Blog:: Craig Pringle

As I previously mentioned I am putting together a Microsoft Deployment Toolkit (MDT) environment to enable me to rebuild my Vista machines at will. 

I now have  a Windows 2008 Server machine running inside of Virtual PC that is a self contained MDT environment.

To do this I had to configure the Server with the following services.

• Active Directory - I promoted it to a domain controller in its own domain.
• DNS - required by AD
• DHCP - to give out addresses, required by WDS.
• Windows Deployment Services (WDS) - this is an optional Windows Component you can add on Windows Server.  WDS responds to network boot PXE requests from clients and sends them a Windows Pre-installation Environment (PE) boot image.
• MDT.

There are a number of other components that MDT needs to be able to deploy anything, but it is ridiculously easy to add these in.  The main management console of MDT is the Deployment Workbench, which contains a node in the navigation pane called components.  Clicking on that shows the current install status of the various things you need and you can download and install them inside the Deployment Workbench.  Click the image below to see what this looks like.

Once all the required software is in place it is a matter of creating a distribution share, adding the OS images (which you can do by right clicking Operating Systems and selecting New..  You then just pop in the CD and follow the prompts in the wizard.) and creating a build.

Another cool thing with MDT is you can import drivers in much the same way as operating systems.  These can be added to the build so that they are inject into the image before the hardware detection takes place, so if you have more recent drivers than those included with Vista you can insert them and it will never load the older driver.  Much cleaner.

To do this you right click on the Out-of-Box drivers node in the Deployment Workbench and select New...  This will launch a driver import wizard.

You fill in a path and optionally assign one or more groups that the drivers will belong to and then click Finish.  MDT will search the directory and any sub directories and import any drivers it finds.  Also by default, when you build your boot image it will include all Network and Storage drivers so that you should have the bare requirements to perform a network install once the Windows PE image boots.

I've got my build going on the Acer laptop I've been testing against to the base OS level with no input required from me beyond pressing F12 to initiate the network boot.  Now it is time to start working on the applications.

The MDT Team has a blog - so if you want to find out more that might be a good place to start.

Two of my machines are in desperate need of a rebuild.  Because it has been on my to-do list for a while I am going to look at Microsoft's updated desktop deployment solution accelerator - the Microsoft Deployment Toolkit (MDT).

I have used the previous solution (BDD 2007) to automate Vista builds in the past.  The constraint with BDD was that it could only do the desktop OS. 

MDT is an updated version of BDD that can deploy desktop and server operating systems.  There was a wealth of information in BDD, so I am looking forward to getting hands on with MDT to see what is there.  From the overview blurb:

Microsoft Deployment provides proven tools and practices with which IT professionals can:

• Create a software and hardware inventory to assist in deployment planning.

• Test applications for compatibility with Windows operating systems and mitigate compatibility issues discovered during the process.

• Set up an initial lab environment with imaging and deployment servers.

• Customize, package, and deploy applications.

• Automate image creation and deployment.

• Manage processes and technologies to produce comprehensive and integrated Lite Touch Installation (LTI) and Zero Touch Installation (ZTI) deployments.

• During deployment, migrate users’ documents and settings to their new computer configurations.

• During deployment, Microsoft Deployment supports the installation of all Roles such as Active Directory® Domain Services (AD DS), Domain Name System (DNS) server, Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP) server, Microsoft Internet Information Services (IIS), Windows Deployment Services, Windows SharePoint® Services, Windows Internet Naming Service (WINS) server, and Windows Server® 2003 Terminal Services. Additionally, Microsoft Deployment supports the configuration of the AD DS role.

• Ensure that computers are hardened to improve security within the environment.

Microsoft Deployment brings together time-honored and proven practices in addition to the following Microsoft technologies:

• Application Compatibility Toolkit (ACT) 5.0 for gathering application inventory and for testing and mitigating application-compatibility issues

• Windows User State Migration Tool (USMT) for migrating user settings and data

• Windows Automated Installation Kit (Windows AIK) for configuring unattended Setup answer files (Unattend.xml) and capturing images

• Windows Deployment Services for starting Windows Preinstallation Environment (Windows PE) on target computers across the network

• Windows PE 2.0 for starting computers

As I write this I have a new Windows Server 2008 Standard virtual machine installing in Virtual PC that I plan to use as the deployment server.  After that is installed I'll be installing MDT.  Stay tuned.

For my money UAC is a good thing Or rather it is a painful and annoying intrusion, but there is a good reason it is there. It helps to address a very real threat. But, I've often thought that it should have a way to mark an app as trusted, so it always runs as admin without prompting. Thankfully the how-to geek has a way.

Create Administrator Mode Shortcuts Without UAC Prompts in Windows Vista
One of the most talked about annoyances in Windows Vista are the UAC prompts that constantly pop up when you are trying to make system changes. It's especially irritating when you often need to run a particular tool that requires administrator mode in order to run. Thankfully there's a simple hack that you can do to create an administrator mode shortcut that doesn't prompt for UAC.

Read More...

Great tip!

This morning I was fortunate enough to have a one-on-one chat with Motion Computing's President and CEO, Scott Eckert.  Thanks for all those who posted comments and questions on my blog and on GottaBeMobile.  Rather than pose every question directly (as there were quite a few) I looked for the common themes in the comments and constructed questions from those. 

I met Scott in the foyer lounge of a Sydney Hotel.  We chatted for a couple of minutes about Sydney, the appalling weather and work, then got down to business.  He was pleased that I was taking notes on my LS800 at the meeting and allowed that he used one himself for two years.  This led nicely into my first question.  What follows is summary of my discussion with Scott.  This is not a verbatim transcript as I did not record the conversation.

--

Of the 12 comments posted on the two blogs (excluding the one about taking Scott hostage until he included ice cube makers - which we both took as a joke) fully 4 of them mentioned the LS800 directly and two others mentioned a desire for a smaller tablet.  When the LS range was dropped there were a lot of people who were very disappointed, myself included.  In my view Motion created and owned the Ultra Mobile category before the UMPC label even existed.   Given that there is an apparent market for these devices and that they were, and still are,  a device that really turned heads and got people interested in Tablets - why was it dropped?

In response Scott was pleased that I was crediting them with creating a category.  Their goal was to create a truly enterprise class UMPC and he felt that they had done well with that.  He also indicated that while the LS800 did enjoy some success in certain areas that it did not achieve the volumes needed to sustain it as an additional range.  That said the market for this type of device is still there and Motion is keeping an eye on it, there is ongoing R&D and as pen, touch and other technologies mature it is an area that they may re-enter.

Next I said that to me it seemed that sometimes Motion was focusing more on winning new customers than looking after their existing customer base.  Two examples I held up to support this.  The first was the inability to migrate accessories between ranges - such as the M-series range and the LE-series range.  The second was the relatively poor upgrade experience that Motion users had going to Vista. 

On the first point Scott pointed out that their ranges are expected to exist for about 3 years before being replaced by a new range.  They try to ensure consistency in the range, but in order to take advantage of rapidly advancing technology they won't necessarily have compatibility of peripherals between ranges. 

I suppose that this helps Motion evolve their products more quickly as they are not constraining a new range with the limitations of the old. 

Scott also pointed out that while accessories for previous ranges are not necessarily compatible, they are supported and spares are available long after the range stops shipping, which also helps to mitigate the issue for their enterprise customers.

On the second point Scott acknowledged that the Vista upgrade experience had not been all that smooth for end users.  They have learned from the feedback and hope to do it better next time.  He also pointed out that many of their enterprise accounts are still deploying XP based images on their Motion tablets.

There seems to be an increasing focus on verticals with the specialized range expanding and what I consider to be the general use/corporate range shrinking.  Is this going to be a trend that continues?

Motion are really highly focused on the verticals.  In fact when I was chatting to Scott this was very apparent long before I asked this question.  Scott told me that the way Motion look at it is that they have two primary verticals and three product ranges.  The vertical markets they are focused on are healthcare and field automation and the three product ranges can be applied to both of those.

This is not to say that there are not other niches and verticals that don't suit the Motion tablets.  Indeed some of the successful markets have come as something of a surprise to Motion.  The LS800 enjoyed quite a bit of success in the aviation market, and this was largely driven by a software partner who married up his software, the LS800 and a mounting solution and sold this as a bundle.

What other verticals interest you?

Motion's primary focus has always been people who need to use a computer while standing and walking. 

One of the questions that came up was around a slate for artists - any plans to enter that market?

Scott thought that the artist market was pretty well served today by the likes of the Wacom Cintiq which is not mobile, but it provides a much higher resolution and a better digitizer than what is available today in mobile devices.  There may not be too many mobile artists, but many of the ones that are out there are using the LE range devices today with success.

There were a couple of questions around multi-touch.  Motion was leading the market there - what happened?

The technology was very new and Motion just struggled to get it commercialized.  Touch, and the combination of touch and an active digitizer, is and will continue to be an important technology for future ranges.

(reading between the lines I take it there won't be one in the LE range, though I could be wrong.)

Motion also feels that for touch to really succeed it is critical that the applications are designed for and work well with touch.  This led nicely to my next question.

Again - from the questions posted is there any thought of entering the software market to help bring that about?

The short answer is that Motion is not looking to become a software house.  However Motion are already active in that space and they currently work with about 150 software partners in the vertical markets to help them write better applications.  It is better for Motion to have more partners and to work with them rather than compete against them.

This is where Scott talked about the aviation example and how a partner created a market for the LS800 and did really well in it.  Naturally Motion would like to find more partners like that, so for those of you reading this that write software - keep that in mind!

There are some general issues that most mobile users face, such as battery life and heat.  There are also some technologies that seem to be taking a long time to come to market, such as hybrid drives or that still carry a significant premium like solid state drives.  What do you see as the most important technologies coming.

Battery technology is really a chemical process, which means that adding capacity to batteries is not easy.  Motion have found it more fruitful to reduce the power consumption of the device and this is where they are investing.  This means both engineering better, more efficient hardware, adding technologies such as LED backlit displays and working with application developers to make the applications more efficient.

--

Some closing thoughts from me.  Scott is a genuinely nice guy and I really enjoyed my chat with him.  He is astute, passionate about his products and focused on the vertical markets and the Motion vision.  Motion are not merely aware of the bloggers, readers and commentors that make up the blogosphere.  They are not just listening to the conversations.  They are actively reaching out and engaging and I think that is a really good thing.  Thanks to Scott for taking the time to talk to me.

I have been living with the fact that SD Card reader on the LS800 does not work under Vista since I installed Vista last year.  However I recently had a conversation with a Motion Computing employee in which he indicated that he thought that issue had been solved.

Full of hope I rushed off to check the knowledge base article on the Motion site that documented the issue to see if it had been updated...

There is no SD card reader driver available for Windows Vista on the LS800/LE1600 at the time of this writing (1/29/2007).  Motion is working to provide this driver as soon as possible.  This knowledge base article will be updated at the time of the driver update.

Hmmm, still no joy.  However - while I was on the site I thought that I might as well see if there were any driver updates available.  Why OEMs don't put an RSS feed on their drivers page is beyond me.

While poking around I realise that there have been two BIOS revisions released since my version.  I'm was running A09 and A14 and A15 are on the site.  What happened to A10-A13 I wonder?

Nevermind.  I check the release notes for the two new BIOS releases.  Low an behold the Release Notes for A14 state:

What's New In This Release

· Support for Intel 1.1GHz processor

· Support for SD card reader in Vista

I check the release notes for A15 as well, nothing major in that one except one fix.  However BIOSes are cumulative, so A15 includes everything A14 had.  To avoid having to do two upgrades I flash the BIOS with the A15 version.

After a reboot I can see that the SDA Host Controller is listed in Device Manager without the little yellow exclaimation point it had before!

Full of anticipation I break out a SD card and slot it in.  **Poof**  Bluescreen of death.  Interesting.  I reboot and try it again.  **Poof** again.  Well at least the fault is repeatable...

Time to break out the Windows Debugging Tools to analyse the crash dump.  Not for the faint of heart.

After repeating this a few times and analysing three dumps I see the debugger pointing to three different drivers. None of which are the SD Card driver.  Given the highly repeatable nature of the fault I think it is clear that it is related to the SD Card Driver, so my guess is that the SD Card driver is corrupting bits of memory, which causes an exception when some innocent driver wanders along and falls into the whole.  Believe it or not - this is progress.

I have come across a command line tool in Vista that has some potential in the fight against the dreaded Vista Insomnia issue.

The tool is called powercfg.exe and there is a TechNet article about it here.

Running powercfg /? provides the following usage information.

POWERCFG <command line options>
Description:
  This command line tool enables users to control the power settings
  on a system.

Parameter List:
  -LIST, -L   Lists all power schemes in the current user's environment.

              Usage: POWERCFG -LIST

  -QUERY, -Q  Displays the contents of the specified power scheme.

              Usage: POWERCFG -QUERY <SCHEME_GUID> <SUB_GUID>

              <SCHEME_GUID>  (optional) Specifies the GUID of the power scheme
                             to display, can be obtained by using powercfg -l.
              <SUB_GUID>     (optional) Specifies the GUID of the subgroup
                             to display.  Requires a SCHEME_GUID to be provided.

              If neither SCHEME_GUID or SUB_GUID are provided, the settings
              of the current user's active power scheme are displayed.
              If SUB_GUID is not specified, all settings in the specified
              power scheme are displayed.

  -CHANGE, -X Modifies a setting value in the current power scheme.

              Usage: POWERCFG -X <SETTING> <VALUE>

              <SETTING>   Specifies one of the following options:
                          -monitor-timeout-ac <minutes>
                          -monitor-timeout-dc <minutes>
                          -disk-timeout-ac <minutes>
                          -disk-timeout-dc <minutes>
                          -standby-timeout-ac <minutes>
                          -standby-timeout-dc <minutes>
                          -hibernate-timeout-ac <minutes>
                          -hibernate-timeout-dc <minutes>

              Example:
                  POWERCFG -Change -monitor-timeout-ac 5

              This would set the monitor idle timeout value to 5 minutes
              when on AC power.

  -CHANGENAME Modifies the name of a power scheme and optionally it's
              description.

              Usage: POWERCFG -CHANGENAME <GUID> <name> <scheme description>

              If the description is omitted only the name will be changed.

  -DUPLICATESCHEME
              Duplicates the specified power scheme.  The resulting
              GUID which represents the new scheme will be displayed.

              Usage: POWERCFG -DUPLICATESCHEME <GUID> <destination GUID>

              <GUID>  Specifies a scheme GUID obtained by using the powercfg -l.

              If <destination GUID> is omitted, a new GUID will be
              created for the duplicated scheme.

  -DELETE, -D Deletes the power scheme with the specified GUID.

              Usage: POWERCFG -DELETE <GUID>

              <GUID>  obtained by using the LIST parameter.

  -DELETESETTING
              Deletes a power setting.

              Usage: POWERCFG -DELETESETTING <SUB_GUID> <SETTING_GUID>

              <SUB_GUID>      Specifies the subgroup GUID.
              <SETTING_GUID>  Specifies the power setting guid.

  -SETACTIVE, -S
              Makes the specified power scheme active on the system.

              Usage: POWERCFG -SETACTIVE <SCHEME_GUID>

              <SCHEME_GUID>  Specifies the scheme guid.

  -GETACTIVESCHEME
              Retrieve the currently active power scheme.

              Usage: POWERCFG -GETACTIVESCHEME

  -SETACVALUEINDEX
              Sets a value associated with a specified power setting
              while the system is powered by AC power.

              Usage: POWERCFG -SETACVALUEINDEX <SCHEME_GUID> <SUB_GUID>
                                               <SETTING_GUID> <SettingIndex>

              <SCHEME_GUID>   Specifies a power scheme GUID and may be
                              obtained by using PowerCfg /L.
              <SUB_GUID>      Specifies a subgroup of power setting GUID and may
                              be obtained by using "PowerCfg /Q."
              <SETTING_GUID>  Specifies an individual power setting GUID and may
                              be obtained by using "PowerCfg /Q".
              <SettingIndex>  Specifies which of the list of of possible values
                              this power setting will be set to.

              Example:
                  POWERCFG -SetAcValueIndex <GUID> <GUID> <GUID> 5
                  This would set the power setting's AC value to the 5th entry
                  in the list of possible values for this power setting.
  -SETDCVALUEINDEX
              Sets a value associated with a specified power setting
              while the system is powered by DC power.

              Usage: POWERCFG -SETDCVALUEINDEX <SCHEME_GUID> <SUB_GUID>
                                               <SETTING_GUID> <SettingIndex>
              <SCHEME_GUID>   Specifies a power scheme GUID and may be
                              obtained by using PowerCfg /L.
              <SUB_GUID>      Specifies a subgroup of power setting GUID and may
                              be obtained by using "PowerCfg /Q."
              <SETTING_GUID>  Specifies an individual power setting GUID and may
                              be obtained by using "PowerCfg /Q".
              <SettingIndex>  Specifies which of the list of possible values
                              this setting will be set to.

              Example:
                  POWERCFG -SetDcValueIndex <GUID> <GUID> <GUID> 5
                  This would set the power setting's DC value to the 5th entry
                  in the list of possible values for this power setting.

  -HIBERNATE, -H  <ON|OFF>
              Enables-Disables the hibernate feature.  Hibernate timeout is not
              supported on all systems.

              Usage: POWERCFG -H <ON|OFF>

  -AVAILABLESLEEPSTATES, -A 
              Reports the sleep states available on the system
              Attempts to report reasons why sleep states are unavailable.

  -DEVICEQUERY
              Return a list of devices that meet the specified criteria.

              Usage: POWERCFG -DEVICEQUERY <queryflags>

              <queryflags>  Secifies one of the following criteria:

              wake_from_S1_supported  Return all devices that support waking the
                                      system from a light sleep state.
              wake_from_S2_supported  Return all devices that support waking the
                                      system from a deeper sleep state.
              wake_from_S3_supported  Return all devices that support waking the
                                      system from the deepest sleep state.
              wake_from_any           Return all devices that support waking the
                                      system from any sleep state.
              S1_supported            List devices supporting light sleep.
              S2_supported            List devices supporting deeper sleep.
              S3_supported            List devices supporting deepest sleep.
              S4_supported            List devices supporting hibernation.
              wake_programmable       List devices that are user-configurable
                                      to wake the system from a sleep state.
              wake_armed              List devices that are currently configured
                                      to wake the system from any sleep state.
              all_devices             Return all devices present in the system.
              all_devices_verbose     Return verbose list of devices.
              Example:
                  POWERCFG -DEVICEQUERY wake_armed

  -DEVICEENABLEWAKE
              Enable the device to wake the system from a sleep state.

              Usage: POWERCFG -DEVICEENABLEWAKE <devicename>

              <devicename>  Specifies a device retrieved using
                            "PowerCfg -DEVICEQUERY wake_programmable".

              Example:
                  POWERCFG -DEVICEENABLEWAKE "Microsoft USB IntelliMouse Explorer"

  -DEVICEDISABLEWAKE <devicename> disable the device from waking the system
              Disable the device from waking the system from a sleep state

              Usage: POWERCFG -DEVICEDISABLEWAKE

              <devicename>  Specifies a device retrieved using
                            "PowerCfg -DEVICEQUERY wake_armed".

  -IMPORT     Imports all power settings from the specified file.

              Usage: POWERCFG -IMPORT <filename> <GUID>

              <filename>  Specifiy a fully-qualified path to a file generated by
                          using "PowerCfg -EXPORT parameter".
              <GUID>      (optional) The settings are loaded into a power scheme
                          represented by this GUID. If not supplied, powercfg
                          will generate and use a new GUID

              Example:
                  POWERCFG -IMPORT c:\scheme.pow
  -EXPORT     Exports power scheme, represented by the specified GUID, to the
              specified file.

              Usage: POWERCFG -EXPORT <filename> <GUID>

              <filename>  Specify a fully-qualified path to a destination file.
              <GUID>      specifies a power scheme GUID and may be obtained by
                          using "PowerCfg /L"

              Example:
                  POWERCFG -EXPORT c:\scheme.pow 381b4222-f694-41f0-9685-ff5bb260df2e
  -LASTWAKE   Reports information about what woke the system from the last
              sleep transition

  -HELP, -?   Displays information on command-line parameters.

  -ALIASES    Displays all aliases and their corresponding GUIDs.
              The user may use these aliases in place of any GUID on
              the commandline.

  -SETSECURITYDESCRIPTOR
              Sets a security descriptor associated with a specified
              power setting, power scheme, or action.

              Usage: POWERCFG -SETSECURITYDESCRIPTOR <GUID|ACTION> <SDDL>

              <GUID>       Specifies a power scheme or a power setting GUID.
              <ACTION>     Can be one of the following strings:
                           ActionSetActive, ActionCreate, ActionDefault
              <SDDL>       Specifies a valid security descriptor string in SDDL
                           format. Call POWERCFG -GETSECURITYDESCRIPTOR to see
                           an example SDDL STRING.

  -GETSECURITYDESCRIPTOR
              Gets a security descriptor associated with a specified
              power setting, power scheme, or action.

              Usage: POWERCFG -GETSECURITYDESCRIPTOR <GUID|ACTION>
              <GUID>       Specifies a power scheme or a power setting GUID.
              <ACTION>     Can be one of the following strings:
                           ActionSetActive, ActionCreate, ActionDefault

Some useful things in there for looking into the Vista Insomnia issue are the following commands:

powercfg -lastwake

returns the name of the last device that woke the system.  Here's a screenshot of the output from one of my machines:

As you can see in this case the machine was woken up by the USB hub (in this case this is an expected resume - not a random one)

You can also enumerate the devices that can wake the machine with the following command:

powercfg -DEVICEQUERY wake_from_any

If you think that you have found the culprate then you can disable the device with the following command:

powercfg -DEVICEDISABLEWAKE <devicename>

you can then reverse that with

powercfg -DEVICEENABLEWAKE <devicename>

As you can see there is lots more you can do with powercfg, including tuning, exporting and importing power schemes; enabling and disabling hibernate and finding out what sleep states your device supports.  All told a very useful and very well kept secret.

I had high hopes that one of the fixes listed in the changelog for Vista SP1 might address the dreaded Vista insomnia issue.

l installed this on my Acer Ferrari which is constantly coming out of sleep mode. unfortunately this has rot resolved the issue. The Acer is still an insomniac.

I just blogged about an issue whereby Vista machines come out of sleep all on their own.  Then I was reviewing in more detail Long Zheng's list of changes in Vista SP1 and I spotted this item:

• Addresses the problem of the Video chipset (VSync interrupt) not allowing the system to stay asleep.

Could this be the fix to Vista Insomnia?  The problem occurs most frequently on my Acer, so I'll install the RC on that and report back here after some monitoring.

I previously posted about a work around I have used to get around the Sleep of Death issue on my LS800.  Unfortunately the same fix has not worked for for other LS800 users - there must be more variables.

However - as annoying as the sleep of death is it is not dangerous.  There is another issue I think is much worse.  Vista Insomnia.

I have 4 Vista machines that I have been using for a while.  These are:

• The Motion LS800
• An Acer Ferrari 1000
• A Samsung Q1P
• A custom built Media Centre

All of these machines have suffered from insomnia.  What I mean by this is I put a Vista PC into sleep mode and some time later it resumes by itself.  The reason I think this is worse than the sleep of death is that a Mobile PC coming out of sleep at the wrong time could be dangerous.  As an example I was using my LS800 to check some emails and feeds at the airport a while ago.  I used right up to the boarding line.  As I approached the counter I hit the power button to put the device to sleep - watched it go down because of sleep of death - and then dropped it into my carry-on bag to board the plane.  When we reached out cruising altitude I opened my bag to read my synced feeds and the bag was roasting hot.  The LS800 was awake again!

Now as bad as that is - it gets worse.  What happens to your hardware if you hit both problems?  If you put you device to sleep and it wakes itself up - what happens if you hit the sleep of death issue and it does not come all the way our of sleep?  Is the OS running?  If the OS has not resumed properly can it shut itself down if it gets too hot?   The night my LS800 died it was plugged in and lying flat on the desk.  The next morning it would not boot.  When I opened it up there was evidence of extreme heat damage and both the motherboard and hard drive were toast.  I can't prove it but I think the combination of these two Vista issues killed my device.  At any rate I have always been careful since to charge the LS800 in it's bumpcase so I can prop it up since then.

Warner Crocker points out some of the highlights in Vista SP1 for mobile users.

 As Microsoft prepares to roll out the Release Candidate of this to users soon, it might be worth taking a look. Some highlights that might be of interest to mobile users:

• Improves the effectiveness of a Windows ReadyBoost™ device in reducing the time to resume from standby and hibernate by increasing the amount of data stored in the ReadyBoost device that can be used during a resume cycle.

• Includes improvements to Windows Superfetch™ that help to further improve resume times, in many environments.

• Improves the time to resume from standby for a certain class of USB Hubs by approximately 18%.

• SP1 reduces the number of UAC (User Account Control) prompts from 4 to 1 when creating or renaming a folder at a protected location.

• SP1 addresses issues many of the most common causes of crashes and hangs in Windows Vista, as reported by Windows Error Reporting. These include issues relating to Windows Calendar, Windows Media Player, and a number of drivers included with Windows Vista.

• Improves power consumption when the display is not changing by allowing the processor to remain in its sleep state which consumes less energy.

Long Zheng of istartedsomething has posted an extensive list of fixes and it is on view here.  Worth checking out, methinks.

Several people have asked about the inking experience on the Shift in comments on my previous posts about the Shift. 1, 2, 3 & 4

The Shift has many good points. Inking is not one of them.  Like many UMPCs the Shift is fairly uncomfortable to write on.  If you do try it out you will find that you need to hold you hand up off the screen, otherwise the ink will jump between the point of the stylus and the heel of your palm.  This is because the Shift does not have any palm rejection technology.

In short, the Shift offers a much better touch experience than the inking experience.

One of the comments on my post about the HTC Shift's two operating systems has led me to a pretty interesting discovery.  There's a GPS in there!

In the screenshots of the tools in the HTC Debug Tools folder there is an icon called HTCGPSTool.

This led Hugo to ask if there was in fact a GPS in the device.

I had investigated this tool breifly over the weekend but it seemed a pretty basic tool and I had assumed that it was there to test an external GPS such as a bluetooth unit.  The comment got my interest up and I had some time on the train on the way to work, so I decided to investigate further. 

I started up the debugging tool.  There is a dropdown box with Com Ports listed.  By default it was on COM4.  I clicked on Open and low and behold I started seeing GPS strings in the output window.  I changed it to a different COM port and clicked open - and I got an error saying it could not find a GPS device.  Clearly the tool actually thinks there is a GPS in there.

I swapped back to COM4 and opened the port.  There are a number of tabs that show GPS information if you have a fix (which I didn't) and another radar display that shows the satellites that the device can see.  Initially there weren't any (hey I was on a train) but suddenly I saw one pop up.  It dropp