Sean Wallbridge
This facelift may require a Hollywood budget…
Hey folks,
Your friends at itgroove here.
This time we’re here to tell you that Windows Vista (and its SEVEN versions, that’s right 7) are due to hit shelves in January.
Are you considering upgrading your PC to Vista when it is released? Are you considering a new PC for Christmas and want to be sure it will support Vista? We are getting these questions already, so we thought we’d share what we have learned so far…
Considering Upgrading Your Current PC?
We suggest you run the upgrade advisor to test your current system for hardware and software compatibility which is available for free @ the Windows Vista Upgrade Information Website.
Considering Buying A New PC?
Below is a quick checklist of our recommended requirements for Vista (don’t underestimate this fabulous new bloatware):
Processor – 1 GHz 32-bit (x86) or 64-bit (x64) or better
128 MB of graphics memory or better
1 GB System Memory
15 GB of free Hard Drive space
DVD ROM drive
Look for the Certified for Vista logo
What version should I buy?
There are 5 versions of Vista available for North America (seven if you count the two specialized versions required for the European Anti-Trust settlement).
They are:
Home Basic (why bother, stick with XP…)
Home Premium (vava voom…)
Business (the smart choice for business…)
Ultimate (does my work PC really need to do video?)
Enterprise Edition (paranoid or have more than 50 PCs, this may be for you)
We are recommending Business Edition (as it comes with necessary business functionality such as remote desktop and domain membership capabilities) to most of our business clients and Home Premium to our friends and family for their home PC’s. Our opinion is if you go with Home Basic there are not enough advantages to warrant the expense of upgrading from Windows XP. For a more detailed look at all the versions go to the Windows Vista ‘Get Ready’ Pages.
Windows Vista has already released to manufacturing (translation: getting pretty packaging and ready for shipment) so that PC makers can test and start preparing their newest machines for sale. We expect to see retail versions on shelves by the end of January.