AdventuresInVista
Hints, Tips & Tricks for Microsoft Windows Vista

Vista Upgrade prob: update SCSI controller drivers
15 May 2007 in Compatibility & Installation | Comments (2)

When trying to upgrade your PC to Windows Vista, the Compatibility Checker may ask you to update the D347PRT and/or A347SCSI SCSI controller drivers (D247PRT in my case).

After some investigation, it turns out these drivers are actually virtual SCSI device drivers, installed by Daemon Tools or Alcohol 120% (whatever that is).

To continue the upgrade, you must first uninstall Daemon Tools or Alcohol 120%. Once you’ve done that, restart the Vista upgrade, and everything will go swimmingly!

Need device drivers? Visit RadarSync!
14 May 2007 in Compatibility & Installation | Comments (0)

This past weekend I decided to install Vista Business on one of the computers in the office. It was mid-afternoon on Saturday, and I was tired and bored.

It went swimmingly well once I’d found the product key on MSDN, right up until the point where I needed to install the graphics driver for my Matrox Millenium G450 Dual-Head card. It’s a really old card, and I suddenly realised the chances of getting a Vista driver were pretty remote.

So I googled, and came across RadarSync.

RadarSync are a company offering automatic updating tools for computers. A bit like Windows Update, but for device drivers. Their website includes a FREE Windows Vista driver repository. All the drivers you could ever need, organised by manufacturer and available right there to download.

I found the Matrox driver straight away, installed it, and I was done.

I’ve bookmarked this place, and I think it should be in everyone’s Favourites!

Visit www.radarsync.com now, or go directly to their Vista Drivers page.

Are you getting a “mapfile1: access is denied” error?
24 April 2007 in Compatibility & Help & Tips | Comments (0)

The chances are the answer to the above question is “Yes!” if you have…

• An ATI Graphics card
• You’ve recently upgraded to Windows Vista

It normally occurs when trying to run Internet Explorer or Windows Mail, and is caused by the software/drivers for ATI graphics cards.

To fix this problem, you should try and locate new drivers for your graphics card (visit the ATI website, or try DriverGuide.com).

If you can’t find a Windows Vista driver for your specific card, you can download a generic ATI driver here. Remember to unistall the old driver before installing a generic driver, using Add/Remove Programs.

You can of course also try Windows Update.

New version of AOL 9 ‘Vista Ready’ available
15 April 2007 in Compatibility | Comments (0)

For those have you that have been struggling getting your AOL software to work with Windows Vista, you’ll be pleased to know a new version of the ‘Vista Ready’ version has been released.

AOL 9.0 ‘Vista Ready’ was released a while ago, but users have been experiencing problems connecting to the AOL service (buddy list, favourites, etc). Seems it wasn’t quite as ‘Vista Ready’ as they first thought!

The new version can be downloaded now from AOL Downloads, and I’d recommend upgrading as soon as possible.

Windows Vista and Nero
25 February 2007 in Compatibility | Comments (0)

There’s been a lot of internet “chatter” about Nero 7 not working with Vista, so I thought I’d share how my mate got it working. It wasn’t easy by all accounts, but it does work given a little patience!

The first thing you need to do is turn off User Account Control (UAC). UAC is the new security system in Vista that runs your Desktop session with the least privelidges possible. It’s a complicated (and sometimes very annoying) way of protecting your system from unauthorised changes - I’ll be explaining it in detail soon.

Apple unready for Vista
16 February 2007 in Compatibility | Comments (0)

A few days ago, The Register posted an article confirming that Apple’s applications and devices aren’t yet supported by Windows Vista, and should not be installed.

This includes iTunes, the iPod, Quicktime, AirPort, AppleWorks, etc.

However, Apple does state here that iTunes 7.0.2 does work with Vista, but is advising users wait for the next version of iTunes before upgrading to Vista.

For a complete list, visit Apple’s Compatibility Page.

To read the original Reg article, please click here.

If you run any Apple software on your PC, it’s definitely worth keeping up to date with these lists, and if you’re installing iTunes 7.0.2 - you’ve been warned!

Dan

PS. If you’re running Vista and have installed iTunes, please post a comment and share your experience!

Can YOU run Windows Vista?
15 February 2007 in Compatibility & Help & Tips | Comments (1)

If you’re thinking of upgrading to Windows Vista, it’s worth checking before you buy that your PC is capable of running the version of Vista you wish to install.

Luckily, Microsoft have provided a downloadable tool called the Windows Vista Upgrade Advisor which will tell you if your computer is capable of running Vista, and which features are likely to work with your system (the “Aero” interface for example requires 128mb dedicated graphics RAM).

Click here to download the Windows Vista Upgrade Advisor.

Dan