I think moving to VS2005 may be your only option. Unless you have an XP disc and a spare partition/hard disk. If you move to VS2005, download SP1 for Vista: Download details page Also, you should contact the company that provides your 3rd party stuff, see if there are free or reduced cost options for upgrading. Another option, though it's a bit fiddly, is to install both versions, and use VS2005 when the 3rd party software isn't needed.