFAULT\Control Panel\Colors]"ActiveBorder"="212 208 200""ActiveTitle"="10 36 106""AppWorkSpace"="128 128 128""Background"="58 110 165""ButtonAlternateFace"="181 181 181""ButtonDkShadow"="64 64 64""ButtonFace"="212 208 200""ButtonHilight"="255 255 255""ButtonLight"="212 208 200""ButtonShadow"="128 128 128""ButtonText"="0 0 0""GradientActiveTitle"="166 202 240""GradientInactiveTitle"="192 192 192""GrayText"="128 128 128""Hilight"="10 36 106""HilightText"="255 255 255""HotTrackingColor"="0 0 128""InactiveBorder"="212 208 200""InactiveTitle"="128 128 128""InactiveTitleText"="212 208 200""InfoText"="0 0 0""InfoWindow"="255 255 225""Menu"="212 208 200""MenuText"="0 0 0""Scrollbar"="212 208 200""TitleText"="255 255 255""Window"="255 255 255""WindowFrame"="0 0 0""WindowText"="0 0 0""MenuHilight"="49 106 197""MenuBar"="236 233 216"[HKEY_USERS\.DEFAULT\Control Panel\Desktop\WindowMetrics]"BorderWidth"="-15""CaptionFont"=hex:f5,ff,ff,ff,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,bc,02,00,00,\ 00,00,00,01,00,00,00,00,54,00,61,00,68,00,6f,00,6d,00,61,00,00,00,65,00,74,\ 00,20,00,4d,00,53,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,\ 00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00"CaptionHeight"="-270""CaptionWidth"="-270""IconFont"=hex:f5,ff,ff,ff,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,90,01,00,00,00,\ 00,00,01,00,00,00,00,54,00,61,00,68,00,6f,00,6d,00,61,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,\ 00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,4c,00,00,00,8b,00,00,00,8b,00,00,\ 00,01,00,00,00,f5,ff,ff,ff,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00"IconSpacing"="-1125""IconTitleWrap"="1""IconVerticalspacing"="-1125""MenuFont"=hex:f5,ff,ff,ff,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,90,01,00,00,00,\ 00,00,01,00,00,00,00,54,00,61,00,68,00,6f,00,6d,00,61,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,\ 00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,\ 00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00"MenuHeight"="-270""MenuWidth"="-270""MessageFont"=hex:f5,ff,ff,ff,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,90,01,00,00,\ 00,00,00,01,00,00,00,00,54,00,61,00,68,00,6f,00,6d,00,61,00,00,00,00,00,00,\ 00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,\ 00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00"ScrollHeight"="-240""ScrollWidth"="-240""Shell Icon BPP"="16""SmCaptionFont"=hex:f5,ff,ff,ff,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,bc,02,00,\ 00,00,00,00,01,00,00,00,00,54,00,61,00,68,00,6f,00,6d,00,61,00,00,00,00,00,\ 00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,\ 00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00"SmCaptionHeight"="-225""SmCaptionWidth"="-180""StatusFont"=hex:f5,ff,ff,ff,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,90,01,00,00,\ 00,00,00,01,00,00,00,00,54,00,61,00,68,00,6f,00,6d,00,61,00,00,00,00,00,00,\ 00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,\ 00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00"AppliedDPI"=dword:00000060"Shell Icon Size"="32""MinAnimate"="1"[HKEY_USERS\.DEFAULT\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\ThemeManager]"WCreatedUser"="1""LMVersion"="103""ThemeActive"="0"