Here I am half way through my mission to point out some of the things I like about Windows Vista. And yes I am aware I still have half of the way to go (for all of you half empty people). While podnering my next post I decided to take a Windows negative and spin it into a positive, maybe. I did say spin, so if you think I am full of BS then so be it.

We all know how Microsoft has perfected the art of software crashes, freeze ups, and shut downs. Knowing what a monster the Windows Operating System is, Microsoft included a problems reports and solutions application in the control panel. The Problem Reports and Solutions manager is a better way to diagnose errors, crashes, malfunctions, and even Malware issues.

You can find the Problems and Solutions manager in the Vista control panel. Opening the application will show you a defult screen with menu options to the left. Here you can “Check For New Solutions” to problems listed in your log, admittedly this has yet to work for me. You can view a complete history to all of your Operating Systems errors along with the error information, time, date, and other pertinent documentation.

A lot of the problems that plague Vista are not derived form the operating system itself but from incompatible or buggy software from other vendors. At least that is what I have found in diagnosing many of my problems with this tool. The error event log is a great tool that can help you with Vista’s quirkiness. Use the diagnostic information in conjunction with Google, Microsoft Knowledge Base, and tech forums, and it will yield you good results in your quest for a happy computer.