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Archive for 2010

Windows 7: Heads Up. A New Windows 7 Update On Tuesday, March 9, 2010

Posted in Windows 7, Windows Update, tagged , , , , , , , on March 8, 2010 | Leave a Comment »

On March 9, 2010 we will see the first security-related Windows 7 update since early February.

It appears that we will get two updates, one for Windows 7 and one for Office 2007 (assuming you have it installed). Both will be marked IMPORTANT. Both fix security problems that could clobber your PC — if, and only if, you happen to OPEN a compromised, malicious file. In the case of Office 2007 it appears that the culprit, this time around is, Excel.

I have my Windows Updates turned off. Have had them turned off since February 13, 2010.

But, as I documented on February 28, I did go and ‘manually’ install the February 23 updates — which included KB977863 for the Windows 7 Media Player. But, on principle, I did not install the infamous KB971033 WAT update – for checking for pirated copies of Windows 7. In theory, I don’t have anything to worry about. I have a documented, legit OEM copy of Windows 7 Professional. But, I don’t trust Microsoft to get it right.

In preparation for tomorrow’s updates I just went and manually checked.

I had two IMPORTANT updates. One was KB971033. This time I clicked ‘Hide This Update.’ It went away. The other, supposedly important update, was KB915597 — the latest definitions for Windows Defender. These were first in two weeks. I accepted it and installed it. I haven’t run Defender yet. I don’t run it often. I have Avast 4.8 Professional and I take my chances with that.

So … right now … I have no more updates … KB971033 having been hidden.

So tomorrow I will check. I am UNLIKELY to install the updates tomorrow. I will check to see what happens. I will keep YOU posted.

My recommendation. WAIT. Hold your horses. Give it 72 hours. OK?

Good luck.

Anura Guruge

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Windows 7: KB971033 WAT and SP1 — That Will Be The Real Crunch

Posted in Windows 7, Windows 7 issues, tagged , , , , , on March 6, 2010 | Leave a Comment »

Per my post yesterday, KB971033 the OPTIONAL Windows Activation Technologies (WAT) update to check for pirated copies of Windows 7 is but a paper tiger. Though there was much anxiety about it, much of those who are KNOWINGLY running pirated copies of Windows 7 (and we are talking MILLIONS here) are totally unaffected by this update — given that it is OPTIONAL.

So for now, the committed pirate continues to thumb his nose at Microsoft and chant “Ballmer looks best in drag.”

But what will happen with Windows 7 SP1.

SP1 is a given. There was talk that Microsoft had started working on SP1 even BEFORE the October 22, 2009 release date of Windows 7.

Now some are claiming that SP1 will be released in September of this year — 11 months into the life of Windows 7. They could be right.

I had thought that they would have to do it a tad sooner — around June or July.

As we know there is a SLEW of fairly serious unfixed problems in Windows 7 — this being but a partial list.

We know that Microsoft is not even bothering to try and fix these problems with Windows updates. Ballmer looks best in drag.

So, SP1 has to come to pass.

So the question is WHETHER Microsoft will include KB971033 in SP1?

If they did, it is unlikely to be optional. If it is kept optional, then Microsoft would have to change the way ‘SPs’ are distributed and installed. ‘SPs’ till now have been single, monolithic updates with no options. You agree to install the whole SP or not.

There is a POSSIBILITY that Microsoft will not include KB971033 (or an equivalent) in SP1, SP2, SP3, SP4 or SP5. As I have consistently maintained Microsoft is in favor of pirated Windows 7! It gives them much needed market share. Pirated Windows 7 is Microsoft’s answer to free Linux and the better Mac. It is “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” when it comes to PCs.

So here are the scenarios vis-à-vis KB971033 and SP1:

  1. Microsoft includes KB971033 (or equivalent) but makes it optional — though this would, forever, change the complexion and meaning of Windows SPs.
    --
  2. Microsoft, given that it is just so glad to have the market share, will not include KB971033 (or equivalent).
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  3. Microsoft includes KB971033 (or equivalent) and it is an integral update that cannot be selectively disabled prior to or during the installation of SP1

In an ideal world NONE of us that have genuine copies of Windows 7 should worry about this. The WAT check should be a trivial formality. But, we all know, viscerally, that Microsoft can and thus WILL screw up. We used to call that Murphy’s Law. It said “If it can go wrong, it will.” Maybe we should now call it Ballmer’s Law. “If it can be screwed up, Microsoft will make sure that it does get screwed up.”

That is rub. That is why I omitted to install KB971033 though I have very bona fide copy of Windows 7 Professional from newegg.com … with receipts to prove I paid for it.

So?

I will keep you posted. I am already monitoring the Web for SP1 news.

Good luck.

Cheers,
Anura Guruge

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Windows 7: KB971033 — Few False Positives, Some Victims But the Pirates Are Cock-A-Hoop

Posted in Windows 7, Windows 7 issues, Windows Update, tagged , , , , on March 5, 2010 | 1 Comment »

There is still a LOT of anxiety, understandably, about Windows 7 OPTIONAL update KB971033 — the Windows Activation Technologies (WAT) patch to curb the use of pirated copies of Windows 7.

KB971033 has now been around for 17 days … though it did not get included with distributed Windows 7 updates until February 24.

I keep on checking.

Yes, there have been, as was expected, a few false positives. That is a shame. But, from what I can see a phone call to Microsoft’s Windows 7 call center in Bangalore, India will take care of that. I have dealt with these folks on the padlock on icon problem. They are GOOD, GOOD, GOOD. They have really made a difference. Microsoft support when it was in this country, i.e., the US, sucked — sucked, big time. They were arrogant, insolent, uncaring and above all clueless. The Indian bunch TRULY care. That was a revelation. They want to help you. So try them out. And IF you are thinking that I am just plugging my cousins … that is actually not the case. I am NOT good looking enough to be an Indian. I am Sri Lankan. Ceylonese. Sinhalese. So there is no bias or spin here. Just my positive experience. << smile >>

As I had also feared there were some who THOUGHT they had genuine Windows 7 who got burned. Those are the people I feel bad for. Most would not have known. They would have believed the ads on Craigslist advertising upgrades to Windows 7 … from anything for $29.99. OK. Maybe it was $79.99. A lot of these people would have thought that that was really the legit upgrade price. IF you got burned in scams like this, TRY calling the police. I am not joking. Start with the police. Tell them you got scammed. Somebody stole YOUR money. They will tell you what BEST to do in your circumstances.

The professional pirates, supposedly the targets of this update, are totally unaffected. They are laughing. They are laughing in Microsoft’s face. They are laughing because they, like me, think that Ballmer looks best in drag.

KB971033 was optional. So many just side-stepped the update and said “thank you, Microsoft, but no thank you.” Their systems continue to go unchecked.

Some want to DEFY Microsoft even further. They no longer get kicks from just laughing at Microsoft. They want to spit in their face. So they have created patches to OUTSMART KB971033 once it is installed! OK. Maybe they are not spitting in the face of Microsoft. No. Instead, they are slapping Microsoft in the face. Take that. What a joke. From DAY ONE I said KB971033 will be ineffective. Check it out.

So here is the GOOD NEWS. Do not worry about KB971033. It will not bite you. Just ignore it. Say “Thanks, but NO thanks.” Disable your automatic Windows updates. That is prudent. I did that a few weeks ago.

Good luck.

Anura Guruge

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Auslogics: I Finally Get To Run The Registry Defrag.

Posted in Auslogics, System Mechanic, Windows 7, tagged , , , , on March 4, 2010 | Leave a Comment »

I ran Auslogics Registry Defrag last night.

Given that I was foiled the last time around, Liz Cornwall of Auslogics kindly sent me a trial product key … so that I could continue to try this product.

I hadn’t run the Auslogics Registry Cleaner in ‘a week.’

It found 30 errors. Not bad. I checked each and every one of them. They all looked legit. They made sense. Some were references to files that I KNEW I had deleted.

I then ran the Registry Defrag. It sure is quick.

BUT, I do Inot understand the graphic it presents … here is an example I manage to capture using a combination of Prt Scr & Snipper >>

I don’t know what each ‘cell’ is supposed to represent … within an ‘hive.’ I know, since it tells me, that I have two hives. I know this terminology since it is the same that is used by System Mechanic.

See those two (2) little red dots/cells. That is supposed to indicate FRAGMENTED. I always have those two cells in red … per Auslogics.

But last night … it showed another 6-8 more red cells … right at the bottom … followed by a similar number of cells in green … denoting defragmented.

It then said I had some registry fragmentation and that I could get a 1.8% performance improvement … IF I defragged.

Boy, WAS I EXCITED. Finally. At last I was being told I can go beyond 1st base. Boy, WAS I EXCITED. [Did I already say that? Old age. Sorry.]

Like all Registry Defrags … it can only run at system start-up. So we did the usually … schedule registry defrag … RESTART. Exactly the same as System Mechanic.

The defrag screen bore some resemblance to that displayed by System Mechanic … but there isn’t much scope for creativity here.

It scared me by talking about moving some Windows 7 folders.

But, it was fast. Much faster than I remember System Mechanic ever being.

I was glad that my system restarted OK. Fired up FireFox 3.6.2 and checked my email to make sure.

Then being the cynical paranoid that I am … I ran Auslogics Registry Defrag again.

Got those SAME two red cells as FRAGMENTED. So the defrag never fixed that. Maybe those cells are FIXED. I do not know.

I also now realize that there seems to be HUGE amount of space allocated to the Registry … much of it unused. I will have to look into that.

Bottom line … Halleluiah … I finally got Auslogics Registry Defrag to defrag my registry. It didn’t clobber my system … from what I can see. It might not have defragged everything either. I do not know.

I will keep on testing … on YOUR behalf.

Good luck. Cheers.

Anura Guruge

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Windows 7: Memory Usage — Few More Thoughts

Posted in FireFox 3.6, Windows 7, Windows 7 issues, tagged , , , , on March 3, 2010 | Leave a Comment »

Following yesterday’s suggestion on Windows 7 memory usage optimization … I wanted to add a few more thoughts and parameters.

As I stated in the post, I was around 23% when I was writing the post.

Just past midnight, I started to wind down. I closed FireFox 3.6.2 (two instances) [FireFox yet again having hung a few minutes earlier]. My memory usage, per the desktop gadget, dropped to 11%. Call that 1.3GB.

So Windows 7 Professional … with no applications running … was using 1.3GB of physical memory. That seems fair. Hence my contention that you really need a minimum of 2GB to run Windows 7, realistically.

This would indicate that FireFox was also using around 1GB. Seems fair.

I just fired up Task Manager >> Resource Monitor … and am looking at my memory usage. Yes, yet again, as is the norm, I have two instances of FireFox 3.6.2 running … 13 open tabs.

It says I have 2.2GB in use. The gadget says 19%. That is pretty close. The the gadget is pretty accurate.

Says FireFox has 706.9MB committed. So the numbers kind of make sense. I have 1.7GB cached.

I just started up Word 2007. It only took 22MB! Pretty impressive.

So all of this confirms my initial contention. I am NOT seeing anything untoward when it comes to Windows 7 memory usage. It seems to be well behaved. But, now that I started checking … I will keep an eye and keep YOU posted. OK?

All the best. Good luck.

Anura Guruge

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Windows 7: Memory Usage — A Suggestion

Posted in Windows 7, Windows 7 issues, tagged , , , on March 2, 2010 | 1 Comment »

Over the last couple of weeks I have seen an increasing number of posts on the Web bashing Windows 7 for ‘excessive’ memory usage.

That has surprised me. I have not seen that in the 4.5 months I have been using Windows 7 Professional, daily, without a single days off, most days for at least 12 hours. But, I will admit up front that my rig is rather atypical given that it has 12GB DDDR3 memory. I also have an ASUS GTX260 video card with 896MG.

I don’t check memory usage that often — if at all. I do have the CPU & Memory Usage gadget on the top right corner of my right-hand side monitor. [Yes, I have a dual monitor configuration]. But, I do not see the gadget because I have a FireFox instance that takes up 99.5% of that 24″ screen. Since these complaints about Windows 7 memory, I have been looking at my memory usage.

Most times I am between 21% and 23%. Call that 2.76GB.

Right now, to check memory usage, I have open: 2 instances of FireFox 3.6.2 (with 14 open tabs), Media Player, Word 2007, PowerPoint 2007, Excel 2007 and Adobe Acrobat Professional 9.3.2. Memory usage per the gadget is 24%.

I could be wrong, but I am kind of sure that my relatively low and realistic memory usage has a LOT to do with my Virtual Memory setting. Three weeks into using Windows 7, I went in and manually changed the Virtual Memory allocations for this system. Though I have 12GB, I set my VM to 4GB. Read the post — please. I think 4GB VM is THE sweet spot for Windows 7.

So here are my two suggestions for ‘tuning’ Windows 7 memory usage:

  1. I really do not think you can run Windows 7 effectively with less than 2GB of memory. Ideally it should be 3GB. Above that is gravy. 12GB just says that you got a 0% APR for all your hardware for a year  from newegg.com
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  2. Please go in an look at your VM settings. Do not turn VM off [i.e., specify 0GB]. Try 4GB. Let me know. I have a feeling that you will be pleasantly surprised.

Good luck.

Cheers

Anura Guruge

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Windows 7: Padlock On File Icon Again & Again Today

Posted in Adobe Acrobat, Windows 7, Windows 7 problems, Windows 7 sucks, tagged , , , , on March 1, 2010 | Leave a Comment »

Spine of "The Next Pope" Book by Anura GurugeTwelve days ago I got to see the little padlock icon beguilingly ‘appear’ next to a JPEG file icon — and then have the satisfaction of getting rid of it, using my instructions (albeit on the second try).

Happened to me TWICE toady, in quick succession — each time on files that were being created from scratch.

As with the incident 12 days ago, the first padlock today was yet again against JPEG I created from a PDF — using my fully legit Adobe Acrobat Professional 9.3.1. As in that prior instance I was creating JPEG of the cover of my latest book … from the final-form, camera-ready PDF. This time it was the spine … and it was for Amazon. << See right >>

As soon as I created it … BANG … padlock against the file icon … and I could see it come up because I had the folder it was being created open within an instance of Windows Explorer.

By now having encountered this problem so many times, I was not perturbed. Just annoyed. It is a waste of OUR time.

Again I fixed it quickly using the instructions I had got from Microsoft … and posted on this blog. It worked.

I know the problem. Since the file was created by Adobe Acrobat 9.3 Professional, Windows 7 was basically assuming that Adobe was the owner!

I now had to create a ZIPPED folder. I used the BUILT-IN capability within Windows 7, i.e., right-click on file or folder and select SEND TO COMPRESSED (ZIPPED) folder.

The zipping worked like a charm. I was happy and impressed. BUT I had a padlock against the zipped file! DAMN. Ballmer looks best in drag.

Followed the instructions again. Presto. Gone.

So our instructions do appear to work — consistently and well. For that I am glad.

So this definitely is a PERMISSIONS related issue — having much to do with WHO creates a file/folder. Obviously, it doesn’t happen when Adobe Acrobat creates PDFs … but does when it creates JPEG.

Happened when Windows 7 created a zipped file. I am sure that Microsoft uses 3rd party code for this. So there might be some other application ‘coded’ in there.

I know that a LOT of you have this same problem. I see search results, that end  up on this blog, on a daily basis that go “padlock icon Windows 7″. This is crazy. Ballmer looks best in drag.

I suspect that Microsoft, just to torment us, will not fix this until SP1.

Good luck.

Cheers

Anura Guruge
www.guruge.com

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