Is the path for sprays somehow different in Vista? I've created some using VTFEdit, but following the instructions as per tf2sprays.com, I should have a folder called VGUI, which wasn't there.

The full path stated was as below:

C:\Program Files\Steam\steamapps\USERNAME\team fortress 2\tf\materials\VGUI\

I had the full folder path up to materials, so I created both the VGUI and 'logos' folder manually and placed my .vmt format files in there. No sign of the sprays in the TF2 UI though.

Am I doing something n00bishly wrong here?

i use vista and the following is where my sprays goes:

C:\Valve\Steam\steamapps\waney@hhreg.com\team fortress 2\tf\materials\VGUI\logos

Must be something I'm doing wrong then, as that's the path I have too (except it's not Valve at root of C:)

Did you have to create the VGUI and Logo's folders manually or were they already there?

Right put the sprays in tf/materials/VGUI/logos
and tf/materials/VGUI/logos/UI then import from the game

Also the need to be vtf fiels not vmt, the vmt's are automatically created when i spray is used ingame

I found TF2 to be picky about sprays. They can't be any larger than 86kb or it just won't show up in-game. On the menu yes, but not actually when you play.
You need to have a vmt along with your vtf to get it to work as well. Just putting the vtf in and searching for it whilst on the ingame menu doesnt work because for some reason TF2 doesn't make a vmt for it.
But easily solved. If you already have a spray in there just copy that ones vmt, open in notepad and rename the filepath at the top, and then save and rename it the same as the vtf you want to use it with.

Or use this. It should work with most sprays, apart from animated ones. Just change the filepath name. Your spray isnt likely to be called ceiling cat.

I can 100% guarantee that the ingame thing makes vmt's for you sprays as ive never made a vmt file but its made them for my spray's. Putting any picture jpeg pgn psd tga in the spray directory and importing it will convert it to a vtf (if it isnt already) and make a vmt for it, the only problem is that the ingame converter to vtf's does not keep transparency and hence why you use vtf edit if you want transparent sprays. And yes a proper spray should be 64kb or there abouts for full quality and no more than 256 x 256 pixels in size

I am intrigued

Ceiling cat is watching you procrastinate