Fixing problems with Windows Vista Home Basic, Premium, Business and Ultimate Editions

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Windows Update in Vista keeps wanting to install the same update. How can I stop Windows Update from repeatedly offering the same patch?

My Sony Vaio notebook computer keeps on receiving repeated automatic updates for the update called KB 924885: Windows Outlook E-mail Junk Filter. I keep installing it, and have even run Windows Update from Internet Explorer 7 to make sure that the update is installed, but that KB number never appears in the Add or Remove Programs list (with its Show updates option checked). Is there any way to break this highly annoying cycle, because I wouldn't know where to start?

A cycle of that kind can happen after an aborted installation of any security update or patch.

An initial installation usually fails, leaving behind files, etc., that would normally be cleaned up. The leftover files, etc., then prevent Windows Update from completing subsequent installation attempts successfully, leading to an endless cycle of requests for the user to download and install the update.

If you want to prevent a single update from being installed, in Windows XP, first change the Automatic Updates setting by right-clicking with the mouse on My Computer, click Properties on the menu that comes up, and then click on the Automatic Updates tab of the window that comes up. Select the Notify me but don't automatically download and install them option. When Windows notifies you from the System Tray (Notification Area) that updates are waiting, click on the shield icon and choose the Custom option. It lists the updates that can be installed, allowing you to choose not to install any of them. If you remove the check mark beside any of the updates with the mouse, another window called Hide Updates presents itself. It has the option called Don't notify me about these updates again.

In Windows Vista, you change the Windows Update setting. To do that, click the Start button, right-click Computer, under Tasks click on Windows Update. Click on Change settings in the window that comes up, and then choose the option called: Check for updates but let me choose when to download and install them.

Windows service packs & updates for Windows XP and Windows Vista - Scroll down the page for the update links -

You can use the free Belarc Advisor from http://www.belarc.com/ (look under Free Downloads) to check if you have any missing updates. If Microsoft Update doesn't want to install them, install them manually from the above site.

Microsoft's Vista Upgrade Advisor said that my computer can run Windows Vista Ultimate but the upgrade from Windows XP always fails

When I attempt the upgrade using the Upgrade version for Vista Home Premium, I choose to have the process check online for installation updates and then choose the in-place upgrade. However, when the setup gets towards the end, it says: "Completing Upgrade, 65%", and then a blue screen of death comes up , and the computer reboots. A message come up that says that the upgrade was unsuccessful and that the previous version of Windows is being restored.

I have tried disabling the anti-virus program temporarily during the installation, but so far eight attempts at an upgrade have failed.

It looks as if there is a compatibility issue that is preventing the upgrade, even though the Upgrade Advisor gave you a clean bill of health. The latest version of the Upgrade Advisor from http://www.microsoft.com/windows/products/windowsvista/buyorupgrade/upgradeadvisor.mspx should be used, because it contains several additional checks that are not included in the version that comes on the Vista installation DVD. However, even if the computer passes the tests, there could still be a software incompatibility that the Advisor has not checked for.

Note that it is already becoming difficult to find Windows XP device drivers from some new HP/Compaq and Toshiba computers.

Because PC systems that are designed for Vista use components and devices that have reliable Vista device drivers, there is less likelihood that they will suffer from driver-related problems. Unfortunately, that is not the case when a PC system has been designed to use Windows XP or an earlier version of Windows. In many of these cases, there are many driver-related problems that may or may not affect a particular system. Moreover, Vista requires more and superior system resources (RAM memory and a more powerful video card, etc.) than Windows XP.

For that reason, it is not advisable to upgrade any system from Windows XP to Vista by using the in-place upgrade option that builds Vista on top of Windows XP. Incompatibilities are discovered that escape the Upgrade Advisor, and even if the upgrade works, a messy system can be produced that doesn't run as fast as a clean upgrade. A better option is to use the new Windows Easy Transfer utility to save all the existing settings to a CD or DVD, the perform a clean installation of Vista.

Click here! to go to the page devoted to Windows Easy Transfer on Microsoft's site.

How to use Windows Easy Transfer Companion to transfer programs from Windows XP with Service Pack 2 to Windows Vista -

You can find more information on it by entering "windows easy transfer" (including the quotation marks) in the Google search box provided at the top of this page (with its Web radio button enabled).

Although the Upgrade versions of Vista come on bootable DVDs, they will not accept the Product Key unless they are started from a previous version of Windows, so, if you have a Windows XP installation CD, you could also perform a clean installation of it and upgrade that to Vista. In that way there would be fewer potential incompatibilities because no software would be installed.

Upgrade installation keys are blocked when you start from the Windows Vista DVD -

"You purchased an upgrade license and key for Windows Vista. When you start from the DVD and then try to install Windows Vista by using this upgrade key, you will be blocked from continuing. This problem occurs because Windows Vista does not check upgrade compliance. Therefore, you cannot use an upgrade key to perform a clean installation of Windows Vista. To resolve this problem, use one of the following methods. Method 1 - Start the installation from a compliant version of Windows, such as Windows Vista, Microsoft Windows XP, or Microsoft Windows 2000. After you have started the installation, you can select Custom at the installation choice screen to perform a clean installation. Method 2 Purchase a Full Product License. This license will let the installation continue after you start from the Windows Vista DVD." -

http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx/kb/930985/en-us

However, there is a workaround that can be used to perform a clean installation of Vista using the Upgrade version. The following article tells you how to do it.

How to Clean Install Windows Vista with Upgrade Media - http://www.winsupersite.com/showcase/winvista_upgrade_clean.asp

Vista is more demanding on its hardware than Windows XP, so a failing hard disk drive or poor-quality RAM memory might only become apparent after an upgrade to Vista is attempted. Device-driver issues most commonly occur with hard disk drives set up to use RAID. RAID uses two or more hard disk drives, so it cannot be used if the system only has a single hard disk drive, which most PCs have. You may have to press the F6 key during the setup and then supply the correct driver. Note that Vista allows the driver to be supplied on a CD or USB flash drive, not just on a floppy disk, as Windows XP does. Incompatible software could also be a virus or spyware that you are not aware is in the system.

Because they are designed to prevent changes to critical Windows system files, it is highly advisable, if you are going to perform an in-place upgrade, that you uninstall any anti-virus or anti-spyware software by using Add or Remove Programs in the Control Panel, or the program's own uninstall option. You should reinstall them after a successful upgrade.

If Windows XP is set to restart automatically after errors, which is the default setting, Vista will do the same. Because it passes by too quickly, this makes it difficult to be able to read what the blue-screen error message says. To prevent that, restart the system, right-click on My Computer, choose Properties, click on the Advanced tab, and click the Settings button under Startup and Recovery. Use the mouse to remove the checkmark in the box beside Automatically restart.

Often the Blue Screen of Death's (BSOD) message can provide information about which device driver is the cause of the error. However, in other cases it can be difficult to determine whether the error is hardware-related or driver-related.

You have not provided the make/model of the PC's motherboard. Note that Vista is known to have many problems with nVidia motherboard chipsets that prevent an upgrade installation of Vista. However, clean installations of Vista usually work with those chipsets.

A list of Windows Vista upgrade error messages in the MS Knowledge Base

A list of Microsoft Knowledge Base articles is available to help troubleshoot error messages that you may receive when you try to upgrade to Windows Vista - This article contains a list of Microsoft Knowledge Base articles that you can use to help troubleshoot issues that you may experience when you try to upgrade the current version of Windows to Windows Vista. - http://support.microsoft.com/kb/930743

How to download updates and drivers from the Windows Update Catalog

"Learn how to download updates, enhancements, and Windows Hardware Quality Lab (WHQL) logo device drivers from the Windows Update Catalog. You can search the Windows Update Catalog to find updates (such as updated system files, service packs, new Windows features, and device drivers) to download and to install across your home or corporate network on Microsoft Windows-based computers that are running Microsoft Windows 98, Microsoft Windows Millennium Edition, Microsoft Windows 2000, Microsoft Windows XP, or Microsoft Windows Server 2003..." -

The Electronic Programme Guide (EPG) in Windows Vista Home Premium won't work no matter what I do

I cannot get the Media Center Electronic Programme Guide (EPG) to work in Windows Vista Home Premium. The setup works with UK as the country, Brentwood, Freeview as the location and TV type, and my correct post code. The PC's Terratec dual TV tuner card is found and both the analog and digital receivers are recognised and selected. However, when I try to download the EPG, the status bar moves to about 10% and stops. A message comes up saying: "Guide download error: the guide could not be downloaded for the following reason: Guide Server error (error 21). Details: File Validation Error - Mismatched Guide Package. Code 21". If I try again, the same error message comes up, but if I continue, all of the TV channels are scanned for and found and all of the programmes can be viewed. I have tried all of the fixes that I could find on the web without success. Numerous fixes are suggested for problems with the Windows XP Media Center Edition, so it looks as if at least some of them have been carried over to the editions of Vista that have the Media Centre built in.

The Error 21 is common with the Windows XP versions of the Media Center, however, the fixes for XP are not very helpful for Vista users who have a problem with the EPG.

You should make sure that you have installed the update called the October 2007 Cumulative Update for Media Center for Windows Vista, which has the Knowledge Base number KB941229, the details of which are here: http://support.microsoft.com/kb/941229. You can find a list of installed updates under Programs and Features in the Control Panel, but you can also use the free and handy Belarc Advisor from http://www.belarc.com/ to show a complete list (as well as all of the hardware and software installed on the computer). Look for it under Free Downloads.

This is not a "Critical" update, so Windows Update (in the Control Panel), which can be set to download and install security updates automatically, etc., will not have installed it. You have to visit http://update.microsoft.com/ and select the Custom option and then install it.

If doing that doesn't fix the problem (or any other problems that users might have, try visiting Media Center guide download errors and suggested fixes - http://blogs.msdn.com/astebner/articles/490466.aspx.

The article links to fixes for specific errors. Unfortunately it only has this information on Error 21: "21- File validation error -mismatched logo package. - Try download later." Sometimes this action works. It may not work immediately, but may work later.

The problem could be caused by a corrupted or a missing RSA encryption key that is required to unlock the EPG guide data.

If Vista is installed on the C: drive, use Windows Explorer (right-click Start and then click Explore) to look in the folder C:\Program Data\Microsoft\eHome\EPG\tracehelper for a log file with an .xml extension, which is a text file that lists the most recent events at the top. If Vista is installed on another drive (say D:) look on that drive. If a "decompression error" is mentioned, the problem could be caused by a corrupted or missing RSA encryption key.

Now use Windows Explorer to look in the hidden folder C:\Program Data\Microsoft\Crypto\RSA.

You may have to enable Show hidden files and folders under Control Panel => Folder Options => View => Hidden Files and Folders. If Vista says that you don't have permission to use Folder Options, right-click on its entry and enable Run as administrator. You should then be able to open it.

Have a look in the RSA folder for a hidden folder called MachineKeys. If it exists, right-click on both folders and open Properties in order to check their access rights. Another Microsoft patch can set the RSA folder's access rights to read-only for all users, but MachineKeys must be accessible for all users, so make sure that both folders have their read-only file attribute unchecked.

If there is no MachineKeys folder, create one in the the RSA folder and make sure that it is not a read-only folder. If there is such a folder and changing the permission didn't work, rename the existing folder MachineKeys.old, and then create a new one (right-click within the RSA folder and then select New => Folder and enter MachineKeys in the new folder's box. If the EPG works now, make a note of the names of the files that were created in it and then try copying all except those files from the old folder into the new one. You should not delete the MachineKeys folder because it can be used by other services.

I installed Windows Vista Premium, but some of my software and my printer/scanner/copier no longer work. How can I go back to Windows XP?

After I upgraded my PC to Windows Vista Premium from Windows XP Home in April 2007, I discovered that some of my software and my MFP printer/scanner/copier no longer work. There are currently no Vista drivers for the MFP, so I want to revert to Windows XP until all of the issues with Windows Vista have been resolved. How can I do that?

Look up Compatibility Mode in Vista's Start => Help and Support, because you might be able to use it to run software that worked under Windows XP by using it to make Windows Vista run it as if it is being run by Windows XP.

The following MS Knowledge Base Articles provide you with the information required to go back to Windows XP:

How to go back to Windows XP after you have upgraded a Windows XP-based computer to Windows Vista -

After you upgrade a Microsoft Windows XP-based computer to Windows Vista, you may decide to remove Windows Vista. However, in the Programs and Features item in Control Panel, there is no option to remove Windows Vista. This article describes how to remove Windows Vista by reverting to Windows XP. - http://support.microsoft.com/?kbid=933170&SD=tech

I have encountered software problems after I upgraded a Dell Inspiron to Windows Vista

I have a Dell Inspiron 1501 laptop PC that came with Windows XP Home, an AMD Turion 64 X2 dual-core processor, and 1GB of RAM, which is designated as being Windows Vista Capable. I was given an upgrade copy of Windows Vista Business, so I installed it. Two problems became apparent immdediately: the sound wouldn't work and I couldn't play DVDs. Dell support in India sorted out the sound by providing me with a download link to the correct Vista sound-card driver, but said that as the DVD was working previously, it was a software problem, and, since I hadn't installed a Dell Vista upgrade, I had to pay to speak with software support. I refused that option because the computer has a three-year onsite warranty. How can I fix the DVD problem without having to pay Dell's support to tell me how to go about it?

You have caused the DVD problem yourself by not installing a copy of Windows Vista that was supplied by Dell, therefore Dell's support is correct in not providing you with free support. Microsoft supports retail copies and copies obtained directly from the company.

Your DVD problem has been caused by upgrading the Windows XP installation to Windows Vista instead of installing a clean installation. If you have another empty partition on the hard disk drive, you could probably have kept the Windows XP installation and installed Windows Vista to it. In that case, Windows Vista installs a boot manager that allows you to choose which version of Windows to boot with at startup.

Problems of this sort arise because some of the software programs and drivers that can run on Windows XP are not compatible with Windows Vista and so won't run. You should have uninstalled the programs in Control Panel = > Add or Remove Programs and removed the affected devices in the Device Manager before upgrading to Vista.

You could have made use of the Windows Vista Upgrade Advisor from http://www.microsoft.com/windows/products/.../upgradeadvisor.mspx before you upgraded to Vista. It is also included on the Vista DVD installation DVD. It can let you know which programs need to be updated before installing Vista.

If you visit the Drivers and Downloads section of http://support.dell.com/ and select Windows Vista, you are provided with a list of most of the downloads that you need.

For those of you who are still suffering from the sound problem, there is a note in the Frequently Asked Questions for your model about missing sound after using an upgrade DVD supplied by Microsoft instead of Dell. You have to uninstall the Sigmatel HD program and then install the Vista-compatible version.

The DVD problem was probably caused by the Roxio (aka Sonic) CD/DVD-writing software that came with the computer. It is not compatible with Vista and screws the DVD drive up when used. You should uninstall all Roxio/Sonic applications and download and install the latest Vista-compatible versions from Dell's support site.

You may need to install a firmware update for your DVD drive, the make and model of which should be shown in the Device Manager. You can obtain it either from its manufacturer's site or from Dell's support site - http://support.dell.com/ for that model. Make sure that it is firmware for that specific model of DVD drive.

Vista should have downloaded and installed the latest device drivers, but you can check that this is so by visiting Microsoft Update. You make use of the Custom option.

Going into Hibernate mode in Windows Vista Home Premium crashes my laptop/notebook computer

My Packard Bell Easynote L4014 laptop PC has had its original 256MB of RAM memory upgraded to 1GB. The computer used to go into Hibernate mode correctly in Windows XP, but since I performed a clean installation of Windows Vista Home Premium, it has crashed after seemingly going into hibernation. The settings under Power Options in the Control Panel make the computer go into hibernation when I close the lid or press the power button. Unfortunately, hibernation mode crashes the PC no matter which way it goes into hibernation, including manually from the Start menu. As far as I know, it has enough memory to use Hibernation mode in Vista.

Most hibernation problems, which are either incomplete hibernation or failure to restart after hibernation, are the result of a device driver issue.

The Windows Vista device drivers could have bugs, so check for updated drivers by visiting Microsoft Update - http://update.microsoft.com/. Choose the Custom option and look in the hardware category. You don't need to know which drivers to install, just allow the service to install all of the available updates.

When a PC goes into Hibernate mode, Windows writes all of the contents of the RAM memory into the hibernate file (Hiberfil.sys, a hidden system file in the root directory, C:\), which means that the hibernate file has to be a bit larger than the total amount of RAM memory in the computer. However. Sometimes the hibernate file doesn't increase in size when you add more memory.

If that has not happened, to rectify the situation, open the Start => Control Panel => Power Options. Click on the Hibernation tab and clear the check box called Enable Hibernation with your mouse and click the Apply button. Windows will delete the hibernation file. Now you should run the Disk Defragmenter to consolidate the files on the hard disk drive.

To open the Disk Defragmenter in Windows Vista, click the Start button and type Disk Defragmenter in the Search box, and then double-click its reference in the list of results.

Now go back into Start => Control Panel => Power Options and enable hibernation by placing a check mark in the Enable Hibernation with the mouse pointer. Windows will create a new hibernation file of the correct size. Now try going into hibernation to find out if that action has worked.

Windows Update keeps rebooting/restarting my computer without saving opened files

I have Windows Update set to download updates automatically, but when it has finished downloading updates it usually wants to restart the computer. It then starts a countdown, and, unless I tell it to wait, it restarts the system without saving the opened files of applications that are running. Is there any way to prevent Windows from doing this short of disabling Automatic Updates/Windows Update?

The problem only occurs if the default setting of Automatic Updates (Windows XP) and Windows Update (Windows Vista) is enabled. The default and recommended setting is: Automatically download recommended updates for my computer and install them (according to the default time schedule or one that you have chosen. It only happens when one or more of the updates requires a restart in order to complete the installation.

Automatic Updates/Windows Update chooses to download and install updates at 3:00 a.m. by default. If the computer was switched off at that time, or power-saving settings have made it hibernate, updating takes place when the computer is next switched on and is online. When it has to restart, it gives the user a five-minute warning. The user can choose an option that prevents a restart taking place for five minutes, after which the five-minute warning reappears. If the user is away from the computer for longer than five minutes, it reboots and any unsaved data is lost.

To prevent Automatic Updates/Windows Update from restarting the computer after the updates have been downloaded, you have to use the Registry Editor. Before editing the Registry, it's advisable to create a restore point in System Restore so that if anything goes wrong, you can restore the system by running System Restore in Safe Mode, which is entered by pressing the F8 key repeatedly at startup before Windows starts to load.

To open the Registry Editor, enter regedit in the Start => Run box in Windows XP. In Windows Vista, enter it in the Start => Start Search box. With the editor open, navigate through this path: Hkey_Local Machine => Software => Policies => Microsoft => Windows. With Windows highlighted in the left-hand window, you should see a number of subordinate keys under it. If there is not one there called WindowsUpdate, click within the right-hand window and choose New => Key. Type in the name WindowsUpdate (with no space). Highlight the new WindowsUpdate key in the left-hand window and right-click in the right-hand window's space. Choose New => Key as before and call the new key AU. In the AU folder's space in the right-hand window, choose New => Dword Value and name it NoAutoRebootWithLoggedOnUsers. Click on the new value and enter a value of 1. If all of the keys were already there, just make sure that NoAutoRebootWithLoggedOnUsers has a value of 1.

Now, Windows will still inform you that the installed updates require a restart, but, instead of providing a countdown, it will wait until the user is ready to restart the computer.

Windows Disk Diagnostics: Windows Vista Premium reports that my PC's hard disk drive is faulty and is about to fail

I have upgraded my Windows XP PC to Windows Vista Premium Edition. Having formatted the C: drive, the clean installation went well until I had to choose the drive on which to install Vista. The drive had a yellow warning triangle beside it and a message appeared saying that the hard disk drive was faulty and about to fail. Since the drive was purchased brand new in January 2007, I thought that it was a false warning and installed Vista. After a few hours, Vista produced a warning message saying that the drive was failing and that I should back up my data. The message made an appearance a few more times over the next few hours. After the last appearance, I was given the option to disable it, which I did. Is the drive faulty? If so, will I be able to send it back to the online store I bought it from?

One of the new diagnostic features that Windows Vista has is called Windows Disk Diagnostics. Most recent hard drives have an inbuilt feature called SMART, which stands for Self-Monitoring, Analysis, and Reporting Technology. Windows Disk Diagnostics just reports what SMART is reporting about the drive's status.

A hard drive that uses SMART monitors itself for symptoms of impending failure, such as a high number of attempts to read data, or a higher-than-normal temperature. In approximately half of the cases, SMART drives fail without providing any advanced warning. Unfortunately, SMART has also been known to start giving warnings long before the actual failure occurs.

In any case, Windows Vista checks a SMART drive's status once an hour and records any problems in its Event log. You can use the Event Viewer to look through the log files to find out why the warning messages were produced. You can find out how to access the Event Viewer by entering its name in Search box of Vista's Help and Support.

The BIOS setup program of most motherboards have a setting that makes it check the drive's SMART status at system startup. For some unknown and peculiar reason, it is usually turned off by default, so it is advisable to enable it. Visit the BIOS section of this site if you don't know how to access the BIOS.

Just to make sure that the drive is faulty, you can download a diagnostic program from the drive's manufacturer's website. All of the drive manufacturers provide such a utility. If you don't know what the drive's manufacturer is, you can find out (without having to open the PC's case and remove the drive) by entering the command devmgmt.msc in the Start => Start Search box (Start => Run box in Windows XP). Doing that opens the Device Manager. Click the + beside Disk drives. You should find that the make and model of the hard drive is listed there.

If the manufacturer's diagnostic utility also says that the drive is faulty, you should replace it before it dies.

Your hard drive is still under its statutory 12-month warranty. You should be able to get a replacement, because the drive manufacturers replace any drive that gives SMART warnings. Visit the online store's website to find out what its returns policies and procedures are.

The memory requirements of Windows Vista: How much RAM memory does Windows Vista really need to run optimally?

I have a new laptop/notebook computer with 1GB of DDR2 RAM memory that uses 128MB of it to power its built-in graphics. In other words, 128MB of system memory is used for the graphics instead of the graphics chip having its own dedicated memory. The laptop runs Windows XP Pro very well. It came with a free upgrade to Windows Vista Business edition, which I have applied for. I am worried now about installing Vista, because I have read the following article, and my laptop only has one free memory slot for a 1GB memory module.

Covers Windows Vista, Windows XP, Windows 2000, Windows 98, Linux, and Macintosh OS X. -

Buying a new PC? 'Windows Vista Capable' barely hits the mark - IBM'er says Vista's RAM sweet spot is 4GB -

In other words, the machine's maximum supported memory is 2GB and it has a Windows Vista Capable sticker on it. I have discovered that a computer has to be called Windows Vista Ready if it supports all of the requirements of the highest versions of Windows Vista. In other words, my new laptop will be able to run Windows Vista, but not unreservedly. If it needs 4GB of memory to run optimally, as that article says, then it never will be able to do so, because the maximum supported amount of memory is 2GB, and that cannot be changed.

As usual, Microsoft's recommended minimum amount of RAM memory for the different versions of Windows Vista has caused quite a bit of controversy. Ever since Windows 95, Microsoft's "minimum" hardware requirements mean the least amount of hardware that is required to get a particular version of Windows functioning.

To run any version of Windows Vista, Microsoft says that those minimum hardware requirements are an 800MHz processor, 512MB of RAM, and a graphics card that is at least compatible with DirectX 9.

Windows Vista would run on a desktop or laptop computer with that hardware, but it won't be an enjoyable experience - especially if it is one of the higher versions of Windows Vista. In fact, if you have a PC with that sort of hardware, you should only use the Windows Vista Home Basic version.

Most of the versions of Windows Vista require more RAM memory to run optimally on a computer that doesn't use memory-hungry applications than Windows XP. A video-editing application is an example of memory-intensive software. Only Windows Vista Home Basic has a recommended amount of memory of 512MB, which is the same amount recommended for Windows XP. Windows Vista Home Premium, the most popular version and Windows Vista Ultimate require 1GB (1024MB) of memory, which is twice the amount of memory recommended to run Windows XP. Read the information on the RAM pages of this site to find out if you should buy memory for use in single-channel or dual-channel modes.

The new key features of Vista, such as the new AeroGlass/Flip 3D interface won't run of the minimum hardware requirements. Read the information provided on the Using Windows Vista section of this site for more information on Vista's new features and the hardware that is required to run them.

Microsoft's "recommended" hardware, which includes a 1GHz processor, 1GB of RAM, a video/graphics card with at least 128MB of video RAM, a Windows Vista Display Driver Model (WDDM) device driver, and 32 bits/pixel output, is a more realistic practical recommended minimum for a Windows Vista Capable computer.

Microsoft recommends that a Windows Vista Ready computer should have a graphics card with 128MB of dedicated video memory (not an integrated graphics chip on the PC's motherboard that uses 128MB of system memory) that supports DirectX 9.0 and Pixel Shader 2. A system like this should allow all of the key components of Windows Vista to run. Nevertheless, the "recommended" hardware requirements are still not equivalent to an "optimal" system setup.

Many experts recommend that Vista should run on at least 2GB of RAM, which is widely considered as being the optimal amount of memory to run Windows XP on. However, Windows Vista (from the Vista Home Premium version up) is a bigger and more complex operating system than even Windows XP Professional Edition, so it will not run as well on 2GB of memory as Windows XP does. However, most users will probably find that the performance of any version of Vista will be perfectly acceptable with that amount of memory.

All of the 32-bit versions of Vista support up to 4GB of RAM. For your information, the 64-bit versions support more than that. But does Vista really need 4GB of memory? - No. Vista runs in a limited way on as little as 512MB of memory, passingly well on 1GB, and acceptably well on 2GB. However, to run the higher versions of Vista optimally, 4GB of RAM are required, which is double the amount required to run Windows XP optimally.

Just bear in mind that you say that your laptop computer runs Windows XP Professional well on 896MB (1024MB minus the 128MB used by the graphics chip), so it will probaby run Windows Vista Business edition just acceptably well on 2GB less 128MB (2048 - 128 = 1920MB).

Problems with Windows Mail - I can't read or delete emails and get an error message

I have a Dell XPS laptop/notebook PC that has 2GB of RAM memory and runs Windows Vista Home Premium. I am having serious problems with Windows Mail, which is the replacement for Outlook Express. I can't read or delete some emails, and an error message that reads: "Message could not be displayed. Windows Mail encountered an unexpected problem displaying this message. Check your computer for low memory or low disk space and try again." There are a few hundred emails in the Deleted folder that I can't remove. Moreover, I can no longer send messages, because they just sit in the Outbox, and I can't use the Calendar function. Dell has provided a special XPS support line that I rang. The support person told me that it was a common problem that will be fixed by updates. Microsoft said that Dell has pre-loaded an OEM version of Vista that it provides the support for.

Microsoft only provides support for retail copies of Windows Vista. Dell should be providing the support you need, because it provides a special support service to CPS owners that has dedicated support staff.

Windows Mail is the new email program that comes as part of Windows Vista. It is buggy. Almost every user of the program experiences a major bug in it that corrupts its message database. When that happens and the program attempts to read messages, it deems them to be much larger than they are and it produces the "Check your computer for low memory or low disk space and try again" message. However, there is nothing wrong with the computer's memory (the XPS has 2GB of RAM), or the amount of hard-disk-drive space.

The fixes for the various problems are somewhat involved, so you could just try using another email program, such as Mozilla Thunderbird, which is a free download from http://www.mozilla.com/. It corrupts its database far less frequently than Windows Mail.

The problem usually involves a group of files in one folder. Users can discover that deleted messages can't be removed, or the problem involves the Inbox so that the user can't read some or all new messages. If the Outbox is affected, email can't be sent.

First, make a backup of the Windows Mail directory, which is usually located at C:\Users\yourname\AppData\Local\Microsoft\Windows Mail. If not, the easiest way to locate it is to click on Tools => Options => Advanced => Maintenance. When you can see the path, click Change. Doing that allows you to highlight the whole path. Pressing the Ctrl-C keys copies it.

Now close Windows Mail and use Windows Explorer (right-click Start => Explore) to copy the Windows Mail folder and all of its subfolders to a new location of your choice. Now you can try using a special utility that is run from the Command Prompt called essentutl created by Microsoft to repair damage to the Windows Mail database. Using it involves entering a long command at the Command Prompt that is brought up by entering cmd in Vista's Start => Start Search box. But it is easier to use a free utility called WMUtil to do it.

WMUtil - "WMUtil is a small utility to allow users to compact and repair the Windows Mail database in Windows Vista...The Windows Mail database periodically needs compacting and defragmenting to function with maximal performance. Currently there is no manual method to compact the database in Windows Mail, unless one tinkers with the values set at Tools | Options | Advanced | Maintenance. WMUtil allows the user to manually compact the database to remove any wasted space from it..." - http://www.oehelp.com/WMUtil/

Windows Mail has to be shut down completely to run the utility. The program often continues to run in the background even when all of its windows are closed, so press the Ctrl-Alt-Del key combination to bring up the Windows Task Manager. If WinMail is shown under the Processes tab, highlight it and click End Task. Now run WMUtil. Click the Remove Blank Files button, followed by Repair.

Doing that might not fix the problem if it involves the Deleted folder or the Outbox. If so, you can try deleting all of the .eml files from the affected folder under Windows Mail. Then run WMUtil again. If the problem involves a folder that you have created yourself, it can usually be fixed by moving all of the good messages to a new folder and then deleting the affected folder. However doing that does not work for the special folders. Namely, the Inbox, Outbox, and Deleted folders.

To deal with those special folders, navigate to the Windows Mail folder. Locate a large file in it called WindowsMail.MSMessageStore. Make sure that Windows Mail is closed and then delete that file. Deleting it does not delete the messages because they are stored in folders under the Windows Mail folder.

Next, go to Windows Mail's Backup\New folder and delete the copy of WindowsMail.MSMessageStore that is in it. When Windows Mail is restarted, it will take up to an hour to rebuild the database. With a bit of luck, it will do so without errors. Your mail will be in the Recovered Folders folder, from which it can be moved to the correct folder.

If the problems still exist, try exiting Windows Mail and rename the Windows Mail folder, giving it an apt name, such as Corrupt Mail. Restarting Windows Mail makes it create a new Windows Mail folder. Now you can use the import feature to import the messages from all of the unaffected folders in the Corrupt Mail folder. The imported messages will be in the Imported Folder, from where they will have to be removed to the correct folders.

Windows Vista Trojan virus problem: A pop-up comes up every minute warning me that my computer is making unauthorised files and that I must scan for viruses

My desktop PC runs Windows Vista Home Premium Edition. Unfortunately I have visited a suspect site via a search engine and now my computer produces a Windows pop-up every minute warning me that my computer is making unauthorised files and that I should scan to detect and remove viruses. The pop-up itself doesn't look legitimate. I have run my AVG Anti-Virus scanner, which discovered a Trojan. I used the scanner to quarantine it, but the pop-up is still coming up.

It appears as if your computer has been infected with one of the numerous variants of SmitFraud. The Trojan backdoor program that it delivers is probably called Zlob. Other hidden code will keep reinstalling the Trojan when one of its parts is removed.

Many Windows Vista systems have been infected with SmitFraud in spite of the much-improved security improvements over Windows XP, which were designed to prevent spyware and viruses from installing themselves without permission. It is not yet apparent if this is because SmitFraud's programmers have found ways around Vista's security measures, or whether users have become so accustomed to having to click OK on the security warnings that present themselves whenever third-party software tries to make changes to the system that they do so automatically no matter what the message is, or find out how to turn the warnings off.

The SmitFraud software, which is spyware, keeps changing in order to avoid being detected by scanners, so you should use several anti-spyware scanners that have been fully updated online by running their update features. If you don't have any spyware scanners, you can find links to the best free ones in the Security section of this site. Also get Siri's SmitFraud Fix tool from http://siri.urz.free.fr/Fix/SmitfraudFix.exe.

Install and update the anti-spyware scanners, but don't scan the system in Windows normal mode. Restart the computer in Safe Mode. To do that, press the F8 key repeatedly as the computer starts up, but before the first Windows splash screen appears. The Windows boot manager comes up. It has a list of boot options, one of which is Safe Mode. When Safe Mode has booted, run SmitFraud Fix, followed by the spyware scanners, one at a time. You must scan the system in Safe Mode to avoid reinfection, because the spyware will not have installed itself in that mode. SmitFraud consists of several parts that can rebuild any of the parts that are removed in normal Windows mode.

To avoid this happening again, it is advisable to download the free version of McAfee SiteAdvisor from http://www.siteadvisor.com/. It marks search results with symbols that warn you of sites that should be avoided.

How can I network a Windows XP and a Windows Vista computer? Both PCs can access the Internet but they can't see each other

I have a Windows networking problem. My two desktop PCs - one running Windows XP Professional Edition and the other Windows Vista Business Edition - are connected to an ADSL router. Both PCs are connected to the web. However, for some reason, they can't see each other. The workgroup, default gateway, and subnet mask are the same for both PCs - as they should be - and each PC has a unique computer name. The network used to work when both PCs were using Windows XP Pro.

The network setup in Windows Vista has been improved to make it easier to use with Vista machines. However, these improvements can be the cause of problems when connecting to previous versions of Windows (Windows 98/Me/XP).

For each IP-address range that Vista discovers, a location type has to be chosen - Home, Work, or Public. You are advised by Windows to choose Public if you are not sure of which option to choose. However, you are not given any warning that choosing Public disables network file sharing over that network. Only Home and Work are regarded as private networks over which files can be shared.

Moreover, file sharing is disabled by default. To enable file and printer sharing in Vista, open the Start => Control Panel => Network and Internet => Network and Sharing Center.

On the Network and Sharing Center there is an option called Password Protected Sharing, which is enabled by default. Only users with a user account and password on that computer can access shared files, printers connected to the computer, or the Public folder. It's best to turn this off and turn it back on after you have file sharing working. You can then set up any user accounts.

Windows Vista has a new graphic feature called Network Map, which shows only your computer, the gateway device, and the Internet by default, but if you open View Full Map, it shows other devices, including other Vista computers. However, the map cannot include computers that run older versions of Windows and other operating systems, such as Linux. To be recognised, a computer has to have a new Microsoft protocol called Link Layer Topology Detection (LLTD) installed and enabled.

Microsoft has released an LLTD responder for Windows XP PCs that can be downloaded from this MS Knowledge Base article:

It is required to show the pictures in Network Map, but does not enable file sharing.

File sharing must be enabled on the Windows XP PC. To do that, open the Start => Control Panel and run the Network Setup Wizard. When asked for a workgroup name, choose WORKGROUP, or the workgroup name used by the Vista PC. Don't use the default suggestion of MSHOME.

You can find out what the workgroup name is on the Vista PC by clicking Start, right-clicking Computer with the mouse, and then clicking Properties. The name appears beside the Workgroup heading. Use the Change Settings option to make changes to the computer and workgroup names. Each computer on a network must have the same workgroup name and a different computer name.

If you are using the Windows Firewall (accessed from the Control Panel), the networking wizard will have set it to allow file sharing. However, if you are using a third-party firewall, consult its Help files to find out how to enable file sharing. If file sharing is still not working, the problem probably has to do with a third-party firewall. The Network Diagnostics provided by Windows Vista doesn't provide much help to fix the problem.

The firewalls in versions of McAfee and Norton Internet security software that are pre-installed in many Vista computers, are well-known for preventing file sharing when the user has not set the network type correctly. You usually have to open the firewall's setup screen to make sure that the local network's IP range is set as a trusted network (or similar terminology), which is equivalent to the Windows Firewall's Private network.

If you are still experiencing the problem, try uninstalling the third-party firewall and use the Windows Firewall instead.

When I run Windows Backup in Windows Vista to copy files to a DVD I get a "The request could not be performed because of an I/O device error 0x8007045D" error message

When I run Windows Backup in Windows Vista to copy files to a DVD I get a "The request could not be performed because of an I/O device error 0x8007045D" error message. Some files are written to the DVD, Windows says that the backup is not complete and keeps asking to rerun the backup. Other users have reported this error message when backing up or transferring files to hard disk drives. One suggestion I found on the web said to switch off System Restore and then run Windows Backup. However, it did not work in my case. I also saw a suggestion that there might be a conflict with Norton AntiVirus, which I use. Is there a fix for this problem? If not, is there any inexpensive and reliable backup software that I can use instead?

Many users are having this problem with Windows Backup and the Complete PC Backup and Restore program that is incorporated into Vista Business Edition and Vista Ultimate Edition. Unfortunately, the message doesn't provide the causes, of which there are at least three that give the same error message.

1. - The PC's DVD writer could have a hardware fault (or a faulty cable, etc.), or the discs you are using could be the cause, but that is unlikely in your case.

2. - You could be trying to back up files or folders for which you do not have the correct access rights. If that was the case, the error messages would list the specific files that are responsible. If you are the only user of the computer and it is running Vista Home Basic or Vista Home Premium, that is unlikely to be the cause. Run the Windows hard-disk-drive diagnostic utility, Chkdsk, to make sure that the NTFS file system is not corrupted, causing the backup program to get confused. Click here! to go to information on Chkdsk on this site.

3. - A problem with the Volume Shadow Copy Service is the most likely cause of the problem. This service makes snapshot copies of files at a particular point in time. It allows a user to roll back to a previous version of a file if it was overwritten accidentally. Only Vista Business and Vista Ultimate Editions have this rollback feature, but all of the versions of Vista use shadow copies for System Restore and to perform backups of files that are in use. The copies are backed up instead of the original files that are in use and therefore cannot be accessed.

Running out of hard-disk space is the most prevalent problem with the Shadow Copy Service, because it requires plenty of disk space for the shadow copies and the compressed Zip (.zip) files that creates before writing them to a DVD. The computer should have plenty of disk space if it has a large hard disk drive (100GB to 250GB) formatted as a single partition. However, if the drive has several smaller partitions, or you have upgraded to Vista from Windows XP, and the C: drive was already full of installed programs, there could be insufficient disk space.

Some users have found that deleting restore points created by System Restore fixes the problem. This is because restore points make use of the same shadow-copy space as the backup program. In order not to disable System Restore, you should use the Disk Cleanup utility under Start => Programs => Accessories => System Tools, because it has an option to remove all but the most recently created restore point.

To find out how much disk space has been allocated to shadow storage on each disk volume/partition, click on Start => Programs => Accessories and right-click with the mouse on the Command Prompt reference/icon. Choose Run as Administrator and in the command window enter:

The amount of shadow copy storage on the C: drive can be changed with this command (typed on a single line):

This command sets the size to 10GB. You can specify the drive letter and the size yourself.

To find out what the shadow storage is being used for, enter this command that creates a very long list:

The Windows Backup that is built into Vista Home Basic and Vista Home Premium Editions appears to be buggy. It might be fixed with Vista Service Pack 1 (SP1), which at the time of writing (January, 2008) had not been released . You might prefer to use an alternative backup program. AIS Backup from http://www.aiscl.co.uk/ is inexpensive. It has a trial period of 30 days.

"AISBackup works with the following Microsoft Operating System's: Windows Vista (all versions), Windows XP (all versions), Windows Server 2003, Windows Server 2008 RC0 (see below), Windows 2000 client and server, Windows NT4, Windows ME, Windows 98SE, Windows 98 and Windows 95 (Release 1 and 2). Some earlier versions of Microsoft Windows Operating system's do not support all the features in AISBackup."

My Windows XP/Vista PC failed Windows Genuine Advantage (WGA) validation and produces this message: "This copy of Windows did not pass Genuine Windows Validation..."

The hard disk drive in my Windows XP PC was replaced by a computer repair shop after it started experiencing problems out of its warranty period. [This problem can also affect Windows Vista PCs.] It works properly now, but this message keeps coming up when I log on: "This copy of Windows did not pass Genuine Windows Validation and you have not yet resolved the problem. To protect your copy of Windows click Resolve Now." Doing that just logs into the system as usual.

When the hard disk drive was replaced, a copy of Windows [XP/Vista] must have been installed on the new drive. However, it looks as if a copy of Windows was installed that is not compatible with the Product Key (that provided on a sticker on the back of the PC, or is on the envelope of the Windows CD/DVD that came with it) - a pirated copy of Windows [XP/Vista] with a Product Key that is on Microsoft's list of pirated keys. When the Windows Genuine Advantage tool that is downloaded as an update ran automatically to validate the installation, it discovered the illegal copy and the validation failed.

If the PC came with a genuine Windows XP/Vista CD/DVD you have to use it to install Windows. You should run the disc by having it in the optical drive and then make use of its format feature to format the C: drive (the default location for an installation of Windows). You can then install Windows by running its setup procedure.

If the PC came with a system recovery disc, which restores the hard disk drive to the condition it was in when it left the factory, you can use it to do that. If the PC's recovery system is in a hidden partition on the hard disk drive, you won't be able to use it, because it is run from within the installation of Windows that was originally preinstalled at the factory. In that case, you might be able to obtain a recovery CD/DVD from the PC's manufacturer.

If there is a genuine sticker on the back or the side of the PC that has the Product Key on it, you should be able to use a compatible version of Windows XP/Vista (any Windows XP/Vista CD/DVD) with the key on the sticker. A compatible version means a Home, Professional or Media Center Edition of XP (or a Vista Home Premium, Vista Business, Vista Ultimate edition, etc.), which is named on the sticker. If the sticker has a computer manufacturer's name, or says OEMACT, or OEM, you must use a copy of Windows XP/Vista that has an OEM licence, which has the letters OEM in the Product Key, because the retail or corporate versions of Windows won't work with an OEM Product Key.

If a computer manufacturer is named on the sticker, or it says OEMACT, you should obtain an installation CD/DVD from that manufacturer, because it will validate the computer's BIOS Setup Program instead of requiring standard validation. However, if the OEM CD/DVD is not from the same manufacturer as the computer, it should install, but a phone call to Microsoft will be required to validate Windows. You will have to explain to the support staff why you had to use a different Windows CD/DVD. Since your setup is legitimate, you should be given a long code that you enter to validate the installation instead of validating online.

Will Product Activation in Windows Vista allow me to change my PC's processor/motherboard without having to reactivate?

I would like to upgrade my ageing system, which has an Intel Pentium D dual-core processor in a home-built PC, with an Intel Pentium Dual Core E2140 processor. I want to buy a Gigabyte GA-P35-DS3R motherboard with the intention of buying a faster processor for it when prices dropped a bit. Gigabyte's site says that these are the processors that the motherboard board supports: "Supports Intel® Core™2 Extreme Quad-Core / Core™2 Duo / Intel® Pentium® Extreme/ Intel® Pentium® D processors". I want to install the new motherboard and then install Windows Vista Home Premium at the same time. However, I don't know if Product Activation will force me to buy a new copy of Windows Vista after I change the processor to the Pentium Dual Core E2140 processor.

The Product Activation system in Windows Vista is similar to that of Windows XP. If you have a retail version of Vista Home Premium, either the full product or upgrade version, (the latter requires an earlier qualifying version of Windows to be installed), you can make as many changes as you like. If several changes of the hardware are made at the same time, including just replacing the motherboard, the Product Activation process will ask you to call a Microsoft support number to reactivate the software.

You won't be able to install that copy on more than one system, because a second installation will have to be activated online, and the snapshot that was taken of the first system it was installed on is in Microsoft's records for that copy's Product Key. When the second activation is attempted, it will fail because Microsoft has a record of that copy being installed on another PC, the hardware components of which have been recorded.

If you have an OEM version of Windows, where the certificate of authenticity mentions OEM or OEMACT, the licence covers only the system you purchased or installed it in. It cannot be installed on a new system. A new motherboard is interpreted as a new system by the activation process. That means that if you change the motherboard, you will have to buy a new licence for the OEM copy of Windows or buy a new copy.

In the case of an OEM licence, Microsoft defines the system by its motherboard. This means that changing the motherboard of a system is not allowed unless the original motherboard failed and an exact replacement (make/model) was not available. However, the processor does not define the system, so, if the same motherboard is used, changing it won't make reactivation necessary.

You can purchase an OEM copy if you are a self-builder (an "original equipment manufacturer"). Read the licence conditions of this example:

An OEM licence typically costs half or less of the price of the full retail product, which is why its rights are limited compared to the full product.

Enter oem + Windows + Vista + uk (as is) in the Google search box at the top of this page (with its Web radio button enabled) to find alternative local UK vendors.

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