r/WindowsVista • • May 29 '25

Do not submit posts of other OSes made to look like Windows Vista

68 Upvotes

Hey all, please do not submit new posts of non-Windows Vista operating systems skinned or otherwise modified to look like Windows Vista, this includes modified Windows 10/11 installations, riced Linux computers, and Windows Vista looking phone launchers.

The community has decided against seeing these posts. Thank you for your understanding.


r/WindowsVista • • 11h ago

I got my first Windows Vista laptop

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59 Upvotes

I got this lovely HP Compaq 8510W maxed out and all with a fresh copy of Windows Vista and I fricking love this thing, it has genuinely turned into my happy place. I'm going to get some more games and software installed that I like. Let me know if there's anything I should know about Vista I only grew up with XP as a kid :p lol


r/WindowsVista • • 2d ago

My current era appropriate (games and hardware) Windows Vista desktop set-up.

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240 Upvotes

r/WindowsVista • • 2d ago

Ad blocker

3 Upvotes

Just found out that ublock origin lite is available to use on r3dfox. Seems to work just as well as ublock orign and maybe just my imagination but r3dfox seems to work better with the lite version


r/WindowsVista • • 3d ago

Copia sellada de Windows Vista

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46 Upvotes

Tiene algún valor está nueva sellada de fabrica y sin uso


r/WindowsVista • • 3d ago

Vista Aero working on custom QEMU Client & GPU driver courtesy of UTM's Triton Project! Plus some extras, ultimate even :)

9 Upvotes
Vista working on Fedora + Gnome + custom QEMU client
Ported Triton Driver in DXDiag
Sideproject: replace MSHTML.dll with Supermium CEF, coz why not ;)
Side...bar..project? Yeah made it use new RSS feeds

I posted this on some discord servers but forgot to post here lol.. Anyway https://github.com/jmacato/VistaRenewed if you want to take a look at the code. Not ready yet for plug and play install.

I've always wanted to see Windows Vista's aero running in its full glory, without having to hunt down old hardware, and given that VM's have advanced over the years, it should've been more than possible to get that fancy effect running properly (VirtualBox tried but yeah...)

So when i saw https://blog.getutm.app/2026/introducing-triton-directx-11-driver-for-qemu/ I got the inspiration to try and port it (with AI-assistance ofc) to Vista's WDDM SDK. After a few weeks worth of debugging and much chagrin, i was reaalllly thrilled to see Aero alive again!

Then i when i was playing with it, i kinda wanted to have a more well-rounded experience with it, so i figured, wine can replace IE with gecko right? that's just replacing MSHTML afaik... then it hit me. CEF -> some shim that fakes MSHTML -> iexplore! And boy surely did it work!

The sidebar stuff was relatively easy given it's just a collection of small html + js widgets.

anyway thank you for listening in to my crappy TED talk! Hope you find this of use or something :)


r/WindowsVista • • 3d ago

Close enough to vista era ssds. A Samsung 470 64gb ssd with built in 128mb ddr2 dram cache.

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61 Upvotes

I just built a 2000s era pc with XP on it. Due to dx10 released in the same era I decided to dual boot to vista and install my dx10 non-eax supported games there. To keep things somewhat era appropriate I'll be using the oldest ssd I can get so I pulled this beast from its deep slumber. I got this ssd I think way back 2014 occassionally being used as an external drive and for a good bit of a year as a main linux drive. Surprisingly in decently healthy condition I shoudl add which is a surprise cause the last time I used it I remember it's literally dying at 60% health.


r/WindowsVista • • 4d ago

Got Vista Working on my Modern PC!

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131 Upvotes

ASUS Prime B650M-A


r/WindowsVista • • 4d ago

Network driver (Dell Wireless 1703/1705/1901 Wi-Fi) problem with windows vista

3 Upvotes

Well i have installed windows vista and i need some drivers but the one i really need is the network controller and my laptop does not have the drivers for it but there is a windows 7 driver for my laptop i think someone can do something and Make it work on vista and if you can help thanks


r/WindowsVista • • 5d ago

Help Installing Vista on a 2018 Chromebook (Help)

4 Upvotes

Hello, so i am installing windows vista ultimate 64bit on my Acer Chrome Book R11 2 in 1, which has the relpaced mr.chromebox firmware. with uefi mode enabled by default. I have the chrome book in uefi mode now with the current latest firmware. and i think thats where most of my issues are currently standing. my goal is to get a fully fucntioal copy of windows vista 64bit on no matter what version it is on my chrome book. working. now do keep in mind i only have on board a "14gb EMMC" nand flash storage chip so i will be using external storage medium to run the operating from. i will be using a sd card. ive currently got linux mint running from a 128gb sd card running just fine. as a secondairy laptop. still trying to get the keyboard touchpad and touch screen working properly tho.

anyways, my Goal is to get Vista fully updated, a external gpu running, i have a plan for that, find out what possible ram upgrades are possible for this chrome book if any if i can do some soldering.

to get built in sound, networking, touch pad, touch screen and bluetooth, keyboard and eveything else working as well as usb 3 to. What quirks should i be aware of when doing this project? has anyone else attepeted this projected with there chromebook? my chrome book specs are a

Intel Celeron 3060

4gb DDr3 ram Soldered on

i plan on using avaible software driven community mods that are avaible as well.


r/WindowsVista • • 7d ago

Help i need some help with this issue im having and am running out of ideas.

4 Upvotes

so im currently on a acer aspire 7730z and the aspire 7730z came with win vista. issue is i deleted it and installed xp not realzing that when you do that it gets rid of the built in recovery. my laptop has a key for win vista home premium on the bottom but when you try to enter that key at win vista setup it denies it. also the key is a oemact key and thats also making this complicated. if anyone knows about my options let me know. thanks


r/WindowsVista • • 8d ago

Acer Ferrari 1000 vs Dell Studio XPS

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79 Upvotes

I have the choice between Acer Ferrari 1000 (50€, with all original accessories) and the Dell Studio XPS 13 in Red (30€, with SSD).

Both are very rare now and I love both models. Which would you choose to buy?


r/WindowsVista • • 8d ago

Gateway EC1803u Laptop from 2009

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160 Upvotes

Intel Core 2 Solo SU3500 (1C/1T), 2GB DDR2, 250GB HDD, Intel GS45, Windows Vista Home Premium SP1 x86


r/WindowsVista • • 11d ago

Does anyone have drivers for a HP Compaq 8000 Small form factor

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27 Upvotes

I cant find any


r/WindowsVista • • 11d ago

Any value in a working install?

20 Upvotes

I have an old, working, Vista PC. It has Home Premium (SP2), activated, including the COA and OEM DVD.

Before I try to sell it without the HDDs is the fact that it has a working vista install something people look for?

Or is it easy now to work around the ISO/activation/updates stages?

It will take some work to clean all my personal data off so I won’t unless this is a selling point.


r/WindowsVista • • 13d ago

Windows Vista Beach Cove at full resolution (4050x2632)

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127 Upvotes

r/WindowsVista • • 14d ago

Windows Vista really doesn't need a public reputation redemption

19 Upvotes

Fellow Vista users and mods, i know this sounds like a contradiction, and you guys may criticise me.
But regarding this post, i will tell you directly that let's be completely realistic and pragmatic: if our Windows Vista did successfully gained mass recognition again, bloatware consumers or to be precise, "the mass in the marsh of technology illiteracy", will try to backport more bloatware (and even obeseware) onto our beloved OS.
I am not accusing of any software, but forecasting a disaster that may or might happen more frequently in the future if Vista was successful again in the broader retro community.
Malware writers are currently targetting Windows 7 as the lowest baseline. and Windows 7 to this day still hosts one of the largest retro community, if we ignore the community that skinned Windows 10 or 11 to look like 7.
"oh yeah then let's disconnect our Vista from the internet", some of you may think. trust me, you really don't want to do that.
If you really did that then congratulations, you screwed yourself up. what's the point of using a retro OS and still have to reserve a modern computer with modern OS to browse the internet? why doing so when you can just disable NBT (NetBIOS over TCP/IP), LLMNR, SSDP, and you are good to go? Supermium is a great choice, i think.
Extended Kernels? i hate 'em. they would certainly trash my own rock solid stability of a pseudo-server OS with bloated crapwares. also, what's the point of an extended kernel when most of you here only own mid-late 2000s Vista approved hardware? come on, it would choke your computers. so unless you have an Ivy Bridge CPU computer or even Haswell and the willing to damage your sanity, installing extended kernels is not recommended for usability reasons.
For someone that has affections to Frutiger Aero aesthetics but don't want to fight missing API and DLL hells, just install Vibranihorn and get happy with that. if you still want more stability then you can go install projek01 + Extra packs (the XP skinned windows 10), it will certainly give nostalgic vibes without fighting dependency hells. or just tell yourself "nah im good with windows 7". its up to you.
-+-
So, TL;DR: please do NOT try to convince the mass in the marsh of technology illiteracy that Vista is a great OS. you would only get more posts of "help i cant install discord on Vista", which is infuriating. if you fail, you fail. if you succeed, you fail harder because fundamentally you are broadcasting to the mass in the marsh of technology illiteracy that "this place is a paradise and you will forget windows 10 when you get here" and malware writers from a former ghost town: "hello, there are people here, please send nukes".

i am using real Vista here to post this so please don't accuse me of speaking ill about Vista or i never used Vista to say so

r/WindowsVista • • 14d ago

Got my HP Pavilion running

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75 Upvotes

Hey guys, I made a post a few days ago saying how I was planning on upgrading and getting my 2007 HP Pavilion a6114x running Windows Vista Home Premium, I did that but haven’t upgraded the internal stuff yet but it in fact does work! Had to dig through our bins of technology stuff in the basement closet for about 15 minutes, got everything I needed, and got it to power on and boot up to the home menu. I was taken aback 10yrs when I saw that glorious flower profile icon! Oh and ignore that sharpie scribble scrabble, I did that when I was 9 LOLZ.


r/WindowsVista • • 16d ago

I wonder why Windows Vista felt like a premiume product while Windows 7 Felt childish.

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347 Upvotes

I doesn't Mean Hate toward win 7 or vista btw


r/WindowsVista • • 15d ago

Best (not much expensive) GPU for Vista

14 Upvotes

Hi guys, I'm not new to vista, I already have a pc in which i have it installed, but the thing is that the gpu i have in this pc is not that great (gt 710) and so i was looking for a gpu that is not that bad for Vista, because for example i can't even set 1440p 120hz on the 710 since it's weak and even if i like put 1080 120hz it runs bad so yeah i was looking for a card suitable for vista (even with modded drivers for extended kernel). I already have an amd rx 6400 but there's no way of modding it into vista at least to my knowledge.


r/WindowsVista • • 16d ago

Where can I get a no steam version of tf2?

11 Upvotes

I have a compaq presario sr5710y and I want to play tf2 on it it’s running vista home premium x32

Help is very appreciated

If you don’t have any information then sry for wasting your time

Have a nice day (or night)


r/WindowsVista • • 17d ago

Getting a new laptop soon and want to make it look like Windows Vista.

6 Upvotes

Looking for ways I can achieve this for free/as cheaply as possible. Thank you!

The laptop is a Thinkpad and has Windows 10 Pro installed with a free upgrade to 11 Pro.


r/WindowsVista • • 19d ago

To the people that HP’s with Factory Windows Vista intact!

20 Upvotes

Hi there, as computer surgeons discontinued selling recovery media this year. I’m doing a project on preserving recovery media for the HP models focusing mainly on the dv6000’s and alongside the dv2000 and dv9000 and other HP models and I have one already uploaded for a dv2910us and I would like to encourage to the people out there who have HPs with the factory Windows Vista installation to make a recovery disc and upload to archive.org! Thank you for your time and mods and admins if not allowed please delete thank you!


r/WindowsVista • • 19d ago

Should I fix my old Windows Vista desktop

18 Upvotes

Hey guys, so I’ve been cleaning out my basement and discovered my family’s old Windows Vista Home Premium desktop that we had from 2007 up until late 2016, I remember using it to watch DVD movies since it had a disk drive, playing games, browsing the internet etc. I’ve had the urge to restore it but I don’t know if I should due to the security risk of getting the machine to go online to the internet but if I do, I’m gonna have to replace each and every part in it entirely, if that’s the route I wanna go, what should I install to keep it absolutely malware-free and defended, what browser should I install, what Adblock must I download, and most importantly, where should I look for parts to repair and restore it to its glory?


r/WindowsVista • • 20d ago

installed vista on my cousin's pc!

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266 Upvotes

so, my mom brought me my cousin's pc, because it won't boot up, windows would bluescreen with CRITICAL_PROCESS_DIED error code. i decided to remove windows 10 and install 7 instead because at that moment i couldn't technically afford to simply reinstall 10. the next day, though, 7 didn't boot either, at all this time - with no bluescreens or booting animations.

then i thought: what if i, out of all systems, install vista? and i did.

and wow it is snappy as hell.

despite the fact that it's vista, especially the 32 bit one, i do think that with more software, tweaks and updates installed it could be used for daily purposes. well, my cousin's daily purpose is to play minecraft, so... i installed it too! i wish i were able to install some newer version, though... it was really fun to work on this system!

(now i kinda want to have a similar computer and install vista on it too)