So bought an HP laptop at the end of May, it came loaded with Vista. I didn't spend a lot on it, about 1/3rd of what I spent on my last laptop - a Sony Vaios.

I didn't use the Sony to its fullest potential and as a result, felt I did not need to spend that kind of money on another computer.

But this one frequently shuts down on me as I am working in email, or whatever, to run a reconfiguration update ... annoying as can be.

I would imagine it's the Vista program doing that, and not the laptop, unless because the laptop is a lower-grade model, it could be the computer as well.

Any thoughts?

Also, as soon as I can afford a new one, I will get a new Mac, which has an OS that bridges the Mac/MS gap. I know it's wasteful, but Vista stinks.

Also, as soon as I can afford a new one, I will get a new Mac,


Cool. no more tech support calls. :hihi:

Not to state the obvious but is the battery charged?

Not to state the obvious but is the battery charged?

My thoughts also. I get the same issue, replacing my battery today.

You can change the settings for automatic updates to have it download them, but not install them until you're ready to shut down/restart the computer.

go into the scheduled tasks and see "when" things are set to happen

thanks to all for you replies.

As for the battery, I always have it plugged in, so that shouldn't be an issue, should it?

Kevin, the Mac is far off ... remember the key phrase is "when I get the money" ... so I will definitely be calling you at random hours asking why the thing isn't turning on ... :laugha:

And I will check into those other updates - thanks guys.

Have you tried the latest BIOS updates from HP yet?

I wouldn't have said this even 3 years ago, and it still kills me, but a MacBook with VMWare Fusion/XP is IMO about as good as you can get.

The e-mail program in vista was locking up my new system. After a day or two the program would run out of memory. New windows would not open and the system needed a restart. I ran the Vista update and all is fine now. Try the latest Vista update first!

What RIPlugger said - just plan on 3 hours time to download and run the updates.

There are somethings I like about Vista and a lot of crap. Lets see id they screw up Windows 7 as much as Vista...

Going to do a deep look into customizing / hacks on Vista - any yoo fellar geeks have links to Vista Tweak sites you like?

going to create a vm image for 7. if anyone has vm desktop and wants to run it .
Let me know.

Could be power management software... run the Vista updates, then go to HP and see if they have an auto download that will check and see if you have the latest drivers. Also, a faulty battery will cause problems, even if it is plugged in