Near-certain ways to improve PC startup times

Using and understanding SMART hard-drive tools

Self-Monitoring, Analysis and Reporting Technology (SMART) can help save your data from an impending hard-drive failure.

But you need the right software to see and interpret the SMART warnings most hard drives provide. Fortunately, there’s free software to help.

SMART warnings, then total drive failure

Barrie Fairley suffered a fate no PC user wants to share.

• “I recently experienced a hard-drive (Maxtor SATA, 500GB) failure, revealed in a BIOS POST message as:

  “4th Slave. Hard Disk: SMART Status BAD. Backup and Replace. Press F1 to resume.

  “Because the disk was not always recognized, I thought it might be a cable-connection problem in my homebrew desktop. So I tried the following:

  “1. I replaced the cable, cleaned the connection on the drive with alcohol and a swab, and changed the motherboard connection to SATA 5. That didn’t solve the problem.

  “2. I ran CHKDSK, but it hung. On one occasion when the system recognized the drive, I backed up all the data and tried a quick format. But that step also hung in the middle of the process.

  “3. System boot then displayed the message:

  “Pri Master Hard Disk SMART Status BAD. Backup and Replace. Press F1 to resume.

  “4. I tried another quick format, but that hung, too.

  “5. I tried disabling SMART and then downloaded and ran the Seagate/Maxtor testing software. That failed, and the drive is now officially dead.

  “I can’t find anything about SMART in Windows Secrets nor what to do about the error messages. These days, most disks include SMART, and it would be nice to know how to interact with it.”

Some hard-drive failures are unpredictable — such as electrical surges from lightning strikes, dropping the drive onto a hard surface, and similar random events that can kill a drive on the spot.

Other drive failures can be — to one degree or another — predicted. They’re age- and wear-related problems that are not random; they develop slowly but inevitably over time.

For example, a drive’s head-positioning mechanism will get worn just from normal use, so it can’t position the read/write heads as precisely as it could when new. Also, parts of a drive’s magnetic coating can wear thin, becoming less reliable at retaining data. Drives can wear out in other ways.

At first, a drive’s built-in, error-correcting circuitry should detect and compensate for these wear-related errors — and the drive appears to operate normally. In fact, modern drives have such good error-correcting routines that you might be totally unaware that trouble is brewing.

That’s where SMART drive monitoring can help. SMART is built into most drives currently in use. It keeps track of the number, frequency, and types of errors a drive experiences. When the SMART system sees errors approaching a level where error correction can no longer cope (or some other threshold set by the manufacturer), it sends an alarm to any software that’s listening.

In Barrie’s case, the PC’s BIOS was alerted. It noticed that the hard drive’s SMART system was predicting imminent drive death and relayed the message to the startup screen.

SMART warnings should be taken seriously — the system rarely produces false alarms. That’s because SMART tracks the cumulative number of errors over time.

When a SMART system yells for help, there’s real, persistent, and uncorrectable trouble afoot. The afflicted hard drive is almost surely facing near-term failure. Error-correction routines might keep the drive working for a little while longer, but there’s no fixing it.

So when you see a warning along the lines of SMART Status BAD. Backup and Replace, you’re on borrowed time. You should immediately stop whatever you’re doing and make a full backup of everything on the drive. Replace the drive with a new one, and restore your backups. Don’t try to salvage the bad drive — it’s junk.

Although virtually all newer drives have SMART baked in, not all PCs automatically relay SMART messages to you. In all too many cases, a drive’s SMART system may be sounding the alarm, but no software is listening.

If — unlike Barrie — your PC lacks built-in SMART monitoring (check your OEM specs), or if you’d rather not trust a hidden, built-in subsystem, you can use add-on software that lets you monitor your drive’s SMART system — either on demand or all the time. Most of these tools also let you run various diagnostic routines to verify that a hard drive is healthy.

A few minutes with your favorite search engine will turn up dozens of drive-monitoring tools, both free and paid. To get you started, here are a few free examples (see Figures 1–3):

• HD Tune (free and U.S. $35 Pro; site) is one of the easiest-to-use drive-monitoring tools. Just install it and read the results.
  

  Figure 1. HD Tune's drive-health status window

• PassMark DiskCheckup (free for personal use; $15 per corporate license; site) takes a little configuring but offers exceptionally easy access to your drive’s self-test routines.
  

  Figure 2. PassMark DiskCheckup's hard-drive self-test window

• The free, open-source smartmontools (site) is command-line driven. It will tell you everything a drive’s SMART system knows, but in a somewhat cluttered, text-only format.
  

  Figure 3. Smartmontools runs in a command window

  Hope that helps, Barrie.

  The ‘Microsoft Signature’ hardware option

  John Smith’s question alerted me to a hardware side of Microsoft that I (surprisingly) knew nothing about.

  • “Hi, Fred. I’d really appreciate your thoughts on buying a laptop with Microsoft Signature at the MS store.

    “Is it worthwhile, or is it just the same as what PC Decrapifier [site] does?”

  I’m a little chagrined to admit I’ve never considered buying a new notebook through Microsoft. MS simply wasn’t on my radar as a source for hardware.

  But it turns out that Microsoft does sell name-brand systems, set up for what they call the Microsoft Signature Experience.

  The Microsoft Store gives specifics, but the gist is this: Basically, MS gets systems from the original manufacturers, strips out the crapware, adds Microsoft Security Essentials, and tunes the system for better performance (though exactly what that “tuning” means, beyond crapware-removal, isn’t described in any detail).

  That sounds like it could be a time-saver — but at what price?

  On the day I visited the site, Microsoft’s highlighted offering was a Samsung Series 9 900X4B notebook for $1,099. I then searched other sites to see what they wanted for that model with the same specs. Amazon’s price was $1,236 — $137 more; Buy.com and TigerDirect.com had a price tag of $1,313 — $214 more.

  I admit I was surprised. The Microsoft store actually had the lowest price. What’s more, MS was offering a back-to-school special: a free Xbox included with the purchase of selected systems.

  I didn’t make a purchase (I’d already bought a new notebook from another source), so I can’t comment on Microsoft’s sale or delivery process, after-sale service, and so on. And prices do fluctuate, so MS might not always have the best price on the Samsung or other systems.

  But on the basis of what I saw, I’ll definitely check out the Microsoft Store for future PC purchases. Getting a pre-cleaned, crapware-free system, and quite possibly saving several hundred dollars in the process, certainly makes it worth a look.

  Thanks, John!

  Reader offers more help for slow XP shutdowns

  John Matenkosky had something to add after reading “Reducing shutdown delays in XP” in the Aug. 9 LangaList Plus.

  • “Fred Langa has again posted methods to speed up logging out of XP, but I don’t remember him ever discussing this one: the Microsoft User Profile Hive Cleanup Service (UPHClean).

    “The Microsoft story on UPHClean can be found in MS Support article 837115.

    “I installed UPHClean long, long ago, and it permanently cured my XP Pro system of slow shutdowns.”

  Thanks, John. The Microsoft User Profile Hive Cleanup Service is basically a special-purpose Registry cleaner for XP that can help correct certain kinds of sign-off/shut-down errors.

  Microsoft has offered several different Registry-cleaning tools over the years. For example, there was Regclean.exe, a standalone Registry cleaner for Win9x and 2000. That tool was discontinued a decade ago.

  But UPHClean lives on — a free download for XP and automated and built into Vista and Win7 (both of which don’t need and can’t use the standalone version of UPHClean).

  Note that UPHClean is not a general-purpose Registry cleaner. Tools like CCleaner (free; site) and jv16PowerTools Lite (free; site) now fill that gap. But for XP users experiencing sign-off errors at shutdown, the free UPHClean might help.

  Thanks again!

  Readers John Smith and John Matenkosky will each receive a gift certificate for a book, CD, or DVD of their choice for sending the tips we printed above. Send us your tips via the Windows Secrets contact page.

  Table of contents

Near-certain ways to improve PC startup times

Four free tools offer safe and certain ways to pare your boot times to the minimum.

The process takes a little time and effort, but if you follow the steps outlined here, better boot times are all but guaranteed!

PC startup times are clearly a hot-button issue for many Windows Secrets readers. In the July 12 Top Story, “House Call 2012: One family, four PCs,” a passing mention of a semi-automated, boot-time improvement tool brought a flood of e-mail that continues to this day.

Using that tool — Soluto (free; site) — I trimmed the boot time of one House Call PC by 25 percent. But Soluto is not a panacea, and it has too many serious drawbacks to merit a general recommendation for routine use.

In fact, Soluto requires so many caveats that I devoted the entire Aug. 16 LangaList Plus column to discussing Soluto’s pros and cons. I also showed how to use it — when it does make sense to do so.

But that raises a question: If not Soluto, then what’s the best general-purpose way to optimize boot times?

The solution isn’t automated, but it is tried and true. It’s also relatively easy, though it will take some time.

In this article, I’ll show you how to analyze and optimize your PC’s startup, using any of four different startup editors — all free. As Soluto does somewhat automatically, you’ll be manually selecting which apps are loaded when Windows boots. (The fewer the apps loaded at startup, the faster the boot time.)

These editors differ in complexity and power, but all use the same basic step-by-step process. Because of that commonality, I suggest you read this article through to the end before doing anything to your PC. That way, you’ll have a complete overview of the options available, and you can select the right tool for your needs and abilities.

First steps for safety and reliability

As always, before making significant changes to the Windows system, start by creating a system image (or at least a complete file backup). Store the new backup somewhere other than the hard drive you’re working on — such as on optical discs or another hard drive. This guarantees you’ll be able to roll back or undo any changes that might unexpectedly muck up your system.

(Need a refresher on system imaging or backups? See the May 12, 2011, Top Story, “Build a complete Windows 7 safety net.”)

Now you’re ready to safely reconfigure Windows’ startup. Start by timing how long your PC takes to boot with its current configuration. This is your baseline, which you’ll use to gauge the benefits of any changes you make. (Removing some apps from the startup folder might have negligible effect on overall boot time but will take more time to load from scratch later on.)

If you want real precision, dig out a stopwatch. But frankly, split-second startup time differences are not going to improve your computing productivity. So it’s fine to stick with any standard clock with a sweep second hand or seconds counter (or even with careful, metered counting — i.e., “one-thousand one, one-thousand two, …”).

A quick and easy change: Edit the Startup folder

All versions of Windows have a Startup folder that might contain shortcuts to software that runs at boot time. I say “might contain” because many programs bypass the Startup folder and instead insert themselves into a lower level of the boot process that’s harder to get at. We’ll deal with those later.

Those exceptionally well-behaved programs that do use the Startup folder are very easy to modify. Open your Startup folder by clicking Start/All Programs/Startup.

My PC’s Startup folder is shown in Figure 1. Yours will undoubtedly be different. As you can see, mine contains shortcuts to the Secunia PSI (site) and What’s my computer doing? (site) utilities. (Want to know why they’re there? See the July 26 Top Story, “Software that updates your other software,” and the Aug. 22 LangaList Plus column, “Apps temporarily — and randomly — freeze.”)

Figure 1. My PC's Startup folder contains just two shortcuts: one to Secunia PSI and the other to What's my computer doing.

Because these are useful programs that I want to run at startup, I’ll leave their shortcuts in the Startup folder.

If your Startup folder has shortcuts to software that doesn’t need to run at startup, simply cut and paste the shortcut elsewhere (such as to your desktop).

Programs whose shortcuts have been moved will no longer run at startup — but you can still launch them manually, whenever you like, by clicking the relocated shortcut.

If you removed anything from your Startup folder, restart your system and re-time Windows startup. If there’s no significant reduction in boot time, simply paste the shortcut(s) back into the Startup folder and things will be back to the way they were before.

Less quick and easy: Using System Configuration

It would be great if all startup items were that easy to edit, but they’re not. To see and alter the rest of a system’s startup items, you need to use a special-purpose startup editor.

You already own at least one editor; it’s built into your current version of Windows. The System Configuration tool is relatively basic, but it works and is always available.

To open System Configuration in all current versions of Windows, simply type msconfig in the Start menu’s text-entry box and press Enter.

When System Configuration opens, select the Startup tab. Figure 2 shows what’s in my Startup list (yours will, naturally, be different).

Figure 2. System Configuration's Startup tab lists all apps automatically loaded during system startup. (Win7's version shown; Vista's and XP's are similar.)

You can drag-adjust the utility’s column widths for ease of reading, and you can click on the column headings to sort (or reverse-sort) the listed items.

Spend some time carefully working through your list of startup items to identify software that you don’t want or need to autorun at startup.

How do you know what’s needed at startup?

Some of System Configuration’s listed startup software will be self-evident. For example, if you see something called “Google Update” or “Java Auto Updater,” there’s little mystery as to what the software is.

On the other hand, some software isn’t so easy to identify by name. In those cases, you can use Google, Bing, or the tool of your choice to search for the name of any mystery software. You can also use specialized software-identification tools such as PC Review’s free Startup Files Database (site).

As you identify each piece of startup software, decide whether it really needs to autorun at startup or not. This is a judgment call.

For example, I don’t need Google Update in my Startup list. That’s because most Google tools (Chrome, etc.) already check for updates when you run them. Having Google Update run at startup is largely redundant.

I already run Secunia PSI at startup (see the July 26 Top Story for more info on Secunia), and it ensures that many other programs on my PC are kept up to date. (With a centralized update tool such as Secunia PSI running, I don’t need additional third-party auto-updaters also running at system startup.)

When you identify software that doesn’t need to autorun at Startup, simply uncheck (deselect) it in the System Configuration Startup list. Unchecked items will not run during subsequent startups — simple as that.

Figure 3 shows that I’ve unchecked Google Update, hpwuSchd (an auto-updater for my HP printer), the Java updater, and three pieces of Kies software (little-used Samsung smartphone-related tools).

Figure 3. Disabling startup items is simply a matter of clearing their checkboxes.

After you’ve disabled one or more items, reboot and retime your startup again. If it turns out that you disabled something you shouldn’t have, simply rerun msconfig, recheck the box to enable the item, and reboot.

Note! Don’t go nuts and deselect everything. Some items truly belong in your system startup. For example, you want security tools (antivirus, anti-malware, etc.) to be up and running as quickly as possible, so leave them in your startup list. Use common sense and remove only those items that you clearly can do without.

Next stop: Editing the startup Services list

When you’ve cleaned up items in the System Configuration Startup list to your satisfaction, check out the Services tab. There’s more risk in modifying these items — they’re deeper-seated, system-level software services — but there are usually a few items here that are safe to remove from the system-startup process.

Use the same technique you applied to applications: identify each item and make an informed judgment as to whether it needs to be in startup or not. (If you’re not sure about any given service, it’s best to leave it alone.) Deselect unwanted items, reboot Windows, and note the effect on startup time. Also keep an eye out for anything that’s no longer running properly.

Figure 4, for example, shows that I’ve unchecked the auto-updaters for Flash (which I update via Secunia PSI) and the Bing Bar (which I almost never use).

Figure 4. Some system-level services may be safely removed from startup. Here, I've unchecked the Flash updating service and the Bing Bar.

When you’re done with all your edits, your start times should be lower than your baseline number — perhaps significantly so!

More start-time editing tools and other options

As mentioned at the top, System Configuration is a basic tool. Windows has one more tool built in — the Administrative Tools’ Component Services applet — that offers additional startup-editing options. But it’s a tool aimed at expert users. I’ll cover it, separately, in a future column.

Meanwhile, the following three alternatives offer more ease and/or more options than System Configuration. All are available in free versions and all run on Windows XP, Vista, and Win7.

Piriform’s CCleaner (free and paid versions; site) is often recommended in the Windows Secrets newsletter because of its ability to remove junk files and bogus Registry entries. But it also has a built-in startup editor that offers all-in-one access to more startup-related options than does System Configuration — for example, startup options for Internet Explorer (shown in Figure 5), Scheduled Tasks, and Windows Explorer’s Context Menus.

Figure 5. CCleaner's startup editor gives easy access to system startup items and more.

WinPatrol (free and paid; site) is another multifunction utility, but one that’s geared toward monitoring system changes. It includes an excellent and comprehensive startup editor, shown in Figure 6.

Figure 6. WinPatrol's nicely designed startup editor makes it easy to dig into and modify almost all system-startup behaviors.

Perhaps the most powerful startup editor of all is Microsoft’s Sysinternals Autoruns (site), which can be used as a live, online tool (no formal installation required) or as a conventionally downloaded utility. (See Figure 7.)

Sysinternals Autoruns benefits from Microsoft’s inside knowledge of how Windows works. It can reveal more details on autorunning and startup software than any other tool I’m aware of.

Figure 7. Microsoft's Sysinternals Autoruns offers extensive control over all aspects of Windows startup.

Take your pick! Start with System Configuration if you’re not a Windows expert. Make a system backup, and then begin editing your startup software by using the aforementioned steps.

A faster boot might be just minutes away!

The best of Windows Secrets on Windows 7

How did you spend your Labor Day weekend? I spent part of mine resurrecting my significant other’s personal computer. It started when Katharine’s PC suddenly refused to boot. The system rapidly declined to a point where even Windows 7’s rescue tools couldn’t recover the system. Of course, she didn’t have backups. (Though I’ve covered PCs since their start, built numerous systems, and keep my data backed up, I’m not, to paraphrase, my SO’s PC-keeper.)

That is, I wasn’t until last weekend. After hours of recovering most of the data (including hundreds of family photos) off the dying hard drive; attempting to repair the drive; installing a new drive; reinstalling Windows, applications, and data; you can bet that I made multiple image backups on different media.

You can also bet that I went to the Windows Secrets site to refresh my memory on data-recovery techniques, partitioning tools, and doing a fresh Windows 7 install with a Windows Upgrade DVD.

That research was made a bit more difficult for a reason known to many Windows Secrets subscribers: we don’t have the most efficient search engine. (Yes, it’s on our to-do list.) But here’s a tip. Google, with a somewhat larger budget to spend on these things, has one of the most sophisticated search engines in the business. You can apply that advanced search technology to Windows Secrets by going to Google and formatting your searches this way:

windowssecrets.com: {search string}

For example, I wanted to find Fred Langa’s story on a nondestructive reinstall of Windows 7. I entered windowssecrets.com: nondestructive into the Google search box, and a link to the story (“Win7’s no-reformat, nondestructive reinstall”) immediately popped up at the top of the search results.

Helpful info in Windows Secrets e-books

Searching is one way to find helpful tips in Windows Secrets’ deep well of Windows information. Another is our popular series of e-books, which gather many of our best stories into concise and focused reference guides. Available on our e-book site, our current offerings include guides to general PC maintenance, hardware, security, and keeping Windows XP alive.

Today, we’re adding a third volume to our series on Windows 7. The Windows 7 Guide, Volume 3: Advanced maintenance and troubleshooting provides advanced tips and how-tos for keeping Windows 7 running smoothly. It discusses Win7’s most useful administrative tools for non-IT PC users, specialized diagnostics apps, and what to do when Win7 needs emergency treatment. The e-book also includes a bonus chapter on advanced tweaks to the Win7 Start menu.

Although all these stories can be found at WindowsSecrets.com, Volume 3 puts them into an easy-to-find, quick-to-read, one-stop resource. You’ll find the e-book’s table of contents on our e-book page.

To purchase “The Windows 7 Guide, Volume 3: Advanced maintenance and troubleshooting” for U.S. $9.95, click over to your Windows Secrets shopping cart.

If you’d like to buy the three-volume set of Windows 7 Guides, you can also do so through your shopping cart for $29.85. Volume 1 gets you started setting up, optimizing, and efficiently using Windows 7. Volume 2 tells you how to tune Windows 7 for better performance, make it work in a mixed-Windows network, and make a bullet-proof data-protection system. (A topic someone should have read before her hard drive crashed.)

The Windows Secrets newsletter has one purpose: to give you timely and interesting information on Windows and related topics. To keep it successful, we need your input on topics you’d like to see covered. Send them to editor@windowssecrets.com.

Thanks for your support — especially to our paid subscribers. Subscriptions keep Windows Secrets publishing.

Tracey Capen, editor in chief

Protect your laptop and your digital life

When your laptop is lost or stolen, the hardware is only the first of your losses. You value it, but you probably value the contents of your hard drive even more.

Here are ways to minimize the likelihood of losing your laptop as well as ways to raise your chances of getting it back should the worst happen.

Your laptop is a movable feast of information

There’s a lot invested in the typical laptop — as is made painfully clear when one disappears. And it’s not just the hardware and your data; it’s the time it took to adapt to the portable’s keyboard and its idiosyncrasies. A replacement costs not only money but time. It could take days to find a new system suited to your computing style, reinstall applications, restore data, and change settings to your liking.

But the greatest loss could be all your important documents and the potential that someone now has access to your bank account.

Without a full and current backup, those all-important documents, spreadsheets, and family photos (along with passwords, account numbers, and that plan to take over the Tri-Initial Corporation) could most certainly be gone — never to be seen again by you. You’d better hope the thief was stupid enough to wipe the hard drive before checking its contents.

So let’s take care of this problem before it starts. You need to take precautions while you still have your laptop. You must reduce the possibility that it will be stolen. And you need to make sure that if it falls into malicious hands, you won’t lose your files or your privacy. Finally, there are also steps you can take that will give you a reasonable chance of getting the laptop back.

A few physical steps to prevent theft

Let’s assume that you didn’t just leave your laptop in a taxi (and even if you did, chances are good it will fall into the wrong hands). You have to worry about two kinds of thieves: professionals on the lookout for vulnerable laptops and amateurs who see easy pickings. The latter are the easiest to foil.

To deter simple theft, start with the laptop’s carrying case. It needs to be easy to carry, of course, and it should be well padded to protect the laptop from falls and other shocks. But it shouldn’t look like a laptop case — and especially not like an expensive laptop case. You don’t want to walk around visually screaming, “I’ve got something here worth stealing!”

And think about where you are before you take the laptop out. If the neighborhood you’re traversing feels a bit scary, keep the laptop in its case. Even better, leave it at home.

When you’re away from home, the laptop should never be out of your sight. As much as possible, keep it in physical contact — put an arm on it, keep the case strap over your shoulder, and stay aware of the case’s weight. The fact that you can see the case doesn’t mean there’s something in it.

Airport security is particularly challenging. Place the tray containing your laptop onto the conveyor belt last. If possible, don’t put it through until there’s no one between you and the walk-through scanner.

Because you can’t hold onto the laptop every minute you’re out in the world, you must also protect it when you have to leave it somewhere — for example, at your hotel. If your room has a safe, store it there. Otherwise, ask the hotel desk clerk whether there’s a safe you can use.

Invest in a security cable and lock. These allow you to secure your laptop to a desk, as long as the desk is one you can wrap the cable around. A cable won’t stop a determined thief (who is probably carrying bolt cutters), but it will deter a theft of opportunity, such as one perpetrated by a hotel employee tempted by an easy prize.

If you’re really paranoid, you might consider something like the Targus DEFCON 1 Ultra Laptop Computer Security System (info), which sets off an alarm if the lock or cable is tampered with.

Saving what’s on a lost laptop

We’ve all heard stories about laptops disappearing with nuclear secrets inside. You might not be schlepping around national secrets, but I’m sure your data is just as important to you. If, despite precautions, your laptop vanishes, you need to protect what’s on its hard drive.

The problem is twofold: your losing access to important files and criminals’ gaining access to your sensitive information. Having backups is the obvious solution to the former; using encryption will prevent the latter.

Spector’s First Law of Computing: Never have only one copy of anything. Back up data files (documents, spreadsheets, photos, etc.) daily to something that isn’t inside your portable.

External hard drives are excellent for backups. But when you’re on the road, one of the Cloud-based services is ideal, assuming you have a reliable connection to the Internet.

Discussing specific backup programs or strategies would require an additional entire article (such as the May 12, 2011, Top Story, “Build a complete Windows 7 safety net,” which also has a section on XP and Vista backup and imaging). I’ll just say that I back up my PC to an external hard drive daily, using the free Cobian Backup (info), and online to MozyHome (site). That might be overkill for you, but it feels safe to me.

Why don’t I use Win7’s built-in backup system? Cobian offers more control. For example, it doesn’t let you pick just the drive you back up to, but a specific folder, too.

I also use Dropbox (site), another popular service that can give you access to important files anywhere there’s an Internet connection.

If you regularly back up to an external hard drive, leave it at home when you take the laptop on the road. Why risk having your backup files and external drive stolen, too? If you can’t (or would rather not) use a Cloud-backup service, take along a flash drive to back up files while you’re away from home or the office. Just don’t store the flash drive or hard drive in the same case as the laptop!

Backups are good, but they don’t keep your data from falling into the wrong hands. If a criminal gains access your most private files — bank statements, password lists, and so on — your life will become extremely unpleasant.

Before you hit the road, encrypt those sensitive files. There are many effective ways to do this, but I recommend TrueCrypt (site), a free, open-source file-encryption program.

You can encrypt an entire partition with TrueCrypt, but that’s not the method I prefer. I use the encryption software to create a volume, which when closed is merely a large file filled with gobbledygook — your data is completely inaccessible to others. When you open the volume with your password, Windows sees it as another hard drive. (You set the size of this drive when you create it.) Move your sensitive files to that drive to make them inaccessible to others.

Cyber Sherlock: Help cops recover your laptop

No matter how rigorously you protect your laptop, there’s always the possibility that it will disappear. In almost all cases, you’ll never see it again. But you can improve the odds that it will be recovered.

At the very least, make sure you have your computer’s details written down somewhere (and I don’t mean somewhere on the hard drive). You need the make, model number, and — most important — the serial number. Otherwise, should the police recover your laptop, you might have a hard time proving it’s yours. You can’t prove anything by the contents of the hard drive if your data has been wiped clean soon after the theft.

For a more aggressive solution, consider a recovery service such as Absolute Software’s LoJack for Laptops (info). Let’s be clear: I’ve not tested LoJack nor any of its competitors. (Few freelance writers can afford to leave their laptops at a bus stop to see whether they get it back.) I mention LoJack because it’s been around a long time and many laptops come with its tracking software built into the BIOS.

Having the tracking software in firmware is crucial. Even if the thief wipes the entire hard drive, LoJack can still track the laptop’s location via its IP address and other clues. Absolute’s website can tell you whether your model is so equipped (site).

According to Absolute Software (and I have no way of confirming this statistic), about 75 percent of stolen laptops equipped with LoJack in their BIOS were recovered. The number is lower if LoJack isn’t in the BIOS. (If not in the BIOS, LoJack sits in a hidden partition and can be destroyed with any decent partitioning program — assuming the crooks think to look for it.)

Once you report your laptop missing, LoJack’s server starts pinging the PC every 15 minutes to get its location. (For this to succeed, the laptop must be on and connected to the Internet.) In addition, you can sign into your LoJack account and remotely delete selected files or, alternatively, brick (disable) the entire computer. If you think the laptop was lost but not stolen, you can lock it with a “Return to” message displayed on the screen.

Absolute claims to have current contacts to various police departments and says it will help law enforcement track your laptop and build a court case.

LoJack for Laptops costs U.S. $40 a year. At least one competitor, GadgetTrak (site), charges about half that.

Of course, you can always buy a desktop PC instead of a laptop and nail it to the top of your desk. No airline will accept it as carry-on luggage, but at least it won’t get lost or stolen.

Digital sublimity: Typewriting the iPad

If you haven’t been dumbstruck with wonder lately by what someone will come up with next, here’s a cute little proof of concept: an iTypewriter. Get your hands on one of these, and you won’t be smearing your fingerprints all over your screen anymore.

But of course, you will be worrying about the mechanical action of your keys, the longevity of rubber hammers, the fragility of glass, and possibly your typing speed and accuracy as a crowd gathers to watch you play with your new, retro toy. Play the video

Java: Conduit for new zero-day attack

In the Security & Backups forum this week, moderator Tinto Tech provides links to reports of a zero-day attack that uses Java to gain entry to machines.

Although the initial recommendation is to disable Java, various Lounge members debate whether you need Java at all. Join the discussion.

The following links are this week’s most interesting Lounge threads, including several new questions for which you might have answers:

Office Applications
General Productivity	Need to install Office 2003 SP3 just for Publisher?
Word Processing	Custom buttons in Word 2003 quit working
Spreadsheets	Display graphic based on cell value per row
Databases	Calculate data on subform; view in main form
Presentation Apps	Video won’t play in PowerPoint 2010
Visual Basic for Apps	Word: Apply protection to table captions
Microsoft Outlook	Outlook 2010 autocomplete for contacts
Non-Outlook E-mail	Tweaking Windows Live Mail for improved usability
Other MS Apps	How long to keep old Framework files?
Windows
Windows 8	Microsoft Fresh Paint for Windows 8 is awesome — really!
General Windows	How to prevent “battery/plugged in” from adjusting screen brightness
Windows 7	Installing old programs
	What’s this beast?
	Windows Photo Viewer behaves differently under user accounts
Windows Vista	Strange Vista startup screen
Windows XP	Fresh-install hosed hard drive
Windows Servers	MS hypervisor server and Dell OpenManage
Internet/Connectivity
Internet Explorer	IE 8 Google redirected to Qandas.com. How to get rid of it?
Third-Party Browsers	How to get rid of ib.adnxs popup
Application Servers	Spam from Yahoo account coming to Comcast.net account
Networking	Intermittent Web access
Social Media	LinkedIn security/privacy concern: Finally wiped out profile
Software Development
Windows Programming	Batch file won’t run
Web Design & Development	CSS question: Arranging DIV containers
Other Technologies
Non-Microsoft OSes	Can MacBook connect via VPN/RDP to PC?
Security & Backups	Disable Java plugins to avoid new zero-day attack
Hardware	Expansion drive not showing up in My Computer
Graphics/Multimedia	Convert .chm files to .pdf?
Other Applications	Transfer music, podcasts, etc. from iPhone to PC

starred posts: particularly useful

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Java: Patching's good, but removal is better

A new, in-the-wild Java exploit caused a few anxious days while we waited for an update.

Although the update is now available, the real decision is whether you really need to have Java installed!

A quick test checks whether Java is current

The most recent Java exploit is already in use by malicious hackers, according to a recent FireEye post. I strongly recommend you take a few minutes right now to run the official Verify Java version test (site) to ensure you have the latest release. If you’re not current, the test ends with a download link for the newest version — Java 7 Update 7. (During the update process, make sure that you uncheck any tool bars or add-ins that try to tag along. The same goes for the most recent Flash update.)

If you don’t have Java installed, the test displays the same download-Java offer. Ignore it — you can most likely live without it.

An Aug. 30 Microsoft Malware Protection Center blog suggests disabling Java plug-ins for browsers. But Java reminds me of a Canadian-based home show where the two hosts battle to see whether homeowners will keep their house or decide to sell it. Java is like the house: if you’re not actually using it, you’re better off dumping it. (Fortunately, it’s quite a bit easier to walk away from Java than from a house.)

I suggest going into Windows’ application removal tool (Programs and Features in Win7) and removing all Java installs you find. (Sort by application name.) Also remove or disable Java plugins in all installed browsers.

In IE and Firefox, plugin management is in Tools. For IE, it’s Manage add-ons; in Firefox, it’s simply Add-ons. For Chrome, it’s easiest to enter chrome://plugins/ into the Web address/search box. (Chrome’s plugin manager notes whether critical plugins are current, and its advanced setting lets you block/allow plugins for specific sites.)

With Java completely removed or disabled, keep an eye out for any websites that simply won’t work without Java. If there are any — and you can’t live without them — determine whether a site prefers the use of a particular browser and enable Java for just that one browser. For example, if you have a banking site that demands Java and Internet Explorer, install Java 7 Update 7 (download site) only on IE.

Keep in mind that, even with Java 7 Update 7 installed, there’s cause to worry. Other unpatched Java vulnerabilities are out there and in use in attacks. For example, I received a phishing attack that used a fake Microsoft template with a Java/Blackhole payload. The details can be found on an ISC Diary page.

What to do: Try running your system with Java completely removed or disabled. Otherwise, use Java only when necessary and limit it to one browser.

MS12-060 (2597986, 2687323, 2687441)

An error for VB Common Controls returns

I have to apologize if you use an older Visual Basic app and received an “Unspecified Automation Error” message after applying KB 2597986, KB 2687323, and/or KB 2687441 (MS12-060). I probably should have guessed this update would have problems. There was a similar error after MS12-027, but I really did not expect to see this issue again.

What to do: A Microsoft Excel Support Team blog documents how to remove the error by reregistering the MSCOMCTL.OCX file on your system. It might be easier to just uninstall the patches in MS12-060 and wait for a better solution.

2553272, 2598289

Details for Office patch lacking, once again

Immediately after the August Patch Tuesday, I recommended delaying the installation of KB 2553272 and KB 2598289 because I don’t like mixing nonsecurity updates with security updates. You should still pass on these two: one you probably don’t need, and I’m not sure what the other one does.

KB 2598289 fixes a SharePoint server connection problem when using a proxy server — an uncommon occurrence for most Windows Secrets readers, I’ll assume.

KB 2553272’s description has only the all-too-common and vague indication of fixes and “stability and performance improvements.” If an update’s important, I think MS should tell us what it’s fixing.

What to do: Skip KB 2598289 and KB 2553272 until further notice.

2732487, 2732500

Windows 7’s optional updates

Now that Microsoft has passed the Windows 8 RTM hurdle, I’m hoping we’ll soon see a Service Pack 2 for Windows 7. In the meantime, MS is dribbling out Win7 updates, a few at a time.

In August, KB 2732487 was released to fix a possible BSOD when waking up a Windows 7 machine from hibernation. If you’ve not experienced the problem, skip this update.

KB 2732500 fixes another potential BSOD when using Win7 system-recovery options. The problem appeared after users installed some .NET security updates such as KB 2446710, KB2518869, and KB 2572077. I recommended installing all three of these .NET patches, so you should now install KB 2732500, too.

What to do: Pass on KB 2732487; install KB2732500.

Windows 8 upgrades in your future?

If you’ve been tempted by Microsoft’s bargain-priced Windows 8 introductory offer, be aware that you need to make sure Office 2010 is up to date before you install Win8 on top of Win7. As indicated in MS Support article 2701999, Win8 might prompt you to uninstall Office 2010 if the suite is not fully current. (Office Starter 2010 has similar issues, according to Support article 2742695.)

Unfortunately, it doesn’t specifically list which Office updates you need. It might be wiser to remove Office 2010 before installing Windows 8, and then put Office 2010 back on when Win8 is completely loaded.

(If you buy a new computer now, you can get up to five Windows 8 licenses for U.S. $14.99 from the MS upgrade site. In October, PC users in many markets will be able to purchase Windows 8 for $40, as noted in a Windows blog. The offer will reportedly end on Feb. 1, 2013.)

Given the many potential issues with upgrading to Win8, the best solution might be to take the discounted Win8 offer but simply hold onto it until you get more info from Windows Secrets contributors. I’m currently testing Windows 8 Start menu replacements, including Start8 (site) and Classic Shell (site). I’ll let you know if I find one I’m happy with.

What to do: As soon as Windows 8 starts getting its first official updates, Patch Watch will give you advice on installing them.

2727727

Skype now on Microsoft update

For those who use Skype on your workstations, the ultimate borgification of Skype into Microsoft has occurred. If you’re not on the latest version of Skype, it might be offered to you via Microsoft/Windows Update. Although it’s not Windows Software Update services yet, I anticipate that it eventually will be.

What to do: If you’re using Skype, install Version 5.10 via KB 2727727 when offered.

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.