GameBanshee Forums

so, i got a new HP with vista home premium on it. at first it was ok, but now im having all kinds of problems. the first problem was with games i installed. i found that none are completely compatible with vista, and because of their age, there prolly wont be any patches to make them work. im almost ok with this, and im willing to wait for vista games. my other problem comes with certain very important programs having problems and having to close. the sidebar closing is not a big deal, but when the windows explorer closes, and im not real sure what that is, it means i cant do anything with my computer, my advisor constantly has problems and hasnt worked in weeks. are these problems normal? fixable? or should i just complain to bill untill he fixes it all?

Your issues are not "normal" so to speak, but many have issues with Vista (myself not being one, as my issues are limited to old games).

My initial thought is it sounds as driver issues, causing the problems.
Make sure your drivers are absolutly up to scratch, and that you of course use the appropriate (32bit vs 64bit).
Many problems arise from using outdated drivers.

If the software you run is still being supported, be sure to check if they have made a "Vista" version, or patch. Very old software can and will have problems, especially if you are running a 64bit version. (meaning DOS software etc).

It could also be your installation of Vista which is messed up, especially if it was pre-installed.

Other then that, it is difficult to give general advice without more information about what you try to run, such as which "certain big programs" it is that crashes. But it sounds as if your not "Vista ready" so to speak,if you use so many programs incompatible with Vista.

i personally might not be ready for vista, but my cmputer should be, since vista was installedbefore i got the thing. the big program that keeps crashing is Windows Explorer. not really sure what that is, but when it shuts down, it takes all my icons and only leaves anything i have open on the desktop up.
ive looked for patches to make my games compatible with vista, and so far, havnt found anything. there are lots of patches, but not many that are what im looking for.

Windows Explorer is basically Windows Vista. Explorer is what controls most every function of your PC, and if it's crashing, you might need to format completely and downgrade to XP.

since i bought the computer brand new with vista installed in the factory, i shouldnt have to go buy xp and put it in

I would contact the place where the computer has been nought, as it's obvious that something has happened while Bista was installed. They should at least check to see if they can determine the problem.

thanks Kipi, thats about the only thing i haven't tried, but ill see what they can do

If the Windows Explorer process crashes as regular as it does, it indicates a serious problem - either a faulty installation or possible even hardware problem.
So I would indeed take it back to the shop as Kipi states, and demand them to fix it

Also - I would imagine some companies (even reputable) just put Vista on their new computers without actually knowing if they are Vista ready, and if the hardware is supported. So it would be interesting to know which computer (specifications) you actually bought.

well, i went to get all the system information, but every time i try the windows explorer has an error, and it closes everything but my browser. i have an hp pavilion a6009n with a 250gb hd, amd atholon 64 processor, 1 G of ram, not sure what else you think you'd need, but i cat access it, i got this from the circuit city website where i bought it

As already stated, the OS' install was broken by HP in the first place

You have to arrange for warranty service on the bad install of Vista (ask for XP when you are there; probably won't do any good, but worth trying).

thanks, kiwi, will do