The Windows 10 1809 update has been a bit of a disaster, with Microsoft force to halt the rollout after a spate of horror stories about user files being deleted. It got us to thinking about the company's previous big OS fail - the endlessly maligned Windows Vista.

Even now, more than a decade after the operating system was discontinued, Vista remains a running punchline. So what went wrong? In a recent blog post, ex-Microsoft VP Ben Fathi finally revealed some answers.

Vista was bad. Coming five years after XP, it was heavily anticipated by Windows users who were impatiently awaiting something interesting from Microsoft as Apple's star was on the rise. Yet when the OS dropped publicly in January 2007, it was immediately reviled by, well, everyone (except our expert reviewers).

Back in 2008, we told you how to access the slightly convoluted process for changing an assigned drive letter for a USB drive in Vista. Tech blogger Helen Bradley found that the same approach can also help if Vista is flat-out refusing to recognise a drive which you know is working.

There are lots of standalone solutions for identifying and fixing PC problems, but sometimes we forget about the resources our operating systems already have for tracking down issues. The Windows Reliability Monitor is a good case in point.

Anyone can sit down at a Windows PC and get along fine, but with the right tips and tricks, you can get around much faster. Here's a handful of clever tricks to boost your Windows skills (and show off to friends).

If you've been disappointed by the lack of Aero-based visual effects when you install Windows Vista or Windows 7 in a Virtual Machine installation, this handy guide will help you crank up the eye candy in your Windows virtualisation.

Windows 7 will officially be released on October 22, but PC World has already given the new operating system a side-by-side spin with Vista and concluded that it's only "marginally faster" than its older sibling.

Windows: As we foreshadowed last week, Service Pack 2 is officially available for download, bringing better Wi-Fi and BlueTooth connectivity, processor compatibility, native Blu-Ray support, and faster search to Windows Vista.

Windows 7 may well be getting most of the attention around here, but Microsoft is still beavering away on trying to turn Vista into a product that works with the imminent release of Service Pack 2.

Yesterday we showed you how to move your home folder to another drive in OS X; if you're a Vista user, now it's your turn.

There's no feature of Windows Vista more loathed than the User Account Control (UAC) security feature that pops up every time you try to do anything. Here's how to permanently disable it (and possibly regain your sanity in the process).

Windows only: Tiny application Glass CMD for Vista forces command prompt windows to use Aero's glass transparency effect.

Windows only: Tiny utility Vista Shutdown Timer turns your computer off at the time you specify—and even fades the volume out so you can stay asleep.

If you've used Windows for any amount of time, you've already had to deal with the dreaded (Not Responding) frozen application—so instead of using Task Manager, why not create a shortcut to auto-kill them?

The default Firefox theme doesn't match Windows Vista very well—but with a few extensions and a Stylish script, you can customise Firefox to use a slick, well-integrated look with Vista Aero transparency effects.

Windows Vista only: Sidebar gadget I Forgot The Milk adds quick access to your to-do list right in your Vista sidebar.

If you're running the Windows 7 beta, Microsoft wants you to downgrade back to Vista before testing out the soon-to-appear release candidate. What gives?

Windows only: Reader Anonymous writes in with an interesting tip for making the web a more readable place—by forcing Firefox to use Windows Vista fonts, even on XP.