Capable or Ready?
If you bought a PC with a Windows Vista Capable sticker, you might think you would be able to upgrade it to run Windows Vista. But you could be wrong.
Prior to the release of Windows Vista, the new operating system from Microsoft, retailers wanting to sell PCs needed to reassure customers that the operating system could be upgraded to Vista once Vista became available and so Microsoft introduced its "Vista Ready" and "Certified for Vista" stickers. However, it also authorised a "Vista Capable" sticker for machines of a lower spec.
Whilst it is true that these machines are capable of running the basic version of Vista, they are not powerful enough to run the new aero-interface with all its bells and whistles because they have the wrong type of graphics cards. This is confusing for the shopper and in the US, a judge has given the go-ahead for consumers to file a class action lawsuit against Microsoft for providing misleading information about Windows XP computers being able to run Vista.
So if you did buy a PC prior to the release of Vista, and if you feel tempted to upgrade it to Vista, do check the specs of the machine carefully. The absolute minimum spec for Vista is an 800MHz PC, 512MB of memory, 40GB of hard disk and, most crucially, a graphics processor that is DirectX 9 capable.
Microsoft has now formally released Vista Service Pack 1 (SP1) and it should start appearing on the automated updates during April. SP1 tackles reliability and performance, adds support for new hardware and wraps in earlier updates for compatibility with third party software. Microsoft claims more than 2,000 applications are now "certified for" or "work with" Windows Vista. However, there have been a number of angry posts on the official Vista blog site, including one user who says that SP1 has rejected his nVidia graphics card, and a bemused Australian who found that, according to SP1, his "language" is not supported. If you do find you have any troubles after installing SP1, Microsoft is offering free email and online support for the next 12 months. For more information, please see:
support.microsoft.com/oas/default.aspx
26th March 2008
This article comes from the SKILLZONE email newsletter, published monthly since January 2008, and covering topics related to technology and the internet. All articles and artwork in the SKILLZONE newsletter are orignal content.