I got a new dell laptop with Vista and both hate and love it!! I love the fact that if I spill coffee in it or break Lcd they will be here within 48 hrs to repair free for 3 years (already have) and love some new extras but hate that it won't run a lot of my prior software What to do? I installed something it don't like and my Cdrw drive vanished?? I have done everything I know to get it back but so far, nope:

new HP laptop from work is nice. But you are right, Bobbi, no manual.
I guess you have to go online for that nowadays.

His has his old operating system on it, they downloaded his harddrive directly into it. No vista.

But it is a DEVIL...it crashes our DSL ... we are still working on that one.
Today it is out of the house, so I can be online easily!
It has to do with his security settings, not the HP part. His wifi is disabled for security reasons. But it is much faster, and he likes it, with qualifications!

Laptops really floor me... I'll stick to the old keyboard desktop!

Glad you like yours. Nothing like a new toy! We are all in the electronic age!

Junie-

you should be able to remove what you installed - esp if you know what program it was or the date you installed it.

go to settings- control panel - add or remove programs - double click it

a list will come up - you can sort if needed upper right

find the troublesome program and remove it.

or you could use the system restore and restore it to the date /time before the Cdrom disappeared.
Just follow the directions it gives you as you go thru the steps.

Junie,

I'm wondering if you've tried the following: installed the .exe or CD contents (from earlier software that's not installing correctly as is) direct onto the desktop in a folder (easy to remove the contents later), and with the start or run file, used for installation:

Right click on your mouse and scroll to Properties. In the Compatibility menu, check "Run this program in compatibility mode for" and then choose which platform, you'd like Vista to mimic for the program application.

This is something that concerned me, prior to getting my new machine; I have noticed that Vista has the same option to change the mode as does XP (which is what I had some installation probs. with until I selected the mode).

If it's MS programs that won't install right, it could be due to the licensing and registration having been done on a different computer; MS has inherent deterrents to installing some of its apps. without jumping through a litany of hoops .

With the MS programs on the Vista 'puter, I'm using those rather than relying on older versions and will "buy" after the 60-day trials lapse.

I anticipate having the new PC card tonight; I know that I've some (non MS) programs which wouldn't install without first changing the Compatibility mode. To install them, I'm going to go through the steps I decribed (above).