by Playfuls Staff |
9th December 2006
Windows Vista is available now for business customers and will be ready by the end of January for the rest of us. That means you should be asking yourself what you need to do to [more] prepare for the successor to Windows XP. Whether you or your company switches to Vista right away won't matter: Vista's impact is already being felt. PC makers have "Vista-ready" boxes on the shelves. Software companies are preparing to roll out Vista versions of their products. How will all of this impact you? Read on for some answers.
Q: How easy is it to learn Vista?
A: Vista represents the most significant interface overhaul that Microsoft has given to an operating system since the switch from Windows 3.1 to Windows 95. Visually there are plenty of changes - including how files and folders are displayed - so there will be some relearning involved. Expect to see your productivity decline rather than improve during the transition to the new operating system.
But don't let that scare you. There's still a Start button - although it's no longer labelled "Start" - and the taskbar. You can still line your desktop with program shortcuts to launch your favourite applications. And much of the underlying functionality of Vista remains similar if not identical to what you have in Window XP. If you're a fan of new technology, you'll probably be excited by the changes and inspired to familiarize yourself with the new look and feel of Vista.
Businesses will have to migrate to Vista more deliberately. Because some training on Vista may be required, a business-wide rollout of the new operating system should take place with the retraining needs of particular groups of users in mind.
Q: Will my current PC run Vista?
A: Softchoice Research, a US-based technology research firm, recently released a report which indicated that about half of the average PCs in use by business today will not meet the minimum hardware requirements for Vista.
The areas of a computer most critical to running Vista successfully are graphics and system memory. Vista's Aero interface - which features many three-dimensional and semi-transparent elements - leans heavily on the graphics subsystem of a computer. Specifically, a dedicated graphics card with at least 64 megabytes (MB) of graphics memory is recommended to take full advantage of Vista's new interface.
Desktop and notebook computers with integrated graphics may not be able to run Vista with all of its interface features enabled. When Vista detects that a computer has insufficient graphics capabilities, it scales back some of the interface's features.
For a complete list of hardware requirements and recommendations, see Microsoft's Vista GetReady site (http://www.microsoft.com/windowsvista/getready/capable.mspx).
Q: Will my current software run under Vista?
A: The answer is a definite "maybe." Testers of the pre-release versions of Vista have run an amazing number of applications on Vista to test compatibility, and a good list of what works and what doesn't has been compiled and published on the Windows Vista RTM Software Compatibility site (http://iexbeta.com/wiki/index.php/Windows_Vista_Software_Compatibili ty_List).
Among programs that experience many problems or do not work are such well-known products as Symantec Norton 2007, Winamp, Nero, Diskeeper, Dragon NaturallySpeaking, Adobe Premiere, Pinnacle Studio, and a wide range of games.
You can bet that software developers are scrambling now to ready software patches or updates that make their products compatible with Vista. Expect the entire upgrade process, however, to take some time.
Q: Will Microsoft stop providing bug fixes and security patches for Windows XP?
A: Not right away. If the past is any indication, you can expect Microsoft to continue to support the installed base of Windows XP for several more years.
The majority of development effort at Microsoft, however, will understandably be devoted to Vista. The expected ship date of Service Pack 3 for Windows XP, in fact - which will likely be the major service pack for the operating system - has already slipped into the first half of 2008. Previously it had been expected to ship next year.
Q: What's the best way to get a feel for Vista without committing my main computer to it?
A: Dedicating a separate or a new machine to Vista before moving any mission-critical data to the new system is always the best way, assuming you have the resources to do it.
You can get a feel for Vista, however, in another way. The Vista Transformation Pack (http://www.softpedia.com/get/System/OS- Enhancements/Vista-Transforma tion-Pack.shtml) is a free program that will give your Windows XP desktop many of the visual enhancements that Vista users will enjoy. The transformation pack is a facelift only, however. The underlying functionality of your PC will not change.
--- Have a computer question? Send it to the Computer Helper at jayd@csi.com.
By Jay Dougherty
© 2006 DPA
