Setting Startup and Recovery Options in Vista

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Windows includes several startup options that you should know about if you’re running a dualboot setup. If you’re not, just ignore these options: They don’t apply to you at the moment. You can also specify what Windows should do when it encounters a system failure - an error bad enough to crash the system. To set startup and recovery options, follow these steps:

1. Click the Settings button in the Startup and Recovery group box on the Advanced page of the System Properties dialog box. Windows displays the Startup and Recovery dialog box .

2. If you have a dualor multiple-boot system, choose options in the System Startup group box:

• In the Default Operating System drop-down list, select the operating system that you want to boot by default.

• If you want Windows to display the boot list of operating systems for a number of seconds before booting one, so that you can boot an operating system other than the default one, select the Time to Display List of Operating Systems check box and enter a suitable value in the text box. You can enter any value from 0 seconds to 999 seconds. The default value is 30 seconds, but most people find a shorter value more useful - long enough to give you time to select the operating system or just tap a key without needing fast reflexes, but short enough to pass quickly if you just want to boot the default operating system.

3. Whether you’re using a single-boot system or a multiple-boot system, leave the Time to Display Recovery Options When Needed check box selected, and enter a suitable number of seconds in its text box. When Windows is rebooting after a failed boot, it displays the Recovery Options menu so that you can restart it in Safe mode if you want.

4. Choose options in the System Failure group box:

Write an Event to the System Log check box Select this check box if you want Windows to write an event to the System Log. The section “The System Log,” earlier in this article, shows you how to view and interpret the System Log.

Automatically Restart check box Select this check box if you want Windows to automatically reboot if there’s a system failure. Windows reboots after writing that event to the System Log and sending an administrative alert, if you left those check boxes selected.

Write Debugging Information group box In the drop-down list, select the type of debugging information that you want Windows to write in the event of a crash. Your choices are None, Small Memory Dump, Kernel Memory Dump, and Complete Memory Dump. The None choice turns off the writing of debugging information. A Small Memory Dump creates a file with a name built of the prefix MINI, the date in MMDDYY format, a hyphen, the num- ber of the dump, and the DMP extension. For example, the first dump on Christmas Day 2007 is named MINI122507-01.DMP. The dump file is stored in the directory specified in the Small Dump Directory text box and contains the smallest possible amount of memory infor- mation to be useful for debugging. With each crash, Windows creates a new file. To create a Small Memory Dump, Windows needs a paging file of at least 2MB on the boot volume of your computer. A Kernel Memory Dump dumps only the kernel memory into a file called MEMORY.DMP by default and needs between 50 and 800MB of space for the paging file on the boot volume not on another volume. A Complete Memory Dump, as its name suggests, dumps all the information contained in system memory when the crash occurred. Again, this goes into a file named MEMORY.DMP by default. To create a complete memory dump, you need to have a paging file on the boot volume again, not on another volume of at least the size of your computer’s RAM plus 1MB for example, a paging file of at least 1,025MB if your computer has 1GB RAM. Choose the location and name for the dump file in the text box in the Write Debugging Information group box, and select the Overwrite Any Existing File check box if appropriate. This check box isn’t available for Small Memory Dump, because this option creates a sequence of files automatically. 5. Click the OK button. Windows closes the Startup and Recovery dialog box.

The System Failure Options Don’t Always Work

The recovery options in the System Failure group box aren’t a panacea. Any crash serious enough to be called a system failure will almost invariably result in the loss of any unsaved data sitting around in the programs affected.

Windows Vista suffers occasional lockups, particularly with misbehaving hardware drivers. If your system hangs freezes, you’ll probably need to reboot it manually, because the auto-reboot functionality will be frozen as well. After rebooting, you’ll find that no event was written to the System Log and no administrative alert was sent, because Windows was just as blindsided by the hang as you were.

Testing a Crash or Memory Dump

To check how the memory dump works, or to experience a crash in action, try using the CrashOnCtrlScroll Registry key as discussed in the “For Testing Only: Crashing Your Computer on Cue” sidebar in Article 11. On some computers, this produces a dump followed by a reboot. On other computers, it produces a custom Blue Screen of Death and nothing beyond it.

Using Problem Reports and Solutions

Windows’ Problem Reports and Solutions feature lets you find solutions for problems your computer is having. To get started with Problem Reports and Solutions, open the Problem Reports and Solutions window by following these steps:

1. Choose Start Control Panel. Windows displays a Control Panel window.

2.Click the System and Maintenance link. Windows displays a System and Maintenance window.

3. Click the Problem Reports and Solutions link. Windows displays the Problem Reports and Solutions window . If the Solutions to Install area shows any solutions to install, choose whether to install them.

Checking for New Solutions

To check for new solutions to problems, click the Check for New Solutions link in the left panel in the Problem Reports and Solutions window. Windows displays the Problem Reports and Solutions: Checking for Solutions dialog box, as shown here, while it reports problems and checks for solutions. You can click the Show Details link to see the name of the problem that Windows is currently reporting. When Windows has finished reporting problems, it may display the Problem Reports and Solutions dialog box requesting your permission to send more information to try to solve some of the problems. Click the View Problem Details button to display the details, so that you can see what information Windows will send. Click the Send Information button if you want to proceed.

Seeing Problems with Your Computer

To see which problems Windows has identified on your computer, click the See Problems to Check link. Windows displays the Problem Reports and Solutions: Check for Solutions to These Problems window . Select the check box for each problem you want to check online, and then click the Check for Solutions button.

Viewing Your Problem History

To view the record of problems that Windows has identified on your computer, click the View Problem History link in the left panel in the Problem Reports and Solutions window. Windows displays the Problem Reports and Solutions: Problems Windows Has Identified window . You can sort the problems by any column - for example, by the Product column or by the Date column - or group by a column. To take an action on a problem, right-click it, and then choose Check for a Solution, Delete, View Solution if available, or View Problem Details from the context menu. When you’ve finished working in the Problem Reports and Solutions: Problems Windows Has Identified window, click the OK button. Windows returns you to the Problem Reports and Solutions window.

Change Your Settings for Problem Reports and Solutions

To change the settings for Problem Reports and Solutions, click the Change Settings link in the left panel of the Problem Reports and Solutions window. Windows displays the Problem Reports and Solutions: Choose How to Check for Solutions to Computer Problems window, as shown here. Select the Check for Solutions Automatically option button if you want Windows to check automatically whenever a problem occurs. If you have a permanent Internet connection, this option is usually handy. Otherwise, select the Ask Me to Check if a Problem Occurs option button. Windows then prompts to decide whether to check for a solution each time a problem occurs. To reach the advanced settings for Problem Reports and Solutions, click the Advanced Settings link. Windows displays the Problem Reports and Solutions: Advanced Settings for Problem Reporting window . Choose settings as follows:

1. In the For My Programs, Problem Reporting Is area, select the On option button if you want to report problems for programs you run. Otherwise, select the Off option button.

follow these steps:

• Click the Change Setting button. Windows displays the Problem Reports and Solutions: For All Users, Turn Windows Problem Reporting dialog box, as shown here.

• Select the On option button, the Off option button, or the Allow Each User to Choose Settings option button, as appropriate.

• Click the OK button, and then authenticate yourself to User Account Control. Windows closes the dialog box and returns you to the Advanced Settings for Problem Reporting window.

3. In the For All Users, Windows Is Set To area, examine the setting: Allow Each User to Choose Reporting Settings, Ask Each Time a Problem Occurs, Automatically Check for Solutions, or Automatically Check for Solutions and Send Additional Information, if Needed. To change the setting, follow these steps:

• Click the Change Setting button. Windows displays the Problem Reports and Solutions: Choose a Reporting Setting for All Users dialog box, as shown here.

• Choose the appropriate option button.

• Click the OK button, and then authenticate yourself to User Account Control. Windows closes the dialog box and returns you to the Advanced Settings for Problem Reporting window.

4. If you want Windows to automatically send any extra information needed to resolve the problem, select the Automatically Send More Information if It Is Needed to Help Solve Problems check box.

5. If you want to exclude a particular program from error reporting, click the Add button, use the resulting Problem Reports and Solutions dialog box to select the program’s executable file, and then click the Open button. Windows adds the program to the Don’t Send Information about the Following Programs list box. You can remove a program from this list box by clicking the program’s name and then clicking the Remove button.

6. Click the OK button. Windows closes the Problem Reports and Solutions: Advanced Settings for Problem Reporting window and returns you to the Problem Reports and Solutions: Choose How to Check for Solutions to Computer Problems window.

7. Click the OK button. Windows returns you to the Problem Reports and Solutions window.

Clearing Your Solution and Problem History

If you need a fresh start with Windows’ problems and solutions, click the Clear Solution and Problem History link in the left pane of the Problem Reports and Solutions window. Windows displays the Problem Reports and Solutions: Windows Uses Problem Reports to Check for Solutions dialog box, as shown here. If you’re sure you want to clear all the problems and solutions, click the Clear All button.

Deal with program hangs If a program stops responding, Windows may automatically display the End Program dialog box to allow you to end the program. If not, press Ctrl+Alt+Delete, and then click the Start Task Manager button. Select the program on the Applications page of Task Manager, and then click the End Task button. If ending the task doesn’t close the program, you may need to end the program’s process or process tree from the Processes page in Task Manager.

Use Event Viewer to identify problems Event Viewer lets you examine various categories of system events to find out what has happened or what has gone wrong. To open Event Viewer, choose Start Control Panel, click the System and Maintenance link, click the Performance Information and Tools link, click the Advanced Tools link, and then click the View Performance Details in Event Log link.

Keep Windows updated using Windows Update The Windows Update feature helps you keep Windows up-to-date by automatically checking for Windows updates. Windows Update can install updates automatically, or you can review available updates and then install them manually if you choose to. The disadvantage to installing updates manually is that some require Windows to restart, which loses you any unsaved work if you are not at your computer to save it.

Optimize your computer’s performance Windows provides various tools for improving your computer’s performance. Normally, you’ll want to start by opening the Performance Information and Tools window choose Start Control Panel, click the System and Maintenance link, and then click the Performance Information and Tools link and checking your computer’s Windows Experience Index score. If the score is inadequate for your needs, you can improve performance by adding RAM, using a USB flash drive as ReadyBoost memory, enlarging the paging file or move it to a different drive, or reducing the visual complexity of Windows.

Set suitable startup and recovery options If you’ve set up Windows as a dual-boot system with another operating system, you can choose the default operating system and the length of time for which Windows displays the boot list of operating systems. You can also configure what happens when Windows encounters a system failure - for example, you might dump the kernel memory and reboot the computer.

Use Problem Reports and Solutions The Problem Reports and Solutions feature lets you examine the problems that Windows has found with your computer. You can force Windows to check for solutions, view your problem history, and choose problem-reporting settings either for just yourself or for all users of your computer.