Microsoft today released a Knowledge Base article called “Information about programs that are known to experience a loss of functionality when they run on a Windows Vista Service Pack 1-based computer“. In it, they describe different applications that will not mix well with Vista’s Service Pack 1. This could be anything from lost functionality to not running, or even being deliberately blocked. Keep reading →

If you’re like me, you may block some of the programs that normally want to run at startup so they don’t eat all your RAM and processor. After doing this, you may consistently get notifications reminding you that a program is being blocked. Here’s why you might be getting them, and how to make them stop. Keep reading →

When you start a Windows Vista-based computer, you receive the following Windows Defender warning message in the notification area at the far right of the taskbar:

Windows has blocked some startup programs.

Windows blocks programs that require permission to run when Windows starts. Click to view blocked programs.
Note: You can see a list of blocked programs and services by following these steps:

1. Click the Blocked startup programs icon that is in the notification area.
2. Point to the Run blocked program menu list. The programs and services that have been blocked from starting are located here.