Windows Vista includes several improvements
and new features that will simplify how you troubleshoot hardware
problems, allowing you to reduce client computer downtime. The
following sections describe these improvements.
Windows Memory Diagnostics
Application
failures, operating system faults, and Stop errors are often caused by
failing memory. Failing memory chips return different data than the
operating system originally stored. Failing memory can be difficult to
identify: Problems can be intermittent and might only occur under very
rare circumstances. For example, a memory chip might function perfectly
when tested in a controlled environment but begin to fail when used
within a hot computer. Failing memory can also cause secondary
problems, such as corrupted files. Often, administrators take drastic
steps to repair the problem, such as reinstalling applications or the
operating system, only to have the failures persist.
Windows
Vista includes Windows Memory Diagnostics to help administrators track
down problems with unreliable memory. Previously, this technology was
only available as a download and required installing the tool on a
bootable floppy disk. In Windows Vista, if Windows Error Reporting
(WER) or Microsoft Online Crash Analysis (MOCA) determine that failing
memory might be the cause of an error, the software can prompt the user
to perform memory diagnostics without requiring an additional download
or separate boot disk. Additionally, you can run Windows Memory
Diagnostics by choosing a special boot menu option or by loading the
Startup Recovery Tools from the Windows Vista DVD.
If
memory diagnostics identify a memory problem, Windows Vista can avoid
using the affected portion of physical memory so that the operating
system can start successfully and avoid application crashes. Upon
startup, Windows Vista provides an easy-to-understand report detailing
the problem and instructing the user on how to have the memory
replaced.
Disk Failure Diagnostics
Disk
reliability problems can vary in severity. Minor problems can cause
seemingly random application failures. For example, if a user connects
a new camera and the operating system fails to load the driver, disk
corruption may be causing the problem. More severe problems can result
in the total loss of data stored on the hard disk.
Windows
Vista can eliminate much of the impact of a disk failure by detecting
disk problems proactively, before total failure occurs. Hard disks
often show warning signs before failure, but earlier Windows operating
systems did not record the warning signs. Windows Vista listens for
evidence that a hard disk is beginning to fail and warns the user or
the support center of the problem. IT can then back up the data and
replace the hard disk before the problem becomes an emergency. For
administrators, Windows Vista acts as a guide through the process of
backing up their data so that they can replace the drive without data
loss.
Most new hard disks include
Self-Monitoring Analysis and Reporting Technology (SMART) and Disk Self
Tests (DSTs). SMART monitors the health of the disk using a set of
degradable attributes, such as head-flying height and bad block
reallocation count. DSTs actively check for failures by performing
read, write, and servo tests.
Windows
Vista queries for SMART status on an hourly basis and regularly
schedules DSTs. If Windows Vista detects impending disk failure,
Windows Vista can launch disk diagnostics to guide the user or IT
professionals through the process of backing up the data and replacing
the disk before total failure occurs. Windows Vista can also detect
problems related to a dirty or scratched CD or DVD, and instruct the
user to clean the media.
You can configure
disk diagnostics using two Group Policy settings. Both are located in
Computer Configuration\Administrative Templates\System\Troubleshooting
And Diagnostics\Disk Diagnostic.
Disk Diagnostic: Configure Execution Level
Use this policy to enable or disable disk diagnostic warnings.
Disabling this policy does not disable disk diagnostics; it simply
blocks disk diagnostics from displaying a message to the user and
taking any corrective action. If you have configured a monitoring
infrastructure to collect disk diagnostic events recorded to the Event
Log, and you prefer to manually respond to events, you can disable this
policy.
Disk Diagnostic: Configure Custom Alert Text
Enable this property to define custom alert text (up to 512 characters)
in the disk diagnostic message that appears when a disk reports a SMART
fault.
For disk diagnostics to
work, the Diagnostic Policy Service must be running. Note that disk
diagnostics cannot detect all impending failures. Additionally, because
SMART attribute definitions are vendor-specific, different vendor
implementations can vary. SMART will not function if hard disks are
attached to a hardware RAID controller.
Note
Many hardware vendors use SMART failures as a warranty replacement indicator. |
Self-Healing NTFS
Windows
Vista now includes self-healing NTFS, which can detect and repair file
system corruption while the operating system is running. In most cases,
Windows Vista will repair file corruption without disrupting the user.
Essentially, self-healing NTFS functions similar to Chkdsk (described
later in this chapter), but happens in the background, without locking
an entire volume. Specifically, if Windows Vista detects corrupted
metadata on the file system, it invokes NTFS’s self-healing
capabilities to rebuild the metadata. Some data may still be lost, but
Windows Vista can limit the damage and repair the problem without
taking the entire system offline for a lengthy check–and-repair cycle.
Self-healing
NTFS is enabled by default and requires no management. Instead, it will
serve to reduce the number of disk-related problems that require
administrative intervention. If self-healing fails, the volume will be
marked dirty, and Windows Vista will run Chkdsk on the next startup.
Reliability Monitor
Two
of the biggest challenges of troubleshooting hardware problems are
determining when the problem began occurring and what might have
changed on the computer to introduce the problem. Windows Vista
provides the Reliability Monitor snap-in (part of the Computer
Management console) so that you can easily view application
installations, driver installations, and significant failures over
several weeks or months. Figure 1 shows Reliability Monitor.
Reliability
Monitor gives you a day-by-day analysis of application and driver
installations, application failures, hardware failures, operating
system failures, and other uncategorized failures. Reliability Monitor
will be extremely valuable when troubleshooting hardware problems
reported by end users because it allows you to quickly assess changes
even if the user is not aware of them.
Improved Driver Reliability
Windows
Vista drivers should be more reliable in Windows Vista than they are in
previous versions of Windows. Improved input/output (I/O) cancellation
support has been built in to Windows Vista to enable drivers that might
become blocked when attempting to perform I/O to gracefully recovery.
Windows Vista also has new Application Programming Interfaces (APIs) to
allow applications to cancel I/O operations, such as opening a file.
To
help developers create more stable drivers, Microsoft provides Driver
Verifier. Developers can use the Driver Verifier to verify that their
drivers remain responsive and to ensure that they correctly support I/O
cancellation. Because driver hangs can affect multiple applications or
the entire operating system, these improvements will have a significant
impact on Windows Vista stability. This improvement requires no effort
from administrators; you will simply benefit from a more reliable
operating system.
Improved Error Reporting
Windows
Vista will offer improved application reliability, and the new error
reporting capabilities will allow applications to continue to become
more reliable over time. In earlier versions of Windows, application
hangs were very hard for developers to troubleshoot because error
reporting provided limited or no information about hangs. Windows Vista
improves error reporting to give developers the information they need
to permanently resolve the root cause of the problems, thus providing
continuous improvements in reliability.
