Right up there on the toolbar is a little down arrow toggle that switches the Ribbon on and off.

Toggle it once and it goes to reduced mode.  Here it is reduced in size but still has the drop down options that are available.

Toggle it again and it goes to full mode.

A quick way to get it back or get it out of the way/

From the Autodesk site

Upcoming Release of AutoCAD Revit Architecture Suite to Include AutoCAD Architecture

The latest release of AutoCAD® Revit® Architecture Suite software is scheduled for shipping on September 15. This release expands the software applications that comprise the suite to include AutoCAD® 2009, AutoCAD® Architecture 2009, and Revit® Architecture 2009 under a single license. There are no changes to the features and functionality in the products themselves.

Autodesk is including AutoCAD Architecture 2009 software in the AutoCAD Revit Architecture Suite 2009 product to make it easier and more cost-effective for AutoCAD Architecture customers to transition to building information modeling (BIM) using Revit Architecture software.

As part of their Autodesk® Subscription benefits, AutoCAD Revit Architecture Suite 2009 subscription customers will automatically receive the release of AutoCAD Revit Architecture Suite 2009 that includes AutoCAD Architecture software when it becomes available. Customers who are not on subscription will not be entitled to this benefit and will need to purchase subscription to gain access to the new product offering.

AutoCAD Revit Architecture Suite is a Subscription Only product.

Chances are you already have a significant investment in AutoCAD® or AutoCAD® Architecture software, but you also want the competitive advantage of building information modeling (BIM). With AutoCAD® Revit® Architecture Suite software, migration is easy.

• Add a state-of-the-art BIM solution to your tried and true AutoCAD or AutoCAD Architecture software, and allow your project teams to choose the right tools for the job.
• Implement BIM using Revit® Architecture gradually, while not disrupting your existing AutoCAD or AutoCAD Architecture software projects.
• Reduce your license subscription fees by purchasing a single license that includes AutoCAD, AutoCAD Architecture, and Revit Architecture.

more here…

Running under Windows XP:

• Microsoft Windows XP SP2 operating system
• Intel® Pentium® 4.3 processor or AMD Athlon®, 3.0 GHz or greater – Dual core supported
• 2 GB RAM – 3GB Recommended
• 2.5 GB free hard disk space for installation
• 1024×768 VGA with true color
• Microsoft Internet Explorer 6.0 (SP1 or higher)
• DVD Drive

—-
64-bit AutoCAD 2009
(The 64-bit software cannot be installed on a 32-bit operating system)

• Windows XP Professional x64 Edition operating system
  or
  Windows Vista 64-bit operating system
• AMD Athlon 64 processor
  or
  Intel EM64T processor
• 2 GB RAM – 4 GB Recommended
• 3.5 GB free hard disk space for installation
• DVD Drive

I already mentioned troubles with UCSFOLLOW

As troubles come up… I will post them.

The first one is that UCSFOLLOW gets reset to “0″ every time we open a DWG file. This apparently has been going on for a while and is still not fixed. Here are a few threads that might help address this problem if it effects you.

2007 resets UCSFOLLOW to 0 – AutoCAD Forums

AutoCAD LT 2007 set UCSFOLLOW to 1 permanently – AUGI Forums

CAD Forum – How to switch off UCSFOLLOW in all viewports of all…

ucsfollow help needed. – AutoCAD Forums

Saving changes to system variables

ucsfollow not sticking in modelspace

UCSFollow variable not saved within drawing

Take a look

Opening an old file in ACA 2008 can appear to hang up your system.

When previous version drawings are opened, a dialog is displayed with a warning that saving this drawing will upgrade AEC objects to 2007 format. If a previous version drawing is opened by double-clicking the file in Windows Explorer, this dialog may be hidden behind the drawing making AutoCAD Architecture 2008 appear to have hung; clicking anywhere on the application to give it focus will make the dialog come to the foreground.

The promotion of previous version drawings to 2007 format can be automated through the use of a batch process, which starts with the creation of a batch (bat) file. Running the batch file makes a complete copy of the project (or folder that contains previous version drawings), then recursively searches for all dwg, dwt and dws files contained in this location and finally generates a script (scr) file. Running the script file results in each of the copied dwg and dwt files being opened, saved and closed, which results in these files being promoted to 2007 format. If any dws files are contained in the designated folder, their paths are displayed. These files will need to be manually opened and saved in 2007 format.

The full text of the procedure is in the Readme file in your ACA 2008 product.