KEY POINTS:
Microsoft has made available for download the Windows Vista Service Pack 1 update which is designed to fix some of the bugs in the operating system and make it more compatible with the myriad range of hardware devices on the market.
But hang on just a second,
it seems the update is "wreaking havoc" on some users' computers, according to reports from the US.
If your machine is working fine as it is, you may want to hold off until some of the glitches are identified and fixed.
Vista SP1 isn't like the second service pack Microsoft released for Windows XP, which had heaps of new improvements, particularly when it came to plugging holes in the operating system's security.
It became clear soon after Vista's release, that there were serious problems when it came to finding compatible software drivers to allow everything to work properly with Vista. For that, Microsoft and its industry partners have a lot to answer for.
According to Microsoft there "close to 80,000 devices" now compatible with Vista.
"Windows Vista had fewer vulnerabilities than XP in its first 12 months on the market, and is the most secure and reliable operating system Microsoft has ever produced, adds Microsoft.
I've downloaded Vista SP1 onto three computers now with good results on two of them. On the third machine, my cherished Dell XPS M1330, the machine won't stop blue-screening long enough for me to get the update on.
Everything was going fine with the machine I bought last October up until about two weeks ago when following a Windows update, things started to go haywire.
The screen started to show artefacts, then started freezing, then the computer started crashing. A Windows diagnosis points the finger at my old friend Nvidia, the graphics card maker who caused no end of grief for me when they didn't have a stable driver for my graphics card ready to go when Vista was launched last January. And things were going so well with the XPS and Vista...
I've done pretty much everything I can think of to fix the current glitch - uninstall Windows updates, use System Restore to return to a stable period, reinstall Nvidia drivers, install new ones. Maybe it wasn't the fault of Windows or that update. Maybe, the geeks in the forums I've been visiting are right - my graphics card is overheating for some reason. The key to it all is nv1ddmkm.sys, which I managed to scribble down before the blue-screen turns into a reboot and have now memorised. I think the good old XPS will have to take a trip back to Dell.
And before all you Apple fans start shaking your heads and berating me for not buying a MacBook, Apple isn't perfect either with a number of users reporting overheating and lock-up problems with the MacBook Air. Apple has released a software patch in an attempt to fix the glitches.
Meanwhile, poor old Charlie Rose, the veteran TV interviewer has gone to great lengths to save his MacBook Air after falling over in New York. Now that's a dedicated Mac fan.
The local tech blogosphere:
Russell Brown reviews the new Freeview receiver and likes what he sees.
Aardvark ponders on long-range Wi-Fi technology as a solution to poor broadband in rural areas.
