Resouce Guides

The Secrets of Sysvol | Migrating Group Policy

2008-07-15T10:10:43Z

You already know that Windows Server 2008 brings a lot of changes. You've probably heard about the product's Read Only Domain Controllers (RODCs), Server Core and fine-grained password policies. There's another factor that almost no one seems to know about: Server 2008 replaces a vital piece of Active Directory. This change is along the lines of replacing the engine in your car as you're driving 70 miles per hour down the highway: If done badly, it could shut down Group Policies and negate your log-on scripts.

]]> You've worked so hard to get every security setting configured into a Group Policy. Don't let replicating those changes from one domain controller (DC) to another be your downfall. There's a special folder that contains your Group Policy settings, default profiles and log-on/log-off/startup/shutdown scripts. This folder is created and shared when you successfully promote a member server to a DC by running DCPromo: it's called Sysvol.

There should be a Sysvol folder on every DC. When a user logs on to a computer that's a member of a domain, their Group Policy settings, profiles and scripts are downloaded locally from a DC's Sysvol folder. It makes sense that all DCs need to have the exact same Sysvol content. If something changes on one DC (usually the PDC Emulator), you need to copy, or "replicate," those changes to all other DCs.

In the past, we had no choice. The engine that replicated Sysvol was the File Replication Service (FRS). Any network admin who has had the pleasure of troubleshooting morphed files and folders or journal wraps can attest to the fact that FRS's replication of Sysvol leaves a lot to be desired. Server 2008 finally offers a new replication engine option: Distributed File System Replication (DFSR). DFSR was first introduced in Windows Server 2003 R2 but could only replicate Distributed File System Namespaces (DFSNs). Sysvol was still a slave to FRS. Here, I'll explain the process to migrate from FRS to DFSR for your Sysvol replication step-by-step.

Before the Migration

To begin with, my environment is a Windows Server 2003 SP1/R2 domain named Bigfirm.com (migration from FRS to DFSR is performed at the domain level). Bigfirm.com contains two DCs named FRSRIP (PDC Emulator) and DC2. I like to run the migration process from the FSMO role holder of the PDC Emulator.

So, from the PDC Emulator put in the Server 2008 DVD, go to a command prompt, change the drive letter to your Server 2008 DVD, change directories to the \Sources\Adprep folder and run Adprep /forestprep. Next you'll need to raise the domain functional level to Server 2003 if it's not already there. To raise the domain functional level to Server 2003, open Active Directory Domains and Trusts, right-click your domain name and choose Raise Domain Functional Level. You should see an appropriate dialog box after that.

Starting from the top: my domain name is Bigfirm.com. The current domain functional level is Windows 2000 Mixed (yours might be Windows 2000 Native). In the "select an available domain functional level" drop-down list, choose Windows Server 2003 and click the Raise button. Next, from the Server 2008 DVD's Sources\Adprep folder run Adprep /domainprep from a command prompt as I did earlier with the forestprep switch. Then upgrade the PDC and all DCs to Server 2008. Last, you can raise the Domain Functional level to Server 2008 (just like you raised it to Server 2003).

Before you begin your migration, I highly recommend that you test Sysvol replication to ensure it's working properly. FRSDiag is a free tool you can download from Microsoft's download site. This tool lets you perform a propagation test, which will create a brand-new file in Sysvol and track its replication progress so you can see if any DCs are currently having replication issues. To perform a propagation test using FRSDiag, click on the Tools menu and choose "Propagation File Tracer."

If your Sysvol is healthy and replicating throughout your domain, make a backup of Sysvol. However, I prefer the idea of taking a DC that's current with AD and doing Sysvol replication completely offline, physically unplugging it from the network. I like this approach just in case I need to quickly get it back up and running. This doesn't have to be a physical machine; it can be a virtual machine (VM). VMware Inc. makes it a snap to put a VM on a custom subnet so it can't talk to any other machines that are not also on the same subnet. At this point you should place Sysvol in a lockdown state. There should be no changes that occur in Sysvol until the migration is complete. I'll explain why a little later.

Migration

Before we get into the actual migration process, I'd like to give you a 10,000-foot view of what's supposed to happen at each step along the way. I like to call these steps stages, while Microsoft calls them states. First, you should know there are two different types of stages/states: Stable states and Transitional states. The stable states mark the big milestones of the migration process, where the Transitional stages can be viewed as the "working processes" that take you from one stable state to the next. Again, I can explain the states and what happens in each. The tool used for migration is a command-line utility called DFSRMig.exe and can be found on a Server 2008's Windows\System32 folder.

All DCs begin at state 0. State 0 means that all DCs are currently replicating the SYSVOL folder using the FRS. Microsoft recommends running the DFSRMig.exe utility on the PDC Emulator. To kick off the migration process on the PDC Emulator, open a command prompt and type the following:

  Dfsrmig /SetGlobalState 1

You should see the following output:

  Current DFSR global state: 'Start'
  New DFSR global state: 'Prepared'

Migration will proceed to 'Prepared' state. DFSR service will copy the contents of Sysvol to SYSVOL_DFSR folder.

If any DC is unable to start migration, try manual polling, or Run with option /CreateGlobalObjects. Migration can take anywhere from 15 minutes to one hour to start.

Succeeded

The DFSRMig commands are not case-sensitive, so dfsrmig /setglobalstate 1 would have worked as well. State 1 is called the Prepared state, but to get to state 1, Transitional states 4 (T4) and 5 (T5) must be performed. What do they do? T4 creates a new object in Active Directory Users and Computers (ADUC) that will be used for DFSR replication of Sysvol (very similar to the File Replication Service object that exists for FRS). The new object is named DFSR-GlobalSettings and can be found in the System container; you'll need to click the View menu and choose Advanced features to see the System Container and it's contents. T5 creates a new folder in the Windows folder named SYSVOL_DFSR; you can see this in Windows Explorer. Then, robocopy runs the following command:

  ROBOCOPY c:\Windows\Sysvol\Domain
  c:\WindowsSysvol_DFSR\Domain /Copyall /MIR /B /R:0
  /XD "Do_Not_Remove_NtFrs_PreInstall_Directory" 
  "DfsrPrivate" "NtFrs_Prexisting__See_Eventlog" 
  "NTFRS_CMD_FILE_MOVE_ROOT" /XF 
  "DO_NOT_REMOVE_NtFrs_PreInstall_Directory" 
  "DfsrPrivate" "NtFrs_PreExisting__See_Eventlog" 
  "NTFRS_CMD_FILE_MOVE_ROOT"

This copies the Sysvol and domain folders from the Sysvol folder to the new SYSVOL_DFSR folder.

The object created in ADUC called DFSR-GlobalSettings contains an attribute named msflags. The object DFSR-GlobalSettings will replicate from one DC to another until all DCs have the object. Then, the msflags attribute is set based on what state the migration process is in at the time. To begin with, the msflags attribute will be set to 16. So if you brought up a new DC in the middle of migration -- though this is not recommended -- the fact that this msflags attribute is set to 16 would tell DFSRMig to begin the migration process. Sometimes you may have one DC that's taking to long to get to state 1, like my DC named DC2. I'll need to move it along a bit by forcing AD replication (to get the DFSR-GlobalSettings object) and then force dfsrdiag to read the AD object. To force replication, you'll use the repadmin command-line utility, which looks like this:

  Repadmin /replicate destinationDC 
  sourceDC domain components

So, my sourceDC that I know contains the DFSR-GlobalSettings is FRSRIP and the DC that's taking too long to begin the migration process is DC2, which will be the destinationDC for the DFSR-GlobalSettings object. Here's an example:

  Repadmin /Replicate DC2 
  FRSRIP dc=bigfirm,dc=com

To tell dfsrdiag to read the AD object, I would type the following from a command prompt:

  C:\ dfsrdiag pollad

If this doesn't work, then you'll have to manually create the SYSVOL_DFSR folder in the Windows folder -- the same folder as the existing Sysvol -- and run the robocopy command to populate the SYSVOL_DFSR folder.

The log file that tracks the migration process can be found in the Windows\Debug folder. It's named DfsrMig_###.Log through however many log files there are. On my system at this point I had three: DfsrMig_001.Log.gz, DfsrMig_002.Log.gz and DfsrMig_003.Log.

The extension of .gz shows that once a file is full it's compressed using Gzip. You can check to see if all your DCs have reached the prepared state by typing the following command at the command prompt; I always do it on the PDC Emulator:

  Dfsrmig /GetMigrationState

You should get a listing of all DCs and the state they're currently in. In the following output I have two DCs, FRSRIP (PDC Emulator) and DC2:

  The following Domain Controllers are not in 
  sync with Global state ('Prepared'):
  Domain Controller (Local Migration State) - DC Type
  ===========================================
  DC2 ('Start') - Writable DC
  FRSRIP ('Waiting For Initial Sync') - Primary DC
  Migration has not yet reached a consistent state 
  on all Domain Controllers.
  State information might be stale due to AD latency.

If you're tracking things through event viewer you should see the following events in the DFS Replication event log:

  Event ID 8000: The DFSR global settings have
  been created. 
  Event ID 8008: SYSVOL migration global state is set 
  to 'Prepared' the current local state is 'Start'.  
  Event ID 8010: DFSR will now create the 
  SYSVOL_DFSR folder, and objects in the local AD.
  Event ID 8012: DFSR has successfully created the 
  SYSVOL_DFSR folder. 
  Event ID 8008: DFSR has started the transition 
  to global state 'Prepared'.
  Event ID 1210: DFSR successfully set up an RPC listener 
  for incoming replication requests. 
  Event ID 6804: DFSR has detected no connections 
  configured for replication group Domain System
  Volume. No data is being replicated for this replication group. 
  And the Replication Group and 
  Member ID GUIDs 
  Event ID 4112: DFSR initialized the replicated folder
   at local path C:\WINDOWS\SYSVOL_DFSR\domain. 
  This member is the designated primary member for 
  this replicated folder.
  -	SYSVOL Share 
  -	Replicated Folder ID: GUID 
  -	Domain System Volume 
  -	Replication Group ID: GUID 
  -	Member ID: GUID

The Re-Directed State

When you type DFSRMig /getmigrationstate at a command prompt and receive the following message, migration has reached a consistent state on all DCs:

  All Domain Controllers have migrated successfully 
  to Global state ('Prepared').

You're ready to move onto the Re-Directed state. The purpose of this state is to direct the old Sysvol share to the new SYSVOL_DFSR folder. To do that, Transitional state 6 (T6) runs. T6 edits the registry key HKLM\System\CurrentControlSet\Services\Netlogon\Parameters and sets the SysvolReady key to False, then the Sysvol path is changed to \WINDOWS\SYSVOL_DFSR\sysvol.

Then the SysvolReady key is set to True and you're back in business, but now your Netlogon and Sysvol shares point to the new directory. If you go to a command prompt after this completes and type C:\ Net share, then you should see the following paths for your Netlogon and SYSVOL shares:

  Netlogon = Windows\SYSVOL_DFSR\sysvol\DomainName\SCRIPTS
  SYSVOL = Windows\SYSVOL_DFSR\sysvol

If you're following the progress in the event logs you should see the following events in the DFS Replication event log:

  Event ID 8008: The SYSVOL migration global state is 
  set to 'Redirected' and the current local 
  state is 'Prepared'. 
  Event ID 8015: Starting the process of redirecting 
  replication of the Sysvol share on DC FRSRIP. NTFRS 
  will continue to replicate the Sysvol share located at 
  C:\WINDOWS\SYSVOL until the local state
   transitions to 'REDIRECTED'. 
  Event ID 8017:  DC FRSRIP has successfully migrated
  to the 'REDIRECTED' state. DFSR is replicating 
  SYSVOL_DFSR folder located at 
  C:\WINDOWS\SYSVOL_DFSR. 
  TO CONTINUE MIGRATION: If you choose to continue
  the migration process and proceed to the 
  'ELIMINATED' state, it will not be possible to revert
  the migration process. The Sysvol folder located at 
  C:\WINDOWS\SYSVOL will be deleted.

At this point the old Sysvol folder is being replicated using FRS -- it isn't shared anymore, but that's no problem for FRS -- and the new SYSVOL_DFSR folder is being replicated with DFSR. Remember that long and ugly robocopy command that ran in T5? Well, if someone were to edit a log-in script, or anything else, that lives in the old Sysvol folder, those changes would never get copied to the new SYSVOL_DFSR folder. This is the reason you want Sysvol to be in lockdown. Of course, when you have many admins, there's always the chance that someone will edit something in the old Sysvol folder and then be very surprised when they can't get the changes to work.

At this stage, if you were to edit a Group Policy by launching GPMC.msc, you'd now be connected to the new SYSVOL_DFSR share. To prevent people from making changes in the wrong folder you can move to the last state -- called the Eliminated state -- but beware, there's no rolling back from this state.

In the Eliminated state Transitional state 7 (T7) runs. T7 actually deletes the old Windows\SYSVOL folder. FRS continues to run, just in case you have some distributed file systems that are being replicated with FRS.

Oops, I Changed My Mind

Microsoft has built in rollback capabilities to the migration process in case you change your mind. For example, if you had migrated to state 1 you could go back to state 0 by typing:

  dfsrmig /setglobalstate 0

If you had completed migration to state 2 you could rollback to state 1 by typing:

  dfsrmig /setglobalstate 1

But if you migrated to the Eliminated state, the old SYSVOL is gone and there's no rollback procedure for this. You should be fully committed to DFSR replicating SYSVOL before you go to state 3. Once state 3 is complete you'll see the following four events in the DFS Replication event log:

  Event ID 8008: The SYSVOL migration global state is 
  set to 'Eliminated' and the current local state is 
  'Redirected'. 
  Event ID 8018: DFSR will now migrate the DC 
  FRSRIP to the 'ELIMINATED' state. Please note that 
  there is no going back. DFSR will now proceed to 
  delete the SYSVOL share located 
  at C:\WINDOWS\SYSVOL. DFSR will also delete 
  the local Active Directory objects corresponding to 
  NTFRS and the NTFRS member object for the 
  Domain Controller FRSRIP. The NTFRS service will 
  also no longer depend on the NTDS service. 
  Additional Information: 
  Sysvol NTFRS folder: C:\WINDOWS\SYSVOL 
  Domain Controller: FRSRIP
  Event ID 8004: The NTFRS member object for the 
  Read-only Domain Controller FRSRIP was deleted 
  successfully.

I'm not exactly sure why I got the 8004 event. This DC was a read/write DC, not a read-only DC, so if you get one as well, know that it's probably OK.

  Event ID 8019: DFSR has successfully migrated the DC
  FRSRIP to the 'ELIMINATED' state. DFSR migration for 
  the Domain Controller FRSRIP is now complete.

There are certainly many more questions that need to be answered about SYSVOL and DFSR. These questions include: Now that DFSR is replicating Sysvol, how often does it happen? What kind of control do you have over Sysvol's replication? Can you change the schedule of how often replication occurs? What sort of control do you have over how much network bandwidth Sysvol's replication uses? What monitoring tools are currently available that can give you the entire picture of Sysvol's health in your domain?

These are questions to be answered in future articles. But if you're one of the admins who has been waiting for FRS to be replaced, it's time to rejoice. DFSR is a much more scalable and robust replication engine than FRS ever dreamed of being.

Vista SP1: Dissected

2008-06-24T09:07:39Z

When John Duggan installed the much-anticipated first Service Pack (SP) for Windows Vista on his laptop, he had no idea what a long ride he was in for.

"It felt like it took forever," says the frustrated account manager from New Jersey. Duggan's frustration is shared by many others, most of whom would have welcomed the experience of having the installation taking forever. Many got an endless parade of blue screens, system restart loops and missing drivers.

]]> SP1 is one hefty package. The 32-bit version weighs in at 434.5MB. The 64-bit version is a whopping 726.5MB. This first update for Microsoft's latest and beleaguered operating system promises to address key feedback from customers -- in five languages, no less.

The first install screen might just break your spirit right off the bat. It says, "The installation might take an hour or more. Your computer will restart several times during installation." That raised an eyebrow, and brought up several questions. I can install Vista in less than an hour. Why will this update take me so long? Why is it so large?

This is what many Vista users who have already installed SP1 have also pondered. Clearly, there are concerns that SP1 is not worth the trouble. Is that the case, or do the enhancement ends justify the frustrating installation means?

When I first downloaded Vista SP1, it seemed as if all the rumors were true. I could hear the voices of angry beta testers echoing in my mind, saying: "Don't do it." While not a panacea for all the complaints about Vista, SP1 certainly addresses most of the major concerns the user community has raised. Performance and reliability are two of the biggest issues SP1 addresses, and it does so fairly well. Overall, I believe it delivers on stabilizing Vista, and makes it more "enterprise-worthy" and ready to deploy for those organizations that invariably wait for that first Service Pack, despite the wait you may experience when you install SP1.

Take Your Pick
As is usually the case, there's more than one way to deploy SP1 to Vista desktops. The "easiest" way -- according to Microsoft -- is to let Windows Update automatically download and install SP1. In this case, Windows Update will only download and apply the files your system needs. This lightens the bandwidth load, especially when compared to the full download.

Oddly enough, if you go with Windows Update, you'll come across a strange situation. Although Microsoft has released SP1-and it is widely available-the update Web site says, "It could take a month before SP1 shows up on your PC, so please be patient." Upon checking Windows Update on my personal system, it informed me it had one important update to install. It must have been important. It said it would be anywhere from 65MB to 427MB.

To give the deployment process a thorough test-drive, I decided to go both "new school" and "old school." I took one system and went with Windows Update. For the other system, I pulled the file down the old-fashioned way through the Microsoft Download Center. That definitely gave my broadband connection a workout.

This is a valid way to deploy SP1 on a network that's running Systems Management Server, Windows Server Update Services (WSUS) server, System Center Essentials or System Center Configuration Manager 2007. Both deployment methods took about the same amount of time and both worked just fine. I didn't encounter any blue screens or anything else that stalled the process.

That's not to say that others aren't having their share of issues with SP1. You know it must have caused quite a stir because Microsoft is offering free support to SP1 users. Brandon LeBlanc, a manager at Microsoft, announced "free support to anyone who is having issues installing Windows Vista SP1." The SP1 support site provides e-mail, online chat and telephone support. You can get "unlimited installation and compatibility support [at] no charge until March 18, 2009," according to the Microsoft Web site.

There's yet another method called "integrated installation." This puts SP1 right onto the newest Vista installation DVDs. The deployment guide called this a "slipstream installation" that will install the operating system and SP1 simultaneously. It's impossible to uninstall the Service Pack if you use this method.

There's another caveat to those with existing deployable WIM images they plan to use for deployments. You can't slipstream SP1 directly into your deployment image. The reason for this is that the servicing layer in Vista, which also allows updates to occur smoothly, is being updated as well. So you'll have to install the new ISO or DVD to a system, perform your customization and re-capture the image.

Another thing worth noting is that if you've been working with the Windows Automated Installation Kit (WAIK), you're going to want to pick up the latest version that supports SP1 and Server 2008.

SP1 Under the Hood
Many have said-or blogged or twittered, to use the current vernacular -- that SP1 is nothing more than hot-fix rollups and function updates. That is indeed true. SP1 includes all the fixes Microsoft has come up with since Vista was released to manufacturing (RTM). It's actually quite helpful to have one-stop-shopping for fixes. Many administrators wait for a Service Pack so they can update en masse, rather than work with Windows Update, WSUS or a third-party update tool.

Microsoft also made it quite clear that SP1 isn't intended to deliver substantial new features, but rather to improve existing features that have a negative impact on customers. For a list of all the hotfixes and security updates included in Vista SP1, click here.

The feature improvements are essentially grouped into three sections: Quality Improvements, Emerging Hardware, and Standards and Infrastructure Optimization. You'll find the documentation that comes with SP1 may seem cryptic at first, and it uses the word "ecosystem" a few too many times, but there are changes to the code that:

Prevent data loss when ejecting NTFS file system-formatted removable media
Provide better reliability and performance when entering and resuming from Sleep mode
Now include Encrypting File System (EFS) files in backup solutions

Most of the enhancements won't even be visible to users. They should, however, notice improved performance. But that's not always something you can put your finger on and say, "See that? That happened a few seconds faster with SP1."

Microsoft listened to its customers' complaints and responded by tweaking performance in these areas:

Local file copying on the same disk is improved by 25 percent, copying files from a remote non-SP1 system to your SP1 system is improved by 45 percent, and from an SP1 system to your SP1 system is improved by 50 percent.
The progress estimation window will appear faster-within two seconds.
The time to start the Event Viewer is now reduced by 75 percent.
Battery life is improved by reducing CPU load and screen redrawing.

Vista's speed, or more accurately its lack thereof, has been a common complaint since its release. Therefore, any performance improvements will be welcomed. Of course, one of the biggest performance problems we've seen these days comes from insufficient memory in systems running Vista. While the minimum requirement doesn't call for 2GB or higher, Vista is a memory hog and memory is cheap these days. The cost is slight when compared to the benefits.

For those of you struggling to handle Vista on your machines, SP1 won't be a panacea. Benchmark tests have varied -- depending on the personal agenda and relative skill level of those conducting the benchmark -- but Vista clearly won't perform as well as XP on comparable hardware. On the other hand, why should it be noticeably faster? You're running a new, more powerful OS that naturally requires more powerful hardware.

But Wait, There's More
There are a handful of significant network and security enhancements included within SP1:

BitLocker can now encrypt more than just the C: drive. You can add a PIN to a USB key if you use this method of storing your encryption key. If you use a Trusted Platform Module (TPM) chip, you can add an additional key and store it on a USB drive with a PIN.
There are some IPv6 changes that correct a problem with IPSec and Network Discovery.
There's additional support for stronger cryptographic algorithms used in IPSec, such as Secure Hash Algorithm (SHA)-256, Advanced Encryption Standard-Galois/ Counter Mode (AES-GCM) and AES-Galois Message Authentication Code (AES-GMAC) for Encapsulating Security Payload (ESP). It also supports Authentication Header (AH), Elliptic Curve Digital Signature Algorithm (ECDSA), SHA-384 for Internet Key Exchange (IKE) and Authenticated Internet Protocol (AuthIP).
The Network Access Protection (NAP) is updated to work better with Windows Server 2008 so it can find Health Registration Authority (HRA) servers through DNS SRV records.
You can now run the Key Management Service (KMS) within a virtual machine.
There are some changes to the way Vista works with Terminal Services. SP1 addresses the problem with printing to local printers from a 2008 Terminal Services session. Security is also improved, as .RDP files can now be signed.

Stealth Improvements
There are some less obvious, but still useful changes with SP1 that you may or may not even notice without having them pointed out. For example, you can now easily control the volumes on which you want to run Disk Defragmenter -- though, in truth, you could perform this from the command line prior to SP1.

Donna Tardugno, a wedding videographer in New York, recently purchased a laptop with 4GB of RAM. She was shocked to see only 3GB showing up in the System properties. She wasn't the only one frustrated by "missing" RAM. Apparently, this is a limitation in the way the 32-bit version of Vista handles memory (the 64-bit version doesn't have this issue). It's no longer an issue, as SP1 fixes the problem and shows you the full amount of memory in your system.

To better work with emerging hardware standards, there's a new file system called the Extended File Allocation Table (exFAT). This is similar to FAT32, but it supports file sizes larger than 4GB and can partition and format volumes larger than 32GB. There are also unique icons for Blu-Ray and HD-DVD drives, though that doesn't seem to be much of an issue as Blu-Ray is now taking over the DVD market.

If you're a Group Policy admin, you'll be surprised -- if not shocked -- to find that Microsoft has removed the Group Policy Management Console (GPMC) from SP1. That may seem odd, but it's actually a good thing. You'll need to download Microsoft Remote Server Administration Tools, which is an updated version of the GPMC. Microsoft changed tools because they needed Group Policy to work better with the recently released Windows Server 2008.

This may not matter as much to you, but there are updates on the entertainment side of Vista, as well. There are changes to the Windows Media Center, like new extender support for digital television and networked DVD players. There's also an enhancement for the MPEG-2 decoder that permits greater content protection and lets Vista broadcast that content out over networks. Direct 3D gets an update to 10.1 to enhance video game support for new hardware. There's also support for network projectors to support "custom projector" or non-standard resolutions.

There's actually a lot more to SP1. We presented the larger, more interesting changes here, but you can drill down to the smallest detail by checking out the Vista TechCenter here.

Is SP1 Worth It?
If you install SP1 and all goes smoothly and you have no issues, no blue screens and no infinite loops -- as many are reporting -- consider yourself lucky. The features described here and the myriad of changes that come with SP1 are certainly worthwhile. That being said, there have been many complaints along the way. Blue screens, missing drivers, installation hassles and the like are causing many to question their decision to go for SP1. Who's to say if it's worth it or not? You are -- let us know what you think of SP1.

Tips to boost Windows Vista performance

2008-05-27T10:46:03Z

Windows Vista is packed with cool eye candy, handy new features, and improved security. But all this comes at a price -- and many new Vista users are paying that price in the form of decreased performance as compared to Windows XP. Performance issues are the most common complaint I hear from readers who've just installed Vista or bought a new Vista machine, and my own experience shows that the concerns are valid.

]]> Vista Ultimate runs great on my primary desktop computer, a fast Dell XPS with 4 GB of RAM. No noticeable performance problems there. So I expected the same when I bought a new laptop. I loved my little Sony TX model with XP, so I looked to replace it with an almost identical model running Vista Business Edition. It came with 1 GB of RAM (the XP machine has 512 MB), which I thought would be enough. However, I noticed from the beginning that the new computer took minutes to boot up instead of seconds, and running more than a couple of applications at a time slowed things down to an unacceptable level. Running Vista became the hurry up and wait experience that I'd heard about from other users.

I bought another 512 MB of RAM for it, maxing out its memory capacity, and got a 4GB USB drive optimized for ReadyBoost. All that helped some, but it was still significantly slower than its XP counterpart.

That's when I went looking for more ways to improve the performance of my laptop. Here's a look at some of the things that worked -- and some that didn't.

Turn off the bling

One obvious way to make Vista run more like XP is to, well, make Vista more like XP. Turning off the fancy Aero interface, turning off the sidebar, and otherwise disabling the features that make Vista look and feel unique will help speed up performance. But for most of us, that's not exactly the solution we were looking for.

Identify your bottlenecks

The first step in fixing a problem is to find out exactly what's broken. Vista includes a number of tools that help you pinpoint the cause of performance problems.

Performance Monitor

Vista, like its business-oriented predecessors (XP Professional, Windows 2000, and NT Workstation), includes a performance monitoring tool that allows you to do detailed monitoring of various counters relating to both software and hardware components.You'll find the tool under a new name, Reliability And Performance Monitor, on the Administrative Tools menu in Control Panel. The screen above shows the Performance Monitor, monitoring percentage Processor Time and Memory Pages/Second.

The Performance Monitor is a great tool for IT pros, but it may be a bit daunting for the average user. Luckily, Vista has a simpler way for you to know, at a glance, which of your hardware components may be bottlenecks when it comes to running Aero.

Performance Information And Tools

A new feature in Vista is the Performance Information And Tools control panel, which analyzes your computer's hardware components and assigns a rating known as the Windows Experience Index (WEI) score. Your processor, RAM, graphics capabilities (separately rated for Aero and for gaming/3D), and primary hard disk are each rated individually. The lowest score determines your overall WEI score.

Possible scores range from 1.0 to 5.9. Generally, a computer needs a base WEI of 3.0 or better to satisfactorily run Aero and other advanced features. To find out your WEI, click Start | Control Panel | Performance Information And Tools.

Running this tool showed me why using Vista on my laptop was such a different experience from using it on my desktop. As shown in the screenshots, the desktop machine's hardware rated a 5.1.

Whereas the laptop scored a measly 2.0.

As you can see, the RAM scores fine now, with 1.5 GB of memory, and the hard disk isn't the problem, either. Even the processor is close to the 3.0 threshold. But the graphics adapter in the laptop is not up to the task of running Aero.

That leads me to this question: Why is Sony selling these systems with Vista Business installed if they won't run the interface properly? But that doesn't help with the immediate problem: How can I make this computer work acceptably and benefit from at least some of Vista's new features?

The Performance Information And Tools interface makes it easy for you to tweak several components that can affect Vista performance. These options are shown in the Tasks pane on the left side of the window. Some performance tweaks you can do from this interface include:

Managing startup programs to help Vista load more quickly
Adjusting visual effects to help Vista perform better if you have an inadequate video card
Adjusting other advanced settings that affect performance, such as processor allocation and paging file location and size
Adjusting indexing options to prevent indexing from using up too many resources and thus slowing other applications
Adjusting power settings to balance performance needs with energy conservation needs
Cleaning up the hard disk so Vista can access data stored there more quickly
Using advanced tools, such as the disk defragmenter, task manager, system information tool, event logs, and Reliability And Performance Monitor to diagnose performance problems and fix them

Manage startup programs

The more programs you have loading when the computer boots up, the longer it will take for the operating system to be ready to use. You can cut down on startup time by eliminating from startup those programs you don't really need to run every time you start the computer.

Clicking the Manage Startup Programs selection in Performance Information And Tools will open the Windows Defender Software Explorer, as shown.

You can scroll through the list to see all the programs that run at startup. The right pane displays a great deal of information about the selected program, including its filename, display name, description, publisher, digital signature information, startup value, path, file size, version number, the date it was installed, startup type (where it is designated to start up on boot -- for example, in the Current User settings in the registry), location, and whether the program shipped with the operating system.

Some programs can be removed or disabled by selecting the program in the left pane and clicking the Remove or Disable button in the bottom-right area of the window. Others will have these buttons grayed out. If the Remove and Disable buttons are unavailable, you'll need to remove the program from startup manually. This may involve removing it from the Startup folder, which you'll find on the Start | All Programs menu, as shown.

You can also navigate to the Startup folder in the file system via Windows Explorer, as shown here.

To find the Startup folder in the file system, just right-click on it on the All Programs menu and click Open or go to the disk on which Vista is installed and navigate to Users\ or All Users\AppData\Roaming\Microsoft\Windows\StartMenu\Programs\Startup.

You can remove programs from the folder by right-clicking and deleting. The programs here are shortcuts, so you will not affect the program itself. You can also find a list of startup programs in the System Information tool, as shown.

To access the System Information tool, type msinfo32 in the Start Menu's Search/Run box or on the All Programs | Accessories | System Tools menu. This tool is for viewing the information only; you can't make changes to the startup programs here.

In some cases, you may have to edit the registry to prevent a program from loading at startup. The System Information tool will show you the location in the registry that needs to be edited.

Adjust visual effects settings

You may be able to speed up performance by adjusting the settings of Vista's visual effects, thus sacrificing some of the bling for increased performance. When you click this option in the Performance Tools And Information interface, the User Account Control dialog box will display, requiring you to enter administrative credentials. If you're already logged on as an administrator, you'll be prompted to approve continuing. This opens the Performance Options dialog box, shown here.

You can also access the Performance Options dialog box from the Control Panel | System | Advanced System Settings | Settings button in the Performance section.

Either way, on the Visual Effects tab, you have four choices:

Let Windows choose the best settings for your computer
Adjust for best appearance
Adjust for best performance
Create custom settings, choosing to turn on or off whichever visual effects you want

The more visual effects you have turned on, the more the hit on performance. If you choose the option to adjust for best performance, all of the visual effects will be disabled. You may want to turn off those effects that are purely aesthetic, such as transparent glass and fading or sliding menus, while leaving on those that are more functional, such as showing thumbnails instead of icons.

Adjusting other advanced settings

In the Performance Options dialog box, you can click the Advanced tab to adjust other settings that affect performance. In the top section, you can control processor scheduling, as shown here.

Here, you can adjust for best performance of applications or background services. For the most responsiveness, you'll want to adjust for best performance of applications.

In the second section, you can make changes to the paging file location and size that can improve performance. Click the Change button to display the Virtual Memory settings dialog box, as shown below.

By default, Windows automatically manages the paging file. If you deselect this check box, you can change the location of the paging file, spreading it out among multiple physical disks if you have them. This can speed access to paged data.

You can also increase the size of the paging file and/or make it static, so that instead of using the resources to increase and decrease the size, it always stays the same size. This can also slightly increase overall performance but will tie up more of your disk space. To set a static paging file, click the Custom Size button and enter the same number (file size in MB) in the Initial Size and Maximum Size fields.

Adjust indexing options

You can control what locations should be indexed by Vista's search engine. Indexing can take a lot of resources and put a drag on other running applications if you have a low-powered computer.

In the Performance Information And Tools dialog box, select the Indexing Options in the left pane. Then, click the Modify button in the Indexing Options dialog box and click the Show All Locations button at the bottom of the Indexed Locations dialog box. Now you can individually select and deselect the locations to be indexed, as shown here.

Adjust power settings

Generally, using more power results in better performance. You can select the balance you prefer between saving energy and getting the highest performance by adjusting power plan settings.

Vista has three pre-configured power plans you can choose from, as shown here :

Balanced (gives equal weight to energy savings and performance)
Power Saver (sacrifices performance to save energy)
High Performance (sacrifices energy conservation for better performance)

You can also create a custom power plan, by selecting Create A Power Plan in the left pane. You start with one of the three plan templates, adjust individual components using a wizard, and then save the plan.

Disk cleanup and defragmentation

You can use Vista's disk cleanup and defragmentation tools to remove unwanted files and to rearrange data on the disk so that files are not fragmented. Both of these actions will help increase disk access performance.

You can open the Disk Cleanup tool from the Performance Information And Tools left tasks pane or from the All Programs | Accessories | System Tools menu.

The Disk Cleanup tool allows you to select whether to clean up files from your own user profile only or the files of all users. When you select a specific drive to clean up, the tool will calculate how much space you will be able to free by running the cleanup, as shown here.

More ways to gather performance information

The Advanced Tools section of the Performance Information And Tools utility gives you quick links to the following tools for gathering performance-related info:

Event log
Reliability And Performance Monitor
Task Manager
System Information
Performance Options
Disk Defragmenter
System Health Report

Summary

Vista can be a performance hog, but there are many ways you can tweak the OS components to speed it up. Microsoft has made it easy by consolidating many of these actions in the Performance Information And Tools console.

How to Remote desktop to a Windows XP PC from Windows Vista

2008-03-08T21:08:07Z

Microsoft Windows Vista adds several layers of system security above and beyond what was used in Windows XP. In general, that is a good thing. However, those added layers of security sometimes interfere with an end user's experience. The Remote Desktop Application is one example. Completing a remote desktop connection to a PC running Windows XP from another PC running Vista can be troublesome if some care is not taken during configuration. This quirky connection, running desktop remote on a Vista PC at home while connecting to a Windows XP machine at the office, is becoming more common as home users purchase new PCs. Consumer adoption is taking place much faster than corporate network administrators are willing to roll out Vista in the enterprise.

Windows XP

For the purposes of this exercise, we are going to assume that you have already created a valid, stable connection to the remote network via VPN or other secure connection. The problem to be solved is completing the remote desktop connection. We are also assuming the remote Windows XP PC is configured to accept a remote desktop connection as shown in the Remote tab under System Properties (Figure A).

Remote tab (System Properties)

Windows Vista

After establishing your VPN connection you should start the Vista Remote Desktop Connection application. For some reason, the shortcut in Vista is buried deep in the menus. (Figure B). My test machine is using Windows Vista Ultimate.

Start Remote Desktop Connection

The Vista version of the remote connection software is very similar to the application found in Windows XP. The key to getting the connection to work is you need to type in the full name of the remote PC. In my case at CNET, that means adding the domain information to the end of my workstation PC name. It should look something like this: yourworkstationname.domain.server Unlike Windows XP, the Vista remote connection software will ask for credentials when you click the connect button, which brings you to the dialog shown in Figure C.

Enter your credentials

After clicking OK, you will reach the warning screen shown in Figure D, which can be quite intimidating for users the first time they see it. Vista is informing you that some of its security features will be lost because we are attempting to remote connect to a Windows XP machine. There is nothing you can really do about this except say Yes, I want to connect anyway.

Yes, I want to connect anyway

From here you should be looking at the familiar desktop of your remote PC.

Caveats

If your Network Administrators are like ours here at TechRepublic/CNET, this Vista to XP remote connection is not a supported configuration yet. That means that you could be on your own when it comes to troubleshooting. But that doesn't mean we can't help each other out. I have only been using this setup a few days and I have yet to run into problems, but I am going to assume that some of you have. Share any problems you may be having with the remote connection scenario and tell us what steps you took to troubleshoot it. This remote configuration is only going to increase in frequency; we should at least try to overcome whatever gremlins may lurk in the wings.

Source: techrepublic.com.com/2001-6240-0.html

]]>

How to: Windows Sidebar and gadgets (overview)

2008-03-02T20:21:54Z

Windows Sidebar is a long, vertical bar that is displayed on the side of your desktop. It contains mini-programs called gadgets, which offer information at a glance and provide easy access to frequently used tools. For example, you can use gadgets to display a picture slide show, view continuously updated headlines, or look up contacts.
Sidebar and gadgets

Why use Sidebar?

Sidebar can keep information and tools readily available for you to use. For example, you can display news headlines right next to your open programs. This way, if you want to keep track of what's happening in the news while you work, you don't have to stop what you're doing to switch to a news website.

With Sidebar, you can use the Feed Headlines gadget to show the latest news headlines from sources you choose. You don't have to stop working on your document, because the headlines are always visible. If you peripherally see a headline that interests you, you can click that headline, and your web browser will open directly to the story.

To open Sidebar

Open Windows Sidebar by clicking the Start button , clicking All Programs, clicking Accessories, and then clicking Windows Sidebar.

To keep Sidebar visible at all times, you must set it so that other windows won't cover it. The Sidebar width is a fixed size.

To keep windows from covering Sidebar Because of the space Sidebar requires, this option works best if you're using a large or wide-screen monitor or multiple monitors.

1. Open Windows Sidebar properties by clicking the Start button , clicking Control Panel, clicking Appearance and Personalization, and then clicking Windows Sidebar Properties.

2. Select the Sidebar is always on top of other windows check box.

3. Click OK.

Getting started with gadgets

Windows comes with a small collection of gadgets, but only some of them appear on Sidebar by default. To understand how to use gadgets, let's explore three gadgets that you'll see on Sidebar when you first start Windows: the Clock, Slide Show, and Feed Headlines.

How does the Clock work?

When you point to the Clock gadget, two buttons will appear near its upper-right corner: the Close button—which is the top button-and the Options button.

The Clock

Clicking the Close button removes the Clock from Sidebar. The button below the close button displays options for naming the clock, changing its time zone, and showing its second hand.

Note Not all gadgets have an Options button. Gadgets without an Options button don't have settings that can be changed.

How does Slide Show work?

Next try resting the pointer on the Slide Show gadget, which displays a continuous slide show of pictures on your computer.

Slide Show

When you point to Slide Show, the Close and Options buttons will appear near the upper-right corner of the gadget.

Clicking the Options button allows you to choose which pictures appear in your slide show, control the speed at which your slide show plays, and change the transition effect between pictures.

To change the slide show pictures

By default, Slide Show displays items in the Sample Pictures folder.

1. Point to Slide Show, and when the Options button appears, click it.

2. In the Folder box, select the location of the pictures you want to display.

3. Click OK.

To set the slide show speed and transition effect

1. Point to Slide Show, and when the Options button appears, click it.

2. In the Show each picture list, select the number of seconds to show each picture.

3. In the Transition between pictures list, select the transition you want.

4. Click OK.

How does Feed Headlines work?

Feed Headlines can display frequently updated headlines from a website that supplies feeds, also known as RSS feeds, XML feeds, syndicated content, or web feeds. Websites often use feeds to distribute news and blogs. To receive feeds, you need an Internet connection. By default, Feed Headlines won't display any headlines. To start displaying a small set of preselected headlines, click View headlines.

Feed Headlines

When you point to Feed Headlines, the Close and Options buttons will appear near the upper-right corner of the gadget. Clicking the Options button allows you to choose from a list of available feeds. You can add to the list by choosing your own feeds from the web.

To choose a feed from the web with Internet Explorer

Internet Explorer, a web browser included with Windows, looks for feeds on every webpage you visit.

1. Open Internet Explorer by clicking the Start button , and then clicking Internet Explorer.

2. Browse to a webpage that has feeds.

(When Internet Explorer finds available feeds, the Feeds button , located on the Internet Explorer toolbar, will change from gray to orange.)

3. Click the arrow next to the Feeds button, and then, in the list that appears, click the feed you want.

4. On the webpage that appears, click Subscribe to this feed.

5. In the dialog box that appears, click Subscribe.

The feed should now be available to Feed Headlines. To display the feed in Feed Headlines, see the procedure below.

To display a feed in the Feed Headlines gadget

1. Point to Feed Headlines, and then click the Options button.

2. In the Display this feed list, click the feed you want to display.

3. Click OK.

Note To scroll through the headlines, point to Feed Headlines, and then click the downward- or upward-pointing arrows that appear on the bottom edge.

Which gadgets do I have?

Before a gadget can be added to Sidebar, it must be installed on your computer. To see which gadgets are installed on your computer:

1. At the top of Sidebar, click the plus sign (+) to open the Gadget Gallery.

Add Gadget button

2. Click the scroll buttons to see all the gadgets.

3. Click a gadget, and then click Show details to see information about it at the bottom of the dialog box.

The Gadget Gallery

You can download additional gadgets from the web. To find gadgets online, go to the Microsoft Gadgets website.

Adding and removing gadgets

You can add any installed gadget to Sidebar. If you want, you can add multiple instances of a gadget. For example, if you are keeping track of time in two time zones, you can add two instances of the Clock gadget and set the time of each accordingly.

To add a gadget to Sidebar

1. At the top of Sidebar, click the plus sign (+) to open the Gadget Gallery.

Add Gadget button

2. Double-click a gadget to add it to Sidebar.

To remove a gadget from Sidebar

Right-click the gadget, and then click Close Gadget.

Organizing gadgets

You can organize your gadgets in any of several ways:

You can keep all of the gadgets attached to Sidebar.

You can change the display order of gadgets in Sidebar. To do this, drag a gadget to a new position.

You can keep some gadgets attached to Sidebar and place some on the desktop.

You can detach all of the gadgets from Sidebar and place them on the desktop. If you organize your gadgets this way, you might want to close Sidebar.

To place a gadget on the desktop

You can detach gadgets from Sidebar and place them anywhere on the desktop.

To detach a gadget from Sidebar, drag it to the desktop. To reattach the gadget, drag it to any part of Sidebar.

]]>

HOW TO: improve the performance of Vista Media Center

2007-11-01T11:33:25Z

I've been running Vista Media Center (VMC) on two machines for a while now, and so far I have to say that the experience has been pretty good, but not all smooth sailing. Just like XP MCE 2005, VMC is very dependent on the capabilities of the hardware platform, the setup of the operating system and any third-party software which has been installed.

So, I decided to put together a piece detailing the problems I encountered and how I got around them - what worked and what didn't.

System Hardware

Intel is positioning its Viiv technology (both hardware and software) to be the platform of choice for HTPCs. One of the machines I use, an Optima Viiv Media Center, is one such device. My experience so far is that it doesn't make a lick of difference whether your HTPC is Viiv or not. My second machine is an Asus P5N32-SLI-Deluxe-based system, without a whiff of Viiv in the air, and it performs just as well.

The only real advantage of Viiv is that it guarantees a certain base - you know pretty well what you're going to get and how it's going to work. This sometimes does help in taking the guesswork out of where to start troubleshooting any hardware problems. Also, Intel's product support is outstanding, so an Intel-centric system is no bad thing. But don't assume that just because a system is Viiv that it's going to handle VMC any better.

One thing though - Intel isn't exactly known for its graphics adaptors, and even though the latest 3000 and 3100 GMA adaptors are a damn sight better than their predecessors, you should get a dedicated ATI or NVIDIA GPU. The visual difference, especially with something like DVD playback, is so wide that it is always justifiable spending the extra dollars (both my systems are running ATI X1600 GPUs). You don't need anything especially powerful (in fact, the more low-power the better, because of the reduced heat output and fan noise), but the card itself is essential. You then get the added bonus of ATI/NVIDIA graphics driver support.

If you want to make sure that the card is up to scratch, a good way to test it is to download some HDTV content and test the playback. You can grab some for free from Microsoft's WMV HD Content Showcase site.

And finally, always always always have the latest BIOS release for your motherboard. This really can't be overstressed. VMC relies so heavily on the motherboard's capabilities, especially for features like sleep/resume, and BIOS updates tend to fix more problems than are specified in the README.TXT. On my Optima HTPC, there was a very nasty problem where if I put the system into sleep and then woke it up (using the MC Remote), the system would wake up but the PCI-E slot wouldn't. As a result, there would be no graphics until I hard powered the unit off AND pulled the power cord to flush the hibernation state. Highly irritating. A BIOS update not only fixed the problem, but the system's responsiveness to the remote commands improved out of sight.

All motherboard manufacturer maintain up-to-date BIOS releases for their products online. However, if you're unsure what model your board is, use a software probe to find out, rather than pulling the system apart. CPU-Z is a terrific utility which I use often, and will give you all the info you need.

Operating System

Drivers, drivers, drivers. Drivers. Absolutely the most important aspect of any stable Windows-based OS and especially so when considering HTPCs. When considering VMC, always use the most up-to-date manufacturer drivers available BUT it is worth reading the changelogs just to make sure that there are no caveats relevant to your system. Of course, this is worth doing no matter what, but sometimes there are unexpected omissions in a driver release, such as one of ATI's drivers not containing proper HDMI support or a particular LCD resolution, so they recommended using the earlier driver. Rolling back drivers is painful, so watch out for warnings like that.

The one exception I'd make to always using the latest manufacturer drivers is for TV capture cards. Microsoft has their own Unified AVStream driver and I have to say that it's remarkably good. I have a Dvico FusionHDTV DVB-T Plus card, and although the drivers were always stable enough, performance in XP MCE2005 and VMC were nothing short of woeful. When I built the Asus system using that card, I didn't install any of the drivers, but instead let Vista sort it out using Windows Update. Of the five hardware devices associated with the card, it installed the Unified AVStream on one, an “unused device function" on another, and ignored the other three completely (which I had to set to “Ignore" in Device Manager). TV playback on VMC using the DTV-B Plus is now the best I've ever experienced. Ever.

So try out Windows Update for your capture card first, and if Microsoft has an associated driver, try it out.

And finally, DirectX. You wouldn't think that DirectX has much impact on VMC, but apparently it does. I had one highly annoying problem where navigating the Video Library (or any library, really) caused a DLL crash and VMC to restart. Every single time. Not fun. Driver updates, OS patches…nothing worked. A full update of DirectX on the other hand (the machine was a bit behind in updates) and voilá, all problems gone.

So it seems that DirectX has quite a say in rendering the VMC screen, which makes it worth your while keeping it up-to-date. Of course, that's true of any Windows-based system, but as I don't play games on the HTPC, it just didn't occur to me. I find that the best way to update DirectX is to go to the Games For Windows website (the DirectX section) and click on “Download the latest DirectX". This takes you to the latest build of the DirectX End-User Runtime Web Installer. I find this approach the best to take because DirectX builds change fairly often so you'll be guaranteed of getting the latest one, and because the web installer analyses your system and installs only what's required. Of course, if you're going to be doing this across a number of machines, then grabbing the latest DirectX runtime files is probably the way to go.

Third-Party Software

On an HTPC, third-party software usually means codecs, guides or add-ons. There's no real practical limit to how many extras you can install, but bear in mind that when you launch VMC with all these extras you are increasing the amount of points of failure. Much depends on the quality of the add-on, so it's absolutely vital to read up on the application and see what other people's experience has been (ie: don't be a guinea pig for other people).

A good rule of thumb, especially for codecs, is that the lighter it is, the better it is. For example, if you want to use VMC to play back Quicktime movies, don't install Apple Quicktime. Install Quicktime Alternative instead. This is especially true of that horror of the software world - RealPlayer. Install Real Alternative and get the benefit without the pain. Similarly with DivX (and we all need DivX) - you only need the codec, not the Player and all the other paraphernalia. Therefore, keep it light and simple and VMC will thank you by not crashing through a destabilisation of the entire OS base.

A great resource for codec is Codec Guide. Here you'll find links to just about everything you need, as well as the K-Lite Codec Pack, arguably one of the best codec bundles out there.

VMC add-ons are designed to enhance functionality. I can't really comment on them as I don't tend to use them, but a couple of the more popular ones are epgStream (a free Australian-based EPG) and MyMovies (a DVD library with an online metadata database).

Is VMC Worth It?

Unfortunately, to get any HTPC off the ground takes time and effort - there's just no getting around that. What I have found is that although Vista's Media Centre has its problems, it's far, far better than XP MCE, but I think that this has less to do with the quality of the application but rather the quality of the underlying OS. Windows XP, bless it, just can't measure up to Vista in the stability stakes, and as long as the hardware platform is good and there are no dodgy drivers lurking in the wings, VMC is an excellent media experience and well worth the effort

Author: James Bannan
Source: APCMag

]]>

Top 10 Overlooked Features of Windows Server 2008

2007-10-11T12:14:55Z

Windows Server 2008 is on its way. With the first release candidate in the pipeline, it shouldn't be long before release to manufacturing and general availability.

With such a long development time (it's the first new Windows Server OS since 2003,) the showstopping new features have been well publicized: Most IT pros are familiar with at least some of the details of Server Core, PowerShell and Windows Server Virtualization (codenamed Viridian). But Windows 2008 includes a lot more than those headliners.

]]> To that end, we're presenting the Top 10 overlooked features of Windows 2008. We spoke with Ward Ralston, senior technical product manager for Windows Server, to help us build our list. These items haven't garnered the same kind of press attention, hype and word-of-mouth as the others, but they're nonetheless important - maybe very important - to your network.

10. The Print Management Console (PMC). This was originally released with Windows Server 2003 R2. But unlike the R2 release, it's a native function in Windows 2008, and available to everyone. PMC is a snap-in for the Microsoft Management Console (MMC), which lets an admin see every printer in an entire organization, from one console. In addition, you can use Group Policy to map printers to specific user groups, so that the Accounting folks won't be hogging printers that Engineering needs.

9. Auditpol. This is a verbose logging tool that allows you to configure, create, back up and restore audit policies on any computer in your organization. In these days of regulatory compliance, auditing is more important than ever, and Auditpol may eliminate the need for a third-party auditing program. It includes a greatly expanded list of auditing counters from the simple tools available in Windows 2003, and hundreds of different categories that let you "create a paper trail of what's going on inside your OS," Ralston says.

8. Windows Remote Shell (WinRS). To connect to a command prompt on a remote computer in Windows 2003, an admin needed to use Terminal Services. TS worked well but wasn't scalable, requiring a connection to a console on each remote computer. WinRS makes secure connections to as many remote computers as necessary, all from a single console. That could be a significant time-saver for admins.

7. Event forwarding. This benefit is available to organizations that run Vista on their desktops. Event forwarding aggregates and forwards logs of chosen computers back to a central console, making management much more efficient. Say you're an admin and you start getting calls from users who are seeing the dreaded "Event 51" pop up on their screens, indicating a logon problem. Instead of employing sneakernet technology -- running from machine to machine to comb through security events or other problems -- you simply "subscribe" Vista computers through your console, and they send whatever information you ask for right to your door.

6. Active Directory Rights Management Services (AD RMS). In Windows 2003, this was known as Windows Rights Management Services. It was available in Windows 2003, but only as an add-on product for purchase. It's built into Windows 2008, and includes some upgrades. AD RMS assists in the creation of rights-protected files, licensing rights-protected information, and checking to make sure that only authorized users have access to rights-protected data. Some of the enhancements for Windows 2008 include the ability to administer AD RMS through the MMC, and delegate AD RMS tasks through "administrative roles."

5. New password policies. In Active Directory (AD), the domain is a security boundary. In the forerunner to Windows 2008, Windows Server 2003, that boundary led to the restriction of one password policy per domain. That is a limiting requirement, one that's been done away with in Windows 2008. Now you don't have to create new domains to have a new password policy; just set password policies for specific groups or users. If your C-level execs need more stringent policies than your administrative assistants, it's easy to do in Windows 2008.

4. Group Policy (GP) improvements. There are two changes that Ralston said were at the top of the list for GP managers, and they've both made it into Windows 2008. The first is a searchable database for GP settings. Most admins have used Excel spreadsheets to track their GP settings. Given that there can be thousands of such settings, it's obvious that this can quickly become an unwieldy situation. Now, within the Group Policy Management Console (GPMC), admins can search for policies, throwing off the Excel yoke and drastically speeding up the process.

3. The second GP upgrade is the ability to attach comments to GP settings. Being able to add comments to settings will not only help the present admin, but future admins as well who have to troubleshoot GP. When you're configuring a GP, for instance, you can say why you're making this particular policy; then, when you need to troubleshoot or reconfigure that policy, you (or your successor) can see why the policy was created in the first place. In addition, when you do GP modeling, to figure out how different policies will interact and impact your environment, those comments can show up in reports, easing your GP architecting.

2. One of the chief concerns IT pros have when upgrading or migrating to a new OS is ease of installation. Although Ralston could not give specific details, he did drop some tantalizing hints on what's to come on this front. It's an "umbrella deployment technology that will give customers prescriptive guidance on upgrade and migration" strategies, he says. It will provide admins "tools to successfully deploy, update and maintain Windows Server 2008." Ralston promised that more information will be coming on these advanced technologies in November. It will be first announced on the Windows Server Team blog on Technet.

1. Potentially huge network speed increases. Networks move more data than ever, but owing to outdated network stacks, those networks increasingly look like a Los Angeles freeway. In Microsoft's case, the amount of data that can be sent in a packet has remained static at about 64KB since 1995, roughly the Mesozoic era in computing terms. That size packet translates into top-end data throughput of about 5 MB. In terms of efficiency, Ralston says, "It's like having a semi truck, putting one box in it and driving around." In other words, it doesn't matter how big and fast your network pipes are if the packet size stays tiny.

The entirely reworked network stack in Windows 2008 includes new technologies that allow for a much bigger packet to enter the network. It can also resize -- on the fly -- the size of the packets on the network, making it more efficient. The limit on packet size has been upped to 512KB, which ultimately translates into data throughput of 40MB. In other words, your network, if properly configured and tuned, could be eight times faster than it is now. Sound good?

Vista is getting better - slowly

2007-10-11T12:08:31Z

A lot has been written about how Microsoft released Windows Vista too early and with too many bugs to make is a feasible platform for people looking for a relatively hassle-free platform. If you liked being at the cutting edge then I'm sure you'd be happy to live with the bugs, but if happened to be looking a stable work platform, the general opinion was that it was best to stick with XP for a while. Now though, things are changing. Vista is getting better ... slowly.

Over the past few weeks we've not only seen a beta for the long awaited SP1 fall into the hands of a small pool of beta testers (of which I'm one), we’ve also seen a fair few compatibility, performance and reliability releases, specifically KB938979, KB938194 and KB941649.

I've installed all these updates onto several systems in the lab and what I'm noticing is that while KB938979 and KB938194 resulted in very litter overall benefit (the main benefit came from KB938979 and the fix to the "estimated time remaining" when copying or moving large files bug, but this was more of an annoyance rather than a critical problem), I'm seeing considerable improvement to both performance and reliability after installing SP1 and KB941649 on all systems. In particular, Vista startup times are improved considerably and overall reliability is infinitely better. What's even better is that there's no sign on a downside to applying these patches.

Several cynics have commented on the timing of these releases and wonder if they have anything to do with the imminent release of Mac OS X Leopard. While it's easy to entertain such theories, I don't put too much stock in them. It takes time to identify and fix issues, especially within a complex OS such as Vista. We're not yet at the year mark since Vista went RTM so it's still early days. Should Microsoft have been faster and more aggressive in releasing patches is a point worth debating, but that's history now, what matters is that we're starting to see real progress being done in bringing Vista up to scratch. Some areas are still waiting to be fixed (for example, I can easily replicate the network transfer speed bug on a fully patched SP1 beta version of Vista), I'm pleased with the progress I'm seeing.

While I've been highly critical of Vista as it was when it went RTM back in November of 2006, With the bundle of patches already released and Vista SP1 now on the horizon, I'm starting to see light at the end of the dark tunnel that I've been in for the past eleven months ... and I'm hopeful that it's not a train coming in the opposite direction!
]]>

How to secure your Microsoft SharePoint products

2007-08-09T10:18:26Z

Windows SharePoint Services (WSS) and Microsoft Office SharePoint Server (MOSS) 2007 are becoming popular for companies of all sizes. But its popularity translates into the need for better security, and it might be difficult to figure out what steps you need to take to secure WSS from the start. Here is a quick checklist that can help you get your Microsoft SharePoint Server security priorities in order: Make sure that Microsoft SharePoint is running on a secure IIS site.

At its core, a SharePoint site is simply an IIS Web site, so you can take the standard methods of securing any IIS site and get significant results in increasing overall WSS security.
Make sure SSL is enabled. Harden the permissions for users to get access to the virtual director that SharePoint runs in, use strong authentication methods (NTLM or Kerberos), and ensure the Web server itself is protected using typical Windows hardening methods.
A quick search on SearchSecurity.com for "IIS server security" will provide a wealth of information for hardening the environment that SharePoint itself runs in.

Assign application-wide security policies.

You can use the "Policy for Web Application" feature to enable a greater swath of authentication to your sites. From this page, you can set anonymous access standards and grant control or deny access. These application-wide security policies take precedence over any individual configuration features that have been set up on specific sites.
These policies also apply to users that reside both within and outside of your firewall's reach.
To reach the Policy for Web Application feature, open Central Administration, click the Application Management tab and click the Policy for Web Application link. You can begin setting policies from there.

Understand Microsoft SharePoint permission levels to control access for your users.

Like Windows and NTFS permissions, you assign access to users through permission levels and SharePoint groups. Permissions aren't assigned directly to users; rather, you control availability and access through levels and groups. Users are assigned to levels and groups and thus inherit access controls through that membership.
You can access the controls for permission levels and SharePoint groups from the Site Actions menu on any page, but first make sure you are logged onto the site with administrative credentials. Click Site Settings from that menu, and then click the Advanced Permissions link under the Users and Permissions section.
Make sure you assign permissions and levels carefully, as these control what users can read, change, and do on your sites. Treat this as diligently as you treat file system permissions.

Disable anonymous access to your Microsoft SharePoint Services site, if possible.

If your SharePoint site is designed only for internal users that have accounts on your domain, there is no need to open the site up to users who haven't authenticated. This closes a reasonably significant vector through which information could be leaked.
To disable anonymous access, open the Central Administration site. From the Start menu, choose Administrative Tools and then click SharePoint 3.0 Central Administration. Then navigate to the Application Management tab and click the Authentication Providers in the Application Security section.
Click the Default Zone link, and then uncheck the Enable Anonymous Access box, and finally, click Save.

Perform regular backups of your Microsoft SharePoint site.

Backing up is still an integral and critical part of your security infrastructure. If a compromise were to take place, you would easily be able to restore the data stored in your site after you rebuilt the machine on which the breach took place.
Remember: Once a cracker gets access to your machine, it isn't your machine any more. So the only safe way to proceed is to flatten the hard drive and rebuild the operating system and application installation from the ground up.

]]>

Use System Monitor to find bottlenecks in Windows Server 2003

2007-06-28T10:01:15Z

Windows Server 2003 comes with two performance monitoring tools: System Monitor, and Performance Logs and Alerts. These tools provide information that administrators can use to find bottlenecks and for troubleshooting Windows.

]]> You can open the Performance console from the Administrative Tools by selecting Start -> Programs -> Administrative Tools -> Performance. You can also open it from the command line by typing perfmon.msc.

When a new Performance console is opened, it loads a blank system monitor graph into the console. The Performance console contains two utilities: System Monitor and Performance Logs and Alerts.

This article will discuss System Monitor, then we'll discuss Performance Logs and Alerts in a separate article.

System Monitor periodically takes a snapshot of system performance characteristics and displays the information as a graph, which can then be used to monitor the behavior of the system, predict future resource requirements, measure the load on system components, and trigger an alert to inform you of potential failures of these components.

Here are some key terms used in performance monitoring that will help clarify the function of the System Monitor and how it ties into software and system functionality. The three components noted in the System Monitor are object, counter and instance.

Components contained in a system are grouped into objects. Objects are grouped according to system functionality or association within the system. Objects can represent logical entities such as memory or a physical mechanism such as a hard disk drive.

Counters are subsets of objects. Counters typically provide more detailed information for an object, such as queue length or throughput for an object. The System Monitor can collect data through the counters, with data being collected and displayed in graphical or text log formats.

If a server has more than one similar object, each is considered an instance. For example, a server with multiple processors has individual counters for each instance of the processor. Counters with multiple instances also have an instance for the combined data collected for the instances.

System Monitor provides an interface to permit the analysis of system data, research performance and bottlenecks. System Monitor displays performance counter output in graph, histogram (bar chart) and report format.

The histogram and graph view can be used to view multiple counters at the same time. However, each data point displays only a single value that is independent of its object. The report view is better for displaying multiple values. Data sources can be obtained by clicking the View Current Activity button on the button bar. On the other hand, clicking View Log Data displays data from completed or running logs.

Adding counters

System Monitor is ideal for diagnostics and short-term views of performance output. Before counters can be displayed, they have to be added. Counters can be added simply by using the button bar. The Counter button on the button bar includes Add, Delete and Highlight. You can use the Add Counter button to add new counters to be displayed.

The Delete Counter button removes unwanted counters from the display. The Highlight button is helpful for highlighting a particular counter of interest; a counter is highlighted with a white or black color around the counter. The Highlight button cannot be used with Report view.

Note: It's possible to display the function of a button in the button bar by placing the mouse cursor on the button.

When the Add Counter button is selected, a dialog box appears. The top section of this property page allows you to either choose the server being worked on or connect to a different server on the network. System Monitor allows you to connect to a remote computer and to monitor system performance of the server. This process is referred to as remote monitoring.

It's important to collect all the monitored data for analysis. Clicking the Freeze Display button or pressing Ctrl+F freezes displays, which in turn suspends data collection. Data collection can be resumed by pressing Ctrl+F or clicking the Freeze Display button again. Click the Update Data button to display an updated data analysis.

Importing displays

You can also possible to import or export a display by using the Cut and Paste buttons. For example, a display can be saved to the Clipboard and then imported into another instance of System Monitor. This is done to obtain system information and view or analyze that information on a different system rather than performing analysis on a production server.

System Monitor enables you to save log files in comma-separated (csv) or tab-separated (tsv) format, which you can then analyze by using third-party tools such as Seagate Crystal Reports. You can also import csv or tsv files into an Excel spreadsheet or a database application such as Access.

Windows Server 2003 also allows you to collect data in SQL database format, which is useful for performance analysis at an enterprise level rather than a per-server basis. Reports displayed in Excel can help you better understand the data as well as provide reports to management. Once the log file is saved in csv format, it can be opened using Excel.

Note: If a server stops responding, it's possible to run System Monitor from another computer to monitor the troubled server.

How to dual-boot Vista and XP (with Vista installed first)

2007-06-28T09:55:37Z

Scenario: You want to install Vista on your PC alongside your XP installation, on the same drive. You have installed Vista already.

]]> Tutorial Summary:
We're going to use the DISKPART on the Vista DVD to shrink the Vista partition on the hard disk and create enough space for an installation of Vista. We'll then install XP, repair the Vista bootloader which will be overwritten during the XP installation, and then use the EasyBCD utility to configure Vista's bootloader to boot the XP partition.

This is an updated tutorial, based on our first Windows Vista/XP dual-booting workshop. The main difference is that EasyBCD has been updated, but the processes are essentially unchanged.

This tutorial was tested on a VMWare 6 Workstation and an AcerPower SK50 system.

Prepare Windows Vista
This tutorial assumes that Vista has been installed on a partition which takes up 100% of the hard drive, so we need to create some space. Boot off the Vista DVD. Hit Next from the start screen and then select "Install now". (If Vista came preinstalled on your machine and you don't have a Vista install DVD, you can use the Gnome Partition Editor Gparted to do it. Our earlier tutorial on dual-booting XP and Vista if you've installed XP first describes how to use it.)

Install Vista

Don't type in your product key and untick "Automatically activate Windows when I'm online", then hit "Next", and "No" when asked whether you want to enter the key.

Vista Product Key

When prompted to choose the edition of Vista you're installing you can actually select any of them as we're not doing a Vista install at this point. Also tick "I have selected the edition of Windows that I purchased" and hit "Next".

Vista Version

Accept the license terms and hit "Next" again, then choose a Custom installation.
On the screen where you're asked where you want to install Windows, you should see a single large partition marked Primary - this is where Vista is already installed.

Vista Partition

Press SHIFT + F10. This is a Windows PE 2.0 shortcut to open up a command window - very useful trick.

Command Tool

Type in DISKPART and press Enter. This opens the Microsoft DiskPart application. You need to select the active disk, so type in:

list disk

The primary disk is generally Disk 0, so type in:

select disk 0

DISKPART Disk

Now we need a list of volumes on this disk, so type in:

list volume

In this case Volume 0 is the one we want, so type in:

select volume 0

DISKPART Volume

Now type in:

shrink

DISKPART Shrink

DiskPart will go off and reclaim as much of the drive as it can - you should get at least 50% of the space back.

Now type

EXIT

and

EXIT (again)

to quit the command window and get back to the install screen. Click Refresh and the partition window will update - you should now see the original Primary partition plus a brand new partition.

New Partitions

This is where we will install Windows XP. Eject the DVD, restart the machine (just hit the reset button) and boot off the Windows XP CD.

Now, install Windows XP

When the Windows XP setup reaches the point where you're prompted where it is to be installed, you'll see that while XP can see the space we created earlier, it can also see the partition with Vista on it.

XP Partition

You should be able to see the space you reclaimed on the disk earlier which has become "unallocated space".

Create a second partition using the Windows XP installer screen above by selecting the free space on the drive and pressing "C" to create a partition (if prompted, choose NTFS as the file system.)

Irritatingly, XP assigns a drive letter to this partition (C:) which means that it will use the next available drive letter after all the other physical drives have been taken into account.

This means that the system drive of the XP installation won't be C:.

From XP's perspective this isn't really a problem - it's smart enough to figure out where everything should go - but some applications make assumptions about where they should install to, and can't cope with a non-standard Windows configuration.

This was also the case with our tutorial on dualbooting Ubuntu and XP, where Ubuntu had been installed first. However in that scenario, even though the XP system drive had a non-standard drive letter, it couldn't read the Linux partitions so there was no danger of the two systems overlapping. This is not the case with Vista/XP.

Nonetheless, install XP as normal - there's no need to do anything differently.

IMPORTANT NOTE - after the initial file copy, Windows XP reboots and loads up the GUI-based component of the install. You may get the following error: "A disk read error occurred - press Ctrl-Alt-Del to continue". This is caused by a corrupt bootloader

When the system reboots it won't bring up a boot menu. Although XP recognises the Vista partition it doesn't recognise Vista itself.

The Windows XP bootloader gets installed to the MBR and Vista can no longer boot.

When XP loads, open up Windows Explorer and you'll see something interesting - a C: and (in this case) an E: drive.

The C: drive contains Windows Vista, and as Windows XP can read NTFS partitions, it can browse and modify Vista's file structure.

More importantly, applications which have installation paths hard-coded into their install scripts rather than using Windows system parameter variables could easily dump files into C: when they should be installing to E:. This isn't such a great situation.

Two Drives

Restoring Vista and dual booting

Because you can't use the Windows XP bootloader to boot Vista, we have to reinstate Vista's bootloader to the MBR and configure it to manage both operating systems.

Compared with scenarios involving Ubuntu where you have to reinstall the GRUB bootloader, getting Vista up and operational again is very easy.

Boot from the Vista DVD and on the screen where you're prompted to "Install now", select "Repair your computer".

Repair Vista

The next screen searches for local Vista installations - there should only be one, so click Next.

Choose Vista

This loads the System Recovery Options screen. Select the first option - Startup Repair. This looks for problems which would prevent Vista from loading (like a missing bootloader) and automatically fixes them.

Startup Repair

If you click on "Click here for diagnostic and repair details" and scroll to the bottom of the list, it shows that the problem detected and repaired was a corrupt boot sector (according to Vista, anyway).

Repair Diagnostics

Click Close and then Finish, and the system will restart and boot into Vista.

Now we need to enable dualbooting with XP, and EasyBCD is the best application to achieve this.

Download and install EasyBCD.

Launch the app and go to Add/Remove Entries.

Under “Add an Entry" and under the Windows tab and select in the Version drop-down list “Windows NT/2k/XP/2k3".

Change the Drive to E:\ and the name to “Windows XP", then click “Add Entry" and “Save".

Vista & XP - EasyBCD

Reboot the system and you'll have two entries in the Vista bootloader, and can boot into either operating system.

Vista Bootloader

Removing Windows XP

If you eventually decide that dualbooting XP as the second OS isn't all it's cracked up to be, it's pretty easy to undo the changes made.

Use EasyBCD to remove the Windows XP boot entry, and then go into Computer Management (right-click on Computer, Manage) and go to Disk Management.

Right-click E: drive (the Windows XP partition) and select Delete Volume.

Right-click the newly-created partition and select Delete Partition.

Then right-click the C: drive (the Vista system partition) and click Extend Volume - this opens up the Extend Volume Wizard.

Extend Volume Wizard

The wizard gives you a readout on how much space is actually available to extend the partition - enter in how much you want to use and press Next. Vista will extend the system partition to reclaim the disk and Windows is well and truly gone.

Fixing the corrupt bootloader If the Windows XP bootload corrupts during the install, performing a reinstall won't fix it, nor will going into the XP Recovery Mode and attempting to repair the MBR.

Luckily, the install was up to the stage where all you need to do is be able to boot from the Windows XP partition, and the install will pick up from where it left off.

To achieve this, follow the procedure outlined above to restore the Vista bootloader (under "Restoring Vista and Dualbooting").

This allows the system to boot into Vista, and then you can use EasyBCD to create an XP boot entry and boot into that to continue on with XP's installation. (For details on using EasyBCD, also see the section "Restoring Vista and Dualbooting".)

Performance monitoring in Windows: An overview

2007-06-27T11:08:59Z

There are several performance monitoring tools available to Windows administrators. Which tool you use will depend on what you are trying to accomplish, your operating system and your technical skills.

]]> It is normal for a system's performance to diminish over time as more applications, drivers, etc. are installed. Eventually though, a system's performance may reach an unacceptably low level. When this happens, you need to know what to do about the problem.

In some cases, you might simply need to replace an aging system. But in other cases, a simple memory upgrade or the removal of a buggy device driver might give the system's performance a huge boost. The problem is that Windows isn't going to come right out and tell you what you need to do to fix the problem. It's up to you to figure out which diagnostic utility to use.

There are three primary performance monitoring utilities that are included with various versions of Windows. Each has its advantages.

Performance Monitor

Performance Monitor is the primary tool for diagnosing a system's performance. It has been around since the days of Windows NT, and has had several different names along the way. You'll find some Microsoft documentation calls it PerfMon and some older Windows' versions call it System Monitor.

This tool allows the administrator to select the specific counters they want to monitor. Each counter corresponds to a specific aspect of system performance. By selecting the counters appropriate to the situation at hand, an administrator can diagnose system performance at a granular level.

Performance Monitor can not only diagnose performance problems, but also help prevent them. In many organizations, it's common practice to run Performance Monitor against the organization's servers on a constant basis.

When this is done, the counter sampling frequency is set low so that Performance Monitor only minimally impacts the server's performance. Depending on the organization, Performance Monitor can sample performance data once an hour or a few times a day.

The advantage of doing this is that the collected data can be logged and analyzed. This allows the organization to spot trends. By examining long-term Performance Monitor data, a systems administrator may learn when an organization's servers are under the most stress.

Analysis of long-term data also shows organizations how much each server's workload increases over time. This information is important for preventing performance-related problems from occurring down the road. For example, if you noticed that your server has to work 3% harder each month, you could estimate that a year from now the workload might routinely be 36% higher than it is today. With that knowledge, you can plan for any upgrades that might be necessary for the server to better handle the increased workload.

The major drawback to Performance Monitor is that there are hundreds of counters to choose from. Unless an admin understands what each counter actually measures and knows how to interpret the collected data, Performance Monitor is worthless.

Task Manager

Since using the Performance Monitor can be complicated, Microsoft built a simplified version of the Performance Monitor into the Windows Task Manager. You can access this simplified monitor by pressing Ctrl+Alt+Delete, then clicking the Task Manager button.

The Task Manager cannot perform the various logging functions that are available through the Performance Monitor, and in most versions of Windows, you cannot look up additional performance data. But what the Task Manager lacks in functionality, it makes up for in simplicity. For example, key information related to CPU, pagefile, and memory usage are clearly displayed.

Reliability and Performance Monitor

Windows Vista and Windows Server 2008 have introduced an augmented version of Performance Monitor called the Reliability and Performance Monitor. One of the tool's key features is its ability to collect event log information and use it to determine the machine's reliability. Reliability is not only based on errors, but also on factors like application or driver installation. Key events are logged on a time line so an administrator can read a machine's history at a glance.

The Reliability and Performance Monitor also includes several pre-defined data collector sets. These data collector sets frees administrators from trying to figure out which Performance Monitor counter to use (although manually selecting counters is still an option). Also, administrators no longer have to interpret graphs, as the predefined data collector sets generate reports.

Vista draining laptop batteries and patience

2007-05-08T07:45:43Z

Some of Microsoft's most important customers aren't happy with the battery life offered by notebooks running Windows Vista. "'It's a little scary," said John Wozniak, a distinguished technologist in Hewlett-Packard's notebook engineering department, referring to the work HP needed to do on making Windows Vista more suitable for notebooks.

Vista, while touted as having improved power management capabilities that would make it easier for users to extend battery life, isn't to some living up to that promise. The main culprit appears to be the Aero Glass interface, a spiffy new user interface that makes Vista more pleasing to the eye with transparent windows and animated transitions when moving from one application to another.

When Aero is turned off, battery life is equal to or better than Windows XP systems. But with it turned on, battery life suffers compared with Windows XP.

Microsoft made some important changes in Vista that do improve some aspects of battery life, such as smarter hibernation modes that override applications that want to keep running, and simpler options for choosing a power management setting. But laptop users who spent extra money on powerful laptops to handle the graphics requirements of Vista and the Aero interface are forced to run the aesthetic equivalent of Vista Basic, the low-cost version of Vista, if they care about battery life.

"The potential is there to do some good things, the bad thing is that it comes with the canned settings."
--John Wozniak, technologist, Hewlett-Packard

HP decided it wasn't going to use the power management settings that shipped with Vista, Wozniak said. The company came up with its own set of power management settings for Vista laptops, allowing users to select different power settings, such as "power saver" or "high performance," that strike a balance between processing power and battery life. Lenovo is likewise using its own power management technologies honed over several years, said Howard Locker, director of new technology at Lenovo.

"They've really made it complex from a power management standpoint," Wozniak said. "The potential is there to do some good things, the bad thing is that it comes with the canned settings...and we didn't like any of them."

Reports that Vista was an energy hog started to surface during beta testing last year. At the time, Microsoft said many of the problems would be cleared up by the time the operating system launched. Of course, this isn't a new issue when it comes to operating system changeovers, said Richard Shim, an analyst with IDC. "When you look at a new operating system, battery life tends to be worse. When Windows XP came out, that was true, and when Windows 98 came out, that was true."

The difference this time around is that notebooks are "the growth engine for industry," Shim said. Notebook PCs now account for more than half of all retail PC sales and are projected to become the majority for the whole market by the end of the decade.

But battery life problems continue to rankle notebook users. As blogger Rob Bushway of Tablet PC site Gottabemobile.com put it, "when a consumer has to buy an extended battery to get what they use(d) to get out of a standard battery, something is really wrong."

More than one company other than HP has acknowledged the demand that Vista and the Aero interface put on a notebook PC running off its battery.

"Vista is consuming more power than Windows XP, but we have been very focused on introducing more power-efficient technologies," said Bahr Mahony, director of product marketing for Advanced Micro Devices' mobile product division.

Most attribute that power use to Aero. "In (Aero) mode, you will drain the battery faster, but you get something in return because it's cool and nice looking," Lenovo's Locker said.

The Aero interface is automatically disabled when users put their Vista notebooks into the "power-saving" profile, one of three new simplified power-management states. While that makes for an arguably duller experience, Microsoft said it commissioned a study that found no difference in "responsiveness," or application load time, between a notebook with Aero disabled versus one running the fancy graphics: implying that Aero doesn't put too much of a load on the system.

Microsoft isn't deterred by HP's decisions and other criticism. "We actively encourage (PC companies) to customize the default power profiles so that users get the most out of their hardware," Microsoft said in a statement.

A more definitive statement on Windows Vista and battery life should surface soon, with Intel scheduled to release new chips for notebooks next week at the launch event for the next generation of its Centrino technology. Also, Bapco, an industry benchmarking organization, is expected to soon release the MobileMark 2007 benchmark.

Microsoft, for its part, will likely have to improve Vista's battery life performance over time through the release of service packs and other tweaks, Shim said. "The (PC companies) are getting pressure from consumers--who are the notebook adopters--who are saying their number one priority on a notebook is battery life."

Source: CNET News
Author: Tom Krazit

]]>

Vista Betas Will Kill Your Data

2007-04-26T08:59:27Z

MICROSOFT HAS let it be known that the behaviour of Windows Vista beta copies is about to change fairly substantially. From May 31, anybody using a beta copy of the OS will find that their machine reboots every two hours, and that intermediate access will be limited to base-level file retrieval. ]]> That means that you could lose data you're working on, and that your machine will be good only for reformatting. This isn't as bad news as it seems. Users who had taken part in the Vista beta scheme millions of people, in fact were all given free copies of Vista Ultimate by the Vole as a 'thank you'.

We suspect that this is more likely to affect those individuals who were using copies of the Vista beta nicked from mates or from BitTorrent in a bid to avoid having to pay for the full thing. The quick phase out means that this is possibly the shortest post-release beta Windows has seen. So, if you're running on a Vista beta, you'd better scramble and get your system running, or else face a hard time come June.