Vista's User Account Control

Vista User Account Control

Vista Compatibility

Technology update: Vista Compatibility

Vista Troubleshooting Tips:

Run as Administrator

In Windows Vista, VectorWorks should be set to 'Run as an Administrator'. Not only should you right-click on the VectorWorks icon and choose Properties > Compatibility tab and check the box that reads “Run this program as an Administrator,” but you should also make sure that under this same menu that you click “Show settings for all users” and check “Run this program as an Administrator," regardless of whether this user is going to use another account or not, it helps. Some machines even require you perform the same steps on QuickTime too. Reboot the machine, then restart VectorWorks.

Check for Driver Updates

It is important to do with ANY Vista OS, however MUCH more important on machines that were either not originally shipped with Vista, or upgraded from Windows XP, that ALL hardware components in the Device manager be checked for online updates. (For this, they must of course be connected to the internet)

To do this:

Start > Control Panel > Hardware & Sound > Device Manager

The most important drivers to check are: · Display Adapter · Sound, video and game controllers · CD/DVD ROM drives · Universal Serial Bus controllers for HASP [:Dongle Troubleshooting - J:Dongles]

To check for updates, right click on each object in its subcategory, and then choose “Update Driver Software” then “Search automatically for updated driver software.” Reboot the machine, and then restart VectorWorks.

There is an error: “Buffer Overrun detected”

This error is in QuickTime, it will read that VectorWorks has crashed, but this error is QuickTime’s fault. Until a patch for QuickTime is released, there is no way of correcting this.

If VectorWorks palettes appears unstable, flicker or act otherwise odd (and you have already confirmed this is not a workspace issue) try turning off the Windows Aero theme.

To do this, go to: Start > Control Panel > Appearance and Personalization > Personalization > Window Color and Appearance and select Windows Vista Basic instead of Windows Vista Aero. As with EVERY Vista (or windows in general) settings change, you will need to reboot the machine, and then restart VectorWorks.

Power Settings

On all Vista Machines, but especially laptop/notebook computers, the processor speed or power use may be by default limited to 50-75% of maximum capacity. This means that by default, you computer may only be functioning at half of its capability. This is useful for reducing power consumption when on a battery, but is relatively useless when the laptop is plugged in or using a desktop machine with effectively unlimited power reserves.

To change this; go to Start > Control Panel > Hardware and Sound > Power Options. Set the power plan to High Performance, then click Change Plan Settings > Chance Advanced Power Settings. Under the Processing Power Management list, expand Maximum Processor State.

If this was set to 100% already, you’re fine, but the default on most laptops is 50%. Change this to 100% and click Apply, then OK.

At the end of installing programs which were originally designed to work with XP, I see: "This program might not have installed correctly"

This happens with many, many applications in Vista, it is nothing you need to worry about. Click "This program installed correctly"

Serial Number Already In Use

On Vista machines both VectorWorks 12 and 2008 may encounter an issue where a dialogue box will appear, reporting that the serial number for this copy of VectorWorks is already in use.

This is normally caused by machines that have two network adapters. This is a very common setup for both newer desktops and recent laptops as they will have both an Ethernet port and Wireless 802.1xx adapter. Disabling one of these devices (preferably the one not in use. They should not both be in use) should stop the error from occurring in VectorWorks.

Driver Issues

See: Updating Drivers