Windows Vista Problems

If you have installed or upgraded to Windows Vista, you may have come to the realization that there are a lot of driver problems attached with the operating system.

Old Files to Be Deleted, Actually Saved

I must admit that I am not at all impressed with Windows Vista. After performing a clean install, since it wouldn't upgrade my copy of Windows XP, I was surprised to find that it had saved my old files from the hard drive in a folder called Windows.old even though it initially stated that it would be deleting all my files and settings.

Had I known that it would be saving my files anyway, it would have saved me a lot of time and trouble trying to backup all my documents and large media files. Although the service of saving my old files is a good thing Vista does, misleading me to believe that they would be lost is not.

Eats Memory

Another disadvantage to Windows Vista is that it gobbles up memory. If you did not buy a new computer that has Windows Vista installed, but instead upgraded your old computer to the new OS, chances are it will be running slower than it did.

You may even hear your hard drive being overactive or making sounds, such as "grinding" more often as it tries to meet the heightened memory demands of Vista. If so, it is actually your hard drive trying to make up for the lack of RAM in the system by frequently accessing the allocated page file.

If you want to speed up computer performance, you can try to increase the set page file, but your best bet would be to increase/upgrade your RAM or get rid of Vista altogether and go with a more stable and memory-efficient OS like Linux (try Ubuntu).

Driver Issues

If you upgraded to Vista instead of buying a system pre-installed with it, it would not surprise me if you encountered a series of problems. And I'm willing to bet they are primarily driver issues.

Slow Internet Connection

Moreso for wireless internet connections than wired, you may discover that your internet has slowed down tremendously. In fact, it is most likely slower than dial-up.

As a troubleshooting first, you can try running this command in the command prompt:

netsh interface tcp set global autotuninglevel=disabled

You will need to run cmd as an administrator, so click on the Start button, then type cmd, and press together (simultaneously), Ctrl+Shift+Enter, then hit continue and type the command in the DOS prompt and reboot.

If that does not fix the slow internet connection, then the problem is most likely with the driver. When hardware installed in or attached to a computer doesn't work properly, it is often because of a driver problem. And a driver is essentially a small software program that allows a hardware device to communicate with a computer.

You can install and uninstall drivers via the Device Manager in the Control Panel. It is best to download a driver from the device manufacturer's website, specifically one that is suitable for Windows Vista. Wireless routers, such as the linksys router and adapter I was troubleshooting, typically need Vista specific drivers. Search for them on the internet, via a wired network connection for now. And remember, if you update your driver but find the previous one worked better, you can always rollback to the previous version via Driver Properties.

Graphics and Sound

Windows Vista will do some funky things, like install a driver from a totally different manufacturer than the original manufacturer of your device. For example, it installed a Turtle Beach driver for my Creative Labs Sound Blaster Live sound card. And since Creative Labs didn't have a working Vista driver for that specific sound card version, I never got my 5.1 Logitech speakers working.

It also did not recognize the right driver for my video card, so I was stuck with 800x600 or 640x480 pixel screen resolution and had to search for and download a graphics display and video driver myself. Sometimes, however, the driver you are searching for will not have a Vista compatible version, like I discovered when I tried searching for a driver for a semi-old NVIDIA GeForce4 MX video card.

Third-Party Software/Drivers

In such a case, you may have to resort to downloading third-party software or drivers. The key in doing so, is to ensure that you are downloading from a reliable source and that what you are downloading is not a virus/malware. Be sure to run an anti-virus scan for the file before running.

Program Compatibility

Drivers can fix problems like enabling your wireless internet connection, fixing your 5.1 surround sound audio, or unlocking the potential of your monitor's screen resolution. However, program compatibility is another issue.

Most programs out there today (as of the date this article was written), are coded for Windows XP. But, Windows Vista is a whole other animal.

As an example, the popular PC game Starcraft Broodwar may run with graphic problems if traditionally installed on a Vista OS. A Direct Draw error may come up or the colors may be messed up or incorrect.

To solve such a graphics problem or color correction issue, locate the game's .exe file (usually within Program Files) and right-click. Locate the compatibility options and check what may apply, like:
- 'Run this program in compatibility mode for:' 'Windows XP SP2'
- 'Run in 256 colours'
- 'Run in 640x480'
- 'Disable visual themes'

Try running the .exe file now. If that still doesn't work, try uninstalling, reinstalling in compatibility mode, and then running in compatibility mode. These actions usually correct simple, Vista non-compatible issues.

If worse comes to worst, contact the software manufacturer (or device manufacturer if a missing driver is the case) regarding the compatibility issue to determine if they have a solution. And hope that they do.

If they don't, or you just get fed up with messing with Windows Vista, consider reverting back to XP or going with a more secure, stable, efficient and faster OS like Linux.