TechAgility

Looks like MS have not had a good month on this subject? Still, looks like there is light at the end of the tunnel?

Stealth Windows update prevents XP repair

By Scott Dunn
A silent update that Microsoft deployed widely in July and August is preventing the "repair" feature of Windows XP from completing successfully.
Ever since the Redmond company’s recent download of new support files for Windows Update, users of XP’s repair function have been unable to install the latest 80 patches from Microsoft.

Repaired installations of XP can’t be updated

Accounts of conflicts with XP’s repair option came to our attention after Microsoft’s "silent install" of Windows Update (WU) executable files, known as version 7.0.600.381, was reported in the Sept. 13 and 20 issues of the Windows Secrets Newsletter.
The trouble occurs when users reinstall XP’s system files using the repair capability found on genuine XP CD-ROMs. (The feature is not present on "Restore CDs.") The repair option, which is typically employed when XP for some reason becomes unbootable, rolls many aspects of XP back to a pristine state. It wipes out many updates and patches and sets Internet Explorer back to the version that originally shipped with the operating system.
Normally, users who repair XP can easily download and install the latest patches, using the Automatic Updates control panel or navigating directly to Microsoft’s Windows Update site.
However, after using the repair option from an XP CD-ROM, Windows Update now downloads and installs the new 7.0.600.381 executable files. Some WU executables aren’t registered with the operating system, preventing Windows Update from working as intended. This, in turn, prevents Microsoft’s 80 latest patches from installing — even if the patches successfully downloaded to the PC.
I was able to reproduce and confirm the problem on a test machine. When WU tries to download the most recent patches to a "repaired" XP machine, Microsoft’s Web site simply states: "A problem on your computer is preventing the updates from being downloaded or installed." (See Figure 1.)
Figure 1. After a repair install of XP, which resets the operating system to its original state, Windows Update can’t install the 80 most-recent patches from Microsoft.
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Most ordinary Windows users might never attempt a repair install, but the problem will affect many administrators who must repair Windows frequently. Anyone who runs XP’s repair function will find that isolating the cause of the failed updates is not a simple matter.
Beginning in July, it is not possible for Windows users to install updates without first receiving the 7.0.6000.381 version of nine Windows Update support files. (See my Sept. 13 story for details.) If Automatic Updates is turned on, the .381 update will be installed automatically. If AU is not turned on, you’ll be prompted to let Windows Update upgrade itself before you can installing any other updates. Consequently, users are forced to get the silent update before they can attempt to install Microsoft’s latest security patches.
The problem apparently arises because seven of the DLLs (dynamic link library files) used by WU fail to be registered with Windows. If files of the same name had previously been registered — as happened when Windows Update upgraded itself in the past — the new DLL files are registered, too, and no problem occurs. On a "repaired" copy of XP, however, no such registration has occurred, and failing to register the new DLLs costs Windows Update the ability to install any patches.
Registering DLL files is normally the role of an installer program. Unlike previous upgrades to WU, however, Microsoft has published no link to an installer or a downloadable version of 7.0.6000.381. Strangely, there’s no Knowledge Base article at all explaining the new version. The lack of a KB article (and the links that usually appear therein) makes it impossible for admins to run an installer to see if it would correct the registration problem.
One possible fix is to install an older version of the Windows Update files (downloadable from Step 2 of Microsoft Knowledge Base article 927891) over the newer version. This involves launching the installer from a command line using a switch known as /wuforce.
That corrects the registration problem, although even in this case you must still accept the .381 stealth update (again) before you can get any updates. The fact that the /wuforce procedure solves the problem suggests that the installer for .381 is the source of the bug.

Manually registering files solves the problem

If you find that Windows Update refuses to install most patches, you can register its missing DLLs yourself. This can be accomplished by manually entering seven commands (shown in Step 2, below) at a command prompt. If you need to run the fix on multiple machines, it’s easiest to use a batch file, as Steps 1 through 5 explain:
Step 1. Open Notepad (or any text editor).
Step 2. Copy and paste the following command lines into the Notepad window (the /s switch runs the commands silently, freeing you from having to press Enter after each line):
regsvr32 /s wuapi.dll
regsvr32 /s wuaueng1.dll
regsvr32 /s wuaueng.dll
regsvr32 /s wucltui.dll
regsvr32 /s wups2.dll
regsvr32 /s wups.dll
regsvr32 /s wuweb.dll
Step 3. Save the file to your desktop, using a .bat or .cmd extension.
Step 4. Double-click the icon of the .bat or .cmd file.
Step 5. A command window will open, run the commands, and then close.
The next time you visit the Windows Update site, you should not have any problem installing the latest patches.
In my articles in the last two weeks on the silent installation of the Windows Update support files, I stated that the stealthy upgrade seemed harmless. Now that we know that version .381 prevents a repaired instance of XP from getting critical patches, "harmless" no longer describes the situation. The crippling of Windows Update illustrates why many computer professionals demand to review updates for software conflicts before widely installing upgrades.
"I understand the need to update the infrastructure for Windows Update," says Gordon Pegue, systems administrator for Chavez Grieves Engineers, a structural engineering firm in Albuquerque, N.M. "But I think Microsoft dropped the ball a little bit communicating how the system works. Administrators should know these sorts of things, in case problems arise."
A Microsoft spokeswoman offered to provide an official response about the situation, but I received no reply by press time.
If you ever need to run the repair option on XP, first see the detailed description provided by the Michael Stevens Tech Web site.
I’d like to thank Windows Secrets contributing editor Susan Bradley for her help in bringing reports of this problem to light.
Have a tip about Windows? Readers receive a gift certificate for a book, CD, or DVD of their choice for sending tips we print. Send us your comments via the Windows Secrets contact page.
Scott Dunn is associate editor of the Windows Secrets Newsletter. He has been a contributing editor of PC World since 1992 and currently writes for the magazine’s Here’s How section.

written by dcaddick

I have been in LinkedIn since first being introduced to it by John Grove back in the UK and I have some small criticisms, but generally I do like the way you can have a professional profile rather than the ones available in Facebook or MySpace

Picture this - LinkedIn adds profile photos

Mike Butcher @ TechCrunch

On Friday LinkedIn plans to allow profile photos on its business-focused social network, in a move which reflects its increasingly international focus.

It’s taken four years for LinkedIn to add photos, when every other social network has done it forever. The site for business professionals has always kept a conservative, business-like tone. But although it says the decision has been driven by members, LinkedIn could not have escaped noticing that business people are using sites like Facebook to network both personally and for business. Adding photos ticks a box marked ‘we can be as friendly-looking as Facebook too guys’.

In other Facebook-like moves, LinkedIn has improved its groups feature recently and an open API for developers is said to be on its way.

However, the formal tone will be maintained. Only one picture will be allowed and users will be able to block those outside their network from seeing it, as well as being able to block photos from other users.

The decision on photos will go down well in Europe, and especially in London, which I can confirm has become Facebook obsessed, and where people never quite got LinkedIn’s conservatism. European business networking sites like Xing - which allows photos - have benefited from a less locked-down approach.

LinkedIn says it has 14 million users a month, with up to 250,000 new users every week.

written by dcaddick

So it would seem that Provision and Leostream are almost going head to head with getting their message out there regarding Desktop Brokers? I wonder how long VMware is going to keep Dunes version of DS-O under wraps after the recent acquisition? Seems to me they’d better not leave it too long?
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Provision Networks, provider of enterprise presentation and desktop virtualization solutions, announced the latest version of the company’s VDI connection broker - Virtual Access Suite 5.9.

"While many vendors are rushing to market with their first generation technologies, our third-generation Virtual Access Suite sets the standard by which VDI solutions are judged," said Paul Ghostine, co-Founder and CEO of Provision Networks. "We are very pleased with our latest release which incorporates the feedback from many customers and partners, and accounts for hundreds of new use case scenarios we’ve encountered in production deployments."

The beta release of Virtual Access Suite 5.9 offers tighter integration with VMware VI3, Virtual Iron and Microsoft technologies. It also offers more features, better flexibility, stronger security, higher scalability and resiliency.

The 5.9 version adds a huge laundry list of enhancements that include:

• Tighter Integration with Microsoft Active Directory: Provides for the auto-creation and auto-removal of AD computer objects upon creation or deletion of virtual machines.
• Support for Multiple Resource Pools and Data Stores: Allows for the mass creation of virtual machines across multiple resource pools and data stores.
• Semi-Permanent VM Assignment: Provides for the automated assignment of a new temporary but dedicated virtual machine, until the original permanent VM becomes accessible.
• Power State Transition Management: A new VM power state called "Changing" marks the occurrence of an OS reboot or shutdown, thus resulting in a VM power-state transition.
• Scheduled VM Power Operations: Enables VM’s to be automatically powered on and suspended at the start and conclusion of a business day, respectively. This ensures VM’s are always powered on during work hours, and powered off shortly after employees conclude their work day.
• Bandwidth Virtualization: Integrated support for Expand Networks WAN optimization and application acceleration.
• Virtual Channel Policies: Enables policy-based access to local devices over RDP, including drives, printers, smart cards, clipboard, audio, and serial ports.
• Enhanced Printing Support: New font management capabilities deliver superior print quality and reliability, as well as drastic print job size reductions compared to other universal print drivers.
• New AppPortal Look and Feel: A modern Web 2.0 new design enhances the look and usability of the most popular Windows client interface for Terminal Server and hosted desktops.

To learn more, you can watch one of Provision Networks’ demos, here.

Or, you can download a trial of their product, here.

written by dcaddick

Alessandro is at it again, keep checking his site for all news Virtual?

Microsoft opens Viridian technical preview to general public

By Alessandro Perilli

Just a couple of weeks after releasing Windows Server 2008 RC0 to TAP customers, Microsoft is ready to open the new build to general public. Since it includes a technical preview of upcoming Windows Server Virtualization (codename Viridian), this is the first time the new Microsoft hypervisor reaches such a wide audience.

Viridian adopts is a true bare-metal Virtual Machine Monitor (VMM) compared with existing Virtual Server 2005 R2 SP1, using a 64bit microkernel not derived  from existing Windows kernel which takes only 1 MB space on disk (but requires Intel VT or AMD-V extensions enabled on physical CPU) and finally supporting 64bit virtual machines (check the architecture here).

Update: Despite the information provided, it seems Viridian can create Windows Server 2003 virtual machines with 8 vCPUs.    >>>>>>

more and download links at source…

written by dcaddick

SAN FRANCISCO, CA — 09/10/07 — VM World Conference — At the VM World Conference running this week, Leostream Corp., a leading provider of Virtual Hosted Desktop software and physical-to-virtual conversion tools, today announced version 5 of its Connection Broker for the management of access to hosted desktops running in virtual machines. The Leostream Connection Broker dynamically assigns users to Hosted Desktops whether running on physical or virtual machines.

"Leostream has been building Connection Brokers for the last two years — starting with a 5,000 seat project for the US Patent and Trade Office," said David Crosbie, Leostream CTO. "Using Connection Broker is extremely simple — simply enter your user credentials and you are automatically logged into the Windows session."

Version 5.0 of Leostream’s Connection Broker was co-developed with a major financial institution that is using it as a key component in its move to Hosted Desktops with thin clients. This reduces the per user power consumption from 400W to around 100W and eliminates the need for UPS to the desktop as well as halving the amount of wiring in the building. These cost savings alone justify the project — particularly in major financial centers where there are acute power shortages.

The product is proven to scale globally to 30,000 users and eight Datacenter. As well as being highly scalable it is also highly robust — and capable of providing uninterrupted service in a wide variety of disaster recovery scenarios.

more at source…

written by dcaddick

I freely admit that sometimes (my wife would say a lot of the time) I am easily distracted - and this must surely double when I’m on the web but there are times when you just stumble on a little nugget of gold?

I have picked up on TED from a post my mate Dave Oliver regarding new developments on graphics and a truly mind blowing video and as a consequence I signed up for updates via email, and so today I was simply skimming through the headlines and ready to move on, and on a whim really, clicked on a link to John Maeda and the laws of simplicity.

The first page was OK and kind of interesting, but then on the second page, I found this little nugget of advice regarding Investment Advice. It is so simple and clear it is a wonder it doesn’t get more attention as something that should be listed under “Top Ten Pieces of Financial Advice”?

Simplified Investing

Last week in Bologna I met an investment banker and we got on the topic of ING Direct and their incredible success with a strategy centered around simplicity. The banker told me something interesting I hadn’t heard before that I couldn’t find online. Something to the effect that ING Direct tells their customers that to determine how much of their money they should put into high-risk investments versus low-risk ones, just take your age up to 100 years old. However old you are, that is the percentage that you should invest in the low-risk stuff; then take the number 100 and subtract your age from it and invest that percentage in the high-risk stuff. I was impressed with the simple elegance of the thought.

Making it even simpler (with apologies to John )

In any Investment Portfolio your age is the ideal percentage you should focus towards Low-Risk as opposed to High-Risk

written by dcaddick

Now this is quite interesting because up until now most of the news and information (dare I say Hype?) has been based around the benefits of flexibility and high availability (like VMotion, etc.) but we are now starting to see enough real world examples of Server and Desktop Virtualization that we can have broad benchmarks or rule-of-thumb guidelines that are indicative of the savings that can be gained even at the design stage when details of the intended environment are almost non-existent?

Although it has been around for some time, the Citrix ROI template (available at http://www.acecostanalyzer.com ) is still quite valid, even more so if your environment is still stuck in Client Server mode? Some of these best practice calculations can be applied to a VDI scenario but not all, so it will certainly be of some benefit when we start to see more of these details emerging.

I don’t suppose that Citrix, VMware and Microsoft might get together under a Green banner and co-fund a similar ROI tool for VDI in general as part of climate change initiative? Perhaps the Bill Gates foundation should kick this off?

What do you think? Pass it on to Bill for comment?

Analysts: Virtualization to save businesses millions

Butler Group report predicts savings from virtualization as it reduces energy consumption and operating costs.

By Gemma Simpson
Special to CNET News.com

Virtualization could save companies millions of dollars and be the dominant data center technology within the next two to three years, according to analysts.

Virtualization can reduce energy consumption and cut operating costs for companies adopting the technology, according to a Butler Group report released this week on infrastructure virtualization.

The report estimates a company currently operating 250 dual-core servers can save $4 million over the next three years by adopting virtualization technology.

Butler also estimates that a power savings on the order of $157,500 for every 1,000 PCs per year can be achieved by businesses moving from a full desktop PC infrastructure to a server-hosted desktop virtualization setup.

And a further $8,000 per 1,000 help-desk calls per month could also be saved by reducing the number of such calls and encouraging the use of self-service application virtualization technologies, the research reveals.

Many companies initially adopt virtualization to save money through server consolidation, and then start to notice other benefits, so that virtualization becomes part of the overall IT plan, according to the analyst house.

Roy Illsley, senior research analyst with Butler, said companies need to understand what virtualization can deliver–and how it is delivered–to successfully use the technology to manage an organization’s IT resources.

The virtualization revolution seems to be slowly marching on, with analysts and industry experts naming the technology as one of the most versatile tools in IT, and analyst house Gartner stating that virtualization will be a key technology to help companies beef up security on corporate mobile devices.

Senior industry figures have also named virtualization as the technology poised to play the most significant role in tackling the challenges many chief information officers face, such as rising energy costs.

Gemma Simpson of Silicon.com reported from London.

written by dcaddick