A 32 and 64 bit version of the IPDT or Intel Processor Diagnostic Tool can be downloaded from here: http://www.intel.com/support/processors/sb/CS-031726.htm
You can also see a video on how to use it here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tpPOqh_Bq78
You can use the diagnostic tool to test the various features of your Intel Processor and perform a stress test to ensure that it is operating in a stable manner.
This issue applies to Windows XP – SP3, Windows Vista – SP2, Windows Server 2008 – SP2, Windows Server 2008 R2 – SP1 and Windows 7 – SP1.
This issue occurs on networks that use IEEE 802.1X authentication where the client computer or server machine is connected or bridged via a NAP-Enabled device such as an IP or VoIP Phone Handset.
The issue will not be resolved for Windows XP because it is now outside the mainstream support cycle. Hotfixes for the other operating systems listed above can be obtain via Microsoft KB 976373 http://support.microsoft.com/kb/976373
When you run a Cable diagnostic using the Intel PROSet Network Adapter Diagnostics you may find that the utility incorrectly reports that your network cable is over 100 Metres and/or that the Cable is faulty/poor.
This issue can occur if you have a network switch that implements “power Saving” or “Green Ethernet” this feature is meant to reduce the power to a network port that is supporting a device with a short network cable run.
This “power saving” or “Green Ethernet” feature can cause the diagnostics to fail and can sometimes contribute to network drops and/or poor network throughput. If you have a managed/smart switch then you can normally login via a browser and “Disable” this feature to correct the issue.
These two issues can occur for two different reasons, a corrupt file in the Windows Prefetch Folder or it could be that the Prefetch Folder is cluttered.
To resolve these issues you need to delete the contents of the C:\Windows\Prefetch folder and then restart your computer.
The Prefetch folder is just a cache of recently used application executables and will be recreated based upon the applications you use most frequently. Over time the folder becomes cluttered with rarely used and prefetched applications hence the launch of applications becomes slower.
You may find following the clear down of the Prefetch folder and reboot that the first time you open each application it is still a little slow, ths is because Windows will automatically re-add the application on its first launch to the prefetch folder. After your first use of the common applications everything should now be much faster and you should find startup times have been reduced.