APC UPS will not work with Vista

Question

So I bought an APC UPS BE550G the other day, I plug it in, it works fine, I can unplug it the battery keeps my computer going. Fine. What does not work is the software (or any other software that I have been pointed at online). It tells me that it cannot find the battery (in various different ways).

I have tried apc-fix, apcupsd, and Powerchute 2.11 (installed and then could not see the battery) and 2.2 (mostly installed and then could not find the battery to complete the install). I have plugged it into various USB ports that work (I had to unplug other things to try those ports).

So, the question is this: Has anyone out there gotten any APC UPS software working with Vista Home Premium, and if so, how? Or... should I return it for something that will work? If so, what?

Answer 1

This APC link for ES550 shows the PowerChute 2.1.1 for Vista
But, people have found it does not work with Vista.

Then there is one reference that says

Included software allows you to set threshold levels for various actions (hibernate, shut down computer etc.) but Vista and Windows 7 can do this natively through Power Plan settings.

This Microsoft support article might be useful for Power Plan setting.

This Microsoft Windows Vista: Visual QuickStart Guide, Second Edition
sample chapter, Conserving Power has step-by-step description.

A UPS doesn't really have to interact with Windows, but Windows includes built-in support for monitoring that sounds power-failure alerts, displays remaining UPS-battery time, and—if power becomes very low—shuts down the computer automatically. A UPS that plugs into a USB port will install its driver and may come with its own power-management software.