Here are some tips for better performance with Vista.

Disable Visual Themes

This disables visual themes wile the program or game is running.
Program or Game : right click the desktop icon or edit icon in games. Under compatibility Disable Visual Theme and Desktop. Helps with performance wile program/game is running.

Disables Visual Themes always.
Turn off Windows Aero: right click desktop under themes select Run in classic mode.

Increase your  virtual memory (page file/swap file) to 4GB. 

1. Press Windows + Pause/break key
2. Click advanced system settings
3. Click the advanced tab
4. Click the settings button
5. Now click Advanced (yes I know this is a bit confusing)
6. Under virtual memory click change
7. Untick automatically manage
8. Tick custom size enter 4000 in both initial size and maximum size
9. Click Ok

Move swap file to another drive/partition

If you have another drive, you can speed up Vista a bit by moving the swap file to that drive. Even if you are using only one drive, moving the swap file to another partition is useful (if you intend to back up your primary partiton via a compressed mirror, saving space on the primary partition will speed up the process and reduce the backup file size).

1. Press Windows + Pause/break key
2. Click advanced system settings
3. Click the advanced tab
4. Click the settings button
5. Now click Advanced (yes I know this is a bit confusing)
6. Under virtual memory click change
7. Untick automatically manage
8. Select the new drive/partition you want to use for swap file and click system managed, click set (Note: Unlike Ubuntu, windows will not wipe the drive or partition - instead it just makes a file called pagefile.sys).
9. To cancel the swap file on C click C and select no page file, click set

Is Windows Vista up to date? - CHECK! (though if theres other hotfixes it might have missed them)

I went ahead and checked which ones I had applied so others can make sure they too have the most current hotfixes.

Here they are, in no particular order. though, there may be some order to applying them, I'd start with the old(lowest #) first and work my way up.

KB938194 - http://support.microsoft.com/kb/938194/en-us
An update is available that improves the compatibility and reliability of Windows Vista

KB938979 - http://support.microsoft.com/kb/938979/en-us
An update is available that improves the performance and reliability of Windows Vista

KB936710 - http://support.microsoft.com/kb/936710/
When a DirectX 10 application runs on a Windows Vista-based computer that has multiple graphics cards, the computer does not use the secondary graphics card

KB940105 - http://support.microsoft.com/kb/940105
Virtual address space usage in Windows game development (Though, this is required @ install)

Video Drivers Up To Date?

Nvidia
http://www.nzone.com/object/nzone_downl … river.html

Ati
http://ati.amd.com/support/driver.html

Hope those help!

Other Performance Tips Can Be Found Here
http://www.nsharp.org/09/vista-tips-and-tricks-1/