Vista Test Install #1 - Codename: Huh?

Installation:

• Booted from the DVD, "Upgrade" was recommended, but disabled. Informed that I had to run from windows to enable upgrade mode.
• Booted from XP, and ran the installer from DVD. Update check was OK, but system requested 10 GB to do an upgrade installation. Had 903 MB available on C:\ and 6.8GB available on D:\. Since I'd have to remove most everything on C:\ anyway, opting for a clean install.
• Booted from DVD, cleared the C:\ partition. The partitioning/drive formatting utilities built into the installer are quick. Very quick.
• Installation started at 7:10 AM. Entered the install key, specified the drive, and that was about it. Installer completed running around 9:05 AM. Almost two hours to do the OS install, which was mostly hands off.
• Selected regional settings, chose to install with 'Full Protection' which included enabling OS updates, Windows Security Center, Windows Firewall, and Windows Defender anti-spyware software. Also specified local username and password. No option to add to domain, yet. Rebooted.

1st User Session:

• Logged on as local user. The default OS installation consumes about 7.5 GB of disk space.
• Joined the computer to the local Windows 2000 domain. Accessed the System control panel via a 'Properties' button in what would be the "My Computer" window.
• Rebooted.
• Installed the Office 12 Pro pre-release.

Notes:

• "Windows Security" is constantly asking for permission to run programs. Not programs that start by themselves, but programs that I execute manually. Kind of like a process watcher for unsafe applications, but it goes for things like control panels, and rundll32.exe. I have not found a way to turn this off, and there is no "remember this answer" option in the dialog boxes.
• Logon to a domain requires the use of "DOMAIN\" before the user name. I have not found a way to make it default to a domain login.

Issues:

• The headphones I use were not recognized when plugged in. Normally, when I plug in the headphones, the external speakers automatically turn off. In this case, there was no sound in the headphones, and the external speakers still played.
• While running Outlook 12, Task Manager, and browsing through the control panels, explorer.exe hung, and I got a popup saying so. After a minute or so, explorer restarted.
• After installing the MSSQL 2000 Client Tools with SP4, the machine would boot to a black screen and hang.
• Booted to the DVD, and ran a Startup Repair. No good.
• Booted from DVD, to find that there were no system restore points, as they had not been explicitly enabled. My bad.
• There is no option for a 'Repair' install in Beta 2 that I could find. Booted back to Windows.
• Attempted to boot to all three types of Safe Mode, with no success.
• Attempted Last Known Good boot, no success.
• Decided to scrap this installation, and try again.

All in all, I like the installation process. It's the most painless one so far. The reason it runs so long for me, is that it's a Dell Latitude C640, which are known for their hardware problems, and it's a slower, older, less hefty system. Runs Windows XP great, just chokes a bit on Vista. We'll see how the next install goes.