Author: Ed Bott

Tech journalist. Author of 25+ books. ZDNET Contributing Editor since 2006. Contact info: https://edbott.com/contact-me/

Tip of the day: Troubleshoot slow startups, Part 2

Yesterday, I explained how to rule out startup problems that are specific to your user profile.

If you’ve determined that your system’s slow startup happens even with a clean user account, you can move on to the next step. In this case, the problem could be a system service, a driver, or a program that is attempting to load before you get a chance to log on. To rule out this possibility, try disabling everything that starts automatically.

The easiest tool for this job is the System Configuration Utility, aka Msconfig.exe. This utility lets you fine-tune startup options for diagnostic purposes. I recommend you use it as follows:

  1. Close all running programs and save any data files you’re working on. Click Start, Run. In the Open box, type msconfig and press Enter.
  2. In the System Configuration Utility dialog box, select the Diagnostic Startup option on the General tab.

    3. diagnostic startup from Msconfig

  3. Click OK.
  4. When prompted, choose the option to restart your computer.

The Diagnostic Startup option disables every startup program and most system services (leaving only a handful of core services such as DCOM and RPC running). When you restart, you’ll be greeted with the option shown here.

MSConfig restart

Click OK, but do not select the check box here. When the informational dialog box goes away, the System Configuration Utility opens again.

Did your system start without the delays you’ve been experiencing? If so, you can conclude that the culprit is one (or more) of the programs or services that are starting up automatically. Tomorrow’s tip will explain how to find that troublemaker.

If your startup was still unacceptably slow, the problem could be a defective piece of hardware, a corrupted Windows installation, or a faulty driver. I’ll tackle those topics later in the week.

AntiSpyware to be part of Windows Vista

Ryan Naraine reports:

Microsoft has confirmed plans to bundle anti-spyware protection into Windows Vista, a move that is sure to raise eyebrows among competitors and possibly antitrust regulators.

The Windows AntiSpyware product, which currently ships to consumers as a free standalone application, will be integrated into Vista, as is indicated in the newest beta build of Vista distributed to technical beta testers on Monday.

Good. And baseline anti-virus protection should be baked in too, with the user having the option to replace it with a full-featured alternative. It’s just like the firewall bundled with Windows XP SP2. This level of protection should be a core part of the operating system. If someone files an antitrust complaint over this move, I will be among the first to complain about their move.

Oh, and this same baseline level of security should be ported to Windows XP as well. It’s only right.

Windows XP SP3? Not!

If you keep track of Windows news, you’ve probably heard the controversy over a site that’s offering what they call a “preview pack” of Windows XP Service Pack 3. Microsoft’s Mike Brannigan has already delivered a straightforward recommendation to avoid this package, calling it a “fake” and pointing out that it poses a significant risk to your PC and your data.

I debated whether to include the link to this site and decided not to do so. If you’re bound and determined to screw up your system, then go to thehotfix.net on your own. The proprietors of this site, who are no doubt well-meaning, claim to be doing a service by helping you track down “hard-to-find fixes.” They acknowledge:

This is NOT an official SP3 package from Microsoft, but rather just a collection of hotfixes that will most likely be in SP3 releasing in 2006.

Here’s why this is a bad idea. The reason these hotfixes are generally not available for download from Microsoft’s Web site is that they haven’t been tested for compatibility. They’re intended for use by people who call Microsoft’s support line with a specific issue. If you get one of these hotfixes through the support channel and it causes a problem, you’ve got a support ticket number and you can call back for help in repairing the mess. If you download these hotfixes from an unauthorized site and scramble your system, you’re on your own.

The folks who created this package don’t quite understand the patch development process. Yes, many if not all of these hotfixes will be in SP3, but not in their current form. They’ll be tested and revised and then retested as part of the SP3 package, before it’s released.

Installing a bunch of untested hotfixes on a computer that doesn’t need them is a bad idea. Don’t do it.

Shuttle’s new HTPC – wait till next year

The new Shuttle M1000 is about as good looking as it gets.

Shuttle M1000

Here’s how Shuttle sells it:

The Shuttle XPC Media Center’s built-in analog TV tuners, FM radio tuner, dual format DVD writer, and 8-in-1 card reader, make it easy to enjoy TV, video, music and photographs with your friends and family.

Based on Shuttle’s all new ‘M’ chassis, the Shuttle XPC Media Center sits stylishly within any home audio/visual entertainment center. But don’t be fooled by its simple exterior. Inside the attractive case you will find; analog TV tuners supporting HDTV, time shifting, and real time or scheduled recording, high definition 7.1 channel audio, FM radio with pause and replay capabilities, and 3D graphics processing power from NVIDIA.

What’s the catch? How about the $1899 price tag? That’s a lot of money for a PC that’s going to sit in your living room and not be used for anything else. (And if you’re thinking about buying this box to use in your office, well, you can spend half the money and get just as much computer.)

The good news is this base configuration has everything you need (sans speakers and monitor, of course) – no missing pieces, no hidden upgrades. The only quibble I have with the configuration is the onboard B/G wireless networking, which really should offer 802.11A support as well.

AnandTech has a typically comprehensive review that nails the real problem with this box:

The problem is, someone looking for an expensive but capable HTPC probably has some other wants as well. HDTV compatibility is a major flaw in the design. Sure, you can watch DVDs without trouble, and you can even download movies from the Internet and watch them on your HTPC. The NVIDIA output either through component or DVI to an HDTV works great. The inability to record or view HDTV broadcasts on its own makes this, at best, a secondary A/V component for many people.

[…]

In the end, there are several things holding back the HTPC market, and none of them are Shuttle’s fault. The DMCA and similar legislation are definitely not helping the home user get the most out of their electronics. Content providers share the largest portion of the blame, as standards like cablecard were promised years ago and yet content providers are still “nervous”.

[…]

What we want in a fully featured HTPC is the ability to record SD and HD content, and even better would be compatibility with cable and satellite subscriptions. You can get all that for $10 a month from many providers, though other compromises are made in those systems. HDD size is never as large as we would like, and networking support is generally omitted as well – likely to keep the content secured on the device. Shuttle has the right idea with the M1000 design, but unfortunately it won’t meet the demands of many Home Theater enthusiasts.

If there’s anyone to fault for the problems with HTPCs, it’s Hollywood, the MPAA, the RIAA, and the cable and satellite providers, because while the ability to create our dream HTPC exists in theory, it can only be achieved with more cooperation among all of these parties. The hardware manufacturers would love to be able to sell new hardware that supports the necessary features, but those features are as yet undefined.

Can I recommend this computer today? No way. As gorgeous as it is, I can’t justify its high price tag until it does HD. And without a guarantee that this box will be upgradeable when CableCARD hardware and software upgrades appear next year, it’s too risky.

[Cross-posted at Ed Bott’s Media Central]

Tip of the day: Troubleshoot slow startups. Part 1

What should you do if your system is taking longer than it should to start up? Don’t start randomly tweaking system settings. Instead, go through basic troubleshooting to see if you can narrow down the problem. This week, I’ll list five separate steps you can take to quickly narrow down the source of the problem.

One cause of slow startups is a program (or programs) trying unsuccessfully to load or make a network connection when you log on to your user account. To identify this sort of problem, create a new user account and log on using that account. If the new account starts up normally, you can start looking more closely at what’s happening in your user profile.

To create a new account, follow these steps:

  1. Open Control Panel and double-click the User Accounts icon.
  2. Click Create a new account.
  3. Type a name for the new account and click Next.
  4. In the Pick an account type dialog box, leave Computer administrator selected and click Create Account.

Log off (Start, Log Off, Log Off) and then log on using the new account. The first time you log on, you’ll experience a delay as Windows creates the files for your profile. After completing this step, shut down your computer and restart. When you reach the Welcome screen, choose the new account you created.

If you experience a slow logon, you can rule out any problem with your profile and focus on hardware-related issues or overall system settings.

Clueless commentary from a big name

John C. Dvorak’s latest column is a rant about Microsoft’s security software that includes this amazing paragraph. And by “amazing,” I mean “breathtakingly ill-informed and doesn’t PC Magazine have any technical editors anymore?”

I use a utility called Prevx [link: http://www.prevx.com], a host-intrusion protection system, as well as one or two other antispyware packages to keep the stuff at bay. And it still sneaks in once in a while. Most recently, I forgot to turn off my CUTEftp client and left it running all night. In the morning some system had loaded some weird software called “active skin,” and I had to use SpySubtract to remove 26 Registry entries. Exactly how anything manages to worm in through the open port and place items in the Registry is beyond me, but it happens all the time.

Oh, lordy.

Repeat after me: Leaving an FTP client open does not allow an intruder to install software on your computer. Cannot happen. Science fiction. Even if you were to run an FTP server on your computer, the only thing someone could do would be to upload files to your PC. They couldn’t run the program or edit your registry. And anyway, that’s completely irrelevant in this case, because Dvorak was running an FTP client.

So what about this horrible spyware program that had to be removed? ActiveSkin is a UI development environment from ShapeSoft. It uses an ActiveX control. I can’t find out much about it (and the company that owns it has gone dark), but I know that Symantec calls it “a non-malicious component that may be used by other applications.” I have seen hints that it is used with ICQ, with Ad Hunter, with the SigmaTel audio control panel, and with a number of homebrewed VB6 programs (like this one). Several well-known spyware and Trojan programs use this component, including Insecure Executable Downloader, but it does not appear to be harmful in and of itself.

In fact, given that the spyware scanner John is using is from Trend Micro, it wouldn’t surprise me if it’s a false positive. The ActiveX control (remember, Symantec calls it non-malicious) was probably included with a program that Dvorak installed. It registered itself at installation time (thus adding entries to the registry). It wouldn’t be the first time that Trend Micro had been guilty of identifying a perfectly legitimate program as spyware.

From that false premise, Dvorak then reaches the sweeping conclusion that Microsoft is unwilling and unable to “fix” Windows so that it’s perfectly secure.

Sigh. There ain’t no such thing as a secure operating system. Sensible security precautions can be built in, development processes can be improved, reaction time for fixing security issues can be cut down. But “fixing” Windows does not mean creating a code base that has no more security issues ever.

This is yet another reason why I stopped reading PC Magazine. The trouble is, several hundred thousand people still do, and after reading this column they’ll come away with the mistaken belief that hostile software can attack their computer using a simple FTP client. Who knows what other ridiculous technical errors are in this same issue?

As Dvorak would say, sheesh.

I would never write a column like this

Slate’s Jack Shafer has a good old-fashioned bomb-thrower of a column that is guaranteed to piss off the cult of Mac:

The Apple Polishers – Explaining the press corps’ crush on Steve Jobs and company

I don’t hate Apple. I don’t even hate Apple-lovers. I do, however, possess deep odium for the legions of Apple polishers in the press corps who salute every shiny gadget the company parades through downtown Cupertino as if they were members of the Supreme Soviet viewing the latest ICBMs at the May Day parade.

More little tidbits:

Although staffed by dorks and drizzlerods, Apple projects itself and its products as the embodiment of style and cool. The population of Apple’s parallel universe? A paltry 1.8 percent of PCs worldwide.

[…]

Apple incites fanaticism about its products via ad campaigns and evangelist outreach programs designed to make its customers feel as though they’re part of a privileged and enlightened elite. One unnamed loser at Slate says today’s V-iPod news made her want to rush out and buy one, even though she already owns two iPods, one of which she bought three weeks ago.

[…]

Hell, all the press corps really needs to put Apple products in perspective is a few short-term memory neurons focused on the fanfare visited upon recent, mediocre iPod releases. Only a year ago the company received excited press notices when it introduced the iPod Photo, now acknowledged to be a failed product. I searched Nexis to find a mention of the iPod Photo in the hundreds of V-iPod newspaper stories from today and found only one. Of the wildly heralded but totally average iPod Shuffle, released in January 2005, I found only two.

When the V-iPod’s super-duper, long-lasting, big-screen replacement shows up in 12 months, the press will have forgotten this second-rate box, too.

Ironically, the curmudgeonly column is available in a podcast version.

Tweak or troubleshoot?

Alice Hill complained that her PC was taking 30 minutes to boot up. So what does she do? She finds one of those “tweak everything under the sun to squeeze out every nanosecond of performance from your PC” sites and gets busy.

Wrong!

If your computer is taking 30 minutes to boot up, something is wrong with it, Alice. You shouldn’t be tweaking, you should be going through basic troubleshooting to find the problem and fix it. In fact, if you find that one thing and fix it, you will probably discover that your system isn’t so slow after all.

After you get that done, maybe, just maybe, you can consider other things you can do to improve performance. But not until that time.

(P.S. Thanks to Alice’s site, I found this excellent and most thorough debunking of the infamous and notoriously inaccurate Black Viper site. All you BV fans should look it over.)

Apple recycles Media Center

I do hope the people who were so outraged about Microsoft ripping off Apple “innovations” – the Windows Vista interface, Microsoft Gadgets, etc. – are slamming Steve Jobs right now for Apple’s blatant (and frankly pretty lame) ripoff of Windows Media Center Edition, Front Row. After all the buzz earlier this year about what a cool media platform the Mac Mini would be, this is a big letdown.

Peter Near and Thomas Hawk both say, “Eh.” And Microsoft’s Charlie Owen has a similar first reaction:

Frankly, I’m underwhelmed — I really expected Apple to have much more to brag about, especially given their momentum with iPod over the last couple of years. Based on everything I’m seeing, Front Row doesn’t even have feature parity with the first version of Media Center released back in October 2002. No hint of a developer platform either — that’s a shame — I was really looking forward to dusting off my Mac coding skills again.

But don’t get me wrong — I do think this is a good thing. The halls here in Building 50 are buzzing with excitement (and yes, it’s positive excitement — we love this stuff). It’s classic Microsoft vs. Apple, and we haven’t really had that for a lonnnnnng time, and some of us miss that competition.

So, welcome back Apple, it’s good to see you again!

Yes, and the killer feature Charlie didn’t mention: There’s nothing from Apple that offers anything like the Media Center Extender.

It appears they’re going after the dorm room, not the living room.

[Cross Posted at Ed Bott’s Media Central]