PunupTech

Vista is suberb

Windows or something like that. It’s only the biggest software release in the last five or so years, and it has all the hardware and software vendors on their toes trying to prep their drivers and hardware to run on it.Windows Vista is the biggest shift in the consumer software world since Windows 95. I won’t bore you with all the details of what makes the new OS changes so dramatic, but some things like indexed searching, security out the wazoo, a new user interface dubbed Aero Glass, integrated

Media
Center software and DirectX 10 might start the feature list. For our look at
Vista and gaming performance, the new DirectX 10 with a completely new graphics driver subsystem is the most noteable change.

Direct X Compatable

DirectX 10 adds support for geometry shading (or rather working on geometry in the same way pixels have been for years) and requires hardware developers to move to a unified shader architecture. You can get a LOT more detail on DX10 and the changes that NVIDIA has made to their GPU architecture Because of it with the GeForce 8800 series of cards

What We are Watching For ? oo On Gaming side

Because of these dramatic changes to the graphics system, both NVIDIA and AMD have had to spend significant time redevelop ing their graphics drivers to work with the new Windows Vista operating system. Both NVIDIA and AMD (and ATI) have been working on Vista Development for YEARS and we have been hearing claims of having the best “Vista Support” from both camps nearly as long. But now that the day of redemption is actually here,who will come out on top?I decided to take the retail version of Windows Vista Ultimate, got the latest drivers from both AMD and NVIDIA as of Friday and began to spend my weekend testing. What is important to note here is that my intention is NOT to compare the ATI Radeon cards against NVIDIA GeForce cards rather it was to compare the gaming experiences provided by ATI and NVIDIA on both Windows XP and Windows Vista.Should gamers worry about upgrading to Vista right away or should they wait for drivier stability and performance to catch up with the Microsoft vision?

If problems occur after installing a device driver, you should first attempt to use Driver Rollback. If that is unsuccessful, then use System Restore.
To return your computer to a previous, stable condition, perform the following steps:

1. Click the Start button, point to All Programs—> Accessories—> System Tools, and then click System Restore.
2. Select Restore my computer to an earlier time and click Next>.
3. The Select a Restore Point screen appears. The calendar on the left indicates in bold the dates on which restore points were created.
4. Click a date, click a restore point for that date, and click Next>.
5. Click Next> to confirm the restore point selection and complete the restore process.
6. After System Restore finishes collecting data, the computer automatically restarts and the Restoration Complete screen appears.
7. Click OK.

If you are not satisfied with the results of the restoration, you can repeat the preceding steps, using a different restore point, or you can undo the restoration.
To undo a restoration, perform the following steps:

1. Click the Start button, point to All Programs—> Accessories—> System Tools, and then click System Restore.
2. Select Undo my last restoration and click Next>.
3. Click Next> to confirm the restoration undo.
4. After System Restore finishes collecting data, the computer automatically restarts and the Undo Complete screen appears.
5. Click OK.

• Unexpected Shutdown
• Stop:0xc0000135

How to Perform a Clean Boot in Windows XP

This article describes how to disable common startup programs, settings, and drivers to troubleshoot issues in Windows XP. This procedure is known as “clean booting.”

How to Recover from a Corrupted Registry that Prevents Windows XP from Starting

This article describes how to recover a Windows XP system that does not start because of corruption in the registry. This procedure does not guarantee full recovery of the system to a previous state; however, you should be able to recover data when you use this procedure

How to Troubleshoot By Using the Msconfig Utility in Windows XP

This article describes how to troubleshoot configuration errors in Microsoft Windows XP by using the System Configuration utility (Msconfig.exe).

How to Use System Files to Create a Boot Disk to Guard Against Being Unable to Start Windows XP

This article describes how to guard against a situation when it is not possible to start Windows or any other operating system on your computer. This situation can occur when Windows is installed on a computer that has an Intel x86-based processors.

Resources for Troubleshooting Startup Problems in Windows XP

This article shows you how to troubleshoot startup problems in Windows XP. After you follow the articles or steps in each section, try to start your computer to determine if the problem is resolved.

A Stop: 0xc000026C or Stop: 0xc0000221 “Unable to Load Device Driver” Error Occurs When You Start Windows XP

When you start Windows XP, you may receive one of the following errors:

Black Startup Screen Is Briefly Displayed, Computer Restarts Repeatedly

When you attempt to start Microsoft Windows XP, the black startup screen may be briefly displayed, and then you computer restarts repeatedly.

Cannot Start Windows XP if the System or Software Hive Is Missing or Damaged

When you try to start or restart your Windows XP-based computer, you may receive one of the following error messages:

CD Recording Software Will Cause Windows to Become Unstable” Error Message When You Start Windows

When you start Microsoft Windows XP, you may receive an error message similar to the following:

Chkdsk Runs Each Time That You Start Your Computer

After you upgrade to Windows XP Home Edition or Windows XP Professional, the Chkdsk utility program runs each time that you start your computer.

Computer Stops Responding with a Black Screen When You Start Windows

When you attempt to start Windows XP, the computer may appear to stop responding (hang) with an empty, black screen immediately after the power-on self test (POST) is complete and before the Windows logo normally appears on the screen.

Error Messages When You Start Your Computer if Windows Program Files Are Missing or Damaged

When you start your computer, you may receive an error message that is similar to the either of the following: Windows could not start because of an error in the software Load needed DLL’s for Kernel This behavior may occur if Windows XP or Windows 2000 program files are either missing or damaged

Error Message: Windows Could Not Start Because the Following File Is Missing or Corrupt: \Winnt\System32\Config\System.ced

When you restart your Windows-based computer, you may receive the following error message:

Error Message: Windows Could Not Start Because of a Computer Disk Hardware Configuration Problem

When you attempt to start Windows XP, you may receive the following error message:

The Computer Does Not Start After You Change the Active Partition by Using the Disk Management Tool

After you use the Windows Disk Management snap-in tool to mark your primary partition as active, the computer may not start, and you may receive the following error messages: (See article for messages)

The “Welcome” Logon Screen Does Not Appear

On a Windows XP-based computer that is part of a workgroup and has the Fast User Switching feature enabled, the computer may start without displaying the “Welcome” logon screen.

Windows XP Does Not Start on a Computer That Is Configured for Dual Booting

When you attempt to start Windows XP in a dual-boot configuration, you may get the following error message:

You Receive a “System Has Recovered from a Serious Error” Message After Every Restart
If Windows XP restarts because of a serious error, the Windows Error Reporting tool prompts you to report the problem to Microsoft for troubleshooting purposes. Windows may begin prompting you to report this information every time you restart.

1. Right-click on an empty area of your desktop.
2. Choose Properties.
3. Click the Appearance Tab.
4. Click the Advanced button.
5. Choose Active Title Bar or Inactive Title Bar from the ‘Item’ drop-down menu.
6. Change Color 1 and Color 2 to your color of choice.
7. Press Apply when you’re finished.

Steps to insert date and time into a Notepad .txt file:

1. Click Start>> Run
2. Type: notepad
3. Push F5 on your keyboard

This simple shortcut can be very useful, especially when making logs or recording any kind of time-sensitive observations.

• Go to Control Panel, then go to Power Options.
• Click on the APM Tab, then check the “Enable Advanced Power Management support”. Click OK.
• Shut down your PC.

It should now successfully complete the Shut Down process.

The backup application on the retail version is located on the XP CD in the Valueadd folder, Some OEM’s include backup, but some OEM’s elect not to supply the additional folder.

Place the XP CD in the CD drive and select Additional Functions, then browse the CD.

:\VALUEADD\MSFT\NTBACKUP.

The readme file includes additional information on installing backup.

Once installed, it can be accessed from Start, All Programs, Accessories, System, Backup.