Windows Vista Service Pack 1 is targeted to be released in the first quarter of 2008.  Since the Vista SP1 and Windows Server 2008 engineering efforts are aligned they are also targeting the first quarter of 2008 for their release date.

Here is an excerpt talking about what changes SP1 includes:

In addition to updates we’ve previously released, SP1 will contain changes focused on addressing specific reliability and performance issues we’ve identified via customer feedback, supporting new types of hardware, and adding support for several emerging standards.  SP1 also makes additional improvements to the IT administration experience.  We didn’t design SP1 as a vehicle for releasing new features; however, some existing components do gain enhanced functionality in SP1.

See Also:

• Announcing Windows Vista Service Pack 1 Beta - Windows Vista Team Blog
• Windows Server 2008 Timing Update - Windows Server Division Weblog
• Windows Vista SP1 white paper

I setup a brand new Dell Dimension E520 for one of my clients a few months ago.  It was running Windows Vista Ultimate Edition.  I got everything setup without a hitch until I tried to install AVG Free.  After I installed AVG I kept getting the following error when the computer started up as well as when I tried to double-click on the desktop icon to start AVG:

avgwb.dat - Application Error
The application failed to initialize properly (0xc0000022). Click OK to terminate the application.

I tried all kinds of things to try to troubleshoot the issue.  I uninstalled AVG and reinstalled it.  I right-clicked on the AVG icon and selected “Run as administrator” which prevented the error from coming up but wasn’t a permanent solution.  I contacted Dell technical support because it was a brand new computer and I figured the problem was caused by something Dell did when they configured UAC in Vista.  I even purchased AVG Anti-Malware Edition and contacted Grisoft’s technical support team (the free version doesn’t come with technical support).  However, nothing I tried seem to help.  I finally decided that I needed to find a temporary solution and revisit the problem after Grisoft’s technical support team had more time to analyze the problem.  Since the problem seemed to be a security related issue caused by UAC in Windows Vista I temporarily disabled the UAC.  That temporarily “fixed” the problem and got AVG working until I could find the cause of the problem and fix it.

The Grisoft technical support team never did find a solution for me and Dell wasn’t much help at all.  Apparently they were all as baffled as I was.  When I was looking at the computer again today I noticed that the AVG error was coming up again.  It looked like someone had enabled UAC since the last time I looked at the computer so I decided to take another crack at the issue.  When I figured out the solution I decided to post it on my blog to help other people troubleshoot similar problems and hopefully save them some of the frustration I experienced.

The Solution:

I already knew the problem had something to with the avgcc.exe program not being granted the proper security permissions to run.  I did a little more research on the Internet and decided to use Dependency Walker to try to figure out what files avgcc.exe was having trouble accessing.

1. I downloaded Dependency Walker and extracted it.
2. I ran Dependency Walker and opened the “C:\program files\Grisoft\AVG7\avgcc.exe” file with it.
3. At the bottom of the screen it told me there was an access denied error when trying to load the “C:\windows\system32\mfc71.dll” file it was dependant on.
4. I opened Windows Explorer and browsed to the MFC71.DLL file, right-clicked on it, and selected properties.
5. Then I clicked on the Security tab.  It gave me a UAC security warning about changing the permissions of system files and I clicked Continue.
6. I added the Everyone group and gave it Read/Execute access to the file.
7. I tested AVG and it was working just fine after that.
8. I went back in to check the settings of some similar files and it looked like the previous permissions had been correct.
9. I removed the Everyone group and tested AVG.  It still seemed to be working ok so I rebooted to double-check and everything came up just fine.

Conclusion:

It looks like the permissions for the MFC71.DLL file got corrupted somehow.  I don’t know if it was something wrong with Dell’s original setup or what caused the problem.  I haven’t ran into this problem on any other Dell computers running Vista yet.  If you have ran into the same problem before please post a comment and let me know.  I’d really appreciate the feedback.  Thanks!

A couple important Windows Vista updates were released recently to fix various performance issues.  There is more information, as well as links to download the updates, on David Overton’s Blog.  You must be running genuine Microsoft Windows to be able to download and install the updates.

See KB938194 and KB938979 for more information.

The July 2007 Windows Vista Application Compatibility Update contains fixes for Vista compatibility issues with Microsoft Windows Small Business Server 2003 (SP1 and R2).  If you are running Windows Vista on your SBS network you should make sure you download this update.  Hopefully, you are using WSUS 3.0 to manage your updates which will make it easier to make sure all of the computers in your office have the update.

I first noticed this tip on the E-Bitz - SBS MVP The Official Blog of the SBS “Diva” blog.

People have been starting to ask me if they should upgrade to Windows Vista.  I’ve been running it on my Gateway M675 laptop for awhile now and have been pretty happy with it overall.  Most of the issues I have encountered so far were caused by a lack of support from software and hardware vendors.  However, over the past few months vendor support has been getting a lot better.  The following article by Ed Bott goes into more details on how the hardware support has been improving:

The Vista driver outlook gets a little brighter by ZDNet’s Ed Bott — I’ve been watching for the past six months as PC hardware makers deliver updated drivers to make their products work with Windows Vista. Lately, the trickle has turned into a steady stream, with some high-volume hardware companies delivering solid 32- and 64-bit updates. But there are still some rough edges to deal with.

If you want to upgrade to Windows Vista the easiest thing to do is to purchase a name brand computer with it preinstalled.  That way you know all the hardware is compatible and has already been tested to work well with it.  In addition, it will probably end up being more cost-effective in the long run since it will cost a couple hundred dollars just to purchase Vista (the price varies depending on what edition you choose).  That isn’t figuring in the cost of any hardware upgrades or labor if you need to have someone help you get it installed.

If you are planning on upgrading to Vista from Windows XP make sure you do a little homework first to make sure your computer meets the recommended system requirements.  You also need to make sure all of your other hardware and software is compatible.  If you are already running Windows XP then a great place to start is by running Microsoft’s free Windows Vista Upgrade Advisor utility.  It will look at everything installed on your computer and let you know what steps you need to take before upgrading.  If you are running a computer that came with anything older than Windows XP you should probably consider purchasing a new computer to get the best bang for your buck.  Here is an excerpt from the Windows Vista Upgrade Advisor website:

The Windows Vista Upgrade Advisor will help you to determine if your Windows XP-based PC can run Windows Vista. You can also use the Upgrade Advisor to determine if your Windows Vista-based PC is ready for an upgrade to a more powerful edition of Windows Vista.

This small software tool will scan your computer and create an easy-to-understand report of all known system, device, and program compatibility issues, and recommend ways to resolve them. Upgrade Advisor can also help you to choose the edition of Windows Vista that best fits the way you want to use your computer.

If you have an office with multiple computers networked together you might want to check out the Windows Vista Hardware Assessment.  It will scan all the computers on your network and make a comprehensive report on which ones are compatible with Vista.

It is impossible to give you the best advice for you without knowing your specific situation.  In general, Vista has made some nice improvements over Windows XP and I have been pretty happy with it so far.  Just make sure you do your homework first by checking to see if everything on the computer that you rely on is compatible with Vista.  Now, if only Gateway would release updated drivers for my M675 laptop :p