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Windows 7 First 'Self-Healing' OS

Time: 14:51 EST/19:51 GMT | News Source: InformationWeek | Posted By: Kenneth van Surksum

Microsoft baked a number of support technologies directly into its new operating system so it can self-diagnose and repair problems.

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Displaying Comments 1 through 17 of 17

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#1 By 8556 (173.27.242.53) at Saturday, October 31, 2009 02:57:06 PM

If it was genuinely self healing it would download the correct drivers and install them unassisted. That is not what happens.

I miss accurate reporting. "News" exaggeration is tiresome.

#2 By 15406 (99.240.77.173) at Sunday, November 01, 2009 01:50:29 PM

Funny you should mention it. Ever since I upgraded from Vista to 7, I now have an unknown device in Device Manager helpfully labeled 'coprocessor'. No idea what it is. Bizarre.

#3 By 13997 (68.118.60.164) at Monday, November 02, 2009 12:37:49 AM

#1 This is exactly what both Vista and Win7 do...

Here is where you are missing the concept I think. If the MFR doesn't supply a driver to Microsoft, then there is NO WAY FOR MICROSOFT to provide that driver via the update system.

Here is why this is not as easy as it sounds to 'blanket' cover everything. Take for example a simple audio chipset like a Realtek 888, every computer mainboard and laptop that uses this audio chipset has a UNIQUE Hardware ID generated by the Mainboard MFR, and even then versions of the mainboard will have different IDs for this chipset, as sometimes they have specific features they only their drivers support like how the speakers are configured (in a notebook) or how the plug detection works and what is default.

So even if you get Realtek to provide drivers to Microsoft that covers their chipsets, there were be mainboards and laptops that don't get the update because of the OEM or MFR responsible for the audio chipset and its driver, and THEY have to provide a driver to Microsoft as well because that hardware has a different HWID.

Microsoft works hard to push companies to provide drivers, but there are companies like Promise or Creative or even HP that just doesn't care about old hardware and will not supply a driver. And even if Microsot goes out of their way to get a driver working, they often can't get these companies to approve the driver, so it can't be used in Windows Update.

So the technology is there, but the components or the computer you are using has a sucky MFR that hasn't supplied all the drivers to Microsoft, thus you have to manually install them yourself.

Apple with their limited amount of devices and hardware even has these issues, and is why Snow Leopard will not default to the 64bit kernel, as all drivers has to be 64bit on a 64bit OS, and even if your Mac today has only devices with 64bit drivers, if you buy a scanner tomorrow that doesn't have the 64bit drivers, it won't work, and thus problems for the users.

So this has nothing to do with technology, as Windows does wonders with the massive amount of drivers it supports, truly millions, and on 99% of the systems and for 99% of the devices it updates automatically just fine...

Make sense?

#4 By 13997 (68.118.60.164) at Monday, November 02, 2009 12:39:21 AM

#2 In Device Manager, open the properties for the device and copy the Hardware ID. Then Bing or Google it.

This should tell you what the device is, who makes it, and were to find drivers for it if you actually need them.

Good Luck.

#5 By 15406 (216.191.227.68) at Monday, November 02, 2009 07:53:52 AM

#4: Good idea. Thanks for the tip.

#6 By 39852 (174.88.252.121) at Monday, November 02, 2009 10:17:43 AM

Really now....

http://www.fujitsu.com/global/services/computing/server/sparcenterprise/products/software/solaris10/self-healing/

http://zombieprocess.wordpress.com/2008/01/10/predictive-self-healing-on-linux-on-power/

This post was edited by Mister on Monday, November 02, 2009 at 10:29.

#7 By 2201 (83.244.234.228) at Monday, November 02, 2009 11:21:46 AM

#6 so... what's your point?

#8 By 13997 (68.118.60.164) at Monday, November 02, 2009 11:49:01 AM

#6 There have been many 'self healing' concepts in OSes and software for years, even a tool like chkdsk could be considered an OS self healing tool if you stretch the terminology.

The point here is that Win7 is doing some rather 'simple' and also some rather cool things, some of which no other consumer level OS has ever done.

Sure there is the online integration and Activity Center that can check for problems in applications and drivers and fix them or tell the user to fix them, and this is good stuff, especially with the new 'wizard' based tools that can created to make the changes for the users - something IT departments can even use.

The more important things that Win7 does is in the application 'shunts' and stack corrections.

This is where Win7 can see an application crash, and if the same 'error' occurs whether it is a registry access or file access error or even a stack level error, Win7 will simply put in corrective code to prevent the problem, and keep doing so until the application runs without problems.

This is important, as it does this at a really low level of execution, noting errors in the memory stack from the application at the CPU level.

So if you run a new program on Win7 that fails, it will fix it, and keep fixing it each time you run it as new errors are detected until the application runs without crashing, thus fixing the application's poor coding.

XP and Vista did a little bit of this, but not at these levels, nor this extensive. They tended to just placate the bad application, not actually 'fix' it.

This also is why Win7 seems to be rock solid, as Microsoft just had to run a lot of software on Win7 (and beta testers running a lot of software) and take the reports from Win7 on all the application 'shunts' it made to various applications and put them in an universal application compatability table that is built into the RTM version of Win7, that can also be updated.

So if you have an old application or game or whatever that crashes, run it again, and again, and again if needed, Win7 will keep fixing it until it runs without error with a lot of software.

This is how Win7 is 'self healing' as it fixes damage and errors caused by bad programming and instead of just killing the application, will apply code that fixes what the application is doing, essentially repairing a poorly coded application.

This post was edited by thenetavenger on Monday, November 02, 2009 at 11:50.

#9 By 23275 (68.117.163.128) at Monday, November 02, 2009 12:36:38 PM

#8, Correct and quite different.

Add to that that IF/WHEN as few as 500 people have a problem with a particular hardware device, Microsoft will coordinate with the manufacturer and support the creation of a signed driver.

This practice was begun under Vista and it produced amazing results for even the least widely distributed software and devices.

Parallel to the automation, the proactive approach Microsoft has taken has produced good reults.

#10 By 28801 (65.90.202.10) at Monday, November 02, 2009 02:18:06 PM

#8: If you keep this up, Lloyd will be tendering an offer of employment.

#11 By 39852 (174.88.252.121) at Monday, November 02, 2009 05:47:59 PM

Yikes, sounds like this could have a lot of unintended results.

#12 By 21912 (71.9.96.231) at Monday, November 02, 2009 10:37:48 PM

#8, your explanation of Win7's self-healing mechanism is interesting. How much data concerning a poorly behaved application's shunts and stack corrections is coordinated and reported online with Microsoft (ultimately retrievable), and how much of it is self-contained, remaining local? Your explanation seems to imply that there's a significant component consisting of the latter. If that's the case, then a reinstallation of the OS and the same application would lose this local data, and could make the user think something is broken, when in fact it is simply a reset to the original unlearned state, from which Win7 can then recover.

Please help me stop making the case for more communications with the Mother Ship! I really want to stop :)

#13 By 23275 (68.117.163.128) at Monday, November 02, 2009 11:19:30 PM

#12, You may adjust what is reported on a per application bases - go here,
Control Panel\All Control Panel Items\Action Center\Advanced Problem Reporting Settings

You can access this from the Action Center - maintenance, settings, or simply enter the path in explorer.

You can also examine what issues have been reported and archive reported issues as desired.
These may all be managed by group policy - one of many new policies available to admins.

#14 By 21912 (71.9.96.231) at Tuesday, November 03, 2009 08:19:36 AM

#13, thank you. That destination is a little off the beaten path, and a roadmap is useful.

#15 By 23275 (68.117.163.128) at Tuesday, November 03, 2009 12:04:44 PM

@14, Yes Sir, it is as were many similar items in Windows Vista - a trend that has continued in Windows, and I was one that early on, wanted more direct access to things like network settings, etc...

To be fair, and candid, while many advanced settings have been placed deeper within the UI, it is most related to two reasons that even the most advanced of users may not have realized immediately: 1) in nearly all cases, the advanced settings many of us used to rely on were no longer needed - the OS did its job well and consistently or 2) features and settings were grouped logically and actually more accessible.

Take the matter of recording and reporting performance and reliability issues - Vista provided the first set of tools that were more accessible and helpful to end users and small SOHO admins, but within Computer Management. I wrote extensively about them here,
http://blog.libertech.net/blogs/lketchum/archive/2007/05/27/windows-vista-performance-and-reliability-monitor-silencing-detractors.aspx

As good as Vista's tools were, Windows 7 took it a step further and placed security, performance and reliability features and tools within the Action Center. Performance and Reliability as it was known, has been removed from Computer Management (I think they should have left it in both locations - but hey, no biggie). The more I have used the Action Center, the more I like it. While more advanced features like adjusting recording and reporting opposte specific programs is located a bit deeper in, it is still there and provides a level of granular control.

Finally, Windows Instant Search (now WDS 4.0) in Windows Vista and Windows 7 largely obviate the need to hunt for anything. All one has to do is enter a few letters of a kkeyword and guess does not take long. For example, the "Problem Steps Recorder" may be found by typing "recor or record" - as you can see, the name "Problem Steps Recorder" (its feature name) does not match its search term. So focus on the verb/action within the noun - in this case, record from within recorder. Most features work like this. By doing a search using "Prob, or Problem" and or "Repor or Report" you can easily find the direct path to, adjust how to review and or adjust the reporting of problems as with other examples where there are sub-menus, you can search more broadly using "Sel, or Select" - you'll immediately see that "Select" offers (among others) direct access to, "Choose how to report problems" within the action center - under which there is the sub-menu you want to adjust options for a specific program.

While it may seem like a lot, and there are some seemingly odd ways to find things, WDS in Vista and Windows 7 make it really easy to find anything you want to do - just think of the words to describe it and how you would execute this on a computer - e.g., problem, or report and within that "select". After a short time you can see that on these two new OSes, the old ways of having to remember all these things are past us.

Hope this helps - Lloyd

#16 By 21912 (71.9.96.231) at Tuesday, November 03, 2009 01:21:41 PM

#15, thanks for usefully addressing the issue of feature-finding in Windows 7. Memorizing the feature map is seldom as successful as learning the best techniques to find things on my own. Cheers.

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