Wetware Solutions
free expert computer tips for everyday users

For shared laptops that users borrow mostly for remote access, I usually configure no password for the Administrator login and even set Windows to automatically log in to that user account. Of course, I usually have an image of the base configuration, which makes it easy to restore to our company default settings and apps if users manage to fry the system.

So how do you get Windows XP to automatically log in? Click Start / Run and type the following:
control userpasswords2

In the Users tab of the pop up box, uncheck “Users must enter a user name and password to use this computer.” Then click the Advanced tab and also uncheck “Require users to press Ctrl+Alt+Delete.” Then click the Apply button. You’ll be prompted to select the user and password that you want to use as your default login (for example, Administrator, leaving password fields blank if you haven’t assigned a password for that account). Then click OK to close the box.

That’s it. If you restart the computer, you’ll see it logs in to the default account you’ve set up for your users. That avoids your having to hand out and manage login information for your shared computers.

CAUTION: There is nothing secure about this setup. This is supposed to make it easy for anyone to use this computer, so it assumes that nothing of consequence is stored on its harddrive. Obviously, you should ensure that users avoid saving confidential information on a laptop that has been configured for auto-login. But even a laptop set up with a Windows login and password is vulnerable. Hacks are widely available that allow clearing or resetting Administrator passwords. So make sure you have a no-local-saving policy (best option) or at least encryption software when deploying laptops with minimal or no password protection.

What is up with Microsoft? Lately? WXPNews recently reported a “new” fix for a well-known memory leak in the tablet pc edition of Windows XP. Most tablet pc users know the longer you use it, the slower it gets. Some desktop owners have probably seen similar symptoms with their systems, but this “fix” is only for tablet pc users. Here is my problem with this fix and I’ll share the workaround further below.

On June 6, 2006, Microsoft sent out a “revised” knowledge based article announcing a fix for the memory leak present in Windows XP Tablet PC Edition 2005. I looked all over this new article, and it appears to me that the only update is a new requirement that users first call Microsoft support (at $35.00 per hour) to obtain the fix.

A Google search for “tablet PC memory leak” revealed a number of web links discussing a prior Microsoft article announcing what appears to be the same fix for the memory leak. This article was published July 5, 2005, a year ago. This article is also problematic because it came out right around the time that Microsoft started requiring people to re-validate their systems with the then newly introduced “Windows Genuine Advantage,” another anti-piracy shield by Microsoft which does nothing to stop software piracy and everything to annoy users. As I noted in a blog last week, Windows XP: Genuine Disadvantage, it’s yet another hoop created by Microsoft requiring that we prove we are the rightful owners of the “genuine” product before we get necessary updates and fixes which we’re entitled to anyway given that these updates are meant to patch security holes and other shortcomings in the original operating system.

Microsoft’s position in these knowledge base articles is reprehensible. Basically, Microsoft is prohibiting your access to a fix of their faulty operating system until you take some specific action that should not be required from you:

• Last year, you were instructed to first download and use Windows Genuine Advantage and re-validate your product key before getting the hotfix for the memory leak (an action that obligates you to first lower your Internet security to validate your product key);
• This year, you are directed to first call Microsoft support at $35 per hour so that support personnel can get whatever information they require before sending you the hotfix.

Microsoft continues to prove that greed, not quality, guides its customer support. It continues to present obstacles that are at a minimum ridiculous, and more often costly and time-consuming. I would have to be in absolute dire straights before I’d ever call anyone’s customer support. I can’t think of any reasonable justification for Microsoft to require its customers to call support for a downloadable fix. In the unlikely event there is a logical reason to essentially charge customers for the fix, Microsoft should provide a clear explanation in its knowledge base article.

It’s more likely, however, that Microsoft has lost interest in its tablet pc software line, which had been marketed primarily to businesses. It could be that charging for support (downloadable hotfixes) is merely a way to make more money in an essentially dead tablet pc market.

Well, luckily, some of the research and development guys at Microsoft maintain PR blogs. Last year TabBlogger, a test engineer at Microsoft who works on the tablet pc project, provided this blog with a direct download link to the hotfix for the memory leak. Hopefully, both the blog and link will remain available to tablet pc users who don’t feel like lowering their Internet security or paying customer support for this downloadable fix.

Obviously, I make no guarantees regarding this or any fix provided by Microsoft for its products. Let’s be realistic. Programming isn’t an exact science even in test environments where are the conditions are known and controlled. I do recognize that, despite their best efforts, the developers at Microsoft are faced with way too many variables to provide a completely clean and reliable program out of the box. It would be naive and even perhaps unfair to expect that.

What I don’t like is Microsoft’s continued antagonism of its paying customers by forcing validation and revalidation of its products, its ineffective end-user anti-piracy measures, and its recent brass in requiring people to call support for downloadable fixes. Frankly, if it can get away with charging for that, there isn’t much incentive for Microsoft to release bug-free software, is there?

If the link above for the memory leak hotfix is no longer live by the time you read this, do what I did to find the link in the first place: run an Internet search for “tablet pc memory leak.” You can avoid costly customer-service calls for many issues by running searches for errors and problems you encounter. That’s what I did.

Windows Geniune Advantage (WGA), Microsoft’s latest anti-piracy measure, is causing headaches for Windows XP users who’ve been good about loading the latest security patches for Windows and Internet Explorer (IE). Why? Two reasons:

First: Initial attempts to download and use WGA may give you an erroneous error message stating that valid product keys for your genuine version of Windows XP are invalid.

It’s not surprising that an earlier version of WGA was hacked within 24 hours. Computer technicians everywhere were faced with another change to Windows software requiring they either troubleshoot the problem or find a way to bypass it. Thus, another hack was born. Why does WGA initially report that valid product keys are invalid? Basically, because it’s encountering a problem it doesn’t know how to interpret differently. The problem is:

Secondly: You need to re-enable ActiveX for WGA to run.

ActiveX is a purely Microsoft technology that integrates interactive content on web pages, like Java applets. WGA can’t run without ActiveX. Unfortunately, ActiveX has been exploited by hackers who discovered vulnerabilities in the technology and use them to run their own malicious software on your computer. As a result, one of the Windows updates you ran in the not so distant past turned offActiveX to block this vulnerability.

Ironic, isn’t it? You can’t run Windows Update until you validate your license with WGA, which in turn won’t run until you re-enable ActiveX and lower your browser’s security so you can load new security patches! Good thinking! Microsoft’s support page (in typical “microspeak”) does warn you that you are potentially exposing your system and that you will want to re-enable your browser’s security after you help Microsoft make sure you aren’t stealing Windows:

Important: These steps may increase your security risk. These steps may also make your computer or your network more vulnerable to attack by malicious users or by malicious software such as viruses. We recommend the process that this article describes to enable programs to operate as they are designed to, or to implement specific program capabilities. Before you make these changes, we recommend that you evaluate the risks that are associated with implementing this process in your particular environment. If you choose to implement this process, take any appropriate additional steps to help protect your system. We recommend that you use this process only if you really require this process.

Translation? We designed WGA to run off of ActiveX technology, software components we know will make your computer vulnerable to attacks because we wrote ActiveX (that’s right, we created it) and left a lot of holes in it that could be exploited. Basically, you’ll need to re-enable ActiveX and make your system vulnerable so that WGA will work the way we designed it to work. Then and only then can you get the latest Windows updates to make your system run, um, “safer.” But first we recommend that you decide for yourself that you really need to run WGA, so that you can’t come back and sue us if you’re computer is attacked by a virus while you’re running WGA to validate your license which we also made you validate when you bought your computer, which of course came with Windows because we own 99% of the market (tee hee). But anyway, we like to see you jump through hoops and make you repeatedly prove you own it because Microsoft is “antitrust.” Oh, and when you’re done, don’t forget to make your system, um, “safe” again by turning on whatever you use to block ActiveX or load our cool WGA ActiveX control, which is basically just a toggle that turns ActiveX on and off whenever we feel like exposing your system to more security risks so you can load more security patches that will work until someone figures out they don’t.

The earlier version of WGA was compromised, and I expect that the current version will be, too, if it hasn’t been already. As usual, tech savvy people get around measures designed to protect copyright, and less tech savvy people are left pulling out their hair trying to figure out ways to undo what Windows does for programs to “operate as they are designed to.” Microsoft continues to prove it needs better designers. They can’t seem to get away from ActiveX although other programs do just fine without it. (Mozilla Firefox doesn’t use ActiveX to enable web page interactivity. That doesn’t mean it’s 100% safe, but I’ve never had to lower security to patch Firefox.)

Microsoft needs to get rid of WGA. It’s completely ridiculous to have to lower security to run patches designed to heighten security; and in this case Microsoft wants you to do that entirely for their benefit, not yours. Microsoft argues software piracy is costly for everyone and so anti-piracy measures help you. That may or may not be true, but it’s not the point. WGA is simply a bad anti-piracy measure. Both genuine and counterfeit versions of Windows will still run without the updates, which means:

• Users who know they have a counterfeit version won’t validate, won’t run the updates and will still enjoy the use of Windows;
• Users with a counterfeit version they unknowingly purchased through a disreputable OEM vendor, online auction or software pirate will simply think Windows is broken, will forego further updates, forever curse Microsoft, and possibly purchase a Mac. At any rate, very few will ever realize they have a counterfeit version and are unlikely to add to Microsoft’s bloated profit margin; and
• Licensed users with the genuine product and valid product keys will continue to have to prove ownership if they want to run needed updates and will have to expend more time and money troubleshooting what Microsoft does to protect its own interests, will forever curse Microsoft, and eventually purchase a Mac.

Anti-piracy measures have to be applied at the source, not with end-users. Microsoft may achieve better results through more controlled production of its software products at the assembly line. However, the company has been greedy. When you rush to market with a product you want to make as widely available as possible, you take shortcuts. Now Microsoft is backpedaling in an attempt to recoup its perceived losses. It’s being shortsighted and selfish and may well lose money in the process. By implementing WGA and other end-user anti-piracy measures, Microsoft does little to affect software piracy — and increasingly antagonizes its paying customers.

Imagine driving down the street in your car and being pulled over every other block so you can show your car title. “Yes, I own it. Yes, I own it. Yes, I own it.” Microsoft rolls out updates on the second Tuesday of each month as needed. So, pretty much every second Tuesday of every month you have to lower your Internet security just so you can say, “yes, I own it.”