Nikon RAW Codec for Windows Vista
Here’s a great little codec for Windows Vista users who shoot Nikon NEF files - the Nikon Raw Codec for Windows Vista.
If you shoot hundreds or even thousands of NEF files per day or week, and if you’re looking to view your NEF images without converting them, or opening them up in Photoshop or Nikon’s Capture NX - then this codec could be for you.
It’s not a converter or an image editor though, so you will still need Capture NX or something similar - all it does is that it allows you to view your images using the Windows Photo Gallery, which if you’re working with hundreds, or even just dozens of images can save a lot of time. Without this codec, you would need to open your images with Photoshop or Capture NX or some other program capable of reading NEF files - otherwise you would be unable to view the image at all.
From: Nikon RAW Codec for Vista via WhatPhotoGear