*HP HDX DRAGON Owners Lounge, Part 1*

and alas it does. now i am 1st and 2nd post on page 826...the same page 826 that appeared as a link on page 825, but redirected to 825 when clicked. maybe i'm the only one that caught that?

 

Thanks kindheart & RemyL75 !

I have 2 systems partition :
- the first (7 Pro) without video driver -> BUG
- the second (7 Pro) with nvidia driver (186.81) -> NO BUG

Perfect !

PS : my config. : HP QuickTouch v.1.00D & HP Quick Lauch Buttons v.6.50.5.1

 

Thank you, Sir!

Just ordered one in UK, where it arrives to from Hong Kong.



I just love my HDX. There's nо Computer, but HDX the Dragon!!!

 

DV7t - No I thought i was just sleepy and that I was clicking on something wrong. But it looks like your posts fixed it.

P6R4N0 - If you are up to it, there is a guide on page 680 of this forum. It tells you what to install step-by-step and even gives the sp numbers for each driver. If the video driver or downgrading the QuickTouch software doesn't fix the issue, then you may have to reinstall Win 7. If it comes to that, follow that guide. I have used it and I can say that it def works. Good Luck.

 

Thanks and glad your problem is now resolved at last (NVIDIA . Stick with your current QuickTouch 1.00D; it is newer than 1.00C. HP do not always post everything on their support/drivers download pages.

 

Thx guys

 

Sealed plastic retail packaging. You know,the type that you cannot open without the jaws of life??

Yes, as I had speculated in a previous post...I thought that, considering the Dragon has been discontinued for a while, that the battery stock would be old.

Well, it's not that every battery that is left in a dead condition will be damaged. It's just not good for one to fall to complete zero. Whether or not this battery was at complete zero is unknown. It could have had a charge, but not enough to fire up the Dragon.

I'm not really sweating it. It has a warranty. If it turns out to not hold a charge well, then I'll ask for a replacement. But, I'm sure it's fine.

It's not a theory. Like I said though, it's not that draining a battery to zero will ruin your battery for life. It analogous to eating at McDonalds. Once in a while is OK, but too often will kill you. Same for letting your battery die out. Again, not sweating it.

 

thanks again lan.

jaws of life...LOL, i think I know what you mean.

so how long does it hold now when on battery?

 

Hi,

im on my way to optimize my dragon and want to collect the best drivers. I allways want the possible best i can get and my HDX is my Porsche (i handle it like a raw egg).

So here is what i use and what is not working.

XP 32-bit:

Intel Chipset Software Installation Utility - Win2000, WinXP, Vista, Win7 32-bit and 64-bit - v9.1.1.1019 ( www.intel.com)
Intel Matrix Storage Manager - WinXP, Vista, Win7 32-bit and 64-bit - v8.9.0.1023 ( www.intel.com)
NVIDIA GeForce - WinXP 32-bit - 186.81 ( www.nvidia.com)
Marvell 88E8055 LAN - Win2000, WinXP, Vista, Win7 32-bit and 64-bit Multi-Language Installer for Yukon Devices - v11.22.4.3 ( www.marvell.com)
Intel PRO-Wireless 4965AGN Drivers Only - WinXP 32-bit - v13.0.0.107 ( www.intel.com)
Synaptics TouchPad Driver - WinXP, Vista, Win7 32-bit - v14.0.3 ( www.synaptics.com)
Ricoh R5C833 Card Reader Driver - XP v1.01.10 A (SP33604) ( www.hp.com)
AuthenTek AES2501 Finger Printer Driver - WinXP 32-bit and 64-bit - v7.9.0.4 A (SP38953) ( www.hp.com)
ITE 8305 CIR Remote Driver - Vista 32-bit and 64-bit - v5.0.4.2 A (SP37925) ( www.hp.com)
HP Quick Launch Buttons - WinXP 32-bit, Vista 32-bit and 64-bit - 6.50.2.3 (SP43944) ( www.hp.com)
AVerMedia A301, A312 TV Tuner Card Driver - Vista 32-bit - v1.3.0.66_wEncoder_1.1.0.26_logo
IDT STAC9271 Audio Driver - (Windows update)
Silicon Image - Storage - Silicon Image SiI 3531 - (Windows update)

1. No bass/treble adjustments in sounds configuration
2. Eject not working
3. Remote no function

In Everest i have the unknown devices:
Keyboard Filter
3 times ACPI\PNP0C32 Direct Application Launch Button

---------------------------------------------------------

Windows 7 64-bit:

Intel Chipset Software Installation Utility - Win2000, WinXP, Vista, Win7 32-bit and 64-bit - v9.1.1.1019 ( www.intel.com)
Intel Matrix Storage Manager - WinXP, Vista, Win7 32-bit and 64-bit - v8.9.0.1023 ( www.intel.com)
NVIDIA GeForce - Win7 64-bit - 186.81 ( www.nvidia.com)
Marvell 88E8055 LAN - Win2000, WinXP, Vista, Win7 32-bit and 64-bit Multi-Language Installer for Yukon Devices - v11.22.4.3 ( www.marvell.com)
Intel PRO-Wireless 4965AGN Drivers Only - Win7 64-bit - 13.0.0.107 ( www.intel.com)
Synaptics TouchPad Driver - WinXP, Vista, Win7 64-bit - v14.0.3 ( www.synaptics.com)
IDT STAC9271 Audio Driver - Vista 32-bit and 64-bit - v6.10.5607.0 B (SP40438) ( www.hp.com)
HP QuickTouch Software - Vista 32-bit and 64-bit - v1.00 C3 (SP37799) ( www.hp.com)
HP Quick Launch Buttons - WinXP 32-bit, Vista 32-bit and 64-bit - 6.50.2.3 (SP43944) ( www.hp.com)
AVerMedia A301, A312 TV Tuner Card Driver - Vista 32-bit and 64-bit - v1.7.0.89_1.0.0.61 (SP38987) ( www.hp.com)
ITE 8305 CIR Remote Driver - Vista 32-bit and 64-bit - v5.0.4.2 A (SP37925)
Ricoh R5C833 ORI Card Reader Driver - Vista 32-bit and 64-bit - v3.51.01 A (SP36423) ( www.hp.com)
Silicon Image - Storage - Silicon Image SiI 3531 - (Windows update)

1. bass/treble buttons don't work if i kill HPKBDAPP.exe (On Screen Display)
2. Eject not working

In Everest i have the unknown device:
Keyboard Filter

Do i need the "QLBCTRL.exe" autostart? What is it good for?

---------------------------------------------------------

By the way. My dream is a upgrade motherboard from HP for the HDX that we can use new QuadCore's and the fastes grapics card

 

I have Windows 7 Pro installed and cannot get the "Quick" stuff working properly. I tried installing the drivers from;

HP Quick play and touch 64bit from;
http://h10025.www1.hp.com/ewfrf/wc/softwareList?os=2100&lc=en&dlc=en&cc=us&lang=en&product=3763147

Quick launch;
ftp://ftp.hp.com/pub/softpaq/sp38001-38500/sp38171.exe

Although i have the Volume working I did uninstall the software from Add/remove programs as the OSD was causing problems, its still changing the volume level with no OSD though now.....thats fine with me.
The main things i want working are the eject button and the Fn+x key (eg to change brightness), my wifi on/off works ok.

Can you find out the treble and bass settings from within Windows or can it only be altered from the quicktouch keys?
In general should the drivers above be unzipped to SWsetup and then do you change the setup.exe file only to run in VistaSP1 compatibility mode before you run it? I didnt do this if thats the case.

 

@DuX, i unzipped all SP-Packs. Some drivers i had to run in Vista SP2 compatibility mode. For QuickTouch v1.00 C3 (SP37799) installation i used the 64 folder and not the install.bat.

Quick Launch Buttons v6.40 B (SP38171) told me that there where a known incompatibility. So i used Quick Launch Buttons 6.50.2.3 (SP43944).

I don't use Quick play. The AVerMedia A301 TV Tuner Card works without problems in Windows Media Center.

You find the treble and bass settings in Sounds > speaker properties.

What i forgot to ask is what AuthenTek AES2501 Finger Printer Drivers other here use. The W7 RC had a driver in the windows update that never worked with DigitalPersona. The RTM update has no driver...

 

Thanks Paradise.
Do you just pick the .exe to run in Vista SP2 mode?

For QuickTouch v1.00 C3 (SP37799) installation i used the 64 folder and not the install.bat.
64 folder?

For Quick Launch how do you find those SP43944 drivers on HP.com?
I can only fnd them at this link non-HP site, i take it they are all the same:-
http://drivers.softpedia.com/get/KE...P-Quick-Launch-Buttons-Utility-6-50-2-3.shtml


All in all I havent loaded any different drivers to what W7 has found and used (i dont have the fingerprint reader installed as i dont use it anyway).

 

ftp://ftp.hp.com/pub/softpaq/

 

Sorry don't know where i got the SP43944 from. There are also Quick Launch driveres for W7 for the HDX-16. Don't know if Quick Launch is allways the same. I mean does a newer Quick Launch for another HDX also work for older ones? This driver think is really confusing at HP. They bring out new ones, but don't update them on all models...

If you unzip SP37799 you have a folder "32" and a folder "64" in there.

Yes i use the exe for Vista SP2 mode. But not allways. Windows complains if something went wrong and also ask if you will install with suggested settings. But i don't do that cause then i don't know if Windows is using XP, Vista or what ever compatibility mode. So i cancel that i change the exe to Vista SP2.

I also can't remember if i installed the "IDT STAC9271 Audio Driver v6.10.5607.0 B (SP40438)" via setup or in the device manager. If you use the Audio driver from Windows update, you have no bass/treble.

Which driver exactly is for the eject button? Quick Launch or Quick Touch?

 

You must have Quickplay software installed in order for the quick eject button to work.

 

I think if we feed the HDX raw eggs we might be able to get a new motherboard in it for the latest GPU to work Seriously though, XP CAN work in the HDX, I did it, but no bass makes it eh, unless you won't use it for videos and music and such or have an external speaker system. But dual boot is so so on the HDX because of the way it relates to the BIOS, 2.0 helped me make it work, but when you compare the experience to when you have bass it's pretty flat. Many times I'd have to reboot several times because it had a problem (such as when you have something plugged into the USB port that it doesn't like on reboot), this is when I had XP 32 bit and Vista 64 bit dual boot..then did a triple boot. I'm thinking when I get 2x 1TB hard drives I may go back to it, but this time a Vista 64 bit Ultimate and Windows 7 64 bit ultimate. If you're in the market for external speakers these are supposed to be one of the best: http://reviews.cnet.com/separate-sp...le-av/4505-7869_7-32381162.html?tag=mncol;lst. If I go back to XP I may likely use them myself.

2.0 you mentioned the matrox problem. Is there a way to fix it, everything is SO slow on my HDX now, and I guess it's because service pack 2 doesn't play nicely with the recovery DVD service pack 1, or because I did the windows update for the matrox..I don't know why it's being like this. Any suggestions appreciated. Thanks.

 

Fully charged and running, it was estimating 2 hours and 15 minutes.

Oddly, when on battery, I cannot get the HDX to run at full speed all the time. With RMClock running and my profiles set accordingly (Maximal performance with the highest multiplier chosen), the HDX idles between 800Mhz and 1200Mhz. On the occassion of the CPU being pushed, it will clock up to 2.8Ghz (X9000 CPU).

If I plug in the AC adapter, my speeds go straight to 2.8Ghz and stay there (which is where I like it!).

Anyone have any clue how to make the HDX run at full speed all the time in Windows 7?

 

..........

 

I never had problems with dual booting XP and Vista and now no problems with XP and W7. Just install XP first on the first partition and Vista/W7 will install his bootmanager. XP works without problems with the drivers i use.
And:
1. No bass/treble adjustments in sounds configuration
2. Eject not working
3. Remote no function
are not really problems. Would just be nice if they would work. I just use XP for old games and i think real multimedia and game freaks have a dolby digital home theatre.

Ok, i installed QuickPlay v3.7.6310 (SP43325) in W7 and eject is still not working. The funny thing is that QuickPlay is telling me there is a update. But it brings me to the 3.7 v.6112 page.

In Vista the eject allways stopt working after the installation of VMware Workstation 6.x . This time i installed VMware first and it is version 7. So i don't know if it would work without VMware. It is stupid that we need a whole muldimedia software for a button like eject. Would be cool if we had a driver programmer who can make us W7 drivers.

Somebody got the eject working in W7?

Edit:

Just saw 2.0's post about the W7 drivers on page 823.
So i have now Quick Launch Buttons v6.50.7.1 (SP45889) in use. Eject is still not working. The other funny thing is that HPKBDAPP.exe (QuickTouch) is not longer in autostart. I deinstalled the old QLB first. Without HPKBDAPP.exe startet bass/treble is not working.

Also after installing QuickPlay i have QPService in the tasks. Do i need it, what is it good for?

I can remember that in W7 RC there was allready something for loging on to Windows via finger print in the control panel. Now in the RTM there is nothing. Do i really need Digital Persona for just loging on?

And what is the difference between "HP Wireless Assistant" and "HP Integrated Module with Bluetooth Wireless Technology"?

 

( FYI, I can't quote you when you edit my quotes in red...it just comes up blank!!)

I have not had a chance to let it run the whole time on battery, so I cannot give you a real life time on the battery. As soon as I can, I will. I would think that the system needs to run the battery down and recharge it before it can give a good estimate of battery runtime anyways.

Regarding the performance issue on battery, I almost always am running on AC, which works as expected. It would be interesting to hear from others about their clock speeds when running on battery.

 

SP43944 (QuickLaunch) isnt on the FTP site.

 

this is the latest QuickLaunch 6.50.7.1:
ftp://ftp.hp.com/pub/softpaq/sp45501-46000/sp45889.exe

 

Ok, the sp45355 is for the AuthenTec AES1610 Fingerprinter and the HDX has a AES2501. It is listed in the device manager but no biometric devices in the control panel. If i search under Windows Help and Support for "biometric devices" and clicked on "Can I use a fingerprint reader with Windows?" there is a link to launch the missing Biometric Devices control panel. There it says "Windows did not find any biometric devices on this computer."

 

Is there some way to check if my comp has sata interface, or do all the dragons?

 

"HP Integrated Module with Bluetooth Wireless Technology" is the Bluetooth modeule that's built into the Dragon. Lets you wirelessly connects with phones, printers, use Bluetooth headphones for audio playback (and pause/play/FW/RW functions if the headphones support it).

The HP Wireless Manager is software that you can install that lets you turn your Wifi and your Bluetooth on/off.

 

All Dragons should have SATA interface for thier HDDs. But if you just want to see for yourself, turn it off and flip it over. Then look for the removable plate with 6 screws in it. That's the plate for the HDDs. Remove it and see for yourself.

 

Ok, if the "HP Integrated Module with Bluetooth Wireless Technology" is the Bluetooth driver, whey then do i not have a unknown Bluetooth device in the device manager? By the way, where is the Bluetooth device in the device manager - can't find it.

If i try to install "HP Integrated Module with Bluetooth Wireless Technology" (SP44774) it tells me it can't find a Bluetooth device. I know my HDX got Bluetooth...

 

Ok, is your wifi on?? I ask this because even without the Wireless Assistant, the Bluetooth is somehow tied to the wifi (HP's infinite wisdom at work). When i did a reinstall on my Dragon, I turned the wifi off (so it wouldn't install any driver updates, as some of those don't work right.). When i went to install the Bluetooth driver (sp38167), it told me there was no Bluetooth device found and that i should plug it in. So after a few restarts and retrys I gave up and continued installing everything else. When I was done I turned on the wifi so it could get the one driver I trust it to get for me (Sil 3531 SATA controller). Soon as I did that, the Bluetooth installed itself and it showed up in Device Manager under it's own catagory (Bluetooth Radios).

So check to see if your wireless is on when you install it. Also, try to get sp38167.

May i ask which Dragon you have?? The HDX9494nr (Nvidia video) or the HDX9010nr (ATI Video)??

 

I installed this and QuickPlay 3.7 and QuickTouch 1.00 C3 but my BD-ROM EJECT BUTTON still doesn't work in Win7 x64??? Any ideas? I'm running out.

 

ok let me know. i got my batteries in today. you're right they're in those jaws of life packages.

same thing...no date stickers...and i opened both, and guess what...the power light on the dragon just blinks...so batteries didn't have enough charge.

i'm charging/discharging one of them and will report in a day or so, when i have a chance as far as actual battery time on high performance. can you tell me how do i check like you did the clock or whatever (since you wanted to know about others' performance on batt. vs. plugged in?

 

I will be needed some more storage soon...I don't want to spend too much, but 1TB would be good to have and the price points seem good. I know about ssd and how they are better, but not quite ready yet...so...can someone recommend an excellent performing hard drive in 1TB flavor?

It can be with or without an enclosure, and if without, can someone recommend a good enclosure that will not break the bank. I really need it for archiving, so I guess reliability/longevity will be more important.

I know people like you lancorp and 2.0 would have some good recommendations, so I await your response. links are welcome, as are discounts/coupon codes

thanks a lot.

 

Ok, Newegg has a few 1TB drives for 80-85 bucks with free shipping. Since you are mainly doing archiving you aren't really looking for speed, so spending more than 90-100 bucks isn't necessary...

Seagate Barracuda 1TB

Western Digital Caviar Green 1TB

Samsung Spinpoint F1 1TB

As for the enclosure, there is only one I can recommend, as I have used this one to assemble an External 1.5TB. It works great. Nearly 1 year and still rock solid.

Rosewill RX-358-S BLK

It's a lil pricey, but it has USB & eSATA, and a built-in fan with an on/off switch.

Oh and if you are thinking about getting an internal 1TB, that's a tricky one lol. They do make one, but only one company makes it, so there is no options but the one company (Western Digital). And it's a bit thicker than your standard Internal Laptop HDD. I hope this helps.

 

nice. i really appreciate it. that enclosure looks wild. i think i will get it. as far as drive, yes external is what i'm looking for for archiving. i wouldn't mind 1.5 tb, if the differential isn't that much more, or if it doesn't have problems, but reliability and long life are number one.

of the ones you recommended, which would you pick in order?

 

Western Digital, Seagate and finally Samsung. I have drives from all 3 companies and I haven't had any complaints.

The 1.5TB drives start at 109.99. That's not much more than the 1TB. Each company I named has a 1.5TB drive and they are all the same price and have free shipping from Newegg.

 

thanks, i heard there are issues with 1.5 tb drives for some reason or no?

if you can link me to your recommended for 1.5tb that'd be great.

another question...if i wanted to mirror, could i do that with external drives? does it require an expensive enclosure?

1 1.5tb drive would be enough, I just want peace of mind, and not sure if i should put all my eggs in one basket so to speak. i could always just copy twice, once to 1 drive and then to the other.

oh...lastly, are there any promos or coupon codes for newegg?

 

Install as an in-place upgrade over a cleaned, tweaked HP-factory Vista image and you'll be OK. What works under Vista will continue to work under Windows 7 if you do it this way, including Eject button and QuickTouch tone controls/OSD. QuickPlay 3.7 is not compatible with Windows 7; you can buy PowerDVD 9 and with a small tweak let the left-most blue touch buttons launch it and/or Windows Media Center instead of QuickPlay--see my past posts on this.

 

Ok, here is the one I used, had it almost a year, and it is still going strong. Haven't had a single issue...

SAMSUNG EcoGreen F2 HD154UI 1.5TB

I do not know if you can mirror with eSATA or USB on the Dragon. 2.0 I believe mentioned it in a post about 20-30 pages back.

Coupon codes, I usually look here. Normally I get codes from Newegg in my email, but this site has a few that I don't get.

 

Actually once I rebooted everything now works... and what do you mean Quickplay 3.7 isn't compatible with Win7? Seems to be working for me...btw this is all on a clean formatted win7 install.

 

WINDOWS 7: CLEAN INSTALL V. IN PLACE UPGRADE.

Pros & Cons...

http://blog.tune-up.com/windows-os/windows-7-performance-check-upgrade-install-vs-clean-install/

 

Matrox? You have one of those? It's an external multi-monitor graphics solution.

I'm not sure what you mean here.

(But when you transition to Win7, you're going to be one happy camper.)

 

Yes, the Hard drive interface is SATA. So any 9.5mm HDD/SSD will work. Externally, there's an eSATA port also.

 

REMY has the handle on it as far as the capacity you are looking to use. The only external drive I use in the desktop harddrive size is the one attached to my DVR.

I use external eSATA/USB enclosures that fit notebook harddrives. I bought them last year when I bought (4) 320GB 7200 RPM seagates so my 160GB 7200 Fujitsus that came with the HDX wouldn't go to waste.

My current configuration is 120GB Vertex SSD & 320GB 7200 RPM seagate internal - 320GB Seagate eSATA external. 160GB Fujis I use in USB mode for archival and redundancy purposes.

The enclosures are ROCKETFISH RF-AHD25. You can find them cheap on Ebay for ~$10 each. Search ebay using term "rocketfish ahd25". Great enclosures. And best of all, their light and portable.

I don't recall your config, but if you haven't already, you might want to think about upgrading your internal drives to 1 or 2, 500 GB 7200 rpms and using what you had in there in external notebook harddrive size enclosures.

Either way you go, be it desktop harddrive size enclosure or notebook HDD size, you'll be happy with the recommendations.

 

Doesn't play Blu-rays under Windows 7 and I have contacted CyberLink who said they know about this (confirmed) and they don't plan a Win7 version. They suggested one should BUY their PowerDVD 9, which works perfectly well under Windows 7.

 

As I said in my previous post, you should start with a properly tuned/tweaked Vista installation that is working in perfect order. If you do so, you end up with a perfect Windows 7 in place upgrade that boots as fast as a clean Win7 install to which you have later added your own applications, etc. (and significantly faster than the well-looked-after Vista image you started with).

Your article refers to a messed up/untidy Vista installation that has been upgraded; the rule is 'rubbish in rubbish out'. Don't expect miracles you haven't worked for.

 

An indispensable tune-up utility for Windows (Vista/7):
http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/sysinternals/bb963902.aspx

 

Right, I posted it for the benefit people considering clean versus upgrade.

And since "tuned/tweaked - rubbish in/rubbish out" is subjective, as in what actually defines it and how to acheive it, it's best to arm folks with objective info.

I did a win7 upgrade from vista (tuned/tweaked to my standards - which are pretty high considering I run a tight ship on my comps) because I was lazy after having just installed 3 copies clean of win7 on other computers. Wasn't quite up to snuff. iTunes wasn't working properly. Firefox had a few issues. Boot time was about 1:30. A few other annoying niggles.

Then when I had time, I did a clean install. Very noticeable gains all around. And all the niggles were gone.

Funny thing is, this is what the grand majority of folks who have done both report.

And it's been this way for every WinOS upgrade.

 

Well, migration plans are objective and big enterprises migrate/upgrade rather than deploy anew (fresh install). The latter is simply not possible given the complexity of our production environments. So that's it regarding mission critical settings, and that's what I call objective given my own experience. The requirements of an average solo user are much less by comparison. My statements in above posts are also based on, and informed by, Microsoft's own advice (planning an upgrade; preparing Vista for in-place upgrade; etc.)

A Vista on Vista in-place refresh "upgrade" used to reset or break many working things/require them to be re-installed. Microsoft spent lots of time and resources to optimize their upgrade routines and now Vista -> Windows 7 upgrades (and Windows 7 on Windows 7 in-place refresh, if ever needed) are much more predictable, reliable and above all conservative (Microsoft at last learned that working bits should not be touched/messed up with).

 

That's not exactly true either. It's subjective. Some enterprise IT departments choose to upgrade, some choose to go clean/fresh migrating data over. Depends on a number of factors as to why they do. But the majority of IT folks would rather go clean/fresh than upgrade. Those running XP can only go claen/fresh install anyway. And most are running XP.

There is no objective assessment as to what constitutes "tuned/tweaked." It all depends on one's set up, software, maintenance, etc.

Yet some things still require reinstall to get them working properly after upgrading from Vista to Win7.

It's a fact, clean is... cleanest. No point in arguing that. There's a mountain of evidence both empirical and anecdotal that supports it.

Now, that's not to say that the upgrade path is bad. But since most don't maintain their comps to peak (whatever that really means anyway), best advice is to do a clean install.

... that is if they don't mind reinstalling all their programs and transferring data files (music/pics/books/movies/bookmarks/settings/etc.) over.

 

thanks. now you got me thinking about being portable in fact. i figured that the price per GB was better for 3.5" drives. 2.0, do you think that the enclosure you stated would take a 750gb or a 1tb 2.5" drive, both dimension wise and ability for the chipset to handle it?

i kind would like if it would be portable, that is without a bulky ac adaptor to have to plug in. but for the money in the 2.5" maybe the 500gb or the 640gb?

 

clean/"unclean"... there is really no magic--you can see all that is clogging your Windows' (and IE browser) arteries using http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/sysinternals/bb963902.aspx and fix them with the same tool if you know what you are doing.
Another rather common source of fixable Windows upgrade trouble are the side-by-side errors of Visual C++ 2005/2008 (w and w/o SP1) runtimes. Problems with these can cause very long boot times. Reinstalling the distributables won't solve the issue unless you do so from an elevated administrator command prompt,* something, I have to agree with you, most average users won't know/might not be able to diagnose and do.

*this is not the same as the elevation that takes place when running the distributable setup .exe the usual way.