• Frequently Asked Questions M E N U
• COMPATIBILITY: How can I make certain applications compatible with Vista?
• FEATURES: What features are available in Windows Vista?
• LICENSE: What do I do to make sure my license is validated?
• NETWORK: What steps do I take for network troubleshooting?
•                          How do I configure Vista for CIFS Access? (outside link)
• OFFICE 2003: Does Office 2003 work on Vista?
• PALM: Will Palm support Windows Vista?
• SEARCH: How do I search for files in Windows Vista?
• TRAINING: Is training available?
• UAC: Should I turn off the "Cancel/Allow" (UAC) feature?
• UPGRADE: What options do I have for upgrading to Windows Vista?

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How can I make certain applications compatible with Vista?

Visit The Windows Vista Application Compatibility Update for a package of software updates that address common application compatibility issues in Windows Vista.

Visit Windows Vista TechCenter > Library > Application Compatibility for tools and resources to reduce the time, cost, and complexity of addressing application compatibility.

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What do I do to make sure my license is validated?

The default Vista installation for faculty/staff/JMU-owned computers is the Enterprise edition. This product must communicate at least every 180 days with a JMU license server for continued functionality. If the license server is inaccessible for more than 180 days, functionality will be limited to web browsing and even that will be limited to 60 minutes at a time before the machine shuts down.

Access to the license server from off-campus can be done by using the JMU VPN client.

New Vista Enterprise installations must contact the license server in the first 30 days.

None of these licensing issues applies to independently purchased copies of Vista.

If there is a need for a computer be off-campus for more than 180 days without being able to access the Internet through the VPN client, there are solutions that can be discussed on a case by case basis.

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Does Office 2003 work on Vista?

According David Overton of Microsoft's Small Business Team, "yes, you can run Office 2003 on Windows Vista."

However, according to users on Speak to us at Microsoft! and Microsoft TechNet forums, there have been some issues for some users.

NOTE: Office 2003 has NOT been tested on Windows Vista.

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Is training available?

Support and end-user training are available from Atomic Learning.

Please visit Windows Vista - Orientation to learn more
(available to all JMU faculty, staff, and students on-campus; JMU VPN client is necessary for off-campus access).

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Should I turn off the "Cancel/Allow" (UAC) feature?

No. We do not recommend turning this off. This feature is more active initially after install, but then is less of an issue thereafter.

Although the feature can be aggravating, it is generally unobtrusive once a computer's configuration if finalized. Of course, if you need to install software on a frequent basis, you'll see it more often than those who don't.

UAC (User Access Control) is a warning mechanism telling you that what you're about to do can compromise the integrity of your computer. For most people, it should pop up rarely once the computer configuration is finalized except during operations that should cause an operator to pause. Those whose computer operating habits and needs result in frequent warnings should consult with Computing Support about system tuning.

Here's another reason to keep UAC on: according to IEBlog, turning UAC off will disable protected mode for Internet Explorer 7.

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What options do I have for upgrading to Windows Vista?

With the above in mind you can check your upgrade options here:

• I am a Windows 2000 or Windows XP user (Link to Microsoft information not necessarily supported by JMU)
• I am a Windows Vista user (Link to Microsoft information not necessarily supported by JMU)

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