Instal RTM Vista on Acer C300 possible? Yes!

Just letting people know my experience with a German Windows Vista Ultimate 6.0.6000 Build 6000 RTM Installation on an Acer Travelmate C312Xmi.

I installed Windows Vista on a new HDD. All in all, I am pretty happy with Vista. Most stuff works now. Great Improvement over the Beta releases. Off course with Vista they reinvented the Wheel so you have to first learn how to drive it. Done so you are left with allot off Functions you can decide to use or deactivate. For Example some Improvements like “My Documents” is back to “Documents” (They could not break there own limitation and they finally figured that out. I am still waiting for my Money that I paid for my Win ME, Billy! ) Everything works smoothly and rapidly on my Acer TM C312xmi I do have 1 GB RAM in that Machine and that is the least I would recommend you should use for any Vista installation. 512MB is the Minimum OS requirement. I will have to continue using it to find the underlying Problems but so far so good. I did not even look at Bluetooth yet. Frankly Bluetooth is as usable as the Microphone on the Acer Travelmate C300 Series. It devours your Battery and it never works on the first try if you really need it. From an upgrade I can strongly discourage you. There is allot of Software and Hardware that does not react friendly to Vista or better say other way around. Uninstall any Smartcard and Security Software, Drivers, etc before you attempt an upgrade. Most Drivers that I depend on are Windows integrated Drivers. But OK Vista is not on the Market yet. Acer will probably never fully support Vista on an Acer Travelmate C300 Series Tablet PC. But it is Usable and if you get yourself Microsoft Office 2007 you got a pretty sleek notebook with all the Tablet PC Functions. Oh don’t forget to study the official Vista Price vs. Function List. There are allot off differences between the different Versions of Vista home business ultimate and whatever else they come up with. I will try to return in a while and continue where I left off. Anyone else with some experience on the C300 Series? Greetz from Switzerland.

Working Acer Software:

Acer soft button v 2.0
Acer Notebook Manager

Not working Acer Software:

Acer SmartCard Software
Launch Manager v1.0.5.4

Working Hardware Drivers:

All Hardware Working fine: O2 Micro Smartcard & Agere Modem Installed from Windows Update.
Intel PRO / Wireless 2915ABG Upgraded from Factory BG Card. Works great.
Synaptics Touchpad Driver V9.1.0 Installed afterwards (Heads up to Synaptics there Vista Touchpad Driver works great, but don’t get to over exited I know from your plan to take over the world One Touchpad at the Time )

Not Working Hardware:

Quick buttons on Keyboard can’t be used no Software Control.
Allot of Driver improvements on the Hardware
Microphone is still not worth anything. Does work but it is for the nice and new Vista VoiceControl not usable. Shame on you Acer.

Optional Software that works great:

Grisoft AVG Antivirus 7.5
Microsoft Office 2007
Winzip 11
Adobe Reader 8.0
Skype 3.0
MSN Live

Optional Software with different results. Not Stable.

Java installer stops close to the end got it to work so.
Webshots newest Version Works but had errors during installation.

As a side note same Vista runs ok with some short delays on an AMD K7 1000Mhz with 512MB SDRAM MX440 with 32MB Graphics.