5 quick steps to solving problems in Windows Vista

Open Up

The easiest way to see when and where recurring problems have occurred is to open Windows Vista’s new Reliability and Performance Monitor, which presents any reliability issues as a day-by-day grid. Type perform into the Start menu and press Enter, then click Reliability Monitor on the left.

Named and Shamed

The default view is one month; the second column shows the frequency of application failures. Clicking each day will provide a list of programs that have stopped working. If you notice a particular piece of software crashing frequently, for example, it’s worth investigating further.

Black List

Type Problem into the start menu and press Enter to open the Problem Reports And Solutions system. Clicking See problems to check will show a list of every program that has closed unexpectedly. It’ll also record any attempts to install programs that aren’t compatible with Windows Vista at all.

Reporting It

Click Check for new solutions to send the entire list to Microsoft. You may need to send additional information, but again this is an automatic process. Don’t worry about the possibility of sending personal information; it’s simply program code that’s analysed.

Patch Up

Any solutions found will now appear on the main page. If a fix is available via Microsoft, it’ll appear as a solution to install, or a link to where an update can be downloaded. If no update is currently available for Windows Vista, you’ll be given as much information as possible about when an update may be available and what you can do to try to improve things in the meantime.

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