RSSImproved startup repair tool, media throttling among Vista SP1 changes
By Scott M. Fulton, III | Published December 10, 2007, 5:28 PM
To reassure customers that it really has been addressing consumers' concerns about Vista, Microsoft has made its change log to Windows Vista SP1 publicly available early.
Microsoft has released early its final change log for Windows Vista Service Pack 1 -- an indication that the release of the software itself could be imminent. Among the changes and additions which the company has confirmed are several that directly address customer complaints, including one of the big ones: system slowdowns while running multimedia files.
With Windows XP, running multiple tasks while watching a movie could cause the movie to become staggered and stop in spots. To overcome that problem, Vista's engineers employed a mechanism that shifted the priority to the media player so that the movie runs smoothly, or the MP3 plays without a hitch. Trouble was, that forced priority shift forced a throttling down of all other processes, resulting in file copies and downloads that were agonizingly slow.
Microsoft security engineer Mark Russinovich used his own process monitoring tool in a demonstration of this throttling procedure in action last June. Now, the company confirms that Vista SP1 admins will have the option of setting the network throttling index value for themselves.
In fact, Microsoft is now promising 25% faster file copies locally overall, and 50% file copies between remote systems.
Also listed among the SP1 additions is an updated version of the Windows Recovery Environment (WinRE), which fixes some problems people had with the Startup Repair Tool. While ostensibly the miniature version of the Windows kernel is able to restore system setups that have been corrupted due to missing files, some were having trouble getting WinRE to wade through corrupted system directories...due to missing files. That problem is apparently solved, and you no longer need to have the missing files restored in order to find out what missing files you need to restore.
Veterans of waiting and waiting for the first Windows Vista will recall the excitement over ReadyDrive, one of the flash memory enablers in the operating system. Its job is to load certain system information into flash memory in order to expedite boot times. As it turned out, some customers reported the reverse: boot times that were slowed down, immensely, through the use of ReadyDrive. That wasn't across the board by any means, but for those whom that problem impacted, that fact didn't matter much.
In its advance change log, Microsoft acknowledged that some ReadyDrive users faced boot times of five minutes or longer, and that the culprit behind that problem has been addressed and fixed. If it hasn't been, we probably won't have to wait five minutes to hear the first complaints.
At long last, for the first time, Vista adds support for a critical VPN service: Secure Sockets Tunneling Protocol. Microsoft developed its parent Routing and Remote Access Service (RRAS) for Windows Server 2003, but it's never been an intrinsic part of the client OS until now. The problem with most VPNs on Windows systems today is that they employ point-to-point tunneling (PPTP) or layer 2 tunneling (L2TP), which often find themselves blocked by firewalls. SSTP is an alternative protocol, not just a client setting, so the network server must be using SSTP as well -- so yes, this will probably be a heavily Windows-dependent feature. But it may give users a way to avoid having to defeat their own firewalls just to communicate remotely with their companies.
One particular addition may become controversial at some future date: It involves how Vista applications acquire administrator privileges. In Vista, a program's ability to perform a restricted task has required it to interrupt the user and prompt him for an administrator password. This eliminates the possibility of a malicious application acquiring such privileges clandestinely.
With SP1, a new Group Policy Object (GPO) called "Allow UAccess" gives an administrator a way to exempt specified applications from having to prompt for admin privileges. There's a convenience-oriented reason for this feature, the change log explains: "This allows a remote helper to enter administrative credentials during a Remote Assistance session."
Since GPOs are administered remotely, an admin should be able to set this policy for multiple computers from a remote location. While this may not turn out to be a back entrance to the operating system that somebody just opened, it's impossible to imagine somebody out there giving it a shot.
"Microsoft is now promising 25% faster file copies locally overall, and 50% file copies between remote systems"
Great, so it is now 50% faster compare to the speed that was 5 times slower than XP. What's the point ?
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|Just installed vista 64 and ms have fixed all my issues with, drivers are good. vista is a tad slower than my xp setup, but that is to be expected.
After running it for a few days i went out and bought it.
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|If I could play City of Heroes/Villains, Mythos, Warcraft, Warhammer, etc. on Linux, I'd switch in a heartbeat. Until then, I'm staying with my Mandriva/XP dual boot.
Wine just isn't cutting it for most games and for the price of Cadega, I can just buy Windows XP/Vista.
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|It's too late eh? thats funny, I plan on getting Vista Ultimate after SP1 releases :D
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|a well placed 500 dollars. we should all be so rich
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|Yay!
We love lies.
Got any more for us?
Vista Ultimate:
FULL RETAIL: $289
RETAIL UPGRADE: $220
OEM FULL: $175
All prices direct from Mwave.Com.
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|ah, 290. gotcha. i knew it was something much higher than 125, i just didn't remember the exact number.
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|...and you don't seem to have a problem with spending $125-$150+ on each minor revision upgrade to a Mac OS that hasn't left 10.x yet?
OS X is practically the same OS as it was when it first appeared on the scene, though Jobs seems to think in its current 10.5 state it's worth about $750 more... and it still has problems.
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|By sjc001 said:
"For some of us this is already far too late and we've moved on to something better."
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That "some of us" is probably not even worth mentioning as that "some of us" isn't really happy with anything MS does. Now, move on in spirit as well.
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|LOL
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|Man are you ever off on that.I've used M$' stuff for around 25 years. By far Vista is the WORSE OS they ever put out. I actually bought a copy and gave it more than a fair try out and no my hardware isn't crappy and that is just a lame excuse anyways blaming hardware when it truly shouldn't matter at all. At least it doesn't matter with Linux.
http://www.esp.eweek.com...ux+Growth/220508_1.aspx
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|Your first problem was upgrading an XP machine to Vista. Huge mistake. No one who bought a Vista included store bought PC with the proper specs ever complains.
Everybody who upgraded always b****es. They have a right to, not one XP included machine I know of that went to Vista worked and better or faster.
I noticed a huge difference with my new notebook at half the clock speed of my old one with XP. XP is the new WindowsMe. Have fun in a month when your XP machine slows down to molasses in January for no reason like every one of them always does. McAfee, Norton, anti spyware, nothing helps.
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|Much like the one time a year when you agree with something Dave says, this would have to be one of those rare occasions when I disagree with you. :)
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|If you do a clean install, Vista runs just fine on a computer with an Intel Celeron 2.0GHz processor, 512MB DDR 400 memory, Intel Extreme integrated graphics (Intel 845 chipset) and host based audio as long as you're not doing any gaming. Keep in mind that no Vista driver exists for Intel's original Extreme integrated graphics so you have to use the XP graphics driver which works perfectly fine.
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|As I had said. That is a lame excuse and you're an idiot for using it. My system scored a 5.9 under Vista when 3.0 was the minimum for Vista to work properly. The only thing that Windows has over it are games, but that is quickly changing.
Here is a video about those like you...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yYIfyDENTIY
For every person who has had little to no problems with Vista several more have had NOTHING BUT PROBLEMS with it.
Is is right that every time M$ paves the road you have to buy a new car? I'm using Ubuntu Linux and it easily matches, and even surpasses it on some, Vista for features at a fraction of the resources. Compiz-Fusion even kicks Aero's a** when it comes to desktop effects and the like, plus Ubuntu is also far more stable and reliable as well. And best of all it is FREE.
http://www.esp.eweek.com...ux+Growth/220508_1.aspx
The WAP in Windows is like every time you change your tires you have to call up the manufacturer to start it. Hell, just putting new air in your tires will do it. Now they changed it so that instead of killing your car, after a short time, the headlights stop working and the horn blares out at random times until you call them up to stop it.... And it only affects the legal owner of the car. The car thief can easily bypass it.
Unlike you I have self-respect and don't want to constantly put up with nonsense like that.
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|I was merely disagreeing with Hollywood__'s statements about upgrading versus clean installation.
Windows Vista image-based installer works entirely differently than all previous Windows versions. There are practically no differences in performance and/or reliability when considering either method of installing Vista.
Of course, I would always choose a clean install... but if that option is not available to you, I wouldn't worry about it.
I was also disagreeing with his assertion that Windows XP (if left alone to its own devices) would automatically slow down to a crawl, requiring a reinstall every month or so. I have a Windows XP Pro media PC in my living room that has not required such measures in almost 3 years. The performance is just as admirable as it was when I first set it up. It handles all of my media playback needs through my A/V system, as well as gaming and emulation... with occasional web surfing when I'm too lazy to go to my back room. It remains constantly connected to the internet for AVG updates as well as Windows updates (so that theory is blown out of the water).
Windows XP combined with appropriate preventative measures immediately after installation (such as AVG, Windows Defender, all Windows security updates and patches, populating Internet Explorer's restricted sites list, etc.), further combined with common sense and safe usage/web browsing habits (ie. when in doubt, don't) = no problems.
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|Yup, very true.
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|i like my mac "experience." it's pretty much good for the life of the product. My powerbook lasted 3 years which is the longest i've ever owned a laptop without it dying (i ruthlessly murder portables somehow), and just around the time i was thinking of getting something new i got a sweet job where i got a new macbook pro. the thing is awesome. i just installed leopard but there are a few glitches with it i'd like to be resolved by 10.5.2. Nothing show stopping, but i really liked my 45 day uptimes with my only reason to reboot being software updates or loss of battery.
I eagerly await 10.5.2 and love sitting back watching the "real" problems happen with VEESTAH and the EXPERIENCE
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|lmao...
that is just a lame excuse anyways blaming hardware when it truly shouldn't matter at all.
Hardware compatibility doesn't matter with Linux.
Any more gibberish you'd care to spout, or are you done?
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|For every person who has had little to no problems with Vista several more have had NOTHING BUT PROBLEMS with it.
Cute.
Care to back that up with anything but your pointless linux pandering?
The only thing that Windows has over it are games, but that is quickly changing.
Sure. You can play them at lower graphics settings after installing Wine or Cedega and have learned to live without such comforts as more than 3 mouse buttons.
I installed Ubuntu 7.10, WINE, and WoW. In order to get it to work at all reasonably I had to manually edit the Config.wtf for WoW *and* add several keys to the WINE registry.
End result? Baseline graphic quality, could not bind anything to the 4th or 5th mouse buttons (I heard it might be possible after editing a few more linux text files). Only the most basic compatibility, and even that was a chore to achieve.
But hey...the window shook like Jell-O every time I had to Force Quit on a crash.
Ooooohhhh....
Give it a rest.
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|A Vista upgrade can cause significant reliability and performance problems if you don't uninstall all Vista incompatible software before you upgrade. Vista does NOT require you to uninstall all incompatible software to do an upgrade. The only required software you have to uninstall are things like antivirus software or disk utility software such as Norton Utilities for example.
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|Have you tried running xp or 2k on your Vista system? You might not go back to Vista.
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|Hol: you sound like a Vista fanboy-- where are you coming from with these absurdities?
First paragraph: agree with first half(although for a different reason-- that Vista is a pig)... second half: a total lie.
Second paragraph: try multibooting your Vista systems with xp or 2k, and notice the difference. Be sure to strap on your seat belt, though.
Third paragraph: First such opinion i've heard-- it's been the total opposite ad nauseam.
BTW isn't mcafee, norton(individually), or too much redundant other spyware-- what usually brings systems down to a crawl?
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|You know, for you and others like yourself who constantly evangelize Linux and it's "advantages", why not go one better and push a BSD initiative?
If you really want to talk about reliability and stability (which Debian-based distros certainly provide, by the way), PC-BSD is a nice start. BSD variants are more Unix-like than Linux can ever hope to be.
I'm certainly not knocking Ubuntu, but it's not the end all be all. After all, Apple didn't base OS X on Linux, so they must know better... right? :)
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|Speaking of 10.5, I wish they would fix what they broke with Windows shares. AFP is pretty much hit and miss.
Spending $150+ on minor version upgrades... oh yeah, what an "experience".
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|its mostly under the hood changes, but the world wont end if people dont adopt leopard. in fact, if you're really pinching pennies you can just wait another year or two for the next iteration with double the features for the same price. No 5 year wait on upgrades people will refuse. 10.5 has some annoyances but it's not been out very long. I'm expecting they'll tidy it up a bit before too long
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|One thing PC users can do that Mac users can't...
http://www.thebestpagein...e.net/c.cgi?u=macs_cant
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|For some of us this is already far too late and we've moved on to something better.
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|For the vast majority of Windows XP users (ie. vast majority of PC users worldwide), this is the "something better" they have finally been waiting for.
Off topic, but your statement is just as valid for everyone waiting for something better to happen with the PlayStation 3 for an even longer period of time... yet, the faithful persevere and hold their breath.
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|Amen, yountmj. I stopped listening to the anti-MS fundamentalists a while back. Their kool-aid is just as potent as the rest, it's just a different flavour.
I have been happy with how SP1 RC has worked on my test machines. For some reason, it would not install via download for me but would via WU. It's about time for a clean install anyway.
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|Whatever turns your crank..... The vast majority use Windows because that is what came with their system. Many even that believe PC and Windows are one and the same thing. To them it is a toaster.... They don't know any better.
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|Speaking of fundamentalists, you should look in a mirror.
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|Is that seriously all you can come back with? Not exactly an astute or substantive rebuttal, if you ask me.
I use what is appropriate for the situation, be it Windows, a *nix variant, or OS-X. Each has its strengths and each has its weaknesses.
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|If you honestly believe the average consumer would even consider Linux if it was offered you are far mistaken. Linux is far to complicated for any non-techie to understand. Unless they do something to make it A LOT simpler than it is right now it will never become more than a niche OS. The vast majority would still choose Windows because it is simple and everybody knows how to use it. There were people griping about XP saying it was the worst thing ever and look at them now. Those people are the ones praising it now. Vista is no different.
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|I'm sorry to burst your bubble, but it's quite simply the truth of the matter. I respect your opinion, but perhaps you should have expanded on your definition of 'better'.
Each OS is going to help users perform certain tasks better than another. To generalize and state that any one solution is better is grossly ignorant. For many users, Windows simply allows them to do everything they want to do... and do it well. I believe Vista continues that tradition.
Many people held off on upgrading to Windows XP at the time of its release, citing the eventual release of SP1 to be the reason to even consider it (of course, it was not until SP2 when the reasons to make the leap became even more appealing). The same reasoning was flying around almost a year ago when Vista was about to go prime time... "Wait until SP1, then we'll see if it's worth it".
Well, SP1 is almost upon us, and we will indeed see. As it stands right now, Vista has been well worth it even without SP1.
Incidentally, in the time since Vista's release, the only Vista PCs that have come in to our shop are for simple performance upgrades or typical hardware failures... quite unlike the dozens of XP systems that come through each week. Vista is an improvement, and SP1 will only make it better.
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|LET'S BREAK THIS DOWN.
If you honestly believe the average consumer would even consider Linux if it was offered you are far mistaken.
So you're saying that the 200,000 gOS PCs that Wal-Mart sold in less than ten days in November is the result of consumers wanting Windows on their machine?
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Linux is far to complicated for any non-techie to understand.
Yea, downloading a free LiveCD and testing an entire OS without loading it on your computer: that's so stupid-simple even a republican can do it. Add in no virus programs to fool with; no disk defragmenting; no data loss; no DRM; no WGA; no OGA; no forced automatic updates; no "trusted computing"; no upgrade costs; no kill switch; no activation; no validation; no serial numbers and activation codes!; file copying and moving is superfast; hey, built-in networking and virtualization with every copy, not just the highest priced versions!; all the best software is now written across platforms or is open source; sleep, restore functions that just work; it's absolutely FREE, allowing you to spend more money on faster hardware; if you need it to, GNU/Linux can be quickly configured to look like Vista, OS X, or various flavors of.... GNU/Linux (Xfce, Gnome, KDE, Enlightenment, lots of choices on how you want your desktop environment to look, not the one dictated to you by some jackass in Redmond). Yea, this is all too complex for the average [Windows-trained] idiot. Only a fool would want these advantages over Vista.
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Unless they do something to make it A LOT simpler than it is right now it will never become more than a niche OS.
And what's complicated now, pray tell? Do share. Linux installation takes a few minutes — usually less than 12 on an old machine — to install. And any GNU/Linux distro is easier to learn and has better support than Vista, I promise you. Besides, all the best apps are now either written for Linux or have Linux versions. Checked out Web 2.0 lately, which obliterates all of Microsoft's proprietary controls and makes its format dominance irrelevant?
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The vast majority would still choose Windows because it is simple and everybody knows how to use it.
Then why are so many people switching to GNU/Linux and Mac, and not upgrading to Vista? Why are businesses "sitting out" this entire Vista upgrade cycle? (Hint: because people are discovering better operating systems elsewhere, and it's a dirty little secret Microsoft doesn't want you to believe.)
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There were people griping about XP saying it was the worst thing ever and look at them now.
People merely say that XP is "good enough" as it is now with SP2/3 when compared with Vista, not because it wasn't an awful security trainwreck before SP2. That it took Microsoft SIX YEARS to develop the total POS that is Vista is a stunning technical disaster. And could you link us to anyone praising XP? Seriously, it's an 8-year old OS! You might as well praise Windows 3.1 for the same reasons.
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Vista is no different.
Guess you didn't stop to read the Vista EULA, did you? Or, maybe you mean that people can't stop laughing at how predictably bad Vista is. Or, maybe you haven't been reading the tech press in the past year. Or, if it's so great, why does it perpetually need yet another service pack after updating itself to correct so many problems every month?.... You're right, Vista is no different than any other Microsoft OS!
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|LET'S BREAK THIS DOWN.
"So you're saying that the 200,000 gOS PCs that Wal-Mart sold in less than ten days in November is the result of consumers wanting Windows on their machine?"
Sooo...linux sold what, 1%, maybe of the total PC's sold? 200,000 cheap pc's during the holiday season...hmm...must be a REVOLUTION!!!
/sarcasm
"Yea, downloading a free LiveCD and testing an entire OS without loading it on your computer: that's real complex"
Uhm...repeat that phrase to a random 100 non techies...99 of them would look at you like you're an alien.
"no data loss"
Wow linux has the technology to make hard disks uncrashable now, that's news to me!
"no DRM"
I don't know if I understand that one...no DRM? no HDDVD, no itunes, no bluray, no music services with built in DRM...wait I don't need ot use those services with windows either, weird!
"hey, built-in networking with every copy, not just the highest priced versions"
I don't know which version of windows has no networking included...not that it matters anyway since "non-techies" (that is the line your responding to right?) don't care much for networking apart from the basics anyway!
"sleep, restore functions that just work"
Interesting...sleep, restore functions just work on my windows XP and Vista PC's also!
"GNU/Linux can be quickly configured to look like Vista, OS X, or various flavors of.... GNU/Linux (Xfce, Gnome, KDE, Enlightenment, lots of choice). Yea, that's all too complex for the average [Windows-trained] idiot."
Again...say that to any non-techie and they'll pay you good money to do it...oh wait that just offset the cost of the Windows OS! So much for free!
"And what's compicated now, pray tell? Do share. Any GNU/Linux distro is easier to learn and has better support than Vista, I promise you."
Drop linux on 1000 random non-techies PC's, and 999 of them would ask for windows back.
"Why are businesses "sitting out" this entire Vista upgrade cycle?"
Because no business EVER upgrades to a bran new OS that fast. I don't think you understand how businesses operate, there's just a little more to it then "hey look, It's so easy to install new aps on Ubuntu with aptitude!" Do you know how long it took most companies to upgrade to XP? Not many had it rolled out withing the first year or release.
"People merely say that XP is "good enough" as it is now with SP2/3 when compared with Vista, not because it wasn't an awful security trainwreck before SP2. And could you link us to anyone praising XP? Seriously, it's an 8-year old OS!"
I could link you to alot of people praising XP. XP as it stands now is a very solid OS, and most companies are very happy with it. That's MS's biggest battle, if I'm so happy with XP, why upgrade?
"why does it perpetually need yet another service pack after updating itself to correct so many problems"
I do believe SP1 will be the first "service pack"...oh btw, have you looked at the amount of upgrades every singe linux distro has? Many more then windows.
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|I agree with ya AshG, every OS manufacturer is catering for a different market & every person on the planet is not trying to do the exact same thing on their machine, surely each person should decide what is best for their own particular situation or environment.
Regardless, this article is related to SP1 for Vista, good, maybe this damn workstation of mine will start performing better a crash less.
I always go back to one train of though, nothing is ever perfectly built from the word go and software is no different.
Thankfully they're fixing the bugs.
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|Are you finally satisfied with how it's formatted now? :)
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|Don't bother. The troll never checks for replies. This is another of his famous hit-n-runs.
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|Funny how you conveniently left out the fatc that that "some" comes out to under a whopping 10% of the consumer market.
I'm sure it would have had the same effect had you mentioned that tidbit, right?
No worries. I know you'll always play to the emotional reaction. The facts just don't suit you, do they?
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|First paragraph might've had a chance to be true ONLY IF Vista had come out in 64bit exclusively... plus if planned features taken out of it in order to rush it out the door had been left in.
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|You need to try Ubuntu before spouting off like that.
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|Ash, you just gave yourself up with that clean install admission.
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|AshG; "It's about time for a clean install anyway." Hello nurse! ..... Yeah yeah.... Figure it out. Glory Be for the Glory Thee. Being a tool is hard to see. "use what is appropriate for the situation, be it Windows, a *nix variant, or OS-X. Each has its strengths and each has its weaknesses." Cant we all get along...?pifft
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