KB2839299_2003 derived fltMgr upgrade that it is not...

[modnar]

You can try it if you are frustrated with XP fltmgr that bogs down internet browsing with many mini-filters installed.

In KB2839229 for WinXP there are just kernel files, in KB2839229 for Win2003 there is also a fltmgr.sys, which is updated version build5107, from before build3959.
You can replace WinXP_SP3 build 5512 with this one, but ONLY fltmgr.sys (overwrite) and you preserve fltmgr service settings XP-factory.
Works well so far, without hitches.

I used Hiren's Boot CD to perform replacement in my XP_uSP4 (in my installation locations are: Windows/system32/drivers, Windows/ServicePackFiles/i386 and Windows/system32/dllcache).

UPDATE

The 2003 version still causes hitches which show the next day (after shutdown), no matter how many restarts I did the first day...

ReactOS also doesn't have a working version of fltmgr... For now I have restored XPSP3 fltmgr and put an empty place in GroupOrderList between the minifilters (e.g. A with tag=4, 5 none, B with tag=6).

Edited yesterday at 04:15 PM by modnar
Update

[Start Me Up]

I can't find much information on KB2839299. Do you have a little bit extra on what was changed in fltmgr.sys?

Edited Friday at 01:16 PM by Start Me Up

[user57]

if you want to give a installer to us you can make it by using this project file

installer.zip

you know about the kb-upgrades ? they are compressed like a zip file (Intrapackage Delta compression or IPD) - the most common unzip files like winzip, winrar, 7z can unpack this format

inside is useally a .inf file 

and that .inf file contains both the registry and the file entrys

typically they are easy to find because they useally come over this 2 entrys:

CopyFiles    = filesnumber1
AddReg       = regnumber1 

then somewhere is a string called filesnumber1 and there are the entrys

the same goes for regnumber1

 

 

so the common idea is to read out that information (what is stored in that .inf file) and combine more kb-upgrades in 1 upgrade - a problem with that is that this .inf engine is like a script its not very fast - so its not very good for many entry´s

so i came up with a own installer that can do the same thing (but many times faster, having full control of the code, dont need other things to be installed first)

 

so if you want to make us a file that install that fltmgr.sys you can make it with this project file - might be something for you

 

[Start Me Up]

6 hours ago, user57 said:

you know about the kb-upgrades ? they are compressed like a zip file (Intrapackage Delta compression or IPD) - the most common unzip files like winzip, winrar, 7z can unpack this format

They can also be extracted without third party tools:

1. open a command prompt (cmd.exe)
2. drag and drop the kb...exe into the command prompt window
3. add " -x" or " -c" (c with old updates, x with new updates) to add the command line parameter
4. hit [enter]

Edited yesterday at 01:20 PM by Start Me Up

[modnar]

On 12/19/2025 at 2:15 PM, Start Me Up said:

I can't find much information on KB2839299. Do you have a little bit extra on what was changed in fltmgr.sys?

In Win2003 only some security enhancements were added from b3959 to b5107; it was somehow possible to bypass it but with local access, not over internet from what I remember.

 

13 hours ago, user57 said:

if you want to give a installer to us you can make it by using this project file...

I have unpacked it using Universal Extractor.

While it is faster than XP's fltmgr, it seems like even with XP settings the 2003 one is again hitching...

The only way to make XP one better is to place it on Tag=4 as it was in XPSP2, but that setting is not secure - means that any false driver could render it useless when it gets installed in boot order in front of it (Tag=1)...

Update:

Windows really never ceases to surprise with strangeness. Apart from inserting empty place in GroupOrderList between 2 Tagged services (for the tag-less in the same group), I also reinstalled XPSP3 fltMgr right from Windows/ServicePackFiles/i386 (I use harkaz's USP4), so there are all 4 fltmgr files under there. I just right-clicked fltmgr.inf -> Install and restarted. System is much snappier now... Good; I'll take it. 

Edited 23 hours ago by modnar
Update

[MilkChan]

ESU also has this file that has been updated.
I'll probably try KB4493563 from Server 2003 because it's equivalent to WinXP POSReady 2009 Updates.

I might have to try it to see what the benefits are.

Because the latest file from ESU is at KB4512787.

[modnar]

5 hours ago, MilkChan said:

ESU also has this file that has been updated.
I'll probably try KB4493563 from Server 2003 because it's equivalent to WinXP POSReady 2009 Updates.

I might have to try it to see what the benefits are.

Because the latest file from ESU is at KB4512787.

Indeed. I have the KB4512788 (x86 for Win2003 Server); it contains fltmgr build 6912 and all 4 kernel HALs again and also kernel. This fltmgr works in XPSP3/uSP4, but hitches even more than 5107...

If this thing would work normally in XP, it is  a much better experience because it isn't maimed like the XPSP3_fltmgr_build5512 is. When it works, the system feels much more robust as WinNT always used to feel when coming from / dual booting 98 and NT4 and NT5. Now XP just because of this one very low level component feels like Windows 98. But hey, it's all we've got so it'll have to be enough until someone backports a proper fltmgr for it.

Edited 3 hours ago by modnar

[Multibooter]

On 12/20/2025 at 2:15 PM, modnar said:

While it is faster than XP's fltmgr, it seems like even with XP settings the 2003 one is again hitching...

I have not had any problems with fltmgr.sys build 5107.  fltmgr.sys build 5107 seems to work fine for me on my old Inspiron 7500 under WinXP SP3 + WinXP SP2 + Win2003 SP2

I have installed fltmgr.sys v5.2.379.5107, extracted from KB2839229, on an old Inspiron 7500 (Pentium III of the year 2001, 700MHz) two days ago, and EVERYTHING WORKS FINE , at least up to now. Mulitple operating systems are installed on the Inspiron 7500. I have installed fltmgr.sys build 5107 under Windows XP SP3 and under Windows Server 2003 on the Inspiron 7500.

I didnot install fltmgr.sys v5.2.379.5107 on my i7 desktop under WinXP SP3, because speed/efficiency is not an issue with the i7 desktop.

Windows XP SP3 and Windows Server 2003 SP2 feel MUCH crisper  on the old 700MHz Inspiron after having installed fltmgr.sys build 5107. Windows Explorer and New Moon,  for example, feel perceptably crisper. With the original fltmgr.sys, WinXP and Win2003 have felt like using a heavily fragmented HDD, with fltmgr.sys build 5107 it now feels like working with a freshly defragmented HDD.

I have subsequently installed fltmgr.sys build 5107 on another old Inspiron 7500 under WinXP SP2,  i.e. fltmgr.sys  build 5107 seems to work OK also under WinXP SP2.

Here some comments:
1) My old Inspiron 7500 has a single-core 700MHz Pentium III. WindowsServer2003-KB2839229-x86-ENU.exe also contains ntkrnlmp.exe (aka NT Kernel, Multi-Processor Version). Maybe fltmgr.sys build 5107 works OK with single-core CPUs, but not with dual core, quad core etc?
2) I have not made any special registry settings, e.g. GroupOrderList
3) WinXP SP3, WinXP2 and Win2003 used with fltmgr.sys build 5107 are installed on FAT32 partitions, not on NTFS partitions.
4) I did not use Hirens Boot CD etc for replacing fltmgr.sys. There are multiple operating systems on my Inspirons, with System Commander 9.04 as boot manager. The installation of fltmgr.sys build 5107 was made with a simple file copy under a different operating system, i.e. by booting into another operating system (e.g. Win2003), then renaming fltmgr.sys on the WinXP partition, then copying the new build 5107 to the WinXP partition and then rebooting back into WinXP.

Download and description page of KB2839229 for Win2003: https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/download/details.aspx?id=39169
Download link: https://download.microsoft.com/download/d/9/d/d9d3677c-e57f-4066-85b1-b7642fcaa1f1/WindowsServer2003-KB2839229-x86-ENU.exe

I have extracted WindowsServer2003-KB2839229-x86-ENU.exe with UniExtract (Koros) for getting fltmgr.sys v5.2.379.5107 contained in the .exe

Edited 1 hour ago by Multibooter