I had been using Vista for over a year now, and I know my way around pretty well. (if you wonder how when it was released only a few months ago, well, I was one of the people who helped Microsoft get rid of all the problems....trust me, it was REALLY problematic then). I would suggest that you rightclick on the icon to the program. Click properties, and then click compatibility. Check the box for XP SP2. Apply and then see if your program or installer works. Most likely if you ware installing something, the problem is that you need to run in administrater mode. Vista, by default, runs under reduced power, so that nothing you do not intend to have on your computer would not run. Think of it as running XP Limited with the ability to say, "Hey, I own this machine, so let me run it", and it will let you run it. If you need more help, just contact me.