Consider the following scenario. You have a portable computer that is running Windows Vista. While you are using Windows Media Center on this computer, the computer’s battery power runs low. In this scenario, you receive the following warning message:

Plug in your computer to keep from losing your work, or put your computer to sleep so that you can change the battery

However, this warning message is incorrect. You must not change the battery while the computer is asleep (on standby).

Consider the following scenario. When your computer’s battery reaches low or critical levels, you only receive a pop-up balloon notification, and do not hear a sound file play.

You right-click on your desktop and click Personalize, then choose Sounds. You observe that “Low Battery Alarm” and/or “Critical Battery Alarm” are configured to play a sound file.

• Windows Vista?s Gamma Table Bug
  If you do any color-management/profiling, then this is a bug you need to know more about, and a temporary solution to get you working properly.
  (tags: Color Gamma )
• Sting! The biggest software counterfeiting bust in history
  More than 1000 customers in 12 different countries that purchased counterfeit copies of Vista were informed via WGA.
  (tags: WGA Counterfeit )

Keep reading →

If you’re running Vista on a laptop, you may want to check out this utility! Keep reading →

Power management may not work correctly on a Windows Vista-based portable computer that has a Windows SideShow-compatible USB device attached. Because of this problem, the CPU may not correctly enter a reduced power-consumption state. In a reduced power-consumption state, the processor is supposed to conserve battery power. The processor does this by using reduced voltage or reduced frequency states. When this problem occurs, the battery may drain more quickly than you expect.

• Save 1-4% More Battery Life With Windows Vista Battery Saver
  Seems like an option that should be built into Vista by default…
  (tags: Customize Battery Aero )
• Vista drivers | Ed Bott?s Windows Expertise
  Ed is building a ‘Vista Master Driver List’, something I’ve contemplated myself. If you’re looking for drivers, this is one place you should probably check out.
  (tags: Drivers )

Keep reading →

Seems like an option that should be built into Vista by default… Keep reading →

• Captivate 3: Adobe’s Looking for a Few Good Vista Testers
  Running Vista? Running Adobe Captivate? Adobe wants you!
  (tags: Adobe Compatibility )
• Resurrecting Dr. Watson on Vista
  If you really loved Dr. Watson in XP, it appears possible to use it in Vista as well.
  (tags: Crash XP )
• Vista Battery Saver
  A nice looking program to disable Aero and the Sidebar when you’re running off the battery on your laptop. You can even have it only kick in when your battery reaches a certain level of charge.
  (tags: Software Battery Aero Sidebar )
• Nintendo Wi-Fi USB Connector works with Vista
  It would appear that Vista will work with your Wii by using the XP drivers.
  (tags: Drivers Wii )

A nice looking program to disable Aero and the Sidebar when you’re running off the battery on your laptop. You can even have it only kick in when your battery reaches a certain level of charge. Keep reading →

• Maple 11 - Windows Vista Support
  The Vista version of Maple 11 will be available in the coming weeks. Current Maple 11 users will be notified via email as soon as it is available.
  (tags: Software Compatibility )
• Samba 3.0.25 Release Works With Vista
  Good news if you run a linux server.
  (tags: Network Server Share )
• Create the perfect picture
  If you take lots of photos, and you’re running Vista, this page will be of interest.
  (tags: Photo )
• Adobe to release PostScript driver for Windows Vista
  They will release a Vista compatible driver for PostScript printers in July.
  (tags: Drivers Compatibility )
• Gates: 40 million Vista copies sold
  Selling twice as fast as Windows XP, 40 million copies sold as of last week.
  (tags: PR Sales )
• How To Run TivoToGo 2.4 on Windows Vista
  The title says it all. TivoToGo 2.4 is not Vista compatible, but if you follow these steps, they claim it will run.
  (tags: Tivo Compatibility )
• Windows Vista Client Monitoring MP is now available
  If you’ve got a Windows Server 2003 and you want to monitor the health of your Vista clients, here’s your ticket.
  (tags: Server Client Monitor Health )
• Aero and battery life
  Nick at the Windows Vista Blog comments on the recent ‘Aero kills your battery’ hoopla. He says though it’s hard to measure accurately, they estimate it uses 1-4% more battery, which they consider a fair trade-off for what Aero offers.
  (tags: Aero Battery )