Question:

I installed windows vista and cant locate all my files I had before I installed……….programs, music, pictures etc…how can i retrieve them?

Answer:

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If you’re using anything but Windows Vista Ultimate, you’ll probably read about a feature that you wish you had at some point. Frustrating, isn’t it? Well, it’ll cost you a few bucks, but if you’re not running Home Premium or Ultimate, you can follow these steps to upgrade:

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Question:

I installed vista ,now I can’t get the DVDs to play. the auto play is on .cant add any of the printers I lost to this new bull shit vista why?

Answer:

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First, congrats on upgrading to Windows Vista. You’ll have fun with it, and over the long term, the upgrade will make you more productive.

You’re officially an early adopter, though, and whether you’re buying a car in the first model year or installing a newly released operating system, problems are much more likely during the first year of production use. Here are some tips to make your first weeks with Vista as fun and productive as possible:

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If you skipped entering the product key when setting up Windows, or you chose not to immediately activate, Windows will eventually make you activate by showing the dialog above. Go ahead and click Activate Windows online now–even if there’s a problem, you’re not going to get into trouble.

If it doesn’t appear automatically, you can manually activate Windows by following these steps:

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32-bit.

Well, that was an easy choice. Most new processors will support either, and in fairness, there are a few good reasons to install the 64-bit version of Windows Vista. If ALL of the following describe you, you should install the 64-bit Windows Vista.

• I use a limited set of applications, and they are all available in 64-bit.
• The hardware I use is all recent, and I’ve verified that 64-bit drivers are available.
• I need more than 2GB of RAM (maybe for video editing or running multiple virtual machines).
• I’m a geeky blowhard who is willing to waste hours and hours of time to evangelize a wider bus.

Actually, if that last bullet describes you, ignore the previous bullets–you’ll love 64-bit.
In summary, Windows Vista 64-bit is MUCH better than Windows XP 64-bit, but most people will still be happier using the 32-bit version of Windows. Vendors finally seem to be catching up with the drivers, and more applications are available. You’ll still run into some of the following:

• Constant compatibility problems, including Web sites that won’t work properly (think SharePoint, or sites with some ActiveX controls)
• Programs that aren’t available natively in 32-bit
• Games that just won’t run
• Updated drivers (VERY important during the first few months of Vista’s life) will take longer to find because 64-bit Vista requires all drivers to be signed, and the signing process takes time. You can’t turn this off.
• Drivers for unusual hardware (like that webcam you bought three years ago) might not exist at all

Want a second opinion? Read Joe Hancuff’s experience with 64-bit Vista and Chris Lanier’s opinion on 64-bit Media Center.

Businesses often use Software Assurance, a licensing plan from Microsoft, to manage their Microsoft licensing. Unfortunately, Windows Vista Ultimate isn’t available through Software Assurance. Ultimate really isn’t intended for businesses, because it has many features that you can’t manage by using Group Policy (like Media Center). But, Microsoft knows that IT guys don’t want to be told they have to use a limited feature set, so they’re giving Software Assurance customers a way to get Vista Ultimate.

Basically, have your Microsoft Volume Licensing administrator head over to your volume licensing site and order the Vista Ultimate media (you can’t download it).

Detailed instructions are available from Eric Ligman here and here. Eric also provides instructions for downloading Vista Enterprise (if you’re a Software Assurance customer)–the version of Vista that really is intended for business use.

To give business users a chance to check out Windows Vista without installing it, Microsoft is experimenting with the Windows Vista Business Test Drive. You get the chance to play with the Windows Vista user interface within your browser window. It’s not working in Firefox for me, so try it in Internet Explorer

Thanks to Roberdan!

Microsoft funded a study by Principled Technologies to compare the performance of the Windows XP user interface to the Windows Vista Aero interface. Here’s my summary:

• Comparisons were done with a variety of different computers, some more powerful than others. Naturally, the Aero tests required computers capable of running Aero. So, these results don’t necessarily apply to your old XP computer.
• With or without Aero, Vista performs about the same on business tasks (like opening Office documents). Some things are faster, some are slower, but it’s a wash overall.
• Vista with Aero performs about the same as Vista without Aero. So, don’t feel like you need to disable Aero for performance.
• Though all my computers are capable, I can’t run Aero because screenshots look awful. I’m fine with either interface. I’m just saying, even if Aero did cause a performance impact and you wanted to turn it off, the other Vista improvements more than make up for it.

Update: A real tool is available to do this, and it works in 64-bit Vista, so use that instead.

Microsoft is working on a tool to simplify restoring files from backups you made with Windows XP, but it’s not ready yet. In the meantime, plan on scrapping your old backups–as soon as you get Vista running, do a Complete PC backup, and then schedule nightly backups.

If you really need to restore files from a .BKF file, this thread provides guidance. I’ll copy the steps here for reference: Read more »

Just found a new BIOS update for Vista for my Dell Latitude D820 laptop (A05–the second BIOS update for Vista). Usually, when they release a BIOS update for one of their computers, they release them for all their computers. So, if you’ve got a Dell, go see if there’s a BIOS update for you. Maybe it’ll slow down all those hardware problems I’ve been having.

Hint: you can’t just run the updates–you have to right-click them and then click Run As Administrator. If you install other Dell updates (such as Dell’s new audio update for Vista), you’ll need to extract it, then find the Setup file and run it as administrator. Dell’s releasing updates for Vista, so why can’t they make them run properly with UAC enabled?
If you have a different type of computer, check your manufacturer’s website for any updates for Vista. We’ll see pretty frequent driver and BIOS updates for the next six months or so.

I install Vista all the time to test different things, and I never have the product key handy. During Vista setup, just leave it blank:

(more after the jump)

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My Pictures, My Music, My Videos are still there. Microsoft realized that prefacing everything with “My” was annoying, so they removed the prefix.

They also moved the folders to a different place. Instead of being with My Documents (er, just Documents now), they’ve been promoted up one level, to the same level as Documents. Well, all you need to know is that they’re directly on your Start menu.  Just click Start, and then click the folder in the upper-right corner of your Start menu. Except for Videos. For Videos, you’ll need to click Start, click your username, and then double-click Videos in the Explorer window that opens.
If you want to know the physical folder locations, follow the jump… Read more »

I know you’re excited about Vista, but you need to do some housekeeping before you upgrade.

First, don’t upgrade before March of 2007 unless you’re willing to waste some time fooling with bugs and faulty drivers. If you really hate unreliable computers, wait until June. At the current time, Windows Vista still has some significant bugs, and drivers have even more bugs. That doesn’t mean Windows Vista is unreliable–it’s just young. Over time, developers will catch these little problems and fix them. They couldn’t get to every bug during the beta period, so some aren’t fixed until after release. This is especially true for laptops, tablets, and Media Center computers. (advice and instructions after the jump)

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