I hope you find some humor in this list.

I am by no means saying you shouldn’t upgrade to Windows Vista, but rather pointing out issues that can occur during an upgrade along with some other humerous points. Enjoy!

10. Because you want to upgrade your hardware

9. So your already purchased applications wont work

8. Because you want to have the latest and supposedly greatest

7. Because you just love to be a BETA tester

6. To take advantage of all the annoying security features

5. Because you just want to spend the weekend frustrated after the install fails

4. Because you never heard the old saying “If it isn’t broke don’t try and fix it”

3. So you can see how many new ways hackers can invade your system until Microsoft applies security updates

2. Because you just want to stimulate the economy

1. Last but not least….Because you just love headaches
 

Microsoft has added a new feature to the Windows arsenal. The new utility is the Recovery environment utility. This new utility has been added to aid a user in repair of the Windows Vista OS.

This new utility is actually booted from the Vista DVD and has a few new utilities. Included in this new utility are the functions below.

BCDMD
Repairs the MBR, partition table, or boot sector.

ChkDsk
Runs ChkDsk in repair mode.

File Repair
Replaces the corrupt system file with a backup copy.

BootCfg
Reconstructs the BCD.

System Restore
Rolls back the system state by using System Restore.

ACLs fix
Sets the ACLs of the specified file to a default value.

Registry rollback
Replaces the corrupt registry hives with a backup copy.

Change Crash on Audit Failure setting
Disables Windows auditing. Only an administrator can log on to Windows.

Memory Diagnostics
Runs the Windows Memory Diagnostics tool.

You might notice the new Memory diagnostics utility. This utility not only tests RAM but cache memory as well. This can be very handy when experiencing memory errors. Its a great diagnostics utility.

The easily accessible registry rollback utility….. I am sure will be used by many users knowing how the registry can become corrupted.

If you ever have experienced an issue that could not be resolved through normal or safe mode you may want to look into the Recovery Environment utilities as it isn’t necessary to boot to Windows to use this utility. I hope it proves to be as helpful in troubleshooting and repair as I think it will be.

If you would like to review more deatiled information on this utility use the link below.
Click Here

If you have ever had difficulties in rolling out a new operating system then Vista will be no different.Your organization may opt to wait for roll out.

Windows Vista will be even more complicated to roll out. Of course any rollout will be easier by implementing group
policies for a more centralized control of how users interact with Windows Vista.

First you as an organization will need to decide which version is right for your infrastructure as some features are not available in some of the versions. Personally if you were to ask me I vote for Utlimate.

Most organizations I have spoke with seem to be set on waiting for rollout until service pack one is completed for Windows Vista. This will make it easier as I am sure they will add more features to the operating system.

One thing is a must as an organization….That is planning. When considering roll out for Windows vista this is one thing you cannot do enough of. There are many new security features embedded in Vista that will make this process more complicated than ever.

Be sure to stay on top of any new developments or changes to Vista by subscribing to RSS feeds for the Vista product. If you have a subscription to Microsoft technet you might find implementation and configuration easier.

Good luck and god bless with your implementation.

I have completed the new Microsoft Windows Vista course 5118A just this week. In review of my new training on Vista Microsoft has a new and very annoying utility internal to the operating system.

The new utilitiy is the UAC or user account control. If you have recently purchased Windows vista you know just how annoying it can be.

The utility was designed to prevent malicious software from invading your computer and to “protect users from themselves”.

Even logged in as an administrator this utility is still active and still annoying as it monitors even administrative account activity. You can turn this feature off in the accounts control panel, but of course Microsoft does not recommend it.

I know you will be just as frustrated with it as I have been, but it does add an extra security feature while monitoring installation and removal of software. As we know malicious programs can install in the background while browsing the Internet or opening email.

The UAC utility as well monitors the registry for changes and notifies if a program or user attempts to alter it and then prompts for permission.

When looking at it from a security point of view this utility can be a very useful one, but when looking at it from a productivity stand point you will have a different view of this utility.

The registry contains extended information, settings and various other values for the Windows 98, Windows NT, Windows 2000, Windows ME, Windows XP Operating System. Within the registry you can control a majority of the operating system as well as fix issues with Windows. However we only recommend users extensively experienced with the Windows registry edit it manually.

Before going into the Registry and changing or deleting anything I always recommend that you backup the registry.
To back up the registry Go to Start/run and type in the command field “regedit” without the quotes. Once the interface is open select file and then export. You should select the save in location as the root of c:\. You will need to provide a name for the file. Once completed select save.

The computer registry consists of two files hidden in the Windows directory, system.dat and user.dat. User-specific system information is contained in the user.dat file and computer and hardware specific information in the system.dat file.

Microsoft Windows now includes a new feature known as system restore. This great new feature enables a user to backup and restore their important registry and system files from an earlier date. By default this feature automatically creates a backup of the system each day When working properly. If you wish to create a restore point using system restore follow the steps below.

Try downloading the bug doctor software to test your pc for problems.

Creating a restore point

1.Click Start, Programs, Accessories, System Tools, System Restore

2.Select the option to Create a restore point

3.Click next and follow the remainder steps.

Reversing to a previously created restore point

1.Click Start, Programs, Accessories, System Tools, System Restore

2.Select the Restore my computer to an earlier time option and click next

3.Select the day and the restore point you wish to restore and click next.

Using regedit to incorrectly change data can render you system non-functional and it can cease to boot up. Please do not attempt to manually edit registry information if you are not experienced in doing so.

Keep your pc running like new with the brand new version of PC Registry Cleaner Version 2.0

Recently I discovered an issue where I had duplicate files on my computer. These were mainly document files. Somewhere in the confusion I was updating the wrong documents. This caused me to lose some very important documentation.

I had noticed that there were three different locations I was storing backups of the original documents. At some point while editing these documents I had opened a secondary location. In my confusion I had updated a backup file which was later deleted as I thought it was an older back up file. This caused a huge problem.

I had to re-write several articles(mostly from memory) which was very time consuming. My energies would have been better focused somewhere else to say the least.

I was determined this would not happen again. I attempted to locate all the duplicate files myself at first. If you have ever attempted doing this then you understand how time consuming this operation can be.

This process entails searching for all .doc files. Once the files are located they have to be reviewed for which contains the most recent data. Once you know which article is the most recent you then have to delete the older file. Once you have a current copy of the file if it is not located in “my documents” or your specified folder it then has to be moved to this location.

When dealing with approximately one hundred documents you can imagine how much time was spent on this project. I was determined to find a better way of removing these duplicate files.

I resolved this issue mainly by changing the default save in location for documents in the word processing software I used. This helped in a big way.

The second option I implemented was to use a good backup software which can do incremental backups. This means it only backups files to your designated backup location that have changed since your last backup.

lets hope you never have to experience this, but if you do I hope my resolution might help. It would be better used as a preventative measure if implemented prior to this happening on your own system.

Be sure when using a back up that you save your data to a remote location such as a removable drive. Implementing this backup strategy is better in the sense if you have a computer failure you will still have access to your backup data.

These wonderful Windows protection errors occur when your computer attempts to activate or deactivate a virtual device driver or VxD. These messages indicate there is an issue with a hardware driver. This is usually an inability of the driver to load or unload. Typically the offending Vxd or driver module is noted in the error. In some cases you may not be able to identify the offending module. In this case you can use clean boot troubleshooting from the msconfig utility.

The following lists situations in which you may experience these errors:

• A real-mode driver and a protected-mode driver are in conflict

• If the registry is damaged

• If either the Win.com file or the Command.com file are infected with a virus, or if either of the files are damaged

• If a protected-mode driver is loaded from the System.ini file and the driver is already initialized

• If there is a physical input/output (I/O) address conflict or a random access memory (RAM) address conflict

• If there are incorrect (CMOS) settings for a built-in peripheral device (such as cache settings, CPU timing and hard disks)

• If the Plug and Play feature of the basic input/output system (BIOS) on the computer is not working correctly

• If the computer contains a malfunctioning cache or malfunctioning memory

• If the motherboard on the computer is not working properly

Most of the BIOS settings which can cause these types of errors should only be modified by a knowledgeable hardware technician. Changing these settings incorrectly can cause other issues with your hardware. Use your motherboard manufacturers hand book for more information on accessing your BIOS, and you should be able to alleviate this wonderful condition that has been created.

For more detailed information on trouble shooting these errors in Windows 95, 98, or Me please refer to the Microsoft knowledge base article below.

Click here

For Windows XP and 2000 you can review your errors by entering into safe mode and using the event viewer to access detailed information pertaining to your particular issue. The event viewer can be accessed by going to the control panel and selecting the administrative utilities icon. These reports should include detailed information on the module or driver causing the issue.