LogBlog

Warning: This is a highly technical article.  If you are not an IT Expert, don’t try this at home :).

Thanks to Dennis J Krohn (DDK Communications) for working with Microsoft on this and emailling me and Susan Bradley who pointed me to http://sbsc.techcareteam.com/archives/325 and has been working with Microsoft to track this issue and find the culprit (application or service that makes this happen); we now have a quick fix for the KSOD we have been seeing in Windows Vista.

KSOD Defined: Where after a reboot the Windows Vista PC boots up to a black screen with a white mouse cursor and nothing else ever loads (no logon screen, etc).  Safe mode does the same thing.  Last Known Good configuration and System Restore do not fix it except in rare cases where performing a System Restore to 1 month ago or earlier does (thanks Mike Katz for figuring that out).

So about an hour after Dennis and Susan emailed me the resolution last night, my main workstation KSOD’d.  It has already done this once before and Microsoft did not have a resolution — so my resolution last time was to reinstall Windows to a new directory and manually reinstall and reconfigure all my applications and settings.  THIS time, very fortunately, I got to try these steps out and they worked like a charm.  My workstation was back up and running in less than 5 minutes.

Here is how to recover from the KSOD (blacK Screen Of Death):

There apparently this a problem related to the Remote Procedure Call service (RPC) running under LocalSystem account instead of NT Authority\NetworkService account.

1. On the affected machine, boot using the Vista Media and Select “Next” and then in the bottom left you will see “Repair your Computer”; select Next and then Select Command Prompt.

2. At the command prompt, launch regedit.exe and load the SYSTEM hive, follow the below steps.

a. Select HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE

b. On the File menu, select Load Hive.

c. Browse to %WINDIR%\System32\Config Folder and select “SYSTEM”

d. Select Open.

e. In the Load Hive dialog box, type in “MySYSTEM” box for the registry hive that you want to edit.

3. After the hive is loaded, modify the following key value per the instructions below: You will need to know what ControlSet the machine is currently running on, this can be determined by going to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\MySYSTEM\Select and find the “Current” value in the Right hand side. (Example: Current value is 1 then the ControlSet will be ControlSet001)

Key: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\ControlSet00X\Services\RpcSs (X is the Number from the Current Key from above)

Value Name: ObjectName

Old Value: LocalSystem

New Value: NT AUTHORITY\NetworkService

4. Unload the SYSTEM hive by selecting the key “MySYSTEM” and then select File -> Unload Hive… menu item.

5. Exit regedit.exe

6. Reboot the system normally

-Ira

This video explains dimensions really well.  This is the first time I have understood the 4th dimension and how there could be more dimensions.

Imagining the Tenth Dimension - Rob Bryanton

-Ira

Logic Co-CEO John Matzek quoted in this recent Processor Magazine article:

Best Tip

Investing a substantial amount of money for an IT employee’s training almost always harbors the risk that he or she will use the skills learned to move on to greener pastures for more money. One way to mitigate the risk is to share training costs or schedule reimbursement after the training is completed. “You can offer a partial scholarship where an employee pays for part of the class and gets reimbursed after a certain amount of time,” says John Matzek, co-chief executive officer of Logic IT Consulting (www.logicitc.com). “Or the employee needs to work at the job for a certain amount of time before being eligible for a full scholarship.”

It is also good to keep in mind that keeping good employees involves more than just worrying that they might leave after acquiring better skills.

“At the end of the day, your organization needs to remain competitive to retain talented IT employees, and this requires offering some form of training or certification,” says Michael Taivalmaa, an analyst for Corporate Integrity (www.corp-integrity.com). “Who knows, maybe your next new hire sees you as their greener pasture.”

by Bruce Gain Processor.com

To read the full article go to http://www.processor.com/email.asp?emid=13163

Rainy day cycling in Tucson

• Logic IT Consulting uses cutting-edge network management tools and software to conduct most of our work remotely while improving response time and quality of service, reducing on-site visits by over 90%;
• Logic IT Consulting has a recycling program for used computers and equipment;
• Logic IT Consulting is proud to be the first carbon-neutral IT Consulting company in Arizona
• Logic IT Consulting offsets it’s carbon footprint with clean Wind-power energy credits;
• Participants of the TEP Greenwatts program.
• Listed in Who’s Green AZ as a Green Company

Also take a look at our Company Culture:
Logic IT Consulting promotes a healthy and active lifestyle for our team by providing healthcare coverage, organic produce delivery, activities including group bicycle rides and volleyball, and a flexible and positive work environment.

We are deploying Windows Server 2008 RemoteApp in an effort to improve user experience for people who have been using a Terminal Server. RemoteApp gives you direct access to applications on a Terminal Server without having to remote into the desktop first.

To setup RemoteApp in Windows Server 2008 do the following.

Add the role “terminal server” on the 2008 server manager – press the add button and check mark ts - reboot.

Next install your app. First run “change user /install”, then run setup for the app, then run “change user /execute”.

Now bring up TS RemoteApp Manager from administrative tools.

Press the Add RemoteApp Program button and run the wizard. Put a check mark next to the app.

Right click the RemoteApp and choose create .rdp file.

Now from the client workstation, save the .rdp file on your desktop. This example uses a Vista workstation.

Double click the .rdp file and put in your network credentials.

Voila! You’re running an app on the Terminal Server but it appears just like you’re running it on the workstation.

The new BlackBerry Storm is coming soon to Verizon Wireless.  The Storm is the first touchscreen BlackBerry.

BlackBerry Storm

-Ira

Just recently Google released a free, lightweight web browser called “Chrome”.  It is very fast and though still beta has some great potential to become our browser of choice (which is currently FireFox) in the near future.

Google Chrome

Features Include:

• Very Fast.
• Tabbed Browsing.
• Single box for both web addresses and Google search.
• “Incognito mode” — when an “Incognito” window is launched, Chrome does not keep the pages you visit in browser history or search history, and they won’t leave other traces, like cookies, on your computer after you close the incognito window.
• Visual History.

Visual History Feature in Chrome

Download it from www.google.com/chrome.

-Ira

Logic Co-CEO John Matzek quoted in this recent Processor Magazine article:

Traditionally, to speed up Microsoft Windows Operating Systems we add more RAM (assuming the processor is fast enough). Though with laptops, we are seeing a different challenge where RAM is not necessarily the bottleneck slowing it down. The challenge we are running into lately with Laptops is that hard drives in Laptops often spin a lot slower than those in desktop PC’s. If possible, the best thing you can do is upgrade to a 7200RPM or Solid State hard drive.  Upgrading to a faster hard drive is not always an option, so fortunately there are 3 things we can do with Windows Vista to reduce how much it is relying on the hard disk, and speed it up significantly:

1. Use “ReadyBoost” to significantly increase the responsiveness of the system by reading commonly-used system files from flash memory (which is much faster than a hard disk). You can pick up a 2 pack of high-speed 2GB SD cards (typically used to store pictures in digital cameras) for about $30 at Costco. SD cards are easy to leave in the SD card reader slot on your laptop at all times. When prompted by Windows, choose “Speed up my system”:
   

   AutoPlay Options

   

   ReadyBoost options

2. Disable “Windows Search“. Although it’s a great and useful feature, it can slow down your laptop — so leave it enabled on your Desktop PC and remote in when you want to use it. To disable Windows Search, right-click “Computer” in the Start Menu and choose “Manage”. Navigate to “Services” on the left pane. Double-click on “Windows Search” in the list of services.
   

   Windows Search Service Options

   Change the Startup Type to “Disabled.”

3. Turn off the Sidebar. The Windows Vista Sidebar is a really cool feature that lets you put weather, an analog clock, and other fun gadgets on your desktop. It does take up resources, though, just like any other running program so if you want to squeeze some extra performance out of Vista you should disable the sidebar.
   

   Windows Vista SideBar (on the Right)

   To disable the Sidebar:
   Right click on a blank area of the sidebar and choose Properties.
   Uncheck the ‘Start sidebar when windows starts’ option. Hit OK.
   Right click on a blank area of the taskbar and choose ‘close sidebar.’

-Ira

Our friend Chris Chapman was hanging out with Gary Coleman when Chris, Jenni, and I went to E3 Expo a few years ago. We decided to register WhatYouTalkinBoutWillis.com and ImWhatWillisWasTalkinBout.com (I’m surprised they were available) and put this picture up there on ImWhatWillisWasTalkinBout.com:

Chris Chapman, Gary Coleman, and Cliff Bleszinski at E3 Expo

Chris is the 7 foot tall guy standing next to Gary Coleman.  Also in the picture: Cliff Bleszinski - who had a hand in the development of the games Unreal, Gears of War, and is executive producer of the upcoming “Gears of War” movie.

-Ira