| Your issues are not "normal" so to speak, but many have issues with Vista (myself not being one, as my issues are limited to old games).
My initial thought is it sounds as driver issues, causing the problems.
Make sure your drivers are absolutly up to scratch, and that you of course use the appropriate (32bit vs 64bit).
Many problems arise from using outdated drivers.
If the software you run is still being supported, be sure to check if they have made a "Vista" version, or patch. Very old software can and will have problems, especially if you are running a 64bit version. (meaning DOS software etc).
It could also be your installation of Vista which is messed up, especially if it was pre-installed.
Other then that, it is difficult to give general advice without more information about what you try to run, such as which "certain big programs" it is that crashes. But it sounds as if your not "Vista ready" so to speak,if you use so many programs incompatible with Vista. |