I have loaded Fallout 1 on a vista machine with a good vid card, but I am getting spotty pixel like bright graphics instead of the usually good Fallout 3 graphics. Do I need to turn down my video settings because this is an older game? Any help would be appreciated.

Try right clicking on the shortcut > Properties > Compatibility > Run in 256 Colors.

this... and if it keeps happening then press Alt+Tab (twice - on until you get back into the game)

Fallout graphics are 229 colors, and it won't matter how good the graphics accelerator is, because Fallout was designed without the need of one.

If your game looks like http://i271.photobucket.com/albums/jj125/Gizmojunk/scr00006.png, then that's quite normal. If it looks otherwise, (Like rainbow garbage in the cuts-cenes...) That's a Direct X issue, and Bloodsnout [above] is right about the compatibility setting. Its worth a shot... I don't have my regular FO installed (just the http://www.gog.com/en/gamecard/fallout), so I can't check for lack of similar problems. [not that the GOG version is much different...]

*Do you have the Killaps Patch? If you alter the custom DDraw.dll ini settings to anything but 256 color, you will get that kind of corruption in the videos (but it fixes (bypasses) the Black screen bug).