This great site is called System Requirements Lab. The service support everything from Windows 98 up to Vista so everyone should be covered. The best part is that its FREE. You just have to give them permission to download an ActiveC/Java browser component that will do the analyzing of your hardware for you. Very simple and very easy to use. If your planning to buy any computer based games this is a lifesaver, who wants to be disappointed after they have gone out and purchased a game only to not be able to play it once you get it home? Save yourself some headache and heartache!

	Get your complete report in seconds including suggestions for what to upgrade on your computer.
	Only your system's hardware and system software are evaluated.
	No personally identifiable information is collected.
	Works on Windows 98, 98SE, ME, 2000, XP, 2003, Media Center, Vista.
	Works with Internet Explorer, Firefox & Netscape browsers.
	You will need to give your permission to download a secure ActiveX/Java browser component.
	You can easily uninstall the ActiveX/Java browser component when the analysis is complete.

“There is a problem with the Windows Installer Package. A program required for this install to complete could not be run.”

Most often, if you re-register the Windows Installer Service the problem will be resolved on its own. The Windows Installer Service is the tool that supervises the installation and removal of software on your computer.  The setup rules, which are centrally defined, are applied during the installation of the Windows Installer Service. When you re-register this service new rules are applied and changed. First you must unregister before you can register. The steps below have been found as the best way to re-register the Windows Installer Service. Please note that you will have to log in as the administrator after following Step 1 below.

1.)    Start up your computer in Safe Mode

·         When you see the Windows screen during start-up press F8 and select Safe Mode

2.)    Go to your Start Menu and select Run, type cmd.exe and click OK

3.)    Once prompted, type msiexec /unregister  and then press Enter

4.)    At the next prompt, type msiexec /reregister and press Enter

5.)    At the final prompt, type exit and press Enter to close the window

You may then remove or add whichever program you were previously unable to do so and restart your computer as normal.

With all the problems consumers seemed to have had with Vista, will the average consumer be willing to take a chance on Microsoft and try another windows system? Although the new version will have many new features like support for virtual hard drives, new graphics elements, storage improvements, simplified device installation,  multi touch capability, a new task bar, and an overhauled version of the User Account Control security system as well as new developer APIs. 

One can only wonder why Microsoft hasn't just come out with a Vista B addressing all the problems. Instead of trying to fool the public with ads on TV changing the name in the ad to Mohave to show the average consumer things they didn't know about Vista. With the war between Mac and Microsoft so apparent on television, I cant help but wonder why didn't Microsoft spend its money on fixing the problem instead of hiring Jerry Seinfeld to do its commercials. Although they are entertaining and comical at times I don't find it so funny when consumers and myself have spent our hard earned money on a product that doesn't work properly and gives everyone headache’s.

Whether the new version will satisfy the consumer in terms of usability and performance remains to be seen, Even though sales of Vista are still doing well with the commercial industry personal sales have come to a stand still and one can't help but wonder if Microsoft will address these problems, or just run with the new windows 7 and hope everyone will forget the problems at hand.

I can only hope that someone at Microsoft will address and fix these problems and rejuvenate our faith in Microsoft after all the millions of dollars the average consumer has helped the company make in the past 3 decades while users constantly beta test till the next beta test.  Is it just me that fells this way?

I think Palin is very much not ready. She just regurgitates the same rhetoric that mccain repeats endlessly.  The surge is working… blah blah  I'm a maverick  blah blah. 
I love this video http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iwNvSW1Ge4M

No VP candidate in history has ever avoided the press the way she has. Watching her bloopers makes it obvious to me why she avoids interviews from the media.

She did do ok in the vp debate but she dodged most all questions and went straight into her slogans and beauty pagent replies and such instead of answering questions. She didnt really do that well she just didn't screw up royally like she normally does when asked questions you have to think about.

 She scares me more than anyone else in this race. 

I would have rather had hillary than obama but all this nonsense that hes a muslim and hates the usa is preposterous.

McCain has perpetuated this war from the beginning, and voted with bush about 90% of the time.  With all the damage that bush, cheney and rove have done to our country and the entire conservative agenda I'm shocked that so many people just blindly follow with the next round of republican nominees.

For the record, I'm usually on the conservative/republican side of issues but this war is the deciding factor for me and mccain wants to keep it up.  The war is a big part of why our economy is struggling and mccain is totally clueless to economic logic.

He should change his name to McBush instead of McCain.

The last sentence in the email below is offensive to me, only republicans are "real Americans" and only republicans are "clear thinking".  This is just ridiculous propaganda.  I'm not a democrat or a republican, I'm an American who thinks for himself and votes both ways from time to time depending on the issues not partisan politics. 

Sometimes I lean left, sometimes I lean right.  I think we should move away from democrat or republican.  So many people are clueless and just pick a team and are simply not aware of the real issues. 

This war mccain thinks we will be in for 100 years has already cost more than it would cost to rebuild every road and school in the US and give free health care to every American.  He thinks we should keep borrowing billions of dollars from china to fund it and our kids and grandkids can worry about paying back the chinese.  This fact alone is quite scary to me.

Why are we bankrupting our country to make iraq a free country?  We need to worry about the good ol USA and stop petty bickering over which party wins.

I have put together a few items which when set correctly can help you control how resources are used on your system. Some of these items listed will simply uninstall certain features or change a program configuration. Others listed can be used to actually designate what resources are dedicate to individual programs. If used properly this can make specific programs operate faster and more efficiently.

You may or may not wish to implement some or all of these changes as it will be a matter of preference. Please remember you should document any changes made to your system. This well help you reverse any changes made if for any reason you experience adverse effects.

Uninstalling remote differential compression

The remote differential compression feature is designed to streamline file transfers to and from remote directories by keeping track of file changes and only transferring the changed information.

To disable this feature:

Go to "start/control panel/programs/uninstall a program".

On the sidebar select “turn windows features on and off”.

Uncheck “remote differential compression” and select "ok."

Designating which CPU (if using multiple processors) runs a specific process

Windows Vista allows you the ability to assign an application to run only on a specific CPU. This is called processor affinity. This is a good way of balancing the load on a multi-core CPU.

Assigning processor affinity to an application:

Launch the desired application.

Press CTRL+ALT+DEL and choose the “task manager”.

In the “applications” tab locate the desired program and right click it. Choose "go to process".

This will bring you to the "processes" tab with the process used by the application application highlighted. Right click the process and select "set affinity".

The processor affinity window will open. Using the check box select which processor(s) you want to run that application.

Note: All settings will reset to default when a restart of the computer is performed.

Assigning priority to an application

All recent Microsoft operating systems have contained the concept of priority, meaning in this case, which process gets the most attention from the CPU. In Vista, you can customize these priority settings so that your hardware is concentrating most on what you want it to.

Vista has a range of available settings ranging from "low" to "real time".

Note: Any full screen application automatically is assigned high priority by Windows Vista.The best way to optimize such applications is to tweak the commonly used windowed applications.

Assigning a custom priority to an application:

Launch the desired application.

Press CTRL+ALT+DEL and choose the "task manager".

In the "applications" tab locate the desired program and right click it. Choose "go to process".

This will open the "processes" tab with the process highlighted.

Right click the process and choose "set priority". The priority list will openand you may designate your desired level.

Note: that choosing "realtime" is not wise as this will designate all processing being alloted to this one specific process. All settings will be reset to default when you restart the computer.

Configuring Windows Defender

Windows Defender by default runs a scan daily. Even though this scan runs in the background it can impact system performance. You may wish to disable the automatic scanning and perform only occasional manual system scans.

Disable Windows Defender automated scans:

Open the "start" menu and in the search field type "defender."

select the "tools" icon at the top of the window and then "options".

Uncheck "automatically scan my computer" and select "save".

This will be the first in a line of articles dedicated to improving performance on Windows Vista. If you have a suggestion of your own that you have implemented and you feel may be beneficial to others please comment on this article. We would be happy to include any viable tips in our next article.

Another way to improve performance of any Windows operating system. The PC Registry Cleaner program will not only address errors in the Windows registry effectively, but as well is one of the few programs designed to run with Windows Vista. The PC Registry cleaner will not only clean your egsitry of invalid, incomplete or missing data, but as well has a set list of tweaks when implemented by the program can improve performance.

Lets not forget the fact that with a license you also receive free support. Not only do you get support for the program, but support for any on going issue. Try it and see the results yourself. You can download the program using the following link.

http://www.pcregistrycleaner.com/download/PCRegistryCleaner_setup.exe

Windows can assign tasks between processors and manage multiple applications on a single processor. You can also set your system to assign more of that processor time to an individual running program. To manually change the performance of a running program or multiple programs simply go to your Start Menu and select Run. Then type in sysdm.cpl in the Open box. Make sure the Advanced Tab is selected and then click Settings under Performance. Then click the new Advanced Tab and you will see 2 methods to choose from, Programs and Background Services.

The Programs option will assign more of the processor time to the running foreground application or program rather than the background programs. This causes the application running in the foreground to run more quickly, smoothly and efficiently. On the downside, it slows down the other applications you have running.

The Background Services option will return the processor time back to normal, allocating the time equally between all running programs.

These are very beneficial tools to grasp if you have one particular program that always seems to run slow because you can select the Programs option for that program while it’s running and it will speed up. Many people use the Programs option when working on a deadline due to the fact that it makes one program work much more quickly and makes it more likely to stay on your pace of workmanship. Once you are finished the foreground program you can go back to the Start -> Run drill to select the Background Services option and return the processor time back to normal anytime.

Windows stores all your previous personal files into a folder called Windows.old. This is the folder you need to access if you want all your previous personal files back. To get to this folder go to your Windows start button and type drive:\windows.old. After searching click the windows.old folder that is in the Programs List. There should be 3 listings if you are upgrading from Windows XP. These folsders are the Documents & Settings folder, Windows folder and Program Files folder. Most likely, all of your personal files were stored in teh Documents & Settings folder. Windows XP does not usually store them into the Windows or Program Files folder for when you upgrade to Windows Vista. The Documents & Settings folder creates a seperate folder for each user of the computer. To demonstrate, if there were 2 users the folders would be as follows: drive:\Windows.old\Documents and Settings\Administrator and  drive:\Windows.old\Documents and Settings\UserName. You would need to open each folder to retrieve the data fully from your old system.

There are usually about 6 folders within each user's Documents & Settings folder. The Start Menu, Cookies and User Data folders basically do not contain vital information. The folders you want to look out for are the My Documents, Favorites and Desktop. These are the 3 that contain the most valuable, keepsake information on your computer.

If you stored data, folders, important shortcuts on your computer you can restore them onto your Windows Vista system by right-clicking the Desktop folder, full labeled drive:\Windows.old\Documents and Settings\UserName\Desktop,  and select Cut. Close all the opened windows and right-click a blank area on your desktop to select Paste. The folder will then appear as a regular icon on your desktop that you can open, extract and do other things with.

The steps are slightly different with the My Documents folder. You search for it, select it, right-click and choose Cut the same way as you do with the Desktop folder. Then, instead of going to your desktop, go to your Start Button and select Documents. Right click on Documents and select Paste.

You may wish to log on as each user to restore files from the individual user folders. Also, make sure you do not delete the Windows.old folder if there is still important data remaining in it.

The indexing service in Windows Vista allows Windows to search for files faster. By default Windows Vista indexes all files. This service can cause a high load on the system.  For the best performance you should disable the indexing service for all other locations other than the Start Menu.  This will decrease the amount of background resources such as memory and CPU that Windows Vista dedicates to this process. 

Note:This will slow down your searches for other locations other than the start menu.

Use the Following steps to adjust the indexing locations:

1. Click on the Start Button and in the search bar type in "Indexing Options" and hit Enter. 
2. When the interface opens select the Modify button.
3. Next, click on Show all locations.
4. Scroll through the view and uncheck any folders you do not wish to be indexed by the operating system.  When completed select OK.
5. For more advanced indexing settings select the Advanced button. Otherwise choose close.

Another easy way to improve performance of the Windows operating system is to insure your registry structure is intact. The fastest and easiest way to scan the registry for invalid, incomplete or missing data would be to use the PC Registry Cleaner. Not only will it remove these types of errors from the registry, but it also has embedded registry optimization entries which will improve the overall performance of a PC.

Lets not forget the fact that every purchase comes with free support for any ongoing issue. Try it yourself and see the results. Download the program using the following link.

You can shut down your computer through the Task Manager by selecting the Shut Down Menu and clicking Turn Off or you can press Ctrl+Alt+Delete after the Task Manager is already open to restart the computer. This is good thing to know if you experience a completely frozen computer, where your mouse won’t even move. You can simply press Ctrl+Alt+Delete twice to restart your entire system. You can also access the restart option and other such commands from the Shut Down Menu in the Task Manager.

If you have one window or program that freezes the best thing to do if you are unable to close out of it is to use the Task Manager. Press Ctrl+Alt+Delete, and then under the Applications Tab select the frozen program and click End Task. The Task Manager usually knows which program is frozen and will say Not Responding in the Status column to the right of the frozen program(s).

Another neat thing you can do through the Task Manager is start a whole new application. To do this, go to the File Menu in Task Manager and select New Task. A window will pop up for you to type the program in that you would like to start up. You can also use the Browse Button in that small window to locate the program you wish to open. This is especially helpful if your Start Menu is not cooperating.

The Ctrl+Alt+Delete keys can get you out of many sticky situations. This 3-key combination, created by David Bradley of IBM PC, is widely known among computer experts and novices alike. Now that you know the common things about the Task Manager you can start using Ctrl+Alt+Delete to control your applications and such.

Generally, this is not an issue with Windows Vista itself. Although you may have heard otherwise, Windows Vista is a great system to have. Then again, so is Windows XP. It is a good idea to perform the installation of Windows Vista twice. This may sound weird but here’s the logic: the first installation is to get everything on there, the second is for a fresh and thorough install. You could also just run upgrades for a fresh install. Upgrades work wonders on Windows Vista when it comes to speed and reliability.

If you want to check for upgrades you can go to update.microsoft.com. Use the utility to scan for updates all throughout your Windows Vista system, including hardware and drivers. Restart after doing the updates and see how it helps

Please remember that if you purchased the computer with Windows XP on it than your computer will run better and faster with Windows XP than it will with Windows Vista simply because the computer was made for Windows XP.

Another thing that I have mentioned time and time again is to run an msconfig. Just go to the Start Menu and select Run. Type msconfig and press Enter. Go to the Startup Tab and get rid of anything you don’t need. You might be surprised at how much this can improve the speed during start up.