Blocking Windows Vulnerability improved responsiveness! at DVinfo.net

Don Blish · January 4th, 2006, 12:43 PM

This is really a WindowsXP wide issue. There is much talk today (Jan 4 2006) about an unpatched vulnerability when browsing by any image on the web that exploits the vulnerability (few so far). This has to do with the "metafile" viewer that pre-looks at files before showing to give a heads up to the operating system. In other words to make Windows mor MAC-like. A way to insulate yourself from it for now is to click "start", then "run" and type

regsrv32 /u shimgvw.dll

In other words, edit the registry to /uninstall that "image viewer". To reverse it and turn it back on just retype it without the /u.

Well! - for 5 years, on my old Windows2000 machine (512K ram), I frequently found the Windows filesystem explorer (right click "Start" then "explore") would crash when it "saw" "My Pictures" with 20 folders and over 7000 images (20gigs), all with long, descriptive filenames. After a crash I would get annoying popups for "shell notification error". My new XP machine (2gigs RAM) was less susiptible but the explorer appication could still crash that way. With that .dll now turned off, this annoying behavior is gone and everything associated with the filesystem viewer is more responsive. I have seen no downsides so far. The disc detector still suggests applications that might be applicable to a new disc, for instance. I, for one, will never turn this baby back on!

Graham Hickling · January 4th, 2006, 03:02 PM

Minor typo in the above - it should be:

regsvr32 /u shimgvw.dll

Graham Hickling · January 6th, 2006, 03:21 PM

Micro$oft has now released a proper patch.

Meanwhile, if you unregistered this .dll you've probably found that you no longer have thumbnails of images in your folders.

To get them back, run: regsvr32 shimgvw.dll

Don Blish · January 6th, 2006, 03:54 PM

Yes I saw MS relented and released the fix post-haste. As an old command line guy, I was forever turning off thumbnails to get "details" so that was actually OK by me. What isn't OK is that certain web features (seat selection on an airline web site) failed to work so there are times I'll still turn that .dll back on.

January 4th, 2006, 12:43 PM	#1
Don Blish Major Player Join Date: Oct 2003 Location: Portland OR Posts: 227	Blocking Windows Vulnerability improved responsiveness! This is really a WindowsXP wide issue. There is much talk today (Jan 4 2006) about an unpatched vulnerability when browsing by any image on the web that exploits the vulnerability (few so far). This has to do with the "metafile" viewer that pre-looks at files before showing to give a heads up to the operating system. In other words to make Windows mor MAC-like. A way to insulate yourself from it for now is to click "start", then "run" and type regsrv32 /u shimgvw.dll In other words, edit the registry to /uninstall that "image viewer". To reverse it and turn it back on just retype it without the /u. Well! - for 5 years, on my old Windows2000 machine (512K ram), I frequently found the Windows filesystem explorer (right click "Start" then "explore") would crash when it "saw" "My Pictures" with 20 folders and over 7000 images (20gigs), all with long, descriptive filenames. After a crash I would get annoying popups for "shell notification error". My new XP machine (2gigs RAM) was less susiptible but the explorer appication could still crash that way. With that .dll now turned off, this annoying behavior is gone and everything associated with the filesystem viewer is more responsive. I have seen no downsides so far. The disc detector still suggests applications that might be applicable to a new disc, for instance. I, for one, will never turn this baby back on!

January 6th, 2006, 03:54 PM	#4
Don Blish Major Player Join Date: Oct 2003 Location: Portland OR Posts: 227	Thanks for the heads up Yes I saw MS relented and released the fix post-haste. As an old command line guy, I was forever turning off thumbnails to get "details" so that was actually OK by me. What isn't OK is that certain web features (seat selection on an airline web site) failed to work so there are times I'll still turn that .dll back on.

January 4th, 2006, 03:02 PM	#2
Graham Hickling Trustee Join Date: May 2004 Location: Knoxville, Tennessee Posts: 1,669	Minor typo in the above - it should be: regsvr32 /u shimgvw.dll

January 6th, 2006, 03:21 PM	#3
Graham Hickling Trustee Join Date: May 2004 Location: Knoxville, Tennessee Posts: 1,669	Micro$oft has now released a proper patch. Meanwhile, if you unregistered this .dll you've probably found that you no longer have thumbnails of images in your folders. To get them back, run: regsvr32 shimgvw.dll