Microsoft Press Windows Vista Administrator's Pocket Consultant ebook
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In earlier releases of Windows, an application crash or hang is marked as not responding, and it is up to the user to exit and then restart the application. Windows Vista attempts to resolve the issue of unresponsive applications by using Restart Manager. Restart Manager can shut down and restart unresponsive applications automatically. Thanks to Restart Manager, you might not have to intervene to try to resolve issues with frozen applications.
Failed installation and nonresponsive conditions of applications and drivers are also tracked through Problem Reports And Solutions. Should this occur, the built-in diagnostics displays a "Check For Solutions" balloon message. If you click the balloon, Windows Vista opens the Problem Reports And Solutions dialog box, which enables you to check on the Internet for solutions to selected problems. You can view a list of current problems at any time by following these steps:
Click Start and then click Control Panel.
In Control Panel, click System And Maintenance and then click Problem Reports And Solutions.
In the Problem Reports And Solutions console, click See Problems To Check in the left pane.
A list of known problems is displayed, similar to what is shown in Figure 3-1. Select the check box for a problem and then click Check For Solutions to search the Microsoft Web site for possible solutions.
Figure 3-1: Check for known problems using the Problem Reports And Solutions dialog box.
Windows Vista attempts to resolve issues related to running out of virtual memory by providing Resource Exhaustion Detection And Recovery. This feature monitors the system-wide virtual memory commit limit and alerts you if the computer is running low on virtual memory. To enable you to correct this issue, it also identifies the processes consuming the largest amount of memory, allowing you to close any or all of these highly resource-consuming applications directly from the Close Programs To Prevent Information Loss dialog box provided. The resource exhaustion alert is also logged in the System event log.
In earlier releases of Windows, corrupted system files are one of the most common causes of startup failure. Windows Vista includes built-in diagnostics to automatically detect corrupted system files during startup and guide you through automated or manual recovery. To resolve startup problems, Windows Vista includes the Startup Repair Tool (StR). Once started, StR attempts to determine the cause of the startup failure by analyzing startup logs and error reports. Then StR attempts to fix the problem automatically. If StR is unable to resolve the problem, it restores the system to the last known working state and then provides diagnostic information and support options for further troubleshooting.
StR is included on the Windows Vista installation disc and can be preinstalled on computers. By preinstalling StR, you make it available as an option on the Windows Advanced Startup Options menu. If you don't preinstall StR and the system fails to start up, you can run it from the Windows Vista installation disc by following these steps:
Insert the Windows Vista installation disc and then restart the computer.
Click View System Recovery Options (Advanced).
Type the name and password for an account on the computer.
Click Startup Repair in the list of recovery tools.
Follow the Startup Repair prompts to recover the system.
Hardware problems addressed by built-in diagnostics include error detection and disk failure detection. If a device is having problems, hardware diagnostics can detect error conditions and either repair the problem automatically or guide the user through a recovery process. With disk drives, hardware diagnostics can use fault reports provided by disk drives to detect potential failure and alert you before this happens. Hardware diagnostics can also help guide you through the backup process after alerting you that a disk might be failing.
Performance problems addressed by built-in diagnostics include slow application startup, slow boot, slow standby/resume, and slow shutdown. If a computer is experiencing degraded performance, performance diagnostics can detect the problem and provide possible solutions for resolving the problem. For advanced performance issues, you can track related performance and reliability data in the Performance Diagnostics console, which includes a performance monitor and a reliability monitor. (This is discussed in Chapter 15, "Optimizing Windows Vista.")
Memory problems addressed by built-in diagnostics include both memory leaks and failing memory. A memory leak occurs if an application or system component doesn't completely free areas of physical memory after it is done with them. If you suspect that a computer has a memory problem that is not being automatically detected, you can run Windows Memory Diagnostics manually by completing the following steps:
Click Start, All Programs, Accessories.
Right-click Command Prompt and then select Run As Administrator.
At the command prompt, type mdsched.exe.
Choose whether to restart the computer and run the tool immediately or schedule the tool to run at the next restart.
Windows Memory Diagnostics runs automatically after the computer restart, enabling you to choose the type of testing to perform. Three different levels of memory testing can be performed, from basic to exhaustive.
To detect system crashes possibly caused by failing memory, memory diagnostics works with the Microsoft Online Crash Analysis tool (OCA). If a computer crashes due to failing memory, and memory diagnostics detect this, you are prompted to schedule a memory test the next time the computer is restarted.
Working with the Automated Help System
Windows Vista's many Automated Help And Support enhancements fundamentally change how the operating system works and how you support it. As an administrator, it is important to understand how this help architecture works. Beyond the operating system components that provide the low-level functionality, and over which you have little or no control, the Help And Support architecture includes the following:
Support services that provide top-level functionality
Support policies that control how diagnostics and problem resolution work
These features are introduced in the sections that follow.
Introducing Support Services
To support automated diagnostics and problem resolutions, Windows Vista provides separate components and tools for working with and managing diagnostics, problem reporting, and user assistance. These components all rely on the availability of the support services installed with the operating system. If you access the Services node in the Computer Management administrative tool, you'll find a bundle of services dedicated to the system support.
Table 3-1 provides an overview of key support services. Windows Vista's problem detection, troubleshooting, and resolution features are largely supported by the Diagnostic Policy and Diagnostic System Host services. A third related service, the Diagnostic Service Host service, starts only as needed.
Table 3-1: Support Services in Windows Vista
Name
Description
Application Experience
Processes application compatibility cache requests for applications
Application Information
Allows users to run applications with additional administrative privileges
Application Management
Processes installation, removal, and enumeration requests for software deployed through Group Policy
Background Intelligent Transfer Service
Transfers files in the background using idle network bandwidth
Diagnostic Policy
Enables problem detection, troubleshooting, and resolution for Windows components
Diagnostic System Host
Enables problem detection, troubleshooting, and resolution for Windows components
Problem Reports and Solutions Control Panel Support
Provides support for the Program Compatibility Assistant
Secondary Logon
Enables starting processes under alternate credentials
Superfetch
Helps maintain and improve
performance by prefetching component and application data based on usage patterns
System Event Notification Service
Monitors system events and provides notification services
Task Scheduler
Enables a user to configure and schedule automated tasks
Themes
Provides user experience for themes management
User Profile Service
Responsible for loading and unloading user profiles during logon and logoff
Windows Error Reporting Service
Allows errors to be reported when programs stop responding and allows solutions to be retrieved
Windows Event Log
Responsible for logging events
Windows Management Instrumentation
Provides system management information
Windows Modules Installer
Supports Windows updates of recommended and optional components
Windows Time
Used to synchronize system time with world time
Windows Update
Enables updating of Windows components and other programs
As you can see from the number of support services, the automated help system built into Windows Vista is fairly complex. The system is designed to automatically monitor system health, perform preventative maintenance, and report problems so they can be resolved. Related performance and reliability data can be tracked in the Performance Diagnostics console, which includes a performance monitor and a reliability monitor, and is discussed in Chapter 15.
Support services provide the foundation for the enhanced support features in Windows Vista. If critical services are not running or configured properly, you might have problems using certain support features. You can view these and other services in Computer Management by completing the following steps:
Click Start and then click Control Panel.
In Control Panel, click the System And Maintenance category heading link.
Click Administrative Tools and then double-click Computer Management.
Right-click the Computer Management entry in the console tree and select Connect To Another Computer. You can now select the system whose services you want to view.
Expand the Services And Applications node by clicking the plus sign (+) next to it. Then select Services, as shown in Figure 3-2.
Figure 3-2: Use the Services view to manage services on Windows Vista.
Introducing Support Policies
To control how diagnostics and problem resolution works, Windows Vista relies on policy settings in Group Policy. You'll find related policy settings under Computer ConfigurationAdministrative TemplatesSystemTroubleshooting And Diagnostics. The related policies are:
Application Compatibility Alerts Together with the Program Compatibility Assistant Service, the related policies determine how application incompatibility alerting works. By default, Windows Vista alerts you if you try to start an incompatible application. The application is either not allowed to execute or allowed to execute with a warning message.
Disk Diagnostic Together with Diagnostic Policy Service, the related policies determine how disk fault alerting is handled. Disk faults can indicate that a disk is failing and might need to be repaired or replaced. By default, Windows Vista uses fault reports provided by disk drives to alert you to potential problems. Related events are also recorded in the event logs.
Corrupted File Recovery Together with Diagnostic Policy Service, the related policies determine detection and recovery behavior for corrupted system files. Corrupted system files can cause the operating system to fail to load. In earlier releases of Windows, you couldn't easily recover the operating system if system files were corrupted. By default, during startup, Windows Vista automatically detects corrupted system files and then enters a recovery state with either minimal or no user interface. Recovery of the corrupted file is then either automatic or manual depending on the system configuration.
Windows Memory Leak Diagnosis Together with Diagnostic Policy Service, the related policies determine detection and recovery behavior for memory leaks. By default, Windows Vista alerts you if it detects an application or component with a memory leak. A memory leak occurs if an application or system component doesn't completely free areas of physical memory after it is done with them. Over time, memory leaks can cause poor performance. They can also cause the system to run out of available memory.
Windows Boot Performance Diagnostics Together with Diagnostic Policy Service, the related policies determine detection and resolution behavior for boot performance issues. By default, Windows Vista alerts you when it detects boot, standby/resume, and shutdown issues that affect performance. Related events are also logged in the event logs. For troubleshooting, Windows Vista also attempts to determine the root cause of any related problem and then assists you through the resolution.
Windows Standby/Resume Performance Diagnostics Together with Diagnostic Policy Service, the related policies determine detection and resolution behavior for standby/resume performance issues. By default, Windows Vista alerts you when it detects standby/resume issues that affect performance. Related events are also logged in the event logs. For troubleshooting, Windows Vista also attempts to determine the root cause of any related problem and then assists you through the resolution.
Windows System Responsiveness Performance Diagnostics Together with Diagnostic Policy Service, the related policies determine detection and resolution behavior for performance issues that affect system responsiveness. By default, Windows Vista alerts you when it detects these performance issues. Related events are also logged in the event logs. For troubleshooting, Windows Vista also attempts to determine the root cause of any related problem and then assists you through the resolution.
Windows Shutdown Performance Diagnostics Together with Diagnostic Policy Service, the related policies determine detection and resolution behavior for shutdown performance issues. By default, Windows Vista alerts you when it detects shutdown issues that affect performance. Related events are also logged in the event logs. For troubleshooting, Windows Vista also attempts to determine the root cause of any related problem and then assists you through the resolution.
Windows Resource Exhaustion Detection And Resolution Together with Diagnostic Policy Service, the related policies determine detection and resolution behavior conditions where the operating system is running low on virtual memory. By default, Windows Vista alerts you when it detects low virtual memory conditions. Related events are also logged in the event logs. For troubleshooting, Windows Vista alerts you and identifies the processes consuming the largest amount of memory, allowing you to close any or all of these highly resource-consuming processes.
Most of these policies have a default Not Configured state that permits automated detection, troubleshooting, and resolution, as well as an enabled state that explicitly sets the behavior for detection, troubleshooting, and resolution. If you don't want diagnostics to indicate to the user that assisted resolution is available, you can configure most of these policies with an enabled state and an execution level of Detection And Troubleshooting Only. In this execution level, built-in diagnostics will detect the problem and attempt to resolve it automatically. While it will log related events in the event logs, it will neither alert the user if automated resolution is unsuccessful nor will it provide possible solutions. See Chapter 9, "Managing Disk Drives and File Systems," for details on working with Group Policy.
Installing and Maintaining Devices: The Essentials
Many different types of devices can be installed in or connected to computers. The following are the key device types:
Cards/adapters Circuit cards and adapters are plugged into expansion slots on the motherboard inside the computer case or, in the case of a laptop, into expansion slots available directly on the side of the system. Most cards and adapters have a connector into which you can plug other devices.
Internal drives Many different types of drives can be installe
d, from CD drives, DVD drives, and Zip drives to floppy disks and hard disks. Internal drives usually have two types of cables. One cable attaches to the motherboard, to other drives, or to interface cards. The other cable attaches to the computer's power supply.
External drives and devices External drives and devices plug into ports on the computer. The port can be standard, such as LPT1 or COM1; a port that you added with a circuit card; or a high-speed serial port such as a universal serial bus (USB) port or an IEEE-1394 port (commonly called a FireWire port). Printers, scanners, USB flash drives, and most digital cameras are external devices.
Memory Memory chips are used to expand the total amount of physical memory on the computer. Memory can be added to the motherboard or to a particular device, such as a video card. The most commonly used type of memory is random access memory (RAM).
You don't manage the configuration of hardware devices on Windows Vista in the same way that you manage the configuration of hardware devices on earlier releases of Windows. Devices installed on the computer but not detected during an upgrade or installation of the operating system are configured differently from new devices you install.
Installing Pre-Existing Devices
Unlike earlier releases of Windows, Windows Vista automatically detects devices that were not installed after upgrading or installing the operating system. If a device wasn't installed because Windows Vista didn't include the driver, the built-in hardware diagnostics will, in many cases, detect the hardware and then use the automatic update framework to retrieve the required driver the next time Windows Update runs, provided that Windows Update is enabled and you've allowed driver updating as well as operating system updating.