Consider the following scenarios:

• An additional monitor is connected to a Windows Vista-based desktop computer. The additional monitor is designated as the primary display (the main monitor). The computer goes into hibernation or goes to sleep. This additional monitor is disconnected. The computer resumes from sleep or from hibernation.
• An external monitor is connected to a portable Windows Vista-based computer. The additional monitor is designated as the primary display (the main monitor). The built-in screen is designated as the secondary display. The computer goes into hibernation or goes to sleep. This external monitor is disconnected. The computer resumes from sleep or from hibernation.

In these scenarios, you cannot see the logon screen. Therefore, you cannot log on to the computer.

• Intel Graphics Media Accelerator Driver for Windows Vista version 15.6
  If you’ve got an Intel motherboard and use the on-board video, here’s the latest driver for a large number of their products.
  (tags: Intel Video Drivers )
• Microsoft Takes the Lid Off Vista Media Center Extenders
  IPTV and finally the ability to play Divx and Xvid over an extender. I may now actually have a use for these things!
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Keep reading →

For all you tweakers, here’s another way to customize your install. Keep reading →

Every time that you log on to a Windows Vista-based computer that is connected to a domain, a temporary user profile is created. When you log off the computer, the user profile is deleted. Additionally, one of the following events may be logged in the Application log:

Log Name: Application
Source: Microsoft-Windows-User Profiles Service
Date: Date
Event ID: 1511
Task Category: None
Level: Warning
Keywords: Classic
User: User
Computer: Computer
Description: Windows cannot find the local profile and is logging you on with a temporary profile. Changes you make to this profile will be lost when you log off

Log Name: Application
Source: Microsoft-Windows-User Profiles Service
Date: Date
Event ID: 1534
Task Category: None
Level: Warning
Keywords: Classic
User: User
Computer: Computer
Description: Profile notification of event Delete for component {error code} failed, error code is -2147024894.

Log Name: Application
Source: Microsoft-Windows-Search
Date: Date
Event ID: 3036
Task Category: Gatherer
Level: Warning
Keywords: Classic
User: User
Computer: Computer
Description: The content source [csc://{content source number}/] cannot be accessed. 

When you try to join a Windows Vista-based client computer to a Microsoft Windows NT 4.0 domain, you may receive the following error message:

The following error occurred attempting to join the domain domainname:
Logon failure: unknown user name or bad password

When this problem occurs, the following error may appear in the %windir%\Debug\Netsetup.log file:

NetUseAdd to \\DC01\IPC$ returned 1326
NetpJoinDomain: status of connecting to dc ‘\\DC01′: 0×52e
NetpDoDomainJoin: status: 0×52e

Note: Error code 1326 and error code 0×52e are both mapped to the ERROR_LOGON_FAILURE error. The ERROR_LOGON_FAILURE error corresponds to the following error message:

Logon failure: unknown user name or bad password.

This problem also applies to Windows Server 2008.

On a computer that is running Windows Vista or Windows Server 2008, you enable the “Run logon scripts synchronously” Group Policy. When you try to log on, the Welcome screen may be displayed for 30 seconds. Then, the logon script interacts with you before the logon script process continues. For example, the script prompts you to confirm a dialog box.

Note: The “Run logon scripts synchronously” Group Policy setting is in the following location in the Group Policy Management Console:
Local Computer Policy\User Configuration\Administrative Templates\System\Logon\Logonff

After you log on to a Windows Vista-based computer for the first time, the computer may become very slow and unresponsive. Or, the computer may stop responding (hang).

Five minutes after you log on to a Windows Vista-based computer, 802.1X network authentication times out, and authentication fails. Therefore, network connectivity is not established. You are not prompted to log on to a wired 802.1X network during the five-minute period after you log on.

Just recently I got a laugh out of a post called “But I Don’t Want to be a Flower!“, a funny title that I associated with Seinfeld. The post actually has a nice, quick tip on how to change that ‘flower’ icon you get on your Vista login screen and in your ‘Start’ menu. Here’s how I changed my icon, not just to one of the stock icons, but to me! Keep reading →

You log on to Windows Vista on a new computer after a Group Policy setting has changed the folder redirection location of the My Documents folder. After you do this, you do not see the expected files in the My Documents folder.