This is my first experience doing Windows Vista Ultimate 64 bit live fresh install. Please bear with me.

The machine specification:
Processor: AMD X2 4200+ with stock cooler + Artic Cooling MX2
Motherboard: Abit AN9-32X with latest bios update
RAM: 4 x 1GB Team Elite PC6400
Graphic Card: XFX 8600 GT XXX
Harddisks: Western Digital Caviar 320GB SATA II + Seagate Barracuda 80GB ATA
Case: Thermaltake Armor+ VA8003BWS
Power Supply: FSP Epsilon 700 Watt
Mouse: Razer Lachesis
Keyboard: Razer Tarantula
Optical Drive: Pioneer DVR-212
Display: Samsung SyncMaster 226BW

Previously, the machine was using Windows XP with SP2. Works fine, until I decided upgrading to Windows Vista Ultimate 64 bit.
Just for precautions, I test doing Vista fresh install using VMware Workstation v6, works fine without a glitch. So, I prep the machine for OS clean install. Including resizing my XP partition to 30GB as required by Windows Vista. It was 20GB — resized using Acronis Disk Director. The space was taken from the second partition. Below is my partition schema before resized:
WDC:
- Drive C -- 20GB -- Windows XP SP2 installed here
- Drive D -- 300GB
Seagate:
- Drive E -- 80GB

After resized:
WDC:
- Drive C -- 30GB -- Windows XP SP2 installed here
- Drive D -- 290GB
Seagate:
- Drive E -- 80GB

Again, just for precaution, I doing partition backup using Acronis True Image Home. I saved the partition image (.tib file) to Drive D.
Next, make a rescue disk using Acronis True Image Home (Tools >> Create Bootable Rescue Media). This will comes handy if something goes wild.

Next, insert the Windows Vista Ultimate 64 bit disk to DVD drive. Reboot the machine. Hit “Delete” key to get into BIOS, setting up first boot device to DVD ROM. Save and exit.
The machine is booting up, it’ll ask to press any key to boot the DVD — do it.

Fast forward, I choose to install Vista into Drive C, overwriting Windows XP. Like good ol’ Win98, sit back and relax.

Fast forward again, the install finished. Its now about to do last reboot. This is where the most frustating time come. It won’t get into desktop, just before it get into it, I get the famous Blue Screen of Death (BSoD), then restart, infinite. Damn it, it won’t even go to safe mode. Cold reboot has no effect. I’m banging my head against the wall here. It was works fine with XP and I’ve re-installed XP many times on this machine with no problem. How the h**l it can make Vista crashed? This new OS supposedly better than XP. I even disabled a few items in BIOS, such as Fireware, Ethernet, etc. Still, won’t boot into desktop. I was thinking there maybe a glitch. So, I tried again fresh install. Still BSoD, damn! Tried again, this is the third. Still BSoD, sweet… I gave up. Inserting the rescue disk created with Acronis and restoring the partition image back to Drive C. Now, I have XP back. Well, you don’t know when something goes wild, don’t you. It is very helpful to have that rescue disk.

I’ll post here once I got the solution for this problem.

Well, now I have a fix for this issue, see here.