Windows Vista was introduced a while ago as an upgrade to the Windows XP and 2000 users as something more tactile, easier to use – packed with security features that will ensure the safety of your work and your operating system experience. It was also more flashy, more user friendly and gained a lot of popularity because of its more palpable interface. Though it had some compatibility issues when it was first released, Windows Vista has really come ahead in the game and has become the solution for many computer users all over the world. But of course, Windows Vista is built on the same principles as the previous versions of the OS and because of that, it is inevitably an imperfect superstructure. A word of caution here – no OS is perfect because of the degradation effects of technology and the human element in the mix. There are actually quite a few common Windows Vista error messages and this article will discuss how to troubleshoot them if you ever encounter any of them.

The solution is no different from the solution that was available for previous editions of Microsoft’s incarnations. The common element here is the registry, and Windows Vista still operates with the registry as the integral matrix that it uses to ensure that all operations within its operating system environment run smoothly. With the registry, no matter how advanced the OS, common problems will always occur. When ever you introduce third party software and programs in Windows Vista, you will introduce the potential of new problems, especially in the registry. Bad registry keys left by rogue programs, invalid entries left by incomplete uninstalls and orphan keys are still features of an unhealthy Windows registry – be it XP or Vista. Surprised? Don’t be. Microsoft invented the registry for the simple fact that all executions in the computer need a reference point and all instructions for the different programs need somewhere to be stored. It hasn’t changed at all.

The same problems that made those runtime errors, mediahub errors and Active X errors still exist in Windows Vista, and would most likely still exist in future incarnations of Windows. The good thing about most of the registry cleaners is that they have adapted to the new operating system and is compatible with the new code and language that Vista is using. A quick look on the internet reveals many registry cleaners that have the ability to interface with Windows Vista and solve the problems that its registry might incur. Another good thing is that Vista has some bespoke problems that did not exist in XP, mainly because of the new security code and program structure that is being used by the operating system. Registry cleaners have adjusted to this and responded with more feature packed cleaners. Troubleshooting common Windows Vista error messages is now easy with the new stable of registry cleaners out there. Don’t make the mistake of thinking that a new OS means a trouble free registry; you still need dedicated programs to deal with the problems associated with it.

What is an Operating System? A good answer would be ?A set of programs that provide a GUI to interact with various devices in a computer?. This definition would hold good until a few years back, when an operating system is just a few icons and menus that you see when you switch on your computer. Operating systems provided file and device management using a Basic GUI.

But with the development of computers, operating systems also evolved a lot. From simple file and device management solution, modern day operating systems should be stable and secure the data stored on a computer. The data stored on a computer can be anything from music, movies and photos to data that you have generated and stored in different files. It takes only a small virus, a power surge or a device failure to destroy data.

Today?s operating systems try to anticipate such scenarios and issue warning messages and take pro-active steps to minimize the data loss. I would talk about Windows XP and Windows Vista because 80% of computers run on Windows Operating system and Windows Vista is an upgrade to Windows XP.

Windows XP has been around for 8 years now and in considered one of the best operating systems released by Microsoft. When Windows XP was released it was considered a resource hogger. Windows XP required 128 MB of RAM to run smoothly. And there are many complaints from long installation times to frequent crashes. Microsoft released Service Pack 1 and things changed. Most of the security holes are fixed and Windows XP became stable. Windows XP was built to give a better user experience by easy installation and plug & play capability.

After a few years with XP, internet threats have grown and Microsoft started bundling Anti-spyware products along with Windows XP. This didn?t help much, and since Windows XP is the most used, hackers tried to find ways to break into Windows XP systems. This triggered the need for a more secure operating system and there came Windows Vista into picture.

Some of the problems with Windows XP are that password protection is not secure enough, users can use Bootable live CD?s like miniPE or Road Starter to bypass Passwords and access the file system. The other major issue is Internet Explorer 6 which is the number one target for hackers. By exploiting the security homes in IE6 hackers can take control of IE and hence the Windows XP box. And last but not least, when you try to search for a file under Windows XP, you have a terribly slow search tool.

Now its Windows Vista which is structurally more robust and is much more visually appealing. Vista comes with Encrypted File System (EFS) which takes care of file level security. Vista allows one to encode an entire partition or hard disk with just a few clicks. In Windows Vista Internet Explorer runs with restricted permission. If a malicious piece of code enters the system through the browser it cannot do much harm, since Vista simply refuses to permit to run it. File Searching has improved a lot with Vista.

But 2 of the night mares with Vista are getting your old hardware running and the annoying popup prompting you to allow or block any action you have performed.

Microsoft changed many aspects of the gaming experienced in Windows Vista in comparison to their previous operating system Windows XP. One of the major differences between both platforms was the redesign of all games to match the visual changes that have been introduced in Windows Vista.

Games like Minesweeper or FreeCell received a much needed visual update with improved graphics and audio. This was something that Microsoft has not done since Windows 95. Looking back most games that came preinstalled in Microsoft operating systems looked the same over the years. Minesweeper for one did not look that much different in Windows 95 and some people say that even experienced users would be hard pressed to tell the differences.

This has changed with Windows Vista. That has not been the only change though game wise. Microsoft developed new games that were included with Windows Vista. Looking back anyone will notice that previous operating systems were all shipping with the same games.

The most popular games of previous systems have been ported to Windows Vista. Nine games are preinstalled in Windows Vista on all editions of the operating system. Five games of nine are known from previous Windows operating systems. Included are the popular card games Hearts, FreeCell, Solitaire, Spider Solitaire and the game Minesweeper.

Additionally four new games are included that cater to a wide variety of tasks: Chess Titans, Mahjong Titans, Purple Place and Inkball are as different as possible.

Chess Titans and Mahjong Titans are conversions of the two popular boardgames Chess and Mahjong. Purple Place was designed for a younger audience and Inkball which is probably the only fail in the list of games since it was designed for Tablet users and is not that playable with a mouse in advanced levels.

Two additional games have been released for Windows Vista Ultimate users. Windows Vista Ultimate Hold ‘Em is a conversion of the popular Texas Hold ‘Em poker game which is probably the most popular card game in the world thanks to the Poker craze.

The second game is called Tinker. A strategic game where the player has to guide a robot from start to exit avoiding obstacles in the way. It ships with 60 levels and does come with a level editor and download levels created by other players.

Microsoft created an interesting variety of games for Windows Vista users that can all be accessed in the excellent Windows Vista Game Explorer which acts as a central game hub on the system.