Allow plenty of time to deploy Vista

Last night I found myself at home with a friend’s sister’s laptop, Windows Vista Home Basic and an expired anti-virus trial software package.

How difficult can this be, I thought? Uninstall the expired anti-virus software, connect to my home wireless connection, download AVG Anti-Virus, install, job done.

Three hours later I finished that simple task. The uninstall was fine, the Vista networking was an absolute nightmare. Could I get a connection to my wireless network? Not a chance.

Seven years’ experience of IT networking, turning off MAC address filtering, changing the WPA encryption keys, turning everything security-related off, all failed. An hour after starting, I gave up and walked into the adjacent room with a network cable. But Vista decided to see my combined ADSL modem/ router/switch as “multiple networks” and point-blank refused me web access.

Again, I turned everything security-related off, unplugged, replugged, unplugged, swore, ranted and an hour and a half later I had a connection - although I still don’t know how I did it.

Fifteen minutes later the job was done. Our organisation is strategically positioned to adopt Vista in 2010. After last night’s experience, we had better start implementation now – it could take us until 2010 to get everyone on the network.

Ade Worley, ICT manager