About WinXP?

Hello Everyone ,
I read a post here some time ago about Microsoft's Hidden Files. I was a little taken back by it ( or should I say a bit scared by it). I tried on my computer what the article was speaking about but to no avail. It didn't seem to work on my computer. I am running WindowsXP. Now, we are in a time when the United States is under attack and Our Big Brother has to keep an eye on Everyone! Both from within and certainly from without. And if Microsoft had hidden files on our computers when we were at peace then what about now???? Call me paranoid or even a bit crazy but I like my privacy. Whats mine is mine and whats yours is yours...
I am presently using Ad-aware 6.0 professional, spy sweeper, spy-bot,system mechanic AND when I feel a little paranoid I might throw in disk cleaner
But what about Microsofts Hidden Files? Are there any on WinXP? Are there any files in WinXP, that I need to go and delete the contents? If there is, where and how do I do that?

Any paranoid or sane brain thought on this would be greatly appreciated.

 

ShowSuperHidden DWORD 1

I haven't heard of any surreptitious spyware The Company plants that the standard spyware cleaners can't find and destroy. Most of the MS phone-home stuff can be turned off without even using the spyware utils. Error-reporting and Auto-updating and such are easy to terminate if you want them terminated.

I think you're just thinking about Microsoft's basic switch that hides some of the potentially dangerous stuff from the novice. If you open Explorer and go to Tools>Folder Options>View tab, and UN-check "Hide Protected Operating System Files (Recommended)," along with the standard show-me-everything settings, that shd do it.

If you want to be sure that switch worked, in the registry go to HKCU/Software/Microsoft/Windows/Current Version/Explorer/Advanced, click Advanced, and in the right panel, make sure you see ShowSuperHidden with a DWORD value of 1.

If it shows a 0, right-click ShowSuperHidden, click Modify, and type 1 to replace the already blue-highlighted and ready 0. Then OK, and close the reg editor and reboot, to make the change take effect.

If it shows 1 already, close the reg editor and rest easy.

 

Hi HARVEY. Ok, so you obviously fit in with some of us paranoid people on this board. Yes, you all know who you are !! LOL If your using Ad-Aware, and have a good Anti-Virus program, and good PROPERLY CONFIGURED firewall, your probrably a lot safer than the majority of web-surfers. You may also want to get a file shredder program too. I use SuperShredder, and you can get it free on the web. Any "sensitive" things you want to get rid of, can be dropped in the shredder, which will overwrite the file many times, rendering it unrecoverable. But of course your best defense, is to always stay within the law with your "activities".