This has probably been dealt with on numerous occasions - but I have a new
system with Vista Premium installed. I am having incredible issues with
numerous programmes not being compatible with the new Vista. I am fairly
stupid when it comes to computers so bare this in mind if/whne a kind soul
supplies a possible remedy for this.
Compatibility issues are just a fact of life when you "upgrade" your
operating system. Nothing to feel dumb about. The chances are the
older your software and hardware the more problems you'll run into.
Even if you have a relatively new machine does not mean you
automatically avoid the incompatibility issue roadblock.
1. Download the Vista Update Advisor from Microsoft site and run it
while still using XP and correct EVERYTHING it mentions before
trying to install Vista. Even stuff it says may not be a problem.
2. Unlike past versions of Windows where the sage advise was turn
everything on before trying to install so Windows could "see"
your hardware, now you turn everything off first and then reinstall
AFTER you have Vista up and running. That means disconnect things
like scanners, printers, any USB toy. All you need connected is
a keyboard, a mouse or other pointing device and a working DVD
drive and just the hard drive you're installing to. If you can
disable or remove the rest of stuff prior you're way ahead of
the game and greatly reduce the chances of Windows crashing
during the install. The irony is many drivers even XP vintage
will work FINE, but only after Vista is up and running.
3. Do the same for any software the Advisor nags about.
Two common issues revolve around video cards and hard drives. For
video cards the drivers can be so radically different to get a full
blown Aero experience that Windows freaks and has little choice other
then crashing till that issue is resolved. Ditto for SATA drives. If
your drive is SATA and if you can, go to BIOS and "downgrade" it to
IDE mode if that's a option in your BIOS. Should be for most. That
should get your over that common bump. Then it just gets to be a
wating game to wait for better Vista drivers, with your system perhaps
limping along until then, but it should at least let you upgrade 9 out
of 10 times.
