Microsoft Launches "Get Ready for Vista" Website

WebKnowHow
Friday, May 19, 2006; 02:39 AM

In preparation for the release of Vista, Microsoft unveiled a new website with information about hardware requirements for the upcoming operating system.  The websute is available at http://www.microsoft.com/windowsvista/getready/default.mspx .

The Get Ready campaign aims to help customers bring their systems up to the standards for running Vista, which is set for a mainstream launch in January 2007.

Microsoft distinguished between Vista-capable and Premium computers.  The "capable" class will run the new OS, but only with a minimal set of advanced features.  A "premium" PC, on the other hand, won't have difficulty running  the new "Aero" interface.

To be classified as Vista-capable, a computer needs an 800MHz processor, 512MB of memory and a DirectX 9-capable graphics card. Premium Ready machines need a 1GHz processor, 128MB of graphics memory, 1GB of system memory, a 40GB hard drive and an internal or external DVD-ROM drive.

The Get Ready site offers a free program, named Windows Vista Upgrade Advisor, that will inspect a system and show whether it is Vista-capable. 

 The Get Ready for Vista website.