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Virgin Media is currently working towards the production of installation discs that are compatible with Vista. However, at present there are only a limited number of staff members able to assist customers that are experiencing these problems, as not all staff are trained to do so. A spokesperson for Virgin Media stated: "This is currently the case with many ISPs. The situation with Virgin Media’s broadband service Vista compatibility isn’t a specific one”.

Windows Vista was launched for consumers by Microsoft in January, which means that those consumers that have invested in new PCs, most of which are likely to come ready installed with Vista, are the ones that will be experiencing these problems when trying to get a broadband connection up and running. However, Virgin has also stated that it is the incompatibility with the installation disc that is the problem, and not the actual broadband facility. He said: "We can get people online without the installation disc. It's not that it does not work, it's just the disc."

A number of service providers are experiencing the same issues. One BT spokesman confirmed that they were now supporting Vista after some initial problems, and that they have set up a Vista web page to help consumers to get their PCs connected.

Yvan Bamping, spokesperson for Broadband Expert states “with the roll out of Visa having been scheduled for some time it is suprising that there was not greater co-operation between Microsoft and the broadband providers to troubleshoot these problems rather than allowing the consumer to act as guinea pigs”.