Windows XP Service Pack 3 (SP3) is not scheduled until the second half of 2007, and Microsoft’s first shot at its successor, Windows Vista, may not be due out before “early 2007.” Meantime, many system builders (and their clients) will be keeping today’s WinXP SP2 systems running for some time.

That makes now the perfect time for revisiting your deployed XP boxes and making sure your clients are getting the best possible performance from their systems. Your clients will be happy with a faster-running OS; some may even be amazed. This is also a golden opportunity for system builders to check in with clients and pick up a little extra income from performing just such tune-ups.

In this Recipe, I’ll show you ways to restore the zip of WinXP-based PCs both old and new. I’ll also show you the places to look for WinXP problems that can develop over time, and how to fix them. I’ll also look at performance saving set-up issues, and how to battle the demons like fragmented disks and unused network devices that can steal precious CPU cycles and memory from your systems.

First, deciding whether a WinXP system needs a mere tune up or a full blown repair is a judgment call you’ll have to make. Listen and learn before rushing to judgment. For instance, if a client complains that their system’s performance has taken a sudden hit, or that stability has suddenly become an issue, you’re probably looking at a hacked machine, virus attack, or failing hardware. In all three cases, a repair job is in order. But if a client complains about an older model PC that simply won’t run as fast as it used to, that probably means the time has come for a tune up. That’s where this Recipe comes in.

Also, before starting a tune up, spend some time observing the system’s operation. Note how long it takes to restart. How quickly does it access commonly used applications, such as email clients or browsers? You may want to time the start-up of for the system’s word processing program, or measure how long the machine needs to save a typical file. Then, after you complete the tune-up, make the same measurements, and compare your before and after results. Payroll Software Manage Paychecks, Pensions & Taxes Fast & Easy Deployment. Check Now !

Your goal, of course, is to improve overall system performance. But these measurements will give you a feel for the immediate benefits of system cleaning and tuning. One thing you’ll probably note is that some systems respond better to certain tweaks than do others. This is a normal result of different usage patterns.

First, Back Up

You’ve probably heard this a million times already, but before you tune up any PC, first back up the system’s data. Losing data, especially a client’s data, is not only embarrassing, but also potentially costly. Avoid this amateur’s mistake. Back up the computer before you run any system tools or do any troubleshooting. Period.

I’m not being overcautious. Some of the following steps can cause preexisting, hidden problems to surface. These problems, in turn, can prevent the computer from restarting. This isn’t very likely, but it is possible. So don’t take chances, and do make backups.

If you’re not using backup software, Windows XP Professional even includes a utility called Backup that can be deployed quite easily. To open the Backup wizard, click Start > All Programs > Accessories > System Tools. Then select Backup. Told you it was easy!

For information on how to use Microsoft’s Backup, see the company’s Windows XP Backup Made Easy. You can also show this article to more advanced clients who have critical backup needs, such as daily accounting and customer records.

Once you have completed the backup and the system’s data is secure, you’re ready to move on to my performance-improving tips.

Tip 1: Remove Unused Programs

To begin tuning up a computer’s performance, remove unnecessary programs. New programs are installed all the time, but typically, only a few are actually used. Maybe your client has installed a trial version or two of a popular game to check them out, and then forgot about them. Users are quick to say “Yes” to an install, but rarely take the time to remove the software after the trial period. All those unused installations can be sitting on the hard disk, consuming resources and hurting performance.

Let’s get rid of them! Follow these four steps to remove unused programs:

1. Click Start, then click Control Panel.
2. Click on Add or Remove Programs.
3. Scroll through the list, and examine each program. WinXP lists how often a program is used and what day it was last launched. You might want to review this list with your client. Ask, “Do you ever use this? Will you ever use this?” If the answers are No, remove the program.
4. But do not remove anything labeled Update or Hotfix. These are official Windows updates and fixes. Leave them alone.
5. For each program you no longer want, click on the program’s name, then click the Remove button and follow the prompts to uninstall them. It’s that easy.

You may have to restart the computer each time after removing a program. If so, after the computer restarts, repeat the steps above to remove the rest of the unused programs you and your client have chosen. If the computer has been in service for a while, repeating this process may take some time. No matter; it’s well worth the effort. Every unused program, even trial versions, take up much-needed space on the disk, as well as in the OS proper. Bottom line: If your client doesn’t need it, their PC will be faster without it.

Tip 2: Free Up Wasted Space

Let’s continue finding and freeing up otherwise wasted disk space. For this step, we’ll deploy Microsoft’s Disk Cleanup tool. Just follow these four steps:

1. Open My Computer, then right-click Local Disk, and then click Properties.
2. On the General tab, click the Disk Cleanup button. Disk Cleanup will spend a few minutes examining your disk.
3. The Disk Cleanup dialog box shows you space on your disk that you can free up.
4. Select the desired checkboxes in the Files to Delete list, and then click OK. Disk Cleanup will spend several minutes clearing space.

Consider automating this disk cleanup process for your clients. For more information on this, check out the Microsoft Knowledge Basic article,

Tip 3: Defragment

WinXP comes with a great tool to defragment the data stored on disk called, appropriately enough, the Disk Defragmenter. Commonly referred to as simply “defrag,” this utility cures a condition that occurs when disks become congested and parts of files get written farther and father apart. When a file is fragmented, it takes longer for the computer to read it; the disk head has to skip around to find the data on different sections of the hard disk, and the computer’s logic has to keep track of the various pieces and reassemble them correctly.

Defrag will first do a quick analysis of a disk and determine if there’s enough fragmentation to warrant use of the utility. If it does finds significant fragmentation, defrag will move data around on the disk to make accessing it more efficient. Running this utility should ensure your client’s programs will load faster by retrieving data quicker.

It’s easy to defragment a disk. Just follow these four steps:

1. Open My Computer, right-click Local Disk, and then click Properties.
2. On the Tools tab, click Defragment Now. The Disk Defragmenter opens.
3. Click the appropriate hard disk, and then click Defragment. Disk Defragmenter will start to work. Defragging will take from several minutes to several hours, depending on how much data there is and how badly the data is spread out. As the amount of data stored approaches the disk’s capacity, defragging takes longer, as there is less space in which to work.
4. If the system has more than one hard disk, repeat this process for each hard disk in the system. Defragmenting the disk with WinXP on it will result in the greatest improvement in overall performance.

If files on your computer are not badly fragmented, you won’t see a large improvement in performance. But for most XP machines that have been running for a long time, startups and general performance can improve remarkably by doing a defrag.

A blogger at The Open Source Advocate corrals five ways to run Windows programs in Linux. These include the obvious, like choosing an open-source alternative instead, to the slightly more inventive: Run the application on a remote Windows system.

This method can be as simple as connecting to a Windows XP Pro workstation using rdesktop. However, you may have many Linux workstations that need to run Windows applications using this method. In that case, there are software options available that provide more scalability and features.

Of course, we’ve looked at various individual ways to run Windows apps in Linux, including this one on VMWare. But this is worthwhile reading for anyone who’s new to Linux or considering a switch. I count myself among the latter category, and I’m gratified to see there are so many options available

Five ways to use Windows apps in Linux [The Open Source Advocate]

After months of hard work, Linspire is proud to announce the beta release of CNR.com. On the 23rd of January, 2007, Linspire announced for the first time that they are working to extend their CNR (Click ‘N Run) website for other popular Linux distributions, such as Ubuntu, Fedora, openSUSE and Debian. The CNR service has already been available for all Linspire and Freespire users. Kevin Carmony, the President and CEO of Linspire Inc., stated that he had enough with complaints from MS Windows and Mac users about Linux, and that there are too many distributions and each one has a different way of installing software: “When we started Linspire, we knew that we’d need to overcome this complexity. This led to Linspire’s CNR (”Click ‘N Run”) technology.”

CNR is a FREE and easy way to access over 37,264 desktop Linux products, packages and libraries, all with a single mouse click. Finding, installing and managing software on your desktop Linux computer has never been that easy. CNR makes the finding of the right piece of software easy to do, with user reviews, screenshots, descriptions, charts, and so on. When you the software you want, with only one click, it will be installed on your computer and icons will be added to your desktop and to the Start Menu. Also, CNR notifies you when updates are available for the installed applications via the CNR.com website, which you can easily install with one click. CNR also offers dozens of commercial Linux software titles for sale, such as popular games, Sun’s StarOffice, Win4Lin, CodeWeaver’s Crossover Office, Parallels Workstation, TransGaming’s Cedega, and many other commercial Linux products.

This is really a revolutionary moment for all computer users all around the world. I sure hope that it will bring many new users into the Linux world.

If you have Ubuntu 7.04 or Ubuntu 7.10 go right now at the CNR’s website, install the CNR client and grab your favorite applications with a single mouse click!

Getting started with CNR

· Go to Main Menu -> System -> Administration -> Software Sources
· Click on the Third-Party Software tab
· Click the Add button and add the following lines (one by one):

deb http://apt2.freespire.org/CNRUbuntuExtra gutsy-extra main restricted
deb-src http://apt2.freespire.org/CNRUbuntuExtra gutsy-extra main restricted

Note: We recommend to uncheck the Cdrom with Ubuntu 7.10 ‘Gutsy Gibbon’ entry in the “Ubuntu Software” tab.

· Go to Main Menu -> Accesories -> Terminal and type:

sudo apt-get update

· If you get an error about a public key for the CNR repositories, ignore it and install the CNR client, from the command prompt with:

sudo apt-get install cnr-client

Once installed, you can activate the CNR client from System Tools -> CNR and let the client synchronize with the CNR.com website.

Microsoft has patched a patch released for Internet Explorer. It might not sound good, but it’s true. And it all began with the Redmond company’s monthly patch cycle. On December 11th, 2007, Microsoft made available Security Bulletin MS07-069 Cumulative Security Update for Internet Explorer (942615). As it is a tradition with offering and implementing security updates into Internet Explorer, the company releases a complete set of patches for all the supported versions of the browser, every month. Each security bulleting not only plugs the latest security holes, but also deals with previous vulnerabilities.

The MS07-069 security bulletin “resolves four privately reported vulnerabilities. The most serious security impact could allow remote code execution if a user viewed a specially crafted Web page using Internet Explorer. Users whose accounts are configured to have fewer user rights on the system could be less impacted than users who operate with administrative user rights”, Microsoft revealed. “The security update addresses these vulnerabilities by modifying the way that Internet Explorer handles access to freed memory.”

With the exception of scenarios involving IE6 and IE7 running on Windows Server 2003, in which case the security update is considered only Moderate, the vulnerabilities in the IE versions running on the remaining Windows clients, including Windows Vista, have all been labeled with a maximum severity rating of Critical, as they allow remote code execution.

However, at the same time, MS07-069 produced some unwanted behavior out of IE6 on XP PS2. “On Tuesday we released Knowledge Base article KB946627, which highlighted a known issue with Internet Explorer 6 on Windows XP Service Pack 2 after applying MS07-069 Cumulative Security Update for Internet Explorer (942615). The article documented a workaround, which required a registry setting change. Since then, the Internet Explorer team has been working to release an automated workaround application of the registry setting discussed in KB946627″, revealed Kieron Shorrock, MSRC Program Manager responsible for Internet Explorer.

But, of course that making a workaround available was by all means not sufficient to address the issue. In this context, the Redmond company has been working to make available an automated resolve. At this point in time, a patch for the initial IE patch can be grabbed by users that run IE6 on Windows XP SP2, and that have experienced functionality issues, after the install of MS07-069. Users can either go to 946627 or run Windows Update, in order to deploy the patch.

“We have updated Knowledge Base article KB946627 so that it points to the automated workaround. It has also been made available via Windows Update and Automatic Update for all Internet Explorer 6 customers on Windows XP Service Pack 2″, Shorrock added.

There are many programs available for extracting the product key from a Windows XP or Vista installation. The only problem is that they generally require the computer to be functional to run. These programs are useless if the operating system is corrupt and the computer will not boot into Windows. Fortunately, there are other options. This article explains how you can retrieve the product key with just the ntuser.dat file from the machine. You can also download a stand-alone version of my decrypter tool.

While this may not sound very useful to the average user, if you work with computers on a daily basis you have most likely ran into this problem: You have to perform a fresh installation of Windows on a computer with a corrupt operating system, and the product key has been lost. This method makes it easy to find.

The first step is getting the ntuser.dat file from the computer. In most cases the easiest method is to remove the hard drive, and connect it to a working machine.

I recently noted that Vista has some interesting new behaviors regarding applications that are launched from the Startup folder. By default, their I/O priorities are throttled back for a total of one minute from launch. This is a good idea to keep lots of smaller or background-use applications from all starting up at once, but it doesn’t seem to be such a good idea if you try to boot an application like Outlook, which is by nature I/O intensive, by putting it in the Startup folder.

To that end, I tried a few experiments. I wrote a batch file to start up several major applications Outlook, Word, Windows Live Writer, AIM and at least one or two other things and put it into the Startup group. Between each program launch, I instigated a forced seven-second delay by using the CHOICE command (a sneaky trick I picked up from somewhere). I wanted to see if this would cause any difference in the amount of utilization or responsiveness.

When I used this to launch the programs in question, all of them were launched at the Very Low I/O priority and the end result was that they were all fairly difficult to work with during that low I/O period.

I then took the same batch file out of the Startup group and ran it from the desktop after a cold boot. The programs in question all started up quite snappily and I could choose between any of them without difficulty and they were all running at Normal I/O priority, too.

So here’s my tentative recommendations for what to put in the Startup group. Much of this advice may be redundant but I’ll elaborate where needed. Efficient Software for HR Easy Work force Management. Fast Deployment. Contact us Today!

1. Include programs that run by default in the background and are not things you typically work with directly after logging in. AIM, for instance, is a good candidate for this sort of thing.

2. Don’t include major applications like Word or Outlook. Launch those manually so you can benefit from those getting the maximum I/O priority. (My above script seems to work nicely for group launching, although I had some minor window-focus issues that I think I can solve relatively easily.)

3. Don’t include applications that will block other things until they complete heavy I/O operations. Since they launch with very low I/O priority, they’ll essentially be stuck until that bar lifts.

There are literally hundreds of freeware applications and utilities that you can download for Windows XP to tweak and improve computer performance, however, it’s still hard to find really good ones for Windows Vista. If you’re looking for some good free programs to configure, customize and tweak Windows Vista, check out the list below. The programs range from system configuration tweakers to Windows Vista boot screen modifiers. Enjoy!

1. MZ Vista Force is a full-fledged tweaking machine! It’s broken down into Performance Tweaks, Windows Tweaks, Internet Optimizer, StartUp Manager, Services Manger, and Backup Restore. Use it to easily clean up junk files off your hard disk or speed up Internet browsing in Vista. You can also modify lots of esoteric settings like the speed at which the Start Menu displays and clearing out the page file at shutdown. Lots of options and a definite download!

2. A Vista Tweaker from Stardock that packs a bunch of features into a small package. Disable unnecessary startup programs, update drivers that are out of date, get a benchmark of your computer performance, and lots more. The full version has some extra stuff for $20.

3. Vista Logo Boot Generator is a free Windows Vista program that you can use to change the default boot screen in Windows to your own custom image. You can use an image of two sizes, either 800×600 or 1024×768, so you’ll have to scale any images you might want to use to that size first and they must be in .bmp format. So if you have a nice picture of your spouse or something else you wouldn’t mind seeing at startup, use this to customize the boot screen!

4. Vista Boot Pro is a cool freeware app that you can use to easily mange the boot configuration and settings in Windows Vista without having to manually edit the BCDEdit file. You can also use Vista Boot Pro to back up the existing boot configuration before making changes in case something goes wrong. Also useful for multi-boot systems where you want to set the default OS, etc.

5. What’s the most annoying thing about Windows Vista? Could your answer be UAC or User Account Control? Mine too! I hate it! It’s a pain! But it’s also bad to turn it completely off. So what to do? Use TweakUAC, a nifty little tool you can use to Turn off UAC, Turn on UAC, or put it into Quiet mode. Quiet mode means Administrators are not bothered with prompts when doing admin tasks, but it’s still remains on for programs, etc. Finally!

6. Any other annoying Vista feature? How about those giant arrows on your desktop shortcuts? Do they really need to be THAT big? I mean come on! We know they are shortcuts. If you hate those little shortcut icons, you can get rid of them by using Vista Shortcut Overlay Remover! A free app that either lets your remove the shortcuts or make them smaller like they used to be in Windows XP. Ahhh that’s better!

The counterfeited software has always represented a problem for both software companies and consumers and the phenomenon is getting stronger nowadays. It appears that pirated technologies are available even in retail stores, which makes the fight against such software almost impossible. According to PC World, there were cases when users bought Windows, but when trying to install it, the Windows Genuine Advantage technology warned them that the operating system was not genuine. And this happened when Amanda Barr, from Midland, Ontario, bought the software from a local retail store.

“They (the computer store) told me I hadn’t installed the program properly and I had to take it out and do it again. The store manager even threatened me and became abusive,” she said, according to the same source mentioned above.

Obviously, software companies have already been fighting against this huge phenomenon, but it sounds like Mission Impossible IV when the pirates manage to distribute their counterfeited products through retail stores.

“We’re starting to see pirates becoming more sophisticated in their ways as counterfeit software is now being sold off of the Internet and is available for download,” Michael Hilliard, corporate counsel at Microsoft Canada, said during the Kestenberg Siegal Lipkus LLP conference, according to “PC World”.

Surely, Microsoft is one of the most affected companies when it comes to pirated content, because its Windows operating system has been targeted by numerous pirates all over the world. That’s why the Redmond-based company has taken several security measures, which have reduced the amount of pirated content, but haven’t managed to stop it entirely. Beside the famous WGA utility, Microsoft has also set up a special website focused on educating people about counterfeited products and software applications.

“This should be a level playing field for our partners,. Their ability to compete effectively and to provide high quality software and services to their customers is undermined by people who are engaging in this unlawful activity. It would be great if partners could jump on board with us and help us to communicate this message out,” the Microsoft official added.

A modern PC with Vista Home Edition takes about one and a half minutes to boot. An older machine with XP is about the same. That’s 30 seconds for the PC itself (the BIOS) to boot up, plus a minute for the Windows operating system to boot. Sometimes, you need to reboot Windows (e.g. when installing new software), but there is no need to restart BIOS, too. However, the default is to reboot both. (That’s called doing a “cold boot,” rather than a “warm boot.”) There’s a trick that works on both XP and Vista to get it to do a warm boot instead, thus saving you 30 seconds per cycle.The trick is to hold down the SHIFT key when invoking the restart.

Windows Vista: Select Start, then hover over the right arrow that is to the right of the padlock icon until the pop-up menu appears that contains “restart” as one of it’s choices. Hold down the SHIFT key while clicking on the “restart” choice.

Windows XP: Select Start. Select “Shut Down…”. Change the drop-down combo box under “What do you want the computer to do?” to “Restart”. Hold down the SHIFT key while clicking on the “OK” button.