List of steps required to run particular programs under Vista*.

There are a
large number of programs that, for various reasons, no longer work or
work as expected under Vista. For many of them there are various
compatibility settings or workarounds that will allow you most if not
all of the original functionality. For others, there are packages or
groups of programs that can replace the features you require. Little is
more frustrating than to take home an expensive operating system only
to discover that critical applications no longer work and no updates
are forthcoming.

In an unusual step, Microsoft has also been releasing Windows Updates targeted specifically at a growing number of third party applications and games. Some of these updates have been reported to fail installation. With luck these and other patches being applied will solve the majority of issues. (Service Pack 1 reputedly leaves the several unaddressed as well as not improving performance by any significant amount. More information.)

*If any turn out not specific to Vista, they'll remain with a note.