Patch Tuesday isn’t just for security fixes. Microsoft’s Nick White has details on a series of updates for Windows Vista due to be delivered tomorrow:

• An update on system compatibility, reliability and stability:  extends the battery life for mobile devices, improves stability of wireless network services, and shortens recovery time after Windows Vista experiences a period of inactivity, among other fixes.
• An update to USB core components:  mainly affects systems returning from sleep or hibernation, fixing problems causing 1-2% of all crashes reported.
• An update to Windows Media Center:  among other things, affects interaction issues occurring between Media Center PC and Microsoft Xbox 360 when Xbox 360 is used as a Media Center Extender.

Meanwhile, I’m seeing proof that the steady release of updates from Microsoft and from third parties is paying off. Here’s the Reliability Monitor report for my main system from September 5:

And here’s the equivalent report from this morning:

It’s worth noting that even back in September my experience with Vista was perfectly acceptable. Most of those incidents were minor annoyances (Explorer crashes, IE resets, drivers that didn’t install properly on the first try, and so on) rather than showstopper bugs. What I notice in recent months is that there are fewer annoyances, and I’m incrementally more productive.

This machine is not running the September beta of Windows Vista Service Pack 1. Ironically, my Asus Tablet PC, which is running that preliminary SP1 release, has had the exact opposite experience during that time, diving from a perfect 10.0 in late September to a weak 5.09. Most of the pain has been due to a bug I’m still trying to isolate, which causes the system to lock up under certain circumstances when running on battery power and using Office 2007 applications. The good news is I’ve filed multiple crash reports and hopefully someone in Redmond is paying attention.

Although those two data points hardly constitute a trend, they should serve as at least a cautionary tale if you’re thinking of fooling around with beta software. There’s a reason that SP1 isn’t ready for official release yet.

Update: Almost forgot to mention that Mary Jo Foley says a new build of SP1 is waiting in the wings.

Thanks to a tip from Chris Lanier, I’ve found the first of the v2 Media Center extenders to show up at online stores.

Linksys still lists the status of its DMA2100 and DMA2200 extenders as “coming in November.” But searching for those model numbers using Google’s product search page turns up plenty of (mostly small) online vendors with product information posted. (Here’s the search result for the DMA2100, and here’s the result for the DMA2200.)

That’s the DMA2200 above, which differs from the DMA2100 in that it has an upscaling DVD player. Both models have Wireless N capability as well as wired Ethernet connections and support 1080p content streamed from a Vista Media Center PC.

Confusingly, the product descriptions on most of the sites I saw refer to the product as a “dual band wireless N HD DVD Media Center Extender.” You might think, given that description, that the device has an HD DVD player in it, but you’d be wrong.

Anyway, I just ordered a DMA2200 from Excaliberpc.com for $297.24. I made my first purchase from this company last month with excellent results, and their feedback at Reseller Ratings is outstanding. Now it’s just a matter of waiting for the units to show up as “in stock.”

[Update 13-Nov: Excaliber PC now says they don’t expect to receive units until December 1. Dang.]

Still no sign of D-Link’s DSM-750 (“coming soon”) or the presumably pricey Niveus Edge (“available in December 2007”).

Update: Chris’s original post points to an estimate at Cost Central (Erie Computer Company) that projects both units to arrive at the company’s warehouse on November 14. The company has an excellent record from Reseller Ratings. Neutron USA has the DMA2100 and DMA2200 listed with estimated arrival dates of November 16 and November 21, respectively. Reseller Ratings feedback is less than stellar for this vendor, so caveat emptor.

About time:

Back in April 2006, we made a change to how Internet Explorer handled embedded controls used on some webpages. Some sites required users to “click to activate” before they could interact with the control. Microsoft has now licensed the technologies from Eolas, removing  the “click to activate” requirement in Internet Explorer. Because of this, we’re removing the “click to activate” behavior from Internet Explorer!

My question is why such a customer-hostile situation was allowed to exist for a year and a half.

Anyway, here’s a half-hearted “woo hoo” on behalf of the removal of this silly roadblock.

Over at ZDNet, I’ve just published a full review of HP’s new MediaSmart Server, built on the Windows Home Server platform:

I’ve been running the final OEM release on my own server, using a spare PC as the hardware platform, since the code was released to manufacturing nearly three months ago. In that three months, it’s become an indispensable part of my home network. So when Hewlett Packard called last month and asked whether I wanted some hands-on time with a MediaSmart review unit, I jumped at the chance.

To see the MediaSmart server in action, visit my exclusive image gallery as well.

And if that’s not enough for you, circle November 29 on your calendar. That’s when I’ll be hosting a webcast with representatives from HP and Microsoft to discuss the MediaSmart server and Windows Home Server software. To participate and ask questions about either product, sign up for the webcast.

[Note: I am not being compensated in any way for this event and I have complete editorial control over the questions I ask.]

A couple weeks back I talked with Leo Laporte and Paul Thurrott on episode #39 of the Windows Weekly with Paul Thurrott. The topic was my recent series of articles at ZDNet about Vista DRM (Part 1, Part 2, Part 3).

My radio podcast chops are a little rusty, but the whole thing actually turned out pretty well. The show runs about 45 minutes. If you’re short on time, you can skip straight to Leo’s intro at about 6:04 or go straight to 7:45, which is where I come in. And if all you want to hear is the Vista-related stuff, go to the 14:00 mark.

I lost count of the number of times I said “you know.” My media coach from back in the day is probably shaking her head as she listens to it.

OK, my travel schedule is finally set, and it looks like I’ll have the evening free in Chicago this Thursday, November 8. So. anyone up for a geek dinner? I’m staying at an airport hotel (not my choice) but will gladly come into town for pizza and conversation.

DW, hope you’re free that evening…

I haven’t done one of these in over a year? Where does the time go?

I’m getting ready for back-to-back-to-back road trips, synchronizing tunes to a portable music player. The original rules are here, if you want to play along. This particular list, however, plays by a slightly different set of rules. Every track in this list is from the Yahoo Music Unlimited subscription service. In exchange for a monthly fee, I get the right to listen to any tune in the collection on up to three PCs, download tracks to a portable player. Because all the tunes use the PlaysForSure DRM, they’ll play back over the network on Media Center as well. (Money-saving tip: Pay for a year in advance with a MasterCard and you get a second year for free, making the monthly price an unbeatable six bucks. I get nothing for the referral, by the way.)

I don’t buy music if it’s protected by DRM (which is why I don’t have an iPod or use iTunes). But I’m happy to “rent” music this way, especially at the price. It’s a great way to sample a disk before deciding whether to buy it, and indeed I’ve bought a half-dozen CDs or DRM-free album downloads after listening to them on the subscription service.

Anyway, here’s the list. If you want to add your own Random 10 or 20, read the rules and then post your list (or a link to the list on your own blog/website) in the comments.

1. ’50s French Movie, Carrie Rodriquez, Seven Angels on a Bicycle
2. Tired Eyes, Neil Young, Tonight’s the Night
3. Come Running, Van Morrison, Moondance
4. Sleepless Nights (Alternate Take), Gram Parsons, The Complete Reprise Sessions
5. Midnight Train, Jimmie Dale Gilmore, After Awhile
6. Joy Will Find a Way, Bruce Cockburn, Circles in the Stream (Live)
7. Poison, Grayson Capps, Wail & Ride
8. You Turn Me On I’m a Radio, Joni Mitchell, Hits
9. Cottontail, Tim O’Brien, Hard Year Blues
10. Pretty Polly (Alternate Take), The Byrds, Sweetheart of the Rodeo (Legacy Edition) 
11. I’m a Hero, Keb’ Mo’, Suitcase
12. Palestine Texas, T-Bone Burnett, The True False Identity
13. Little Wing, Stevie Ray Vaughan, Greatest Hits
14. This Love Affair, Rufus Wainwright, Want Two
15. Family, Dar Williams, Mortal City
16. Ready to Run, Dixie Chicks, Fly
17. ‘Till I Gain Control Again, Rodney Crowell, Rhino Hi-Fave
18. The Mountain, Steve Earle, Live at Montreux
19. Closer to Free, The Bodeans, Homebrewed Live from the Pabst
20. Tennessee Road, Eliza Gilkyson, Your Town Tonight

Rock on.

In the comments on an earlier post, a visitor named Dick asks: “How do I find the Temporary Internet Files folder?”

Good question.

Unless you go to great pains to move it, this subfolder is stored within a hidden section of your user profile. To find it in IE7 under Windows Vista, do the following:

1. On the Command Bar, click Tools.

2. Click Internet Options.

3. On the General tab of the Internet Options dialog box, under the Browsing History heading, click Settings.

4. In the Temporary Internet Files and History Settings dialog box, click View Files.

And there you are.

To save a shortcut to this location on the desktop, so you don’t have to spelunk through dialog boxes to get to it again, drag the folder icon from the address bar (just to the left of the address itself) and hold it over any empty space on the taskbar. Don’t release the mouse button yet. After a second or two, all open windows will minimize and you can drag the folder icon onto any empty space on the desktop. When you release the mouse button, Windows will offer to create a shortcut (link) on the desktop.

Some years back I got a Timex T311T alarm clock radio for our bedroom. One big selling point was its ability to automatically adjust for Daylight Saving Time.

So earlier this week I come home from a few days on the road and I wake up bright and early the next morning. It isn’t until a wee bit of time has passed that I realize it’s actually an hour later than I thought it was based on that first glance at the clock. The DST rules are hard-wired to the old schedule, says Timex:

We apologize but there is no patch available. Consumers must change clocks manually. Due to newly enacted government regulations, effective this year you must change the time manually, since the calendar was programmed to change according to the time DST issued by the government, it will not recognize the change after 2007. Now the time must be changed 4 times.

On a positive note, it appears from reading the FAQ that this particular clock can play “nature sounds.” I had no idea.

It also prompted me to check all the computers in the house to make sure they’re ready for the turnover. The simple way to check for Windows Vista is to click the clock at the right side of the Taskbar. It should display a message like this one:

That’s exactly what I was expecting, so I am pretty confident this system doesn’t need an update. If you want to check your Windows-based computers for DST issues, visit the Daylight Saving Time Help and Support Center. The default selections on the first page let you choose a Windows version (2000, XP, Server 2003, or Vista). When I checked for Vista x64, I found that it offered KB933360, which is already installed on this system. That confirms that I don’t need to download any patches, at least not on this machine.

The second page of the wizard checks whether your copy of Outlook needs an update:

Office 2007 doesn’t require an update, but I was prompted to install the Time Zone Data Update Tool and check all appointments in the range from October 28 to November 5. It’s pretty straightforward:

On this system and using this mailbox, it didn’t find any appointments that needed tweaking.

The ironic thing is that the change in Daylight Saving Time is supposed to save energy. So how many people have been off-schedule this week (and how many more will be confused next week) thanks to devices that couldn’t handle the change?

Sometimes I think that every TV provider–cable, satellite, whatever–should be required by law to provide a simple disclaimer:

“We offer high-definition TV, a DVR, and reliable service. You may choose any two of these three items for your home.”

DirecTV’s HR-20 HD DVR continues to disappoint. Yesterday it needed to be restarted twice in one morning, a new benchmark in overall unreliability! Even if it were reliable (a big if), its many little quirks are quickly going from charming to irksome.

So I’m giving cable a try, for the first time since we moved to this house in 2005. Comcast is trying to deliver a consistent high-quality cable signal to my house but some HD channels are a problem, with serious glitching and pausing in the video. It could be that my internal wiring is at least part of the problem, which would mean running a new cable to the house. (The people at Comcast have really been great at trying to work through these issues. They act like neighbors instead of the clone army of a distant corporation. It’s been a pleasant surprise.)

The two CableCARD tuners are now working, and when they’re good, they’re very very good. But when they’re not… Well, let’s just say that I understand why the CableCARD rollout has been so slow.

Meanwhile, my inexpensive Media Center PC in the living room just keeps chugging along, recording over-the-air HD and getting a surprisingly good SD picture from a DirecTV tuner via S-Video.

Sooner or later, I’ll have to choose one of these options and stick with it, but every single one is falling down in some key area. I’m still waiting for the winner to show itself.