Applies to:
Windows 7 VDI

A whitepaper for Windows 7 Virtual Desktop Infrastructure (VDI) performance optimization.

It goes over the following the following topics:

· Visual Effects Settings

· Windows Services Optimization Recommendations

· Windows “Features” Possible Settings

· Windows Group Policy Settings

· Windows Event Log Optimization Recommendations

· Virtual Machine Disk Controller Configuration

· Clean up miscellaneous files from the base image before locking down as “gold”

· Apply applicable Microsoft updates and hotfixes

· Memory Management Settings

· Networking Recommendations

· Scheduled Tasks

· Increase Service Timeout

· Disable Boot Animation

· Change Hard Error Popup Behavior

· File System Optimizations

· Event Trace Sessions

· Crashdump Recovery Options

· Pagefile Settings

· Miscellaneous Startup Items

Download available at:

Performance Optimization Guidelines for Windows 7 Desktop Virtualization

v1.0 Jun. 21, 2012
v1.9 Dec. 3, 2012

Published to web: 10/18/2013:

Related:

The Microsoft Premier Field Engineer (PFE) view on Virtual Desktop (VDI) Density
Deconstructing the PFE VDI Optimization Script

Windows 7 VDI image hotfixes

Applies to:

Windows Server 2012 R2

Windows 8.1

Windows Server 2012

Windows 8

Windows Server 2008 R2

Windows 7

Windows Server 2008

Windows Vista

Windows Server 2003

Windows XP

Microsoft Baseline Security Analyzer 2.3 (for IT Professionals)

http://www.microsoft.com/en-us/download/details.aspx?id=7558

Applies to:
Windows Server 2012
W2K12
Windows 8
Win8

Note:  You should check http://support.microsoft.com for the latest version of the different files.

Note 2:  These are not available in Windows Update.

Note 3:  You can download them without entering your e-mail address and captcha if you are a Microsoft Premier customer and have a http://Premier.Microsoft.com account.

Note 4:  Carefully review the list and decide which might be applicable to your unique environment.

Note 5:  Test in your test and your quality assurance environment.

List of Windows Management Instrumentation (WMI) related hotfixes post SP1 for Windows 8 and Windows Server 2012 as of Jul. 2013.

Originally published:  Nov. 2013.

2792123 WMI does not work correctly after you run the OOBE in Windows RT, Windows 8 and Windows Server 2012
http://support.microsoft.com/?id=2792123
Update(s):
Msoobeplugins.dll  6.2.9200.16522 
Msoobeplugins.dll  6.2.9200.20626

Applies to:
Windows Server 2008 R2 Service Pack 1
Windows Server 2008 R2 SP1
W2K8 R2 Service Pack 1
W2K8 R2 SP1

Windows 7 Service Pack 1
Windows 7 SP1
Win7 Service Pack 1
Win7 SP1

Windows Server 2008 Service Pack 2
Windows Server 2008 SP2 
W2K8 Service Pack 2
W2K8 SP2

Windows Vista Service Pack 2
Windows Vista SP2

Note:  You should check http://support.microsoft.com for the latest version of the different files.

Note 2:  These are not available in Windows Update.

Note 3:  You can download them without entering your e-mail address and captcha if you are a Microsoft Premier customer and have a http://Premier.Microsoft.com account.

Note 4:  Carefully review the list and decide which might be applicable to your unique environment.

Note 5:  Test in your test and your quality assurance environment.

List of kernel memory dump hotfixes for Windows Vista/Server2008 and Windows 7/Server2008R2 as of Nov. 2013.

For those that need to generate a manual memory dump using the steps listed on this article that I compiled many years ago:

969028 How to generate a kernel or a complete memory dump file in Windows Server 2008 and Windows Server 2008 R2
http://support.microsoft.com/?id=969028

You might not be able to generate a bug check (a.k.a. blue screen).  It could be because you are running into one of the hotfixes mentioned below.

List of kernel memory dump hotfixes for Windows 7 SP1 and/or Windows Server 2008 R2 SP1:

2826910 Secondary dump data is limited to 256 MB in Windows 7 and Windows Server 2008 R2
http://support.microsoft.com/?id=2826910
Update(s):
Crashdmp.sys 6.1.7601.18110
Crashdmp.sys 6.1.7601.22277

2716542 A hotfix is available that enables a Windows 7-based or Windows Server 2008 R2-based computer to create a memory dump file without a page file
http://support.microsoft.com/?id=2716542
Update(s):
Crashdmp.sys 6.1.7601.17857 (Superseded by 2826910)
Crashdmp.sys 6.1.7601.22012 (Superseded by 2826910)
Ntoskrnl.exe 6.1.7601.17857
Ntoskrnl.exe 6.1.7601.22012

2587660 Memory dump file is generated very slowly on a Hyper-V virtual machine that uses Dynamic Memory when the Maximum RAM setting is over 4 GB in Windows Server 2008 R2
http://support.microsoft.com/?id=2587660
Update(s):
Vmwp.exe 6.1.7601.17761
Vmwp.exe 6.1.7601.21897
Vid.dll 6.1.7601.17761
Vid.sys 6.1.7601.17761 
Vid.dll 6.1.7601.21897
Vid.sys 6.1.7601.21897

2541014 Hibernation does not work or memory dump file is not created after you install Windows 7 or Windows Server 2008 R2 Service Pack 1
http://support.microsoft.com/?id=2541014
Update(s):
Diskdump.sys 6.1.7601.17601
Diskdump.sys 6.1.7601.21710

Supersede(s):
2495523 Sleep and hibernation do not work or a crash memory dump file is not created after you install Service Pack 1 for Windows 7 or Windows Server 2008 R2
http://support.microsoft.com/?id=2495523
Update(s):
Diskdump.sys 6.1.7601.17601
Diskdump.sys 6.1.7601.21710

2528507 Incorrect memory dump files in an x64-based version of Windows 7 SP1 or of Windows Server 2008 R2 SP1
http://support.microsoft.com/?id=2528507
Update(s):
Ntoskrnl.exe 6.1.7601.17591
Ntoskrnl.exe 6.1.7601.21700
Ntkrnlpa.exe 6.1.7601.17591
Ntoskrnl.exe 6.1.7601.17591
Ntkrnlpa.exe 6.1.7601.21700

Ntoskrnl.exe 6.1.7601.21700

List of kernel memory dump hotfixes for Windows Vista SP2 and/or Windows Server 2008 SP2:

2570946 Memory dump file is not generated in Windows Vista or in Windows Server 2008 if the system drive is not larger than 4 times the amount of RAM
http://support.microsoft.com/?id=2570946
Update(s):
Smss.exe 6.0.6002.22674

971877 The Windows Server 2008 system stops responding (hangs) when an application or a driver triggers an NMI to generate a memory dump file forcibly
http://support.microsoft.com/?id=971877
Update(s):
Pshed.dll 6.0.6002.22242

Applies to:

Windows Server 2012

Windows 8

Windows Server 2008 R2

Windows 7

Hi all,

Ok, so there is no Netmon “4.0” beta.  To help customers find the new tool that replaces “Netmon”, I used the catchy title.

Our Product group has been working on a replacement for the Microsoft Network Monitor (Netmon) 3.4.

Netmon is being retired and the new tool is called the Microsoft Message Analyzer.

Message Analyzer beta 3 is currently available for download from our Microsoft Connect beta website.

http://connect.microsoft.com/site216

When you get to the webpage, make sure to sign-in with your LiveId, etc…

Click on “Microsoft Connect” icon on the top-left.

Under “Search Products accepting bugs or suggestions”

Type “Message Analyzer” and click on Search.

Click on “Join” next to “Message Analyzer and Network Monitor”

You will get a message similar to the one above.

Click on “Download”

Select the version that you need x86 or x64 and click on it.

In this example, I selected “MessageAnalyzer64.msi”

Click on “Download”

In the next post (Installing the Microsoft Message Analyzer Beta 3.), I’ll go over the installation process.

For details of what is available with the Microsoft Message Analyzer beta, please read thru the official blog:

Microsoft Message Analyzer Beta 3 is released (Build 6211)!

Applies to:

Windows Server 2012

Windows 8

Windows Server 2008 R2

Windows 7

In the previous post (Netmon 4.0 beta…), we went thru showing you how to obtain the Microsoft Message Analyzer Beta 3.

In this post, we are going to walk you thru the step-by-step installation process.

Double click on “MessageAnalyzer64.msi” or “MessageAnalyzer86.msi” depending on the CPU architecture that you are using.

Click on Next

Read thru the EULEA for the beta software.  Yes, there is no support via the Microsoft support groups.  Thus, use it on your test machine.

Then click on “I accept the terms in the License Agreement”

Click on “Next”

Click on the “Microsoft Message Analyzer” drop-down.

Go ahead and choose “Entire feature will be installed on local hard drive”

Note:  Since it is beta, the “Browse…” option is not available, but this is where you come in and provide feedback via the Microsoft Connect beta site.  :-)

Click on “Install”.

It will ask for elevation (UAC prompt).  Click on “Yes”.

Click on “Finish”

In your Start menu, you will see the new “Microsoft Message Analyzer” icon

Right click on the “Microsoft Message Analyzer” icon.

Click on “Run as administrator”

It will ask for elevation (UAC prompt).  Click on “Yes”.

And there we go, now that you have installed, in a future post, we will go thru capturing the network traffic.

Applies to:
Windows Server 2012
Windows 8
Windows Server 2008 R2
Windows 7

The third-party products that this article discusses are manufactured by companies that are independent of Microsoft. Microsoft makes no warranty, implied or otherwise, about the performance or reliability of these products.

If you are like most administrators, when looking at network traces, you probably use Netmon and Wireshark or just Wireshark.

So when you went thru collecting a network trace using the built-in command netsh trace as described in Network tracing (packet sniffing) built-in to Windows Server 2008 R2 and Windows Server 2012.

You noticed that the output is in Event Trace Log (ETL format (.etl)) and couldn’t load it in Wireshark.  With the Microsoft Message Analyzer Beta 3 that is resolved.

Launch

Click on “Quick Open”

Browse to the folder where the .etl file is located.

Note:  Normally at C:\Users\YourUserProfile\AppData\Local\Temp\NetTraces\

Click on “Open”

Once the network trace is open.

Click on “File” and click on “Save As”

Select “All Messages”

Click on “Export”

Select the folder that you want to save it in.

Note:  By default c:\users\YourUserProfile\My Documents\MessageAnalyzer\Traces

Click on “Save”

Now you could load the .cap file in Wireshark.

Applies to:

Windows Server 2012 R2

Windows 8.1

Windows Server 2012

Windows 8

My old team had the following blog post Two Minute Drill: LOGMAN.EXE written for Windows Vista and Windows Server 2008 that goes over the “base”* performance counters.

With new perfmon counters to troubleshoot performance issues, I decided to write this post that shows you how to gather perfmon remotely on our newer Windows versions.

From a 64-bit Windows Vista/Server 2008/7/Server 2008 R2/8/Server 2012/8.1/Server 2012 R2 ‘tools machine’:

Long-interval:

==========

Start, CMD (Run as admin)

logman.exe create counter ServerName_long_interval -f bincirc -v mmddhhmm -max 350 -c "\Cache\*" "\IPv4\*" "\LogicalDisk(*)\*" "\Memory\*" "\Netlogon\*" "\Network Interface(*)\*" "\Paging File(*)\*" "\Per Processor Network Activity Cycles(*)\*" "\Per Processor Network Interface Card Activity(*)\*" "\Processor(*)\*" "\Processor Information(*)\*" "\PhysicalDisk(*)\*" "\Process(*)\*" "\Physical Network Interface Card Activity(*)\*" "\Redirector\*" "\SMB Client Shares\*" "\SMB Server Shares(*)\*" "\SMB Server Sessions\*" "\Server\*" "\Server Work Queues(*)\*" "\System\*" "\TCPv4\*" -si 00:05:00 -s YourServerName -u DomainName\Username Password

Note:  Where "YourServerName" is the actual server name.

Note 2:  Where "DomainName" is your actual domain name.

Note 3:  Where "Username" is a user account that has local admin rights on the target machine.

Note 4:  Where "Password" is the password of the domain user with local admin rights on the target machine.

Note 5:  You could change the interval for the long from to -si 00:05:00 to anything depending on how long you want to capture.  For more info on the sample interval that you need to choose, check out:  How often should Perfmon Sample?

logman.exe start ServerName_long_interval -s YourServerName -u DomainName\Username Password

<reproduce the issue>

logman.exe stop ServerName_long_interval -s YourServerName -u DomainName\Username Password

Short-interval:

==========

logman.exe create counter ServerName_short_interval -f bincirc -v mmddhhmm -max 350 -c "\Cache\*" "\IPv4\*" "\LogicalDisk(*)\*" "\Memory\*" "\Netlogon\*" "\Network Interface(*)\*" "\Paging File(*)\*" "\Per Processor Network Activity Cycles(*)\*" "\Per Processor Network Interface Card Activity(*)\*" "\Processor(*)\*" "\Processor Information(*)\*" "\PhysicalDisk(*)\*" "\Process(*)\*" "\Physical Network Interface Card Activity(*)\*" "\Redirector\*" "\SMB Client Shares\*" "\SMB Server Shares(*)\*" "\SMB Server Sessions\*" "\Server\*" "\Server Work Queues(*)\*" "\System\*" "\TCPv4\*" -si 00:00:05 -s YourServerName -u DomainName\Username Password

Note:  Where "YourServerName" is the actual server name.

Note 2:  Where "DomainName" is your actual domain name.

Note 3:  Where "Username" is a user account that has local admin rights on the target machine.

Note 4:  Where "Password" is the password of the domain user with local admin rights on the target machine.

logman.exe start ServerName_short_interval -s YourServerName -u DomainName\Username Password

<reproduce the issue>

logman.exe stop ServerName_short_interval -s YourServerName -u DomainName\Username Password

More information:

*  If you use my colleague Clint Huffman’s Performance Analysis of Logs (PAL), the “base” performance is named “System Overview”.

Applies to:
Windows Server 2012 RTM     
Windows Server 8 RTM    

Note: You should check http://support.microsoft.com for the latest version of the different files.

List of Performance Monitor (Perfmon) related hotfixes post RTM for Windows 8 RTM and Windows Server 2012 RTM as of Sep. 2013:

Originally published Sep. 2013 courtesy of the Microsoft Premier WorkshopPlus Vital Signs  instructors: Benny Lakunishok; Clint Huffman; Jeff Stokes; Moti Bani;  Shane Creamer; and many more.

2877211 Performance Monitor uses incorrect calculation for certain types of counters in Windows 8 or in Windows Server 2012
http://support.microsoft.com/?id=2877211

Update(s):

Pdhui.dll 6.2.9200.16384 
Perfmon.exe 6.2.9200.16384 
Perfmon.msc 
Performance monitor.lnk

Applies to:
Windows Server 2008 R2 Service Pack 1
Windows Server 2008 R2 SP1
W2K8 R2 Service Pack 1
W2K8 R2 SP1
Windows 7 Service Pack 1
Windows 7 SP1
Win7 Service Pack 1
Win7 SP1

Note:  You should check http://support.microsoft.com for the latest version of the different files.
Note 2:  These are not available in Windows Update.
Note 3:  You can download them without entering your e-mail address and captcha if you are a Microsoft Premier customer and have a http://Premier.Microsoft.com account.
Note 4:  Carefully review the list and decide which might be applicable to your unique environment.
Note 5:  Test in your test and your quality assurance environment.

List of Memory leaks related hotfixes post SP1 for Windows 7 SP1 and Windows Server 2008 R2 SP1 as of Sep. 2013.
First published Sep. 2013.

2876748 FIX: A memory leak in the WmiPrvSe.exe process occurs when you use the RDS WMI provider in Windows 7 SP1 or Windows Server 2008 R2 SP1
http://support.microsoft.com/?id=2876748

2872543 FIX: A paged pool memory leak occurs on a touch screen device that is running Windows 7 Service Pack 1
http://support.microsoft.com/?id=2872543

2870467 Memory leak in Oleaut32.dll on a Windows 7 SP1 or Windows Server 2008 R2 SP1-based COM server
http://support.microsoft.com/?id=2870467

2862067 Hotfix rollup 2862067 is available for the .NET Framework 2.0 SP2 on Windows 7 SP1 or Windows Server 2008 R2 SP1
http://support.microsoft.com/?id=2862067

2862063 Hotfix rollup 2862063 is available for the .NET Framework 4.5 in Windows 7 SP1, Windows Server 2008 R2 SP1, Windows Server 2008 SP2, and Windows Vista SP2
http://support.microsoft.com/?id=2862063

2845145 A memory leak occurs in the DNS server service after you enable recursion on a server that is running Windows Server 2008 R2
http://support.microsoft.com/?id=2845145

2832248 Memory leak occurs in the Wmiprvse.exe process in Windows 7 or Windows Server 2008 R2
http://support.microsoft.com/?id=2832248

2807831 Memory leak occurs in the Lsass.exe process on a domain controller that is running Windows Server 2008 R2
http://support.microsoft.com/?id=2807831

2798093 Rhs.exe consumes a large amount of memory in a Windows Server 2008 R2-based failover cluster
http://support.microsoft.com/?id=2798093

2796647 Memory leak occurs in the Spoolsv.exe process after you run an application that performs WMI queries in Windows 7 or Windows Server 2008 R2
http://support.microsoft.com/?id=2796647

2789378 Memory leak when an application uses the FwpsNetBufferListAssociateContext0 function in Windows 7 or Windows Server 2008 R2
http://support.microsoft.com/?id=2789378

2756198 Hotfix Rollup KB2756198 is available for the .NET Framework 2.0 SP2 on Windows 7 SP1 and Windows Server 2008 R2 SP1
http://support.microsoft.com/?id=2756198

2756195 Hotfix Rollup KB2756195 is available for the .NET Framework 4 on Windows XP SP3, Windows Server 2003 SP2, Windows Vista SP2, Windows Server 2008 SP2, Windows 7, Windows 7 SP1, Windows Server 2008 R2, and Windows Server 2008 R2 SP1
http://support.microsoft.com/?id=2756195

2736469 Memory leak occurs when you run an application to read a file on a DVD-RAM disc that uses the FAT32 file system in Windows 7, Windows 8, Windows Server 2008 R2 or Windows Server 2012
http://support.microsoft.com/?id=2736469

2734909 Memory leak or handle leak occurs in the Perflib.lib component on a computer that is running Windows Server 2008 R2 or Windows 7
http://support.microsoft.com/?id=2734909

2710594 Memory leak when a file system minifilter driver calls the FltCreateSystemVolumeInformationFolder function in Windows 7 or in Windows Server 2008 R2
http://support.microsoft.com/?id=2710594

2707082 An instance of the JScript scripting engine leaks memory when Internet Explorer 8 or Internet Explorer 9 is installed on a computer that is running Windows 7 or Windows Server 2008 R2
http://support.microsoft.com/?id=2707082

2699780 Memory leak in the Remote Registry service on a computer that is running Windows 7 or Windows Server 2008 R2
http://support.microsoft.com/?id=2699780

2697479 Memory leak in Wmiapsrv.exe on a computer that is running Windows Server 2008, Windows Server 2008 R2, Windows Vista or Windows 7
http://support.microsoft.com/?id=2697479

2667241 FIX: An update rollup is available for WPF for the .NET Framework 3.5
http://support.microsoft.com/?id=2667241

2651992 FIX: Memory leak occurs in a WPF application when a brush object is referenced by using a DynamicResource reference
http://support.microsoft.com/?id=2651992

2647452 Paged pool leaks when you map a network drive and then disconnect it frequently in Windows 7 or in Windows Server 2008 R2
http://support.microsoft.com/?id=2647452

2636613 Rdpshell.exe process leaks memory in Windows Server 2008 R2 when you move a published RemoteApp application's window on the client side
http://support.microsoft.com/?id=2636613

2628838 FIX: Memory leak when you use the FileSystemWatcher class in a .NET Framework 4.0-based application
http://support.microsoft.com/?id=2628838

2618982 FIX: Memory leak in Rhs.exe after you configure the IIS 7.5 W3SVC service in a Windows Server 2008 R2 SP1 failover cluster
http://support.microsoft.com/?id=2618982

2617115 "Stop 0x000000AB (SESSION_HAS_VALID_POOL_ON_EXIT)" error when a client logs off from a Remote Desktop Services session in Windows Server 2008 R2
http://support.microsoft.com/?id=2617115

2612966 Paged pool memory leak when you access some shared files in Windows 7 or in Windows Server 2008 R2
http://support.microsoft.com/?id=2612966

2604201 Handle count of the DFSR service keeps increasing in Windows Server 2008 R2
http://support.microsoft.com/?id=2604201

2585233 "Stop 0x000000AB (SESSION_HAS_VALID_POOL_ON_EXIT)" error when a client logs off from a Windows Server 2008 R2 Remote Desktop Services session
http://support.microsoft.com/?id=2585233

2582112 Windows 7 or Windows Server 2008 R2 stops responding when an application performs many I/O operations to a network share
http://support.microsoft.com/?id=2582112

2580360 A heap memory leak occurs when an application or service queries the MSCluster_Resource WMI class in Windows Server 2008 R2
http://support.microsoft.com/?id=2580360

2569588 A hotfix rollup package is available for Windows Communication Foundation for the .NET Framework 3.0 Service Pack 2 and for the .NET Framework 3.5 Service Pack 1
http://support.microsoft.com/?id=2569588

2566314 FIX: Memory leak when the IIS ADSI provider retrieves some metabase properties in IIS 7.5
http://support.microsoft.com/?id=2566314

2566230 High memory usage by the Message Queuing service when you perform a remote transactional read on a Message Queuing 5.0 queue in Windows 7 or in Windows Server 2008 R2
http://support.microsoft.com/?id=2566230

2563399 Remote Registry service leaks memory when it handles customized v2 performance counter queries in Windows 7 or in Windows Server 2008 R2
http://support.microsoft.com/?id=2563399

2550894 Cluster service leaks memory when the service handles state change notifications in Windows Server 2008 R2 or Windows Server 2008
http://support.microsoft.com/?id=2550894

2545479 A memory leak occurs, and client requests may take a long time, when you run an application that is based on COM+ and that is registered as single-threaded
http://support.microsoft.com/?id=2545479

2540745 FIX: High memory usage when the Thread.AllocateDataSlot method allocates data slots in the .NET Framework 4
http://support.microsoft.com/?id=2540745

2534614 FIX: Memory leak if many different workflow types are loaded in a .NET Framework 4-based application
http://support.microsoft.com/?id=2534614

2528357 Nonpaged pool leak when you disable and enable some storage controllers in Windows Vista, in Windows 7, in Windows Server 2008 or in Windows Server 2008 R2
http://support.microsoft.com/?id=2528357

2524840 "0x000000C4" Stop error occurs when you run the "Common Scenario Stress with IO" test on a Windows 7-based computer on which Windows Virtual PC and Windows Logo Kit are installed
http://support.microsoft.com/?id=2524840

2519454 FIX: Memory leak in WmiPrvSe.exe when you run a script to connect to the WMI WebAdministration namespace in Windows 7, in Windows Vista, in Windows Server 2008 or in Windows Server 2008 R2
http://support.microsoft.com/?id=2519454

2512889 Windows Remote Management service leaks memory when it handles certificate authentication requests in Windows 7 or in Windows Server 2008 R2
http://support.microsoft.com/?id=2512889

2503820 FIX: Memory leak in the W3wp.exe process for a WebDAV website when many WebDAV clients upload files, download files, or access file directories in WebDAV 7.5
http://support.microsoft.com/?id=2503820

2498993 A memory leak occurs when you run an application that is developed by using the Windows Media Format SDK in Windows 7 or in Windows Server 2008 R2 and that uses the IWMSyncReader or IWMReader interface
http://support.microsoft.com/?id=2498993

2492705 DNS Server service leaks memory when you perform Zone Transfer operations in Windows Server 2008 R2
http://support.microsoft.com/?id=2492705

2475491 A memory leak occurs when you run a web service that is implemented by using the Windows Web Services API in Windows 7 or in Windows Server 2008 R2
http://support.microsoft.com/?id=2475491

2428216 FIX: Performance may decrease when you use the IIS ADSI provider to query some metabase properties in IIS 7.5
http://support.microsoft.com/?id=2428216

2297328 A hotfix is available that resolves some memory leak issues for WPF in the .NET Framework 4
http://support.microsoft.com/?id=2297328

2254265 The "500" error code is returned when you send an HTTP SOAP request to the "/adfs/services/trust/mex" endpoint on a computer that is running Windows Server 2008 R2 or Windows Server 2008
http://support.microsoft.com/?id=2254265

2231728 You cannot open a shared file that is hosted on a computer that is running Windows Server 2008, Windows Server 2008 R2, Windows 7 or Windows Vista
http://support.microsoft.com/?id=2231728

2205122 A memory leak occurs when you press F5 to convert a character code to some specific kanji characters in the Japanese IME module in Windows
http://support.microsoft.com/?id=2205122

2032595 A memory leak issue occurs in Internet Explorer 8 when you switch between XML files
http://support.microsoft.com/?id=2032595

983534 Performance of the DNS Server service keeps decreasing under a heavy load situation in Windows Server 2008 R2
http://support.microsoft.com/?id=983534

982669 The nonpaged pool memory is low after an isochronous data transfer between an IEEE 1394 device and a Windows 7 or Windows Server 2008 R2-based computer
http://support.microsoft.com/?id=982669

981889 A Windows Filtering Platform (WFP) driver hotfix rollup package is available for Windows Vista, Windows Server 2008, Windows 7, and Windows Server 2008 R2
http://support.microsoft.com/?id=981889

Applies to:

Windows Server 2008 Service Pack 2
Windows Server 2008 SP2
W2K8 Service Pack 2
W2K8 SP2
Windows Server 2008 (R1) Service Pack 2
Windows Server 2008 (R1) SP2
W2K8 (R1) Service Pack 2
W2K8 (R1) SP2

Windows Vista Service Pack 2
Windows Vista SP2

Posted as a TechNet Wiki so that anyone could edit the list.

http://social.technet.microsoft.com/wiki/contents/articles/19862.list-of-iis-7-0-related-hotfixes-post-sp2-for-windows-vista-sp2-and-windows-server-2008-sp2.aspx

Applies to:
Windows Server 2008 R2 Service Pack 1
Windows Server 2008 R2 SP1
W2K8 R2 Service Pack 1
W2K8 R2 SP1
Windows 7 Service Pack 1
Windows 7 SP1
Win7 Service Pack 1
Win7 SP1

Posted as a TechNet Wiki so that anyone could edit the list.

http://social.technet.microsoft.com/wiki/contents/articles/19863.list-of-iis-7-5-related-hotfixes-post-sp1-for-windows-7-sp1-and-windows-server-2008-r2-sp1.aspx

Applies to:

Windows Server 2012 R2
Windows 8.1

Windows Server 2012
Windows 8

Windows Server 2008 R2
Windows 7

Our Microsoft Protocol Engineering Framework team has released the Release to Web(RTW) version of the Message Analyzer.

Make sure to read thru the "Message Analyzer FAQ and Known Issues.docx"

Note:  Before installing, please make sure to put a change control because if you are on Windows 7 and/or Windows Server 2008 R2, you might experience a brief network disconnection just like in Netmon 3.4 installations did.

Download:
Microsoft Message Analyzer
http://www.microsoft.com/en-us/download/details.aspx?id=40308

Official website:
Message Analyzer has Released – A New Beginning
http://blogs.technet.com/b/messageanalyzer/archive/2013/09/25/message-analyzer-has-released-a-new-beginning.aspx

Related:

Netmon 4.0 beta…
http://blogs.technet.com/b/yongrhee/archive/2013/08/16/netmon-4-0-beta.aspx

Installing the Microsoft Message Analyzer Beta 3
http://blogs.technet.com/b/yongrhee/archive/2013/08/16/installing-the-microsoft-message-analyzer-beta-3.aspx

So you want to use Wireshark to read the netsh trace output .etl?
http://blogs.technet.com/b/yongrhee/archive/2013/08/16/so-you-want-to-use-wireshark-to-read-the-netsh-trace-output-etl.aspx

Network tracing (packet sniffing) built-in to Windows Server 2008 R2 and Windows Server 2012.
http://blogs.technet.com/b/yongrhee/archive/2012/12/01/network-tracing-packet-sniffing-built-in-to-windows-server-2008-r2-and-windows-server-2012.aspx

Network tracing (packet sniffing) data to provide when troubleshooting.
http://blogs.technet.com/b/yongrhee/archive/2012/12/20/network-tracing-packet-sniffing-data-to-provide-when-troubleshooting.aspx

Hi all,

Here is another tool for your tool-belt and arsenal to fight problems with applications and services.

It’s available for download at:

Debug Diagnostic Tool v2.0
http://www.microsoft.com/en-us/download/details.aspx?id=40336

Q:  How is this different than Sysinternals ProcDump or Adplus (adplus.exe or adplus.vbs)?
A:  I personally like it because you can run as a service.
So no users have to be logged in to capture the user mode memory dump.

Q:  What type of problems can you resolve?
A:  Memory leaks (heap (a.k.a. private bytes) and virtual allocations (virtual bytes).
Application crashes
Handle leaks

Instead of rebooting the Windows clients or servers on a daily, weekly or monthly basis, you could keep the uptime of your systems longer by finding the culprit of your instabilities.

Q:  Would I install this service as a part of my client or server builds? 
A:  Personally, yes, I would add it to the image.

Q:  Should I run the tool by itself?

A:  I would run a matching perfmon so you could see the trending.

Setting a remote perfmon Windows Server 2012 style...

Note:  The instructions works for the Windows clients too.

Reference:

The official Microsoft DebugDiag website:

DebugDiag 2.0 has been released to web (RTW)
http://blogs.msdn.com/b/debugdiag/archive/2013/10/03/debugdiag-2-0-is-now-rtw.aspx

Applies to:

Windows Server 2012 R2

Windows 8.1

Windows Server 2012

Windows 8

Windows Server 2008 R2

Windows 7

Does not work with:

Windows Server 2008

Windows Vista

Windows Server 2003

Windows XP

I’m happy to announce that our Program Managers, Developers (SDE’s) and Testers (SDET’s) released a new version of the Windows Performance Toolkit.

It adds support for Windows 8.1 and Windows Server 2012 R2.

But also adds new features and fixes that we (PFE and GBS (used to be known as CTS)) requested.

Grab it from:

Windows Assessment and Deployment Kit (Windows ADK) for Windows 8.1

Q:  Would I install this tool as a part of my client or server builds? 
A:  Personally, yes, I would add it to the image.

Q:  Should I run the tool by itself?
A:  I would run a matching perfmon so you could see the trending.

Setting a remote perfmon Windows Server 2012 style...

Note:  The instructions works for the Windows clients too.

Enjoy it.

Yong

For step-by-step instructions, reference the following posts:

WPT: Installing the Windows Performance Toolkit v5.0 (WPRUI, WPR, Xperf)

WPT: WPR/Xperf: Capture high cpu, disk i/o, file, registry, networking, Private bytes, Virtual bytes, Paged Pool/Nonpaged pool and/or application slowness.

XPerf versions

Hello fellow Microsoft IT administrators,

For those searching for the Microsoft Product Support Report (MPSReport) you may notice that the links to the tools are no longer working.

• 818742 Overview of the Microsoft Configuration Capture Utility (MPS_REPORTS)
  
• 823393 Microsoft Product Support Reporting Tool - PFE edition
  
• Two Minute Drill: The New MPS Reports

What’s the reason?  In order to comply with CVAA.

What is?  CVAA (21st Century Communications and Video Accessibility Act) updates federal communications law to increase the access of persons with disabilities to modern communications.

For more information:
http://www.fcc.gov/guides/21st-century-communications-and-video-accessibility-act-2010
Note:  Currently not available due to the U.S. Federal government shutdown.

So, how do I do the same type of work that MPSReports provided to me?

Inside of Microsoft, we have been using a new tool called Microsoft Diagnostic Tool (MSDT).  It’s been shipping as a part of Windows Vista RTM and Windows Server 2008 SP1.  The main module is named MSDT.exe

For example, the MPSReport PFE version, a very similar package is called "CTS Reports Diagnostic".

We have MSDT available to you too.

Where could you grab it?

https://wc.ficp.support.microsoft.com/Dashboards/Main/SelfHelpCase/Create?showReturn=True

My colleague Mike Rosado wrote this great detailed post, I would highly recommend it:

Before opening a case, try FixIt Center Pro and see how it can save you time…

Until the next post,

Yong

The holidays seem to be already starting for 2013.

My colleague Girish Pillai shared that the Visual Studio 2013 Professional upgrade is only $99 for a limited time.

“ limited-time offer through the Microsoft Store for those who purchased Visual Studio Professional 2012 at retail to upgrade to Visual Studio Professional 2013 for only US$99 (pricing varies by region). “

For details:  http://www.microsoft.com/visualstudio/eng/buy

From time to time, when troubleshooting an application hang, using the Windows Debugger (WinDbg), you will run into orphaned critical sections.

In order to proceed with finding out which thread is abandoning the critical section in this process, we will need to use a tool called Application Verifier.

To troubleshoot follow the steps below to set this up:

Download and install Application Verifier:

Launch Application Verifier from the Start menu

Click File->Add Application

Navigate to the binary we need to set up verifier on and select it

Expand the Basics tree on the right

Uncheck everything except Locks

Right-click Locks and select Verifier Stop Options:

For each the Verifier Stop numbers, click on the number first, then ensure the Severity is set to “Error” and the button under “Error Reporting” is set to “Exception”, then click OK.

Note: You will need to re-enter the Verifier Stops menu by right-clicking Locks and clicking Verifier Stop Options for each stop number that is changed, for a total of 16 times.

Click Save

Restart the process and/or computer.

Related:

Application Verifier Locks 0x201 Active Critical Section
http://blogs.msdn.com/b/maartenb/archive/2008/10/16/application-verifier-locks-0x201-active-critical-section.aspx

For details about “Critical Sections”

Windows Internals 6th Edition Part 1 and Part 2.

Download Windows 8.1 Product Guide
http://www.microsoft.com/en-us/download/details.aspx?id=40789

Moving from Windows 8 to Windows 8.1 at Microsoft
http://www.microsoft.com/en-us/download/details.aspx?id=40811

Windows Server 2012 R2 Hyper-V Component Architecture Poster and Hyper-V Mini-Posters
http://www.microsoft.com/en-us/download/details.aspx?id=40732