I am now into my third week of using Windows Vista and I have to say that the new operating system is really growing on me. So far I have not had any major issues and only a few minor irritations that proved to be easily resolved. Below are the two main issues (with solutions) to the problems that I have come across. Actually, to be perfectly honest one issue was a major problem while the other is more of an aesthetic issue and a personal preference for each user.

Data Execution Prevention Settings
After the installation of a couple of different programs they would not start properly though there were no errors during install process. I performed a quick search and determined that the there is a new security feature in Vista call Data Execution Prevention (DEP) which helps protect the system from viruses and security threats.

In order to allow the program to run properly you need to either get an updated version of the software that is DEP-compatible or turn off DEP for an individual program.

To turn off DEP:

1. Click on Start


2. Click on Control Panel then System and Maintenance then System


3. Click on Advanced System Settings - if prompted for administrator password enter password to continue.


4. Click on the Data Execution Prevention tab


5. Clear the check box next to the program that you want to turn off DEP of for and then click on OK. If the program that is not listed in the box then click on Add and browse to the Program Files folder and select the program (will have an .exe extension) and click Open

Change the Look of the Start Menu
When I first started using Vista and I opened the Start menu for the first time my first response – uh oh! – Microsoft went and changed everything around. After poking around a bit I found a method to set the Start menu to look like the Windows XP start menu to help make the transition easier. Though I found a way to change the menu I decided to stick it out with the new look of Vista but have provided the procedure below if you don’t like the new look.
Change Start Menu:

1. Click on Start then Control Panel


2. Select Appearance and Personalization and then click Taskbar and Start Menu


3. Click on the Start Menu tab and select Classic Start menu and click on OK to exit.

Interested in Windows Vista? Here is the upgrade to Windows Vista Home Premium:

Windows Vista Home Premium with SP1 Upgrade