Windows Vista is one of the most ambitious software projects that have ever been undertaken by Microsoft. It is more revolutionary than evolutionary, though, in the sense that it is still backwards compatible with most of the previous programs in XP.
This creates a problem for Microsoft as it makes XP the largest competitor of Vista as most users opt to stick with XP or wait a few more months before upgrading to Vista to give Microsoft more time to work out the bugs. Nevertheless, Windows Vista is packed with a lot of new features and upgrades that makes it the definite next-generation OS for computers.
Determining Compatibility and Upgradeability of the Old PC
XP users can check how upgradeable their systems are to Vista by connecting to Microsoft’s online Vista upgrade advisor. Here you can check if your computer has the right hardware (RAM, speed, disk space, etc) to handle at least the Vista Home Basic Edition. Vista Home Premium Edition, Ultimate Edition and Business Edition require a lot more hardware power. Windows XP users can also check out some of the new features or applications of Vista using their current OS by downloading the new Windows Media Player, Internet Explorer 7 and desktop search utility.
Determining Compatibility of Software and Hardware
Some hardware, especially the older models, may fail to work with Windows Vista. To avoid this, make sure that the hardware you install in your computer has a logo or certification from Microsoft that either says “Certified for Windows Vista” or “Works with Windows Vista”.
Hardware that is “Certified for Windows Vista” means that it is optimized to take advantage of the new applications or upgrades of the new OS. The list of hardware, drivers and software supported by Vista is still a bit short at this time but it will definitely get longer as Microsoft works out the kinks in the system and hardware vendors start adapting their drivers to the new OS.
Windows Vista Installation
After making sure that the computer is Vista Upgradeable, Windows Vista may be installed either by clean install which basically wipes out the old OS or by simple upgrade which installs the new OS on top of the older one.
A clean install means that the user will have to back up his files, applications and settings before deleting the old OS. The Easy Transfer tool that comes with Vista, however, enables the user to do this fairly easily.
A dual boot system could be a great way of assessing the new Vista’s features and functionalities while retaining the reliability and familiarity of the old OS. To successfully create a dual boot system, one has to install Windows Vista by booting the computer using the installation disk of Windows Vista as opposed to directly installing it from within windows XP. When Vista is installed from within XP, Vista is assigned to a different drive or partition and this creates confusion for the applications and programs running on the system.
