Knowing whether Your Computer Can Handle Windows Vista

Before you install Vista on a PC, it would behoove you to find out exactly what you're going to get. The primary question isn't whether Vista can run on your PC — requirements for Vista's minimal existence are surprisingly Spartan. What you really need to know is whether your computer can handle the "Glass" interface — or whether Vista will automatically turn off Glass. The answer to that question is by no means certain.

Here's what Microsoft says:

• You can run Vista on almost any modern computer (800-MHz processor or faster) with a fair amount of main memory (512MB) and a plain-vanilla video card (800 x 600 SVGA). You also need a DVD player because Vista ships on a DVD, but the DVD player can be a portable player connected via a USB port.

Just because you can run Vista doesn't mean you really want to — or that you'll be able to live with yourself or your computer if you try. Vista runs like a slug on a 1-GHz (1,000-MHz) processor with 512MB.

• If you want the Glass experience, you'll need a 1-GHz computer with 1GB of memory, plus a fairly powerful graphics card with at least 128MB of its own memory, capable of running Microsoft's DirectX 9 or WDDM (Windows Display Driver Model) software.

Every video card chip manufacturer says that all its recent chipsets can handle Glass — but what would you expect them to say? The single greatest bottleneck most people will have in upgrading to Vista lies in the video card. If you're stuck with an on-board video card (many laptops can't be upgraded), think long and hard about moving from Windows 2000 or XP to Vista.

Before you upgrade an existing PC to Vista, you should check the machine to make sure that there are no known problems and that you have enough hardware to run the parts of Vista that appeal to you. One way to do this is to use a program Microsoft distributes called the Windows Vista Upgrade Advisor. To reach into the innermost parts of your PC with this program, follow these steps:

1. Download the Advisor from Microsoft.com. You may also find a copy on a free CD at your friendly local computer shop.

Before you can run the Windows Vista Upgrade Advisor on a Windows XP computer, you have to install a big, bloated, buggy set of programs called the .NET Framework. If you expect that you'll be wiping out your XP computer and installing Vista anyway, there's no harm in succumbing to the .NET siren call. But if you might not be upgrading to Vista, think twice about installing the .NET can of worms.

2. Run through the installation wizard.

3. Follow the prompts as the Advisor asks you to choose which features you want in Vista (for example, controlling a TV or connecting to a corporate network).

The Advisor then recommends a version of Vista that meets your requirements and adjusts its scan accordingly. You'll see its reports on potential problems with the upgrade, hardware deficiencies (see Figure 1), drivers that may require manual installation (see Figure 2), and incompatible software.

You can find a tremendous, unbiased list of Vista compatibility problem reports covering every imaginable piece of hardware and software available at NT Compatible.com. In spite of its name, the NT Compatible Web site deals with Windows NT, 2000, XP, and Vista.