Windows Vista as well as the predecessor Windows operating systems – comes with a complex infrastructure designed to log all the activity of the platform. The tool associated with logs in Windows Vista is Event Viewer. Users will be able to access this utility by entering Event Viewer in the Search box under the Start menu. Then simply right click the highlighted result and choose Run as Administrator from the contextual menu that pops up. Event viewer will keep track of a range of events including items related to Administrative tasks, Applications, Security, Setup, System, Applications and Services Logs and Forwarded Events.

The simplest way to deal with event files in Windows Vista is to have them saved as under the new Event Log file format - .evtx. Vista users will notice that the operating system also offers the possibility to convert exported Event Log (.evt) files from Windows XP and Windows Server 2003 to the .evtx format. The conversion can be done via the Event Viewer MMC, just make your way to the saved even, right click it and choose Save As. (more…)

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Although it is virtually handicapped in terms of the options it actually provides to the user in comparison to Windows XP, the hard disk defragmentation utility in Windows Vista is an evolution of the equivalent from the predecessor operating system. But the enhancements come essentially under the hood of the tool. In this context, the actual defragmentation engine was tuned up, as well as the management of the fragmentation process.

“By default, the defrag tool only defragments files smaller than 64 megabytes (MB). Therefore, files larger than 64 MB are not moved unnecessarily. In earlier versions of Windows operating systems, if the defrag engine was in the middle of a large move request, it could take lots of time to cancel defragmentation. In Windows Vista, the defrag engine processes input and output requests in smaller portions. Therefore, you can avoid situations where the defrag engine is busy with processing large move requests when you cancel a defragmentation session”, Microsoft explained. (more…)

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Windows Vista – just as its predecessor Windows operating systems offers users the ability to easily control Internet browsing by managing the Hosts file, native to the platform. However, the main difference between Vista and older Windows titles is the introduction of the User Account Control, and the fact that all users run with standard privileges as opposite to administrative rights. This small detail subsequently impacts the ability to edit the Hosts file.

The fact of the matter is that there are two error messages generated in Windows Vista in certain scenarios that either deny access to the Hosts file, or refuse to apply any modifications made by the user. The first is “Access to C:\Windows\System32\drivers\etc\ hosts was denied” while the second will read “Cannot create the C:\Windows\System32\drivers\etc\hosts file. Make sure that the path and file name are correct.” (more…)

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One of the core differences between 32-bit and 64-bit editions of Windows Vista is of course how much system memory the two variants of Microsoft’s latest operating systems can use. Users have to understand that Microsoft alone limited 32-bit Vista to a maximum of 4 GB of RAM while taking the high-end editions of 64-bit Vista up to 128 GB of RAM. The fact of the matter is that Microsoft could have tailor fitted both 32-bit Windows Vista and Windows XP to address well in excess of 4 GB of system memory, but didn’t. The best argument related to the possibility of introducing support for over 4 GB of RAM with x86 Vista and XP is the fact that Microsoft does feature 32-bit Window operating systems that do it. Case in point Windows Server 2003, Enterprise Edition (32 GB of physical RAM), Windows Server 2003, Datacenter Edition and Windows Server 2003 SP1, Enterprise Edition(64 GB of physical RAM) and Windows Server 2003 SP1, Datacenter Edition (128 GB of physical RAM). All these server side Windows operating systems are 32-bit platforms.

So why hasn’t the same been done with Windows Vista? Well, just because the 32-bit server operating

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Concomitantly with the release of the security bulletins as a part of its monthly patch cycle, Microsoft also made available an update affecting the core of 64-bit Vista. More specifically, the feature is designed to stop third party code from altering the operating system’s kernel integrity. “An update is available for Kernel Patch Protection included with x64-based Windows operating systems. Kernel Patch Protection protects code and critical structures in the Windows kernel from modification by unknown code or data. This update adds additional checks to this protection for increased reliability, performance, and resiliency of Windows,” Microsoft revealed.

The Kernel Patch Protection technology is nothing new to the 64-bit editions of Windows Vista. Microsoft’s latest operating system is just the latest in a series of Windows platforms to feature PatchGuard, (more…)

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