Yeast Starter - dry yeast

Hi

I think it's a setback, that it's no longer possible to make at yeast starter when I use dry yeast and add it to the bottling volume 
I allways make a starter to be sure that the yeast is ok.

See my response and work around for making a starter with dry yeast at http://www.beersmith.com/forum/index.php/topic,19293.msg70253.html#msg70253

To add to the linked post, I have been playing around with the dry yeast starters and find that I have shorter lag times if I rehydrate the yeast prior to pitching it into a starter.

I boil .25 liter+/_ in a 1 liter flask and use the remainder of the required water in a larger flask to make the starter wort. I cool the starter wort to room temperature and then cool the rehydrating water and rehydrate the yeast as per manufacturer's instructions. I then pitch the resulting slurry into the starter wort and spin it up on the stir plate.