Overs the last two weeks I've spend some time installing Vista and a good number of applications on a new computer. I already had a beta of Vista on it, so I knew about the problems in installing the proper system drivers (or I thought I knew). I like Vista, overall. And I still use Vista 32, unlike Chris Bensen. But the number of applications having problems running on it is larger than I was expecting. The good news is I installed various versions of Delphi with limited troubles.

First, when I installed it I didn't notice the sound system was not working. As I installed Skype on it, it complained and I started investigate. The problem was I had a hard time installing the proper driver as Vista didn't want to uninstall the (wrong) Microsoft audio driver. Took me a while to figure out the proper steps, but this is done now.

Later I tried installing the firewall I use on my XP box, Kerio Personal Firewall, but (not surprisingly) Vista refused to install it. Firewall technologies have specific support in Vista, but I don't want to use Microsoft firewall, for the only reason I want to "see" when Vista calls back home! Also, the Firewall decided by itself which applications can talk over TCP/IP. I want to know each of them. I want to choose, not the fully trust the Firewall, sorry. But I'll stick with the default Firewall for now.

Having an iPaq Pocket PC Phone, I tried installing Microsoft's own ActiveSync. As I tried, Vista told me I didn't want to install it, because the operating system already includes the same capabilities. However, I found ho to sync my media files but not the "My Documents". And I found no way to backup my archives... Very annoying.

Having the need to print, I referred Vista to our office HP printer, which is hooked to a Windows 2000 PC. When it saw it (after a couple of attempts, as Vista doesn't seem to like my peer-to-peer network with Samba servers very much), it complained the driver was incompatible. Even if I want to print through another computer, I have to install the driver locally. A search on the HP site revealed there is no Vista driver for my printer, not now and not even coming. It is an old model HP doesn't want to support any more. So I'm stuck! I've got a working printer in my network but my computer cannot print on it!

As I still use Delphi 7 occasionally (and its help, as well), I double checked about the status of WinHelp. Microsoft states that "The download for Windows Help [for Vista] is still in development. It will be available in time for the consumer release of Windows Vista scheduled for early 2007." Ok, it was only a few days ago... but they missed this self-imposed deadline.

Finally, I tried installing a desktop sharing software (a GotoMyPC clone) to no avail. Most of the software I use works: MS Office, Open Office, Delphi 7, Delphi 2006, Skype, Firefox, Firebird, Mozy Backup, WinSCP... these and many other work fine. So I'm sticking with my plan of moving to the Vista computer as my primary box, although after my initial experiments I wasn't expecting so much trouble.