You are right about Vista in that Microsoft has changed the folders that certain files install to. I am not sure, still, why it hasn't worked well for you. I wish I could be more helpful -- I have a virtual Vista network completely with SBS on my computer to "play" with, and I have run AC 4.0 on this with no issues. But, because I don't use it daily and am forced to fix issues that come up, I don't have a good working feel for it.
I am not sure why you aren't able to put the database on Vista and connect to it there. I suppose, short of troubleshooting it with you (glad to do but not sure how helpful I would be given the above), you could bite the bullet and purchase a few computers. You may want to purchase a better PC for your receptionist and then buy a standalone high-performance computer as a pseudoserver. (Install Windows XP Pro with SP3 and use it ONLY for the database. You could still use your Vista computer. Remember, the standalone could still be entered back into the fray if you added other PCs. Not to get into it but eventually actually go with Client/Server, but I don't want to get that thread going again, lol.
I have little idea about your complete situation nor do I know how good your IT was, but it seems a bit strange that one would HAVE to use the public folder for sharing.
