Frustration with Vista crashing in Tablet while using Pen

[noetus]

I use my X61 tablet extensively to markup pdf documents with handwritten notes. This was the whole point of getting the Tablet X61. I use two programs for this, PDF Annotator and Bluebeam Revu (the latter is normally expensive but if you are a student you can get a great discount & buy it for only $30).

I have found that Vista crashes regularly while using the pen to mark up pdf documents with either of these programs (though it seems to happen more often with PDF Annotator). At first I thought the problem is with the programs, but since trying Revu (I started off with PDF Annotator) and finding the problem is still there, now I think it's Vista. First the application would stop being responsive to pen input, though I could still use the Start menu, etc. Then, in a matter of seconds (around 15-20) the rest of the computer would lockup too, until finally there is no response to any input, whether from pen, or keyboard, or dedicated tablet buttons. A long press of the power button and reboot is the only solution.

This is doubly frustrating because NEITHER of these programs has any sort of autosave feature (which I find mind-boggling in supposedly professional editing programs like these, particularly considering their cost - $150 for the standard edition of Bluebeam Revu). Sadly I have lost many, many hours of work because of this. I try to remember to save the document every page or half-page but then I start forgetting and of course... it's then when the problem hits. I have written to both software makers and Bluebeam claims that they are working on implementing this feature (how hard can it be? it seems like one of the simplest features you could ever implement), while PDF Annotator were just rude.

It's problems like this that convinces me the Vista sceptics are right - it is a half-baked piece of kit. Maybe I should go back to XP? Would that improve things?