For the vista thing, have you installed Jim Kitchin's kitchinsinc program? apparently a lot of the necessary components to run games don't ship with vista anymore, but Jim Kitchin's programm will automatically detect you don't have them and install them for you.
I'm not sure if this works on all games, ---- but people on the audeasy list have mentioned it works on several.
I'm not sure what you mean by hearts, ---- you'll have to say more about what you want to know there I'm afraid.
With our dreaming and singing, Ceaseless and sorrowless we! The glory about us clinging Of the glorious futures we see,
Our souls with high music ringing; O men! It must ever be
That we dwell in our dreaming and singing, A little apart from ye. (Arthur O'Shaughnessy 1873.)