Software designed for Windows XP (and often suitable also for Windows 2K) but not for Windows 98

Sandboxie intercepts changes to both your files and registry settings, making it virtually impossible for any software to reach outside the sandbox.. Sandboxie can be installed on Windows XP, Windows 2003 Server and Windows 2000.
Some recent (2005) information week articles: System Setup Secrets For Windows XP Ten Ways To Make Windows XP Run Better Ten More Ways To Make Windows XP Run Better Make Windows XP Self-Maintaining Solving Automatic Maintenance Problems How To Save an Hour (Or More) On XP Installs A New Way To Slim Down Windows XP
Vitrite [Tweak Windows Transparency] (free) capitalizes upon an as yet little-used feature of Windows 2000 & XP - the ability to render individual windows with a 'see-thru' factor from 0% (total window invisibility) to 90% (minimal transparency)
Windows has a built-in feature called the "Windows Messenger Service." Now this is NOT to be confused with "Microsoft Messenger" or "MSN Messenger," Microsoft's free instant messaging program (a la AOL Instant Messenger, ICQ, or IRC.) *WINDOWS* Messenger Service is a way for mainframe and network administrators to broadcast an emergency text message to all users. The Windows Messenger Service is, by default, enabled in Windows NT, Windows 2000, Windows XP (Home and Professional), and Windows 2003. You could manually disable the Windows Messenger Service if you want or download the free "Shoot the Messenger" program.
Virtual CD Control Panel (Free from Microsoft) allows you to mount CD images (.ISO and others) as virtual CD-Rom drives in Windows XP, click on the "What are ISO image files and how do I use them?" question to show the answer. The link is at the bottom.
A site that is most useful if you're having troubles with Windows XP. There's also a list of the services that can be disabled
PE Builder (BETA) Microsoft only provides Windows PE to OEM and Enterprise customers. So the small companies and end users do not get Windows PE. PE Builder helps you build a bootable Window CD-Rom or DVD from Windows XP or Windows Server 2003 very suitable for PC maintenance tasks. It will give you a complete Win32 environment with network support, a graphical user interface and FAT/NTFS/CDFS filesystem support. Very handy for burn-in testing systems with no OS, rescuing files to a network share, virus scan and so on.
Outlook DLock v1.2.2 [287k] W2k/XP FREE {Unlock attached files} For Outlook 2002 (a.k.a. Outlook XP) to unlock attachments with the EXE and other file extensions. It may be OK with Outlook 2000 too
AdvancedRemoteInfo v0.6.2.4 beta [3.5M] W2k/XP FREE allows you to gather various bits of information about a remote Windows PC on the network. You can also interact with the remote machine and terminate processes, start/stop services, send messages and even uninstall software remotely. It also offers screenshot capture of the remote desktop, remote shutdown and batch operations to process multiple machines. iSoftware Sandra Lite 2007 SP1 Diagnostic Tool for Windows XP - Follow the download link to get the popular free download version of the professional Diagnostic Tool
Windows XP Command-line Tools and Troubleshooting Utilities {Webcast} This 1 hour and 36 minute Webcast covers the tools in Windows XP Professional as well as the support tools, and how they can be used. It assumes that you have introductory-level knowledge of the command shell, Cmd.exe, and how command-line tools work. WinXP comes with over 40 new tools for identifying and troubleshooting issues, as well as automating routine maintenance tasks. The PowerPoint presentation and Webcast transcript are available for downloading.
A resource for weekly Windows XP news is http://www.winxpnews.com/
KiXtart v4.21 [531k] W9x/2k/XP FREE {Logon script processor}for computers running in a Windows Networking environment. Can be used to display information, set environment variables, start programs, connect to network drives, read or edit the registry change the current drive and directory, read and write to .ini files, manipulate COM objects, and interact with WMI (Windows Management Instrumentation). Popular with LAN Manager network administrators. There are many discussion forums and an excellent help file available on the Web site.
Winfingerprint v0.5.7 [1.1M] W2k/XP FREE {Host/Network Enumeration Scanner} Winfingerprint is a Win32 Host/Network Enumeration Scanner that is capable of performing SMB, TCP, UDP, ICMP, RPC, and SNMP scans. Using SMB, Winfingerprint can enumerate OS, users, groups, SIDs, password policies, services, service packs and hotfixes, NetBIOS shares, transports, sessions, disks, security event log, and time of day in either an NT Domain or Active Directory environment.
Daisy 2 (free) - An intelligent auto-hotfix utility for Microsoft Windows 2000 and XP. It reviews your system for service pack and OS levels, determining what hotfixes the OS and applications need, and downloading and installing them in a correct and consistent manner
Magic Tags v0.5b [786k] WinXP (and others?) FREE {File renaming} Take the chore out of renaming files, especially a long list of them
UniqueDisplay v1.0 [47k] WXP FREE If you change your monitor resolution under Windows XP, it gets changed for every user on the computer. UniqueDisplay allows each user to have their own desktop resolution. The program supports multi-monitor configurations and fast user switching. There is no interface; the program installs to run automatically at startup. When you log in, it will automatically reset the resolution to your previous configuration; there is a small delay and your desktop items are still re-arranged, but at least you don't have to change the settings manually
Virtual Desktop Manager Powertoy v1.0 [550k] WinXP FREE Allows you to maintain up to four different desktops, each with its own applications and desktop wallpapers. It integrates into the taskbar and allows you to quickly switch between your virtual desktops
ISO Recorder PowerToy v1.0 [1.3M] WinXP FREE {CD-Recording user interface} Use the ISO Recorder Power Toy for CD-Recording of Windows XPr to record ISO images and copy a CD to another CD, a functionality not included with Windows XPr. Theutility doesn't record CDs; instead, it uses existing operating system features. Installation is different from the norm
"How do you know what you can safely disable, services-wise, in Windows XP?" Black Viper has done a great job of checking out all the services and writing a wonderful set of reports. There are installation guides for Red Hat 8.0 Linux, Windows ME/2000/XP/.NET, and he has also written a services guide for Windows 2000/XP along with a "tweak" guide for Windows XP
Correct File Isn't Installed When Chaining Multiple Hotfixes in WinNT/2K/XP download the updated version of the QChain.exe command-line tool. The tool allows system administrators to safely chain hotfixes together. This means the user can install multiple hotfixes without rebooting the computer between each hotfix installation
Fresh UI (free) is a fresh solution for configuring and optimizing Windows XP/2000/ NT/98/95/Me
You can customize the Places bar through registry changes. Two examples are here and here but the easiest way to manage and customize the Place Bar entries is through a download (Places.exe) available from Microsoft. Once you run Places.exe, it creates a bunch of files, but the only important one is Places.dll which you move to the windows\system directory. You then use Star/ run and type Regsvr32 windows\system\Places.dll Now Word and other applications have a new option on the Tool menu called Set Places from which you can add your own folder choices
FileLink v1.0.1 [300k] W2k/XP FREE {Give a single file multiple names} the data of the file will exist only once, but it is accessible in two directories using two different names. Changes to the contents of one file affect both. The disk drive must be formatted using NTFS 5 or higher.
Command Bar [100k] WinXP, Win2K FREE to launch a command window/dos box from Explorer with the 'Ctrl+M' key
IP Refresh v1.5.5 [2.6M] 2k/XP FREE A DHCP client diagnostic tool for Windows NT 4.0, 2000, and XP. It allows non-administrators to release and renew their IP address, using a graphical ipconfig interface with additional information relating to the DHCP Clients TCP/IP configuration, IP address, default gateway, subnet mask, MAC address, Primary and Secondary WINS and DNS. The program also displays whether or not a Windows 2000/XP client is configured to dynamically update DNS. Additional features include static address conflict detection, network disconnect also Service Packs, HotFixes and more. You also need to download this file to create a registration code that unlocks the former shareware limitations.
Network Probe v0.4 [4.3M] W2k/XP FREE {Network monitor and protocol analyzer} Provides an instant picture of the traffic situation on your network and enables you to monitor network traffic in real time, hunt down, identify, and isolate traffic problems and congestions on your network. Traffic is presented as a combination of tables and charts, giving detailed information about hosts and protocols, as well as an instant overview of the traffic situation on your network. All the information can be searched, sorted, and filtered by protocols, hosts, conversations, and network interfaces. You can view individual usage of specific protocols, how much traffic each user generates, and which sites on the Internet they visit. You'll also need Java 1.1.8 runtime or later installed, and a network card with promiscuous mode capability
"FixMBR" A simple way to restore the boot record in NTFS, much like the simple and nondestructive "FDISK /MBR" trick in DOS. This NTFS equivalent can be invoked from the Recovery Console to repair damage to the master boot record or for things like helping to remove lingering traces of unwanted dual-boot setups. You can find info on the Recovery Console in the XP Help system (all versions), or here
Creating a Boot Disk for an NTFS or FAT Partition - Microsoft Knowledge Base
"Windows XP Setup Boot Disks" is geared specifically towards booting a PC with the intent of installing XP from a CD - Microsoft Knowledge Base

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