Exploring Windows’ Administrative Tools: Part 3

Artists with paint cans strive for glory, too

Athletes from everywhere weren’t the only competitors who got on planes and flew to London this summer. So did a few graffiti artists from Zurich, Switzerland. House of Switzerland, the official Swiss reception center for Olympic athletes — and anyone else who wanted to stop by — sponsored Creative Day, where visitors were treated to a graffiti-painting competition. The contestants in this video were Switzerland’s One Truth versus England’s Inkie and Chu. Judge the contest for yourself. Play the video

Exploring Windows' Administrative Tools: Part 3

When the need arises to check system RAM, try the Windows Memory Diagnostic tool that comes with Vista and Windows 7 — and is a free download for XP.

This app thoroughly exercises your system’s random-access memory, uncovering problems that can cause crashes, hangs, and other errors.

Every version of Windows, from XP onward, has shipped with professional-quality, system-management utilities, either built in or offered as free add-ons. These apps let you adjust and control many essential operating-system functions and features. Other tools, such as Windows Memory Diagnostic, help diagnose and troubleshoot system problems.

Part 1 of this series, “Accessing and understanding Administrative Tools,” gives an overview of all these tools and explains how to make them easily available from your Start menu.

Part 2 shows how to use Windows’ Performance Monitor to analyze and understand, in real time, a PC’s status as different programs run — or fail to run!

In Part 3, I briefly describe how RAM works, how it can fail, and how to run the Windows Memory Diagnostic diagnostic app.

Understanding the three major components of RAM

All data currently in use by your PC — the code and data of running programs, transient user data, internal system variables, and more — is temporarily stored in a PC’s RAM system. (See Wikipedia’s RAM article for more info.)

For a PC to work properly, its RAM system must reliably accept, hold, and return data — on demand, time after time. If the RAM system fails any of these critical tasks or accidentally alters the data in any way, a PC will malfunction, deliver bad results, or crash outright.

Note that I use the term RAM system and not just RAM. Although we often casually think of RAM as those strips of chips sticking up from the motherboard, a PC’s RAM system is typically made up of three separate elements:

• There are the banks, usually two to four, of RAM chips plugged into the motherboard. (In the unlikely event that you’ve never seen the inside of a PC, the banks are comprised of multiple chips mounted on long, thin circuit boards. They snap in and out, letting you easily increase the amount of RAM in a PC.) When someone asks how much memory a PC has, they’re almost always referring to these RAM banks.
• A PC’s CPU also contains a modest amount of ultra high-speed, internal RAM — the microprocessor cache. Because this memory is part of the CPU circuitry, its size is fixed. The microprocessor cache RAM holds the program code plus data that’s in immediate use by the CPU — the input, output, and intermediate results of step-by-step computer operations.
• The RAM system is managed by a controller, which writes and reads data to and from RAM and keeps the system properly synched.

What can go wrong with the RAM system?

PC electronics typically operate with high reliability. But excess heat, manufacturing defects, and even exotic external factors such as cosmic rays can introduce errors into RAM.

Cosmic rays? Yup. These high-energy particles (created in the cores of distant stars) are constantly bombarding Earth and everything on it — including you and your PC. When one or more particles strike a RAM cell, they can change a data bit’s state from 1 to 0 or 0 to 1. You’ll be surprised to learn that each gigabyte of RAM in a PC typically suffers about four such cosmically induced errors a month! (See this Wikipedia article.)

Windows and some hardware subsystems contain error-checking code or circuitry that can detect and correct many of these transient, or soft, errors.

Unfortunately, not all errors are caught and corrected; some random hangs and crashes — especially those that seem to happen for no reason and don’t follow a pattern — can be attributed to these soft RAM errors.

RAM can also suffer hard errors, where a memory cell or the controller circuitry is permanently altered or damaged. In the jargon of the industry, RAM errors fall into these categories:

• Address fault: A memory cell’s location (address) can’t be accessed — one address connects to multiple cells or one cell can be accessed by multiple addresses.
• Coupling fault: When the value of one memory cell changes, the value of another cell is unintentionally altered.
• Neighborhood pattern–sensitive fault: The operation of one cell is affected by the patterns of data stored in nearby cells.
• Stuck-at fault: A memory location always delivers a 1 or a 0 — no matter what.
• Transition fault: A memory location can’t change state (from a 1 to a 0 or vice-versa) quickly enough to be useful.

There are other failures, but those are the major ones.

What’s in the Windows Memory Diagnostic tests

Microsoft’s explanation of its Windows Memory Diagnostic (site) is refreshingly clear and concise:

• “Windows Memory Diagnostic includes a comprehensive set of memory tests that provide varying degrees of testing thoroughness. The tests are organized into three predefined test suites: basic, standard, and extended. These categories reflect, in increasing order, the time for each test to run as well as the probability of the test detecting errors.

  “The standard [default] test suite includes all of the tests in the basic and standard categories. The extended test suite includes all of the tests in the standard test suite plus the tests from the extended category. The extended test suite takes the longest time to run and is the most thorough test suite.

  “Each test consists of a testing algorithm, a microprocessor cache setting of either on or off, and a test pattern. Each algorithm is designed to identify a certain type of memory error. The algorithms are combined with different microprocessor cache settings and test patterns to identify different types of errors.”

As mentioned earlier, the Windows Memory Diagnostic app is built into Vista and Win7 as part of their Administrative Tools suite. (I’ll cover XP in a moment.) If you followed Part 1 of this series and enabled Administrative Tools in the Start menu, simply select Windows Memory Diagnostic from the admin tools menu (see Figure 1).

Figure 1. Once you've set up Administrative Tools in Vista's or Win7's Start menu, you can quickly launch Windows Memory Diagnostic at any time.

In an emergency, you also can run the tool by booting to the Windows Recovery Environment (MS info) or by booting from your Windows setup DVD and selecting the Repair my computer option.

Windows Memory Diagnostic is a low-level tool; it requires a system reboot so it can run before any other program (including Windows) is loaded.

The initial Windows Memory Diagnostic dialog box offers two choices: Restart now … (see Figure 2) and run the test immediately, or have Windows Memory Diagnostic run the next time you reboot the system. (Made sure you save your work and close any open files before choosing either option.)

Figure 2. The Windows Memory Diagnostic tool runs after a reboot. You can launch it immediately or the next time you restart your PC.

After reboot, Windows Memory Diagnostic automatically starts its default tests (see Figure 3), which are fine for most purposes. To select one of the other test suites (as shown in Figures 4, 5, and 6), press F1 to bring up the Options menu.

Figure 3. Pressing F1 opens Windows Memory Diagnostic's Basic and Extended options.

Figure 4. The Basic test parameters are listed here. Press the Tab key to step through the choices.

Figure 5. The Standard suite is also the default test.

Figure 6. After making your test selection, press F10 (shown in Figure 4) to confirm and run the suite or Esc to cancel.

If any errors are detected, the test will pause and display what it’s found. If that happens, make note of what the test reports, reboot, and refer to the free Windows Memory Diagnostic Users’ Guide for assistance in interpreting and correcting the errors.

If no errors are detected, Windows will reboot once again and then confirm the results in a small balloon dialog box (see Figure 7).

Figure 7. After reboot, Windows displays the Windows Memory Diagnostic test results in a pop-up balloon near the notification area.

Note: The balloon dialog may take several minutes to appear and remains visible only for a brief time if no errors were detected. If the dialog escapes your notice, don’t worry — it’s a case of “no news is good news.”

Running Windows Memory Diagnostic on XP systems

To use XP’s version of the Windows Memory Diagnostic, start by downloading it from its Microsoft page, which also provides detailed instructions.

The XP version operates much like the Vista/Win7 version, except that you must manually reboot your system and run the test from a floppy drive, bootable flash drive, or bootable DVD/CD. Complete instructions are given in the Quick Start information on the page cited above.

Although the XP test looks different (see Figure 8), it operates in much the same way as the Vista/Win7 tests.

Figure 8. XP's Windows Memory Diagnostic status window

If the diagnostic tool finds errors, the test will pause and display them. You can then note the errors and visit the above-referenced pages for help in interpreting and correcting them.

Let the test run for a while. If no errors are reported, manually terminate the tests by pressing the X key, and then reboot the system.

When to run the Windows Memory Diagnostic

Bad or unreliable RAM is a common source of patternless system instability. So run Windows Memory Diagnostic when a PC is suffering erratic hangs, crashes, or other errors that don’t follow a clear pattern — or that seem to have no clear or obvious cause.

Absent that kind of trouble, I generally run Windows Memory Diagnostic only once or twice a year on my systems — usually as part of periodic, major maintenance (including physical cleaning and such).

Those routine RAM tests might prevent being blindsided by RAM trouble. With them, I can find and replace bad RAM before it affects my PC’s operation!

Readers ask many questions about Soluto

A recent mention of Soluto’s utility (also called Soluto), which can semi-automatically reduce PC startup times, brought a flood of reader mail.

Here are some commonly asked questions and comments about the app, with my responses.

Soluto: What it is and how it’s used

Here’s what I said about Soluto in the July 11 Top Story, “House Call 2012: One family, four PCs”:

• “We used Soluto (site), a free, automated tool that works on all current Windows versions, to streamline Helene’s startup. Once installed, Soluto monitors the startup and figures out which background apps really need to load — what’s essential and what’s not. It displays its findings in a graphical interface that tells you what should be left alone, what’s known to be removable from the boot process, and what is potentially removable.

  “Soluto lets you remove an item from the boot process (called a pause because you can still launch the software normally later on) or delay selected items, which still lets the software load itself — just not during the initial boot.

  “This article isn’t a review of Soluto, which actually has many additional functions and features. There’s plenty of information available on the Soluto site, and Lincoln Spector covered an earlier iteration of Soluto in his Jan. 6, 2011, Top Story, ‘Four free programs to help control Windows 7.’

It’s rare that so brief a mention — just 160 words! — of a utility evokes so much reader e-mail.

Many readers were curious about Soluto (home page), and some were unhappy that I didn’t spend more time talking about how the software worked or how to use it. Other readers tried Soluto and didn’t like the fact that it phones home (communicating back to a central server). Still others had trouble getting it to work — and chastised me for “recommending” it.

As I said in the text, you should keep in mind that my mention of Soluto wasn’t a review, and it certainly wasn’t a general recommendation for all users.

What’s right and wrong with Soluto, in brief

I’ve used Soluto for a while — and still do — because it’s a good tool for quickly streamlining PC startup times. At the house call discussed in the July Top Story, I was tuning four PCs in one visit, making it impractical to use the more manual boot time–reducing techniques such as tweaking the system startup sequence item by item. So in that particular context, Soluto was the right tool for the job — and it worked great, reducing the target PC’s startup time by 25 percent.

But Soluto is not a magic bullet for PC-startup troubles. The software can be unwieldy to use, and it has several major drawbacks — including a user interface so simplified, it’s hard to tell what the software is supposed to do. Finally, Soluto is just out of beta and still has some early-version rough spots.

Soluto also includes other functions and features unrelated to managing your PC’s startup, such as a browser-tuner, a crash-recovery tool, and so on. I think these added offerings muddy Soluto’s main strength as a startup streamliner and cause some interface confusion.

And yes, Soluto does phone home. Soluto installs itself as low-level software and then observes your system as it boots, measuring how much of the total boot-up time each app consumes. Soluto then consults the company’s central database of applications to identify what each does, using that information to generate a series of recommendations — which software you should leave as is, which you can delete from your startup process altogether, and which you can delay until after the system is up and running.

Phoning home works two ways. Not only do you get information from the central servers, but anonymized information about your startup software (including which actions you take in leaving, delaying, or removing items) is added to the central database. That’s how the database grows and (in theory) becomes more accurate.

One of Soluto’s reported goals is to create a vast store of crowd-sourced, Wiki-like information about what’s on real-world PCs and how each piece of software affects performance. Soluto calls this knowledge store the PC Genome, and they intend to make it fully public. However, because Soluto is barely out of beta, the PC Genome information isn’t available yet outside of the Soluto software. (There’s just a placeholder page.)

How safe is the two-way communication between Soluto and your PC? A Soluto FAQ states: “No one will ever be able to access any personal information stored on your PC, including your files, documents, desktop, and browsing history. Soluto only provides access to anonymous details of your PC’s technical performance to make it run better.” (The FAQ has more on Soluto’s security policies.)

So, phoning home is integral to Soluto’s operation. I believe the process is benign, but whether you accept the company’s word on its security policies is completely up to you.

Soluto’s one truly significant drawback

The primary drawback when using Soluto — and the main reason I can’t give it a complete recommendation — is that its boot-time optimizations remain in effect only as long as it’s installed. If you uninstall Soluto, any system changes it’s made will be rolled back — the system will be restored to its original state before Soluto was installed.

Soluto is designed to continually monitor your PC’s status. It takes note of any subsequently installed software that might insert something into your boot sequence or otherwise significantly alter system performance. Soluto then consults its central database and presents you with options to adjust or remove the new item.

Bottom line: Soluto might be worthwhile under circumstances (such as the aforementioned house call) where the benefits of quickly and easily reducing startup time outweigh the software’s drawbacks. It does help to reduce startup times; that benefit is real and significant.

Setting up and using Soluto, step by step

Before you do anything with Soluto, I suggest you spend some time on
its support site. The information there will provide far more detail than I can fit into this relatively brief write-up.

The how-to instructions for using Soluto to trim boot times appear in the support article, “How do I remove unnecessary apps from the boot.”

But as I said at the top of this article, I find Soluto’s current, Web-based user interface awkward and unclear. Fortunately, the original (and, I think, better) desktop interface is still available.

Here’s how to reduce your system’s boot time using Soluto’s original interface:

• Make a complete system backup. (This step should always go without saying.)
• Download and install Soluto (free for up to five PCs; site). As part of the process, you’ll need to set up a free, password-protected account.
• Let Soluto completely set itself up, then reboot the PC so that the software can learn the system’s normal boot process.
• After the initial boot, Soluto’s Web-based interface will open. Close it.
• Right-click the Soluto icon in the Windows taskbar notification area. Select Advanced and then click Open old desktop app.
• When the desktop interface opens, click Chop Boot, highlighted in red in Figure 1.
  

  Figure 1. Click Chop Boot in Soluto's older, simpler desktop interface to adjust your PC's startup time.

• The boot-time detail dialog will open. (See Figure 2.)
  

  Figure 2. Removing No-brainer and Potentially removable startup items trims boot times most easily .

• Place your cursor over each No-brainer (remove from boot) item and read Soluto’s description (as shown in Figure 3) of each one. Then decide what you want to do — pause or delay it. Usually, “No-brainer” items refer to programs that needlessly preload themselves at startup in order to make subsequent uses seem faster.
  

  Figure 3. Usually, the No-brainer items are quite safe to remove from the initial boot.

  In Soluto-speak, pausing an item removes it from boot. You can still run the software normally later on, but the software might take a little longer to start because it was not preloaded at boot time. This is usually a good tradeoff.

  A delay prevents the software from running (preloading) during the initial boot but lets the software preload itself during idle time, soon after boot.

  You’ll note in Figure 3 that Soluto shows you what other users have done with this same software. This is the crowd-sourced information that comes from Soluto’s PC Genome central database. Whatever action you now take will be added (anonymously) to the same database.

• Next, do the same thing with the Potentially removable items (see Figure 4). Place your cursor over each, read its description, check what others have done, and choose to pause, delay, or do nothing.
  

  Figure 4. Read the text shown for each Potentially removable item, and decide what action to take.

• When you’re done marking items to remove from bootup, Soluto will show the likely changes in start-up time (as shown in Figure 5). Systems with long, complex boots can have significant time savings.
  

  Figure 5. This demo PC was fairly clean to begin with, so the Soluto-managed changes had little effect. But on systems with long, complex boots, the time-savings can be significant.

• Reboot the PC to implement your selected changes. After restart, leave Soluto running so that the changes stay in effect.
• From time to time, recheck Soluto’s recommendations for your system, especially after you install new software.

Note: Whenever you open Soluto, it will revert to its Web-based interface. You can manage your boot process from there (check out the main how-to article again), or you can re-invoke the desktop interface by repeating the previously listed steps.

I hope this clarifies what Soluto does, how it works, and how to use it to trim boot times.

To summarize: Soluto’s drawbacks preclude a comprehensive recommendation for widespread or routine use. But if you’re an advanced user and you need a fast, relatively painless way to get the deadwood out of a slow boot, the process outlined here should help. For more on reducing startup time, see the July 22, 2010, item, “A step-by-step guide for improving boot times.”

New malware claims it's the FBI, shuts you down

A post by RetiredGeek in the Security & Backups forum alerts computer users to a report of a new scam claiming the FBI has shut down your machine.

The malware demands, via a popup, that you pay a ransom. Don’t do it. Read the post. More.

The following links are this week’s most interesting Lounge threads, including several new questions that you may be able to provide responses to:

Office Applications
General Productivity	What is Office 365?
Word Processing	Char styles not in document Styles collection for 2007
Spreadsheets	Check for certain duplicates but not all
Databases	Requesting dBASE dialog-migration guidance
Presentation Apps	Replaying audio, PPT 2010
Visual Basic for Apps	Need Excel VBA to cycle through chart objects and change data source
Microsoft Outlook	Outlook 2010 freezes when .pst file above 1.4 GB
Non-Outlook E-mail	Backup of Windows Live contacts and e-mails
Other MS Apps	MS Project 2007 and 2010: Resource tracking
Windows
Windows 8	Problematic perception that Win8 is a problem?
General Windows	How to clean hard drives?
Windows 7	Where did music files go?
	External drive letter changed
	Failed to find NTLDR error message
Windows Vista	Install XP Pro desktop backup on Vista laptop?
Windows XP	XP machine does continuous chkdsk and then locks up
Windows Servers	MS Hypervisor SERVER and Dell OpenManage
Internet/Connectivity
Internet Explorer	ssvagent.exe tries to open when I open IE9
Third-Party Browsers	Any way to sign out of Gmail with one click?
Application Servers	Got spam from Yahoo account to Comcast.net account
Networking	Hardwired router security
Social Media	Locked out of Facebook: Unauthorized ads message
Software Development
Windows Programming	Odd batch-file error (Vista, XP)
Web Design & Development	Need Web hosting with good spam filtering
Other Technologies
Non-Microsoft OSes	MS bails out Apple: History lesson
Security & Backups	Ransom malware warning issued by FBI
Hardware	Anyone upgraded to SSD on laptop?
Graphics/Multimedia	Video-card brand names
Other Applications	Why is Python on my machine?

starred posts: particularly useful

If you’re not already a Lounge member, use the quick registration form to sign up for free. The ability to post comments and take advantage of other Lounge features is available only to registered members.

If you’re already registered, you can jump right in to today’s discussions in the Lounge.

A bountiful summer crop of Patch Tuesday updates

It’s the dog days of patching; August’s Patch Tuesday includes several critical updates for Windows XP and Windows 7.

Along with the usual suspects — Internet Explorer, for example — we’re adding patches to protect ourselves from malicious RTF files.

MS12-060 (983812, 983813, 2687323, 2687441, 2597986)

Rich-text-file attacks prompt Office patches

Rated critical, the threat detailed in MS Security Bulletin MS12-060 comes from a vulnerability in the TabStrip ActiveX control within the Windows common controls. (TabStrip [more info] manages the use of display tabs in an application window.) More to the point, however, cyber criminals are already using this exploit to take over systems by sending malicious RTF file attachments in e-mails. But the threat also comes from maliciously designed or compromised webpages.

This patch applies to all supported editions of Microsoft Office 2003, 2007, and 2010 (except the x64-based editions), plus many versions of MS SQL Server, MS Commerce Server, MS Host Integration Server, and related applications. MS12-60 has the complete list of affected and nonaffected software.

You can expect to see updates for Office 2003, 2007, and possibly 2010, even if you don’t have these Office versions installed. MS Support article KB 830335 has a detailed explanation of when and how this happens.

TabStrip is part of the MSCOMCTL.OCX system file, which we patched previously in Support Bulletin MS12-27 (that time for vulnerabilities in other ActiveX controls). This time around, an MS Security Research & Defense blog discussing MS12-60 recommends using Microsoft’s Enhanced Mitigation Experience Toolkit (download page) for additional protection. Look for a discussion of EMET in a future Patch Watch.

What to do: Workstation users should install KB 2687323, KB 2687441, and/or KB 2597986 as soon as they appear in Windows Update. Go to MS12-060 for the complete list of patch numbers and links to manual-download pages.

MS12-052 (2722913) and MS12-056 (2706045)

Two more updates for Internet Explorer

It wouldn’t be a Patch Tuesday without another IE fix. By now, you should be quite familiar with the drill: when offered an IE update, install it even if you primarily use Chrome or Firefox. KB 2722913 is rated critical for all supported versions of Internet Explorer and fixes a JavaScript Integer Overflow vulnerability.

A related patch — KB 2706045 — is rated important or low and addresses the same JavaScript problem by patching IE’s JScript and VBScript engines. However, this threat is restricted to 64-bit workstations with more than 8GB of RAM and running IE x64. (If you don’t have more than 8GB, I still recommend installing the patch.)

What to do: Install KB 2722913 (MS12-052) and (if offered) KB 2706045 (MS12-056) as soon as possible.

MS12-054 (2705219, 2712808)

A vulnerability that’s officially ‘wormable”

MS12-054 includes two patches for all current versions of Windows. They’re critical for XP systems and, with one exception, rated moderate for Vista and Windows 7. KB 2712808 is rated important for Vista systems. As the MS SRD blog, “Not all remote, pre-auth vulnerabilities are equally appetizing for worms,” obtusely indicates, this Remote Administration Protocol flaw is more “wormable” inside a corporate network. The risk to workstations using Vista or Win7 is low.

What to do: Install both KB 2705219 and KB 2712808 when offered, or go to MS12-054 for download links and more info.

MS12-053 (2723135)

A Remote Desktop Protocol fix for XP only

Windows XP SP3 users will see KB 272315 — rated critical — even if they don’t have Remote Desktop enabled. However, MS Security Bulletin MS12-053 states, “Systems that do not have RDP enabled are not at risk.” (By default, RDP is not enabled in any Windows system.) That said, it’s good to have the patch in place in case Remote Desktop is turned on in the future.

What to do: There are no reported attacks using this vulnerability, but they are anticipated. XP users should install KB 2723135 (MS12-053) when it’s offered.

MS12-055 (2731847)

Kernel flaw leads to greater risk of attack

Kernel patches are now almost as common as IE fixes. Rated important for all current versions of Windows, KB 2731847 addresses a vulnerability that’s similar to other kernel problems we’ve patched recently. By itself, the threat from this type of vulnerability is relatively low. But an attacker can blend it with other exploits to more easily gain elevated rights to a system. (Similar vulnerabilities were used in the infamous Stuxnet attacks on military targets.)

What to do: Workstation users are probably not a prime target for this threat. Still, it’s cheap insurance from potential blended exploits. Install KB 2731847 (MS12-055) when offered.

MS12-057 (2553260, 2589322, 2596615)

Graphics files provide another avenue of attack

Computer Graphics Metafiles (CGM) are commonly used inside Office for embedded images. This is an all-too-common threat: a user is tricked into opening a malicious image and gives a cyber criminal the same system rights as the current user.

Unfortunately, most Windows users are running with administrator rights, and that can give an attacker full access to the system. To reduce that possibility, see my Aug. 2 Best Practices story for instructions on setting up a more restricted Standard user account.

Rated important, the patches in MS12-057 affect Office 2007 SP2 and SP3, and all versions of Office 2010 SP1. If you have Office 2010 installed, MS12-057 warns that you should expect multiple updates for older Office versions — especially if you updated from Office 2003 or 2007.

What to do: Install KB 2553260, KB 2589322, and KB 2596615 (MS12-057) if offered.

MS12-059 (2597171, 2598287)

Diagramming a network results in infection

Visio is popular in businesses for diagramming networks, preparing flow charts, and creating other related documentation. However, a new exploit could also make the app a means for taking control of a PC, via maliciously-crafted Visio files.

If you have Visio 2010 (the program) or the Visio 2010 Viewer installed, you’ll be prompted to install MS12-059. (You might also see KB 2598287 even if you don’t have Visio installed.)

What to do:You should see only KB 2597171 if you have Visio 2010 SP1 installed or KB 2598287 for Visio Viewer 2010 SP1. Install either when offered, or go to MS12-059 for more info.

MS12-058 (2740358)

Exchange gets an Oracle patch

In a case of strange bedfellows, Microsoft licensed technology from Oracle and used it in the Web-based, e-mail component of MS Exchange. Both Exchange 2007 and 2010 include this bit of Oracle code. When Oracle announced that the code needed updating, MS followed up first with a security advisory and now with an update.

What to do: Exchange admins should install KB 2740358 (MS12-058) as soon as possible.

Nonsecurity updates get a pass for now

Rather than release an SP2 for Windows 7, it appears that Microsoft is going to dribble out Win7 updates a few at a time. This Patch Tuesday includes several nonsecurity updates for both Win7 and Office. I’m putting all of them on hold for now.

• KB 2732500 — fixes an error when you use System Restore.
• KB 2732487 — patches a problem with hibernation.
• KB 2729094 — pushes out Windows 8 fonts to Windows 7.
• KB 2647753 — fixes various printing issues (an update that had detection problems, but that were quickly resolved).
• KB 2598289 — repairs a problem with Office and SharePoint.
• KB 2553272 — addresses an undisclosed problem with Office.

What to do: I’ll report back on these updates early next month.

Adobe adds its contribution to Patch Tuesday

Love it or hate it, but Adobe has moved it’s main patch day to the same second Tuesday as Microsoft’s Patch Tuesday. At least the regular updates to Adobe Reader and Adobe Flash Player will be predictable.

Working on the new schedule, Adobe has released Security bulletin APSB12-16 for Reader and Acrobat, APSP12-17 for Shockwave, and APSB12-18 for Flash Player.

Adobe’s auto-updater for Flash seems to have gotten off to a rocky start; it caused some crashes on my office systems during the updating process. Fortunately, these most recent updates include fixes that should prevent future installer crashes.

What to do: Keep an eye out for those annoying pre-check boxes that install additional, usually unwanted software.

Regularly updated problem-patch chart

This table provides the status of problem patches reported in previous Patch Watch columns. Patches listed below as safe to install will be removed from the next updated table. For Microsoft’s list of recently released patches, go to the MS Safety & Security Center PC Security page.

Status recommendations: Skip — patch not needed; Hold — do not install until its problems are resolved; Wait — hold off temporarily while the patch is tested; Optional — not critical, use if wanted; Install — OK to apply.