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General discussion

Official Sticky: Vista Tips and Guides

Sep 25, 2006 7:19AM PDT

Welcome new and potential Windows Vista users!

I have created this thread so that some of the more frequently asked questions pertaining to Windows Vista can be found in one location, making them easily found and referenced. As time progresses topics will be added, updated, or deleted as the case may be, and this thread will be routinely 'bumped' to the top of the forum. (At this time the Cnet forums lack that ability to support true sticky threads.)

Now, I have decided to have this thread locked, at least for the time being. The reason is that in sticky 'tips' threads all too often people reply with questions or 'thank you's,' making it tedious to find the actual tips among hundreds of posts, defeating the purpose of the thread. However, I do not want this to prevent the addition of tips from other members. Thus, if you have a worthy tip or short guide you would like added (or information added to an existing one) just create a new thread in this forum or PM me or another moderator. A tip can either be proofread and posted, giving credit to the author, or the thread briefly opened so that the tip can be posted by the author himself/herself. I know this approach is a bit different than the usual, but I would like to give it a chance and see how it works out.

I hope you find this thread useful and thanks for stopping by! Happy

John

Discussion is locked

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(NT) (NT) Installation/Uninstallation Topics:
Sep 25, 2006 7:19AM PDT
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Installing Vista from the ISO...
Sep 25, 2006 7:21AM PDT

If you have downloaded the Windows Vista ISO but do not have a DVD burner or you are having problems with faulty burns/installations, you can use the following method to install Vista directly from the ISO, without having to burn a DVD.

1.) Click here to download Daemon Tools, a free virtual cd/dvd-rom emulator.

2.) During installation please uncheck ''DAEMON Tools Search Bar''...it is adware that is installed by default unless told otherwise. If you uncheck this option no adware will be installed.

3.) You should now see a red 'lightening bolt' icon in your system tray...right-click it and go Virtual CD/DVD-ROM->Device 0: [DHappy No media->Mount image.

4.) In the file chooser browse and select the Vista ISO and click OK.

5.) Open up My Computer and you should see the new virtual drive present. Double-click that to launch the Vista installer.

6.) When the installer launches click ''Install now'' and follow the on-screen prompts to install Vista.

7.) After you are done installing Vista you should unmount the image the same way it was mounted.


NOTES:
1.) This is mainly targeted at Vista beta testers who have downloaded the ISO. Vista is not expected to be available for download (legally to the general public) after it launches so this tip won't be applicable in most cases.
2.) Yes, this will work for most software, not just Windows Vista.
3.) This software does have the ability to certain emulate copy protection schemes, so it can be used for illegal purposes and may be prohibited, period, in certain countries. Please follow local law as applicable.

John

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Creating a dual-boot system...
Sep 25, 2006 7:21AM PDT

Creating a dual-boot system with Vista is pretty much the same as with any other operating system. First, make sure that you have a free partition on your hard drive or a secondary hard drive available. If you don't you can either use a program such as Partition Magic ($70) to split the existing partition in two or backup all of your files, wipe your hard drive, and start fresh.

Next, place your Vista DVD into your DVD-ROM and reboot your computer.

Third, you'll want to set your system BIOS such that your DVD-ROM drive is the primary boot device. To do this you need to press a designated key (or set of keys) during boot. To find out the key combination for your computer, click here. Chang the boot order so that DVD-ROM is first and hard drive is second, then exit saving changes.

When the computer reboots you should be prompted to press any key to boot from DVD...do so. That will lead you to the Windows Vista installer, which will guide you through the installation process. When prompted where to install Vista to, either choose the new partition that has been created or create a new partition out of unallocated space. (Click here for a screenshot reference.)

After the installation is finished you'll be allowed to set up Vista for the first time. From then on whenever you boot your computer you will see a screen asking you if you want to boot to Vista or an earlier version of Windows...this is the new Windows Boot Manager and a sign of a successful dual-boot setup.

John

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Removing Vista from a dual-boot system...
Sep 25, 2006 7:23AM PDT

Windows Vista introduces the new Windows Boot Manager as opposed to the NT Loader of Windows 2000/XP/Server 2003 and utilizes a BCD store instead of boot.ini. In this case what matters is that you need to remove the new WBM so that your computer stops looking for Vista after it has been removed from your dual-boot computer. To do this:

1.) Boot to either Windows Vista or the earlier version of Windows.
2a.) If in Windows XP or earlier: Go Start->Run, type in cmd, and press enter.
2b.) If in Windows Vista: Click Start, click Accessories, right-click the command-prompt shortcut, and then click Run as Administrator.
3.) In the command prompt type in: Drive:\Boot\Bootsect.exe ?NT52 All (including the spaces), where "Drive" is the drive letter where the Vista DVD is located or the Vista ISO has been mounted.
4.) Reboot your computer.
5.) Open My Computer, right-click the drive that contains Vista, and select Format.
6.) You can now use this partition for extra storage or use partitioning software (such as Partition Magic) to merge that partition with another one.

NOTES:
1.) This can ONLY be done if Vista is NOT the primary operating system (ie Vista is on the first partition, usually designated C:\). If Vista IS the primary operating system and you delete the Vista partition then you will also be deleting the boot files for the other installations of Windows, making your computer unbootable!

2.) If you have two installations of Vista, you do NOT want to remove Windows Boot Manager. Instead you want to modify the BCD store and skip ahead to step #5. However, Note #1 still applies...you cannot remove that installation of Vista if it is the primary OS.

John

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removing vista from a partition
Aug 23, 2007 11:10AM PDT

I followed your instructions and Vista was deleted from a partition but the dual boot options is still shown when I reboot. How can I remove it?
Thank you very much for your good help
Don

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Which OS(es) remain?
Aug 24, 2007 1:12PM PDT

Assuming no other installations of Vista remain the command given in the post you're replying to should do the trick to remove the boot option/menu. If another installation of Vista does remain then you can instead use VistaBootPRO to remove that one Vista entry.

On the other hand, this may not be Vista's WBM at all, but instead XP's NTLDR displaying multiple options. In that case click here for information on editing boot.ini, removing the obsolete reference to a Windows installation.

Hope this helps,
John

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Modifying the BCD store for the Windows Boot Manager...
Sep 25, 2006 7:23AM PDT

Previous versions of Windows relied on boot.ini to tell the boot loader what operating systems were installed, which one is the default OS, how long to display the boot menu, etc. Even after you install Vista on a dual-boot system this is still the case. However, before NTLDR and boot.ini are considered the new Windows Boot Manager and BCD store are queried. (Click here for a screenshot.)

Now, Microsoft provides you with the standard BCD Editor, but it is far easier to use a free third-party utility such as VistaBootPRO or EasyBCD. Using these utilities you can rename installations, change the default OS and order, reassign drive letters, add/remove entries, backup the BCD store, and more.

John

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Reverting to a previous version of Windows...
Sep 25, 2006 7:24AM PDT

Unfortunately Vista continues where XP left off in this respect...you cannot simply 'downgrade' from Vista to 95/98/ME/2000/XP. If you wish to revert to a previous version of Windows you must backup all of your files, wipe your hard drive, and install the previous version from scratch, then reinstall all of your programs and restore your files from backup.

John

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Problems after installing/repairing a previous version...
Sep 25, 2006 7:25AM PDT

If you perform a repair installation on a previous version of Windows or you install a previous version of Windows on a computer that already has Windows Vista installed, Vista will no longer boot or you will receive a Disk Read Error. This is a known issue, which can be resolved by clicking here for instructions from the Microsoft Knowledge Base.

John

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Pricing and requirements...
Sep 25, 2006 7:55AM PDT
Requirements:
For basic operation you must have at least:
* An 800MHz processor.
* 512MB of RAM.
* A 20GB hard drive with 15GB free space.
* A graphics card that supports DirectX 9.

The recommended minimum specifications are:
* A 1GHz processor.
* 1GB of RAM.
* A 40GB hard drive with 15GB free space.
* A graphics card that supports DirectX 9 with a WDDM driver.
* 128MB dedicated memory for the graphics card.

Note that if your graphics card is not supported then you will not be able to run the new Aero interface (including some animations and the Glass look) and some included software, such as the DVD creator, will refuse to launch. If you are questioning whether or not your graphics card is supported check with the manufacturer's website...most have lists of supported cards. Note, however, that for the most part integrated grapics are not good enough.

To find out if you meet the requirements to use the various features and display the advanced graphics of Windows Vista, it is highly recommended that you click here to download and run the Vista Upgrade Advisor first. (Requires Windows XP.) You can also click here for a similar online test from ATI.

========================================================

Official Vista Pricing:

Full Retail:
* XP Home w/ SP2: $199
* Vista Home Basic: $199
* Vista Home Premium: $239
* Vista Business: $299
* XP Pro. w/ SP2: $299
* Vista Ultimate: $399

Upgrades:
* XP Home w/ SP2: $99
* Vista Home Basic: $99
* Vista Home Premium: $159
* XP Pro. w/ SP2: $199
* Vista Business: $199
* Vista Ultimate: $259

Those who already own a license to a copy of Vista can purchase additional licenses by purchasing the associated License Pack, which costs an average of $20 less than the above listings.

Also for comparison, equivalences are:
Windows Vista Home Basic = Windows XP Home
Windows Vista Home Premium = Windows XP Media Center Edition
Windows Vista Business = Windows XP Professional
Windows Vista Ultimate = No matching SKU

========================================================

Who is eligible for the upgrade?

* Only those running Windows 2000 or XP are eligible for upgrade editions of Windows Vista.
* Those running older versions of Windows must pay the full price for a retail or OEM copy and perform a clean installation.

In addition:
* Windows 2000 and Windows XP Professional x64 edition users, while eligible for the upgrade, must perform a clean installation of Windows Vista when the time comes.
* Windows XP Professional, Media Center, and Tablet PC users are restricted as to which editions of Vista they can upgrade to without performing a clean installation.

For the full upgrade compatibility/eligibility chart from Microsoft, click here.

John
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Software and Hardware Compatibility...
Sep 26, 2006 5:50AM PDT

One of the most prominent challenges for users will be finding/identifying compatible software. Most software that worked with Windows XP will also work with Vista, though there are exceptions, particularly when it comes to security software. No list can be comprehensive and the lack of an 'edit' option to keep potential charts updated here in the Cnet forums certainly does not help matters. With that in mind, I suggest clicking here to review a wiki that has been dedicated to the topic. It contains a vast list of software that has been tested (unofficially, by other users) on Vista and determined to be compatible, incompatible, or somewhere in between. A similar wiki exists for hardware that's been tested with Windows Vista...click here. If you have hardware or software that you have tested with Windows Vista and is not listed I encourage you to add it to the list so that others may benefit from that knowledge. You must register to update the list, but registration is free.

Aside from that, keep in mind that some software that fails to install or run on Windows Vista can be dealt with in one of two ways:

1.) Use Compatibility Mode. Vista is designed to enter Compatibility Mode automatically for programs it detects are designed for a previous version of Windows, but, like in Windows XP, it can be enabled manually. To manually enable Compatibility Mode, right-click the program, select Properties, and select the Compatibility tab. You can then enable Compatibility Mode for that program and select a previous version of Windows from the drop-down menu, among other options.

2.) Make sure you check back to the author's website for updated versions, patches, and drivers that enable Windows Vista compatibility. Not all software will be made compatible, but in the months after Vista's release you should see a dramatic increase in support by third-party vendors.

If you have a specific question about hardware or software compatibility feel free to start a new thread, but please check the above lists first.

John


P.S. Special thanks to sk8terboi1912 for inspiring this post.

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(NT) (NT) New Technologies:
Sep 27, 2006 1:04AM PDT
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ReadyBoost...
Sep 27, 2006 1:05AM PDT

In Windows XP you have two sources of memory:
1.) Physical RAM: It's the sticks of memory you insert into your computer.
2.) Virtual Memory: Also known as a swap file or paging file, it's a file on your computer's hard drive that acts like RAM. It can pick up the slack when there is a lack of RAM, usually holding data that is accessed less often. The downside is that it's incredibly slow compared to RAM, resulting in a drop in performance the more it must be used. In addition, Windows and various software may refuse to install or run if you do not have enough physical RAM.

Now, with the new ReadyBoost technology in Windows Vista you have a third option...flash memory. (Including USB 2.0 flash drives and memory cards such as SD, CF, etc.) It's considered the middle of the road option because it is still slower than physical RAM but at the same time usually much faster than reading from and writing to the hard drive. It cannot be used as a complete substitute to physical RAM, but it can be used to give you a boost in speed over relying heavily on the paging file.

NOTES:
1.) Regardless of whether you use ReadyBoost or not, you still need at least 512MB RAM to run Windows Vista decently.
2.) ReadyBoost is an option on the AutoPlay menu whenever you insert a compatible device.
3.) If ReadyBoost returns an error message stating that you cannot use it on that drive it means that either the drive or your computer does not support the transfer rates required by ReadyBoost.

John