As time passes, hardware producers release more and more drivers fully compatible with Vista for their products, but what about people having various devices that won't get new drivers? Since this is a problem that a lot of computer users have, but I wasn't able to see any interesting solutions, let me share with you a bit of my recent experience...


Just like many people I know, in the last decade I used only one network interface card, an excellent Compaq Netelligent adapter, with an Intel chipset (no intention to advertise, but I had to tell you this). On my old computer, I had just enough memory to install Vista (512MB), so I installed it, more to see how it looks and feels, because I had already in mind the configuration of my new Vista system. All went fine, apart from setting up the network... and the reason is obvious: Vista didn't find any compatible driver for my card!

In most cases, using Vista's troubleshooter won't take you anywhere, so you'll have to find a solution, and for some people, dropping the old hardware isn't an option. Next, I will tell you how I solved my problem, but this is not a solution for every piece of hardware in the wild - you'll have to try for yourselves.

After completing the troubleshooting procedure without success a few times, you have to retrieve a driver compatible with your hardware for Windows 2000. If that's not available, look for the latest driver compatible with the Windows NT-family of operating systems.

Choose to install this driver, and disregard the warning you'll get from the operating system (notice the screenshot above). When you finish, reboot, but only if you're asked to do it. In the most fortunate case, your hardware device should start working properly as soon as the drivers have been installed.In my case, the network adapter worked like a charm. Unfortunately, placing it in my new computer would have a negative impact on my video card's cooling, so I chose to use the on-board NIC.

Feel free to experiment with your old hardware that's not ready for the junkyard yet, and get back here and report your results. It will be my pleasure to find out that my hints helped other people keep their old devices running on Microsoft's last operating system!

When moving from a computer to another, the settings that you fine tuned for months, maybe even years, are the hardest part when it comes to backup and restauration. Since Opera is a top Web browser, I am sure a lot of people are looking for solutions to move their settings from a computer to another.

When I say "settings", I am not thinking about the bookmarks, but especially about the saved passwords and other information that's not so easy to retrieve. Just think about this - when you open Opera, it loads 30 sites, and apart from that, the browser is the safe that keeps your passwords and personal data, and all that you can do is export your bookmarks... but having exactly the same Opera setup on your new computer is much easier than you ever imagined!


<-234x60 Half Banner - left->First of all, you have to save your old Opera folder, or at least have it close at hand. For example, browse to your Program Files folder, and copy to a USB stick the entire Opera folder. If space is a problem, then you should check the About screen of browser, because it contains very useful information. Just look below...

Did you notice the precise locations of your settings? Now, let me explain... All that you need to switch from a computer to another your entire Opera setup is to keep the old "profile" folder, and copy it into the program's folder as soon as you install the browser on your new computer!

If you are using the Mail feature, then you also need to copy the "mail" folder to your new computer. Incredibly easy, don't you think? I'll be waiting for your feedback and questions, as usual, so don't be shy and fill in the text box below with your comment!

If you ask someone about a program to read or write PDF files, the most probable answer you'll get is "Adobe Acrobat". No matter if it's about the free to use Reader, or the high-end PDF editing Adobe Acrobat Professional, Adobe rules this part of the market with an iron hand, and there's nothing strange about this, since they introduced the PDF format in the first place. Today, their Acrobat line of products got a new update, bringing the current version number to 8.1.1, so let's see what do we get...


<-234x60 Half Banner - left->The new version patches 8 problems, including a security vulnerability noticed on the Windows platform, in conjunction with Internet Explorer 7, and two issues that caused the Windows version to crash. It's interesting to see that all serious problems of the program seem to occur with the Windows version, while Mac OS versions of Adobe Acrobat work without problems in the same conditions that cause crashes in Microsoft's operating system...

As it seems normal, after checking the fixes list, only the Windows versions of the Acrobat family got updated, and the current release is designed to run on Vista, XP, Windows 2000 and Windows 2003.

At last, if you're insterested about the system requirements, here you go - Intel Pentium III or equivalent, 256MB of memory (512 recommended), 470MB of disk space, 1024X768 resolution, CD-ROM drive and Internet or phone connection, needed for product activation.

To grab one member of the Acrobat family, simply go to the official page and get what you need. We have shown you the way, and now we are looking forward to hear your comments, as usual. Don't keep us waiting!