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The five most infamous Windows default settings

With Service Pack 2, Microsoft tightened most of the default settings in Windows XP so that out of the box, you're not left insecure. But that doesn't mean there's not more tweaking to do. Check out the following five most infamous default settings and see if they apply to your Windows XP deployment.

Note: This article assumes that you're running Windows XP Service Pack 2. If you're not running that, please upgrade as soon as possible.

1. Simple file sharing is enabled. If you aren't a member of a Windows domain, requests for access to shared files are aggregated into the Guest account's security context. You're then opening up your files to almost anyone -- particularly if you're not running a firewall on your always-on Internet connection (if you're not, stop reading this now and go install one). To disable simple file sharing, click Start > My Computer > Tools > Folder Options. Select the View tab, go to Advanced Settings, clear the Use Simple File Sharing box and click Apply.

2. The Automatic Updates feature is disabled. Some administrators say that before you install potentially unstable or conflicting software updates, you should perform update testing. There is some truth and wisdom to that. For the vast majority of home users, home office machines and small and medium business deployments, though, the risk of operating unpatched during a massive security breach would be too great (versus some typically small compatibility problems) to do update testing before installing the updates. To turn Automatic Updates on, right-click on My Computer, select Properties and click the Automatic Updates tab to enable it. The five most infamous Windows default settings

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