Well it’s getting to be that time again. Microsoft is gearing up for the launch of its new operating system Microsoft Vista available in early 2007. The release date isn’t set in stone and a recent lawsuit by Symantec is trying to block the sale of MS Vista.
But what type of computer will you or I need to run the latest operating system? Microsoft has recently updated its website with the system requirements we will all need to have if we want to run Vista. But I wouldn’t rush out yet to buy new components or a new computer just yet.
The bare minimum requirements are a modern processor with a speed of at least 800MHz or faster. You will need 512 MB of system memory (RAM). And a graphics processor (video card) that is DirectX 9 compatible. As with most things, the bare minimum requirements will let you use at least run some of the features of Vista, but if you want all the bells and whistles you are going to need something more.
Windows is calling computers designed with Vista in mind “Premium Ready”. They will have at least a 1 GHz 32-bit (x86) or 64-bit (x64) processor, and 1 GB of RAM. To take advantage of the Microsoft Aero you’ll need at least a 128MB video card that supports pixel shader 2.0 and Support for 32bits per pixel. At least a 40 GB hard drive with 15 GB of free space, as well as a DVD Rom drive.
That’s a lot of technical mumbo jumbo isn’t it? The easiest way to see if your computer will be Vista compliant is to try out the Windows Vista Upgrade Advisor. You can download it right from Microsoft at the following address: (http://www.microsoft.com/windowsvista/getready/upgradeadvisor/default.mspx)
In the future I will be delving a little more deeply into the features and options of Windows Vista as well as comparing it to Windows XP. What is everyone’s favorite OS and what things do you hope to see from Microsoft in the future?