Upgrading to Windows Vista: Is your Hardware Ready? Are You?

Upgrading to
Windows Vista:
Is your Hardware
Ready? Are You?
1-800-COURSES
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Expert Reference Series of White Papers
Introduction
With Windows Vista® finally shipping, customers who want to upgrade or migrate to Windows Vista have a
number of choices and decisions to make. Before you decide, you need to know if it will work with your cur-
rent system’s hardware and software. Bear in mind that a great majority of the “upgrades” to Windows Vista
will come from:
• A new PC purchase with the new operating system installed, or
• The purchase of a Windows Vista-ready PC with a sticker, certificate, or placard that will allow a free or
discounted purchase toward an upgrade.
More importantly, will the machine you already own meet the strict hardware requirements? New PCs that are
being sold with
Windows XP are being “branded” as
Windows Vista Capable and/or a Windows Vista Premium
Ready PCs, thereby guaranteeing the upgrade success on the hardware; as will be described later in this white
paper.
Should you or shouldn’t you upgrade - that is the question. The intent of this white paper is not to elaborate
on the features of the Windows Vista operating system (with the exception of a few worth noting), but rather
as an aid in your decision to upgrade. Your choices will become clear as a result of the education you will
receive by reading this article.
There are two major items to consider:
• Is the hardw
are compatible and
• To which version of Windows Vista should you upgrade and from which previous operating system.
This white paper is divided into three sections:
• Section 1 describes the different versions of

Windows
V
ista.
•
Section 2 lists the hardw
are choices necessary to run the different versions of Vista.
•
Section 3 is discusses tools available to help determine and decide if Windows Vista will load on your
machine and also run your applications.
Section 1: The Software
There are six (6), yes, six, versions of Windows Vista to which you can upgrade, migrate, or do a clean install.
Mark Mizrahi, Global Knowledge Instructor, MCSE+Security/MCT
Upgrading to Windows Vista: Is your
Hardware Ready? Are You?
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raining LLC. All rights reserved.
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Figure 1. Four Most Commonly Used Versions of Vista
The following chart from Microsoft’s website shows the features of the four most commonly used of the six
Windows Vista versions.
Table 1. Features offered with four of Windows Vista versions.
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Features Home Basic Home Premium Business Ultimate
Most Secure Windows ever with Windows
Defender and Windows Firewall
✓ ✓ ✓ ✓
Quickly find what you need with Instant
Search and Windows Internet Explorer 7

✓ ✓ ✓ ✓
Elegant Windows Aero desktop experi
ence
with Windows Flip 3D navigation
✓ ✓ ✓
Best Choice for laptops with enhanced
Windows Mobility Center and Tablet PC
Support
✓ ✓ ✓
Collaborate and share documents with
Windows Meeting Space
✓ ✓ ✓
Experience photos and entertainment in
your living room with Windows Media
Center
✓ ✓
Enjoy Windows Media Center on TVs
throughout your home with Xbox 360TM
and other devices
✓ ✓
Help protect against hardware failure with
advanced business backup features
✓ ✓
Business networking and remote desktop for
easier connectivity
✓ ✓
Better Protect your data against loss or theft
with Windows Bitlocker
TM
Drive Encryption

✓
S
o, what are the other two versions? They are the Starter Version and Enterprise Version. However, Microsoft
says that the Vista Starter is not available in the United States. Their descriptions are as follows:
Windows Vista Starter
Available in 119 emerging markets, Windows Vista Starter provides individuals and families with the basic ben-
efits of Windows Vista at an affordable price. Designed for first-time PC users, Windows Vista Starter is easy to
learn and includes help features tailored to beginner users.
Maintaining the goal of making technology accessible to customers in emerging markets, Windows Vista
Starter offers a basic set of features targeted to beginner users at a price that fits their budget, thereby avoid-
ing piracy. Windows Vista Starter will be available* at an affordable price from OEM and system builder part-
ners, and through government-sponsored programs.
Windows Vista Starter includes more help features for first-time PC users. With localized and customized sup-
port, step-by-step guidance, and interactive video demonstrations to help perform the most popular tasks,
Windows Vista Starter makes it easy to use a PC in any language.
*
Note: Windows Vista Starter is not currently scheduled to be available in the United States, Canada, the
European Union,
Australia,
New Zealand, or other high-income markets as defined by the
World Bank.
Windows Vista Enterprise
Windows Vista Enterprise was designed to help global organizations and enterprises with complex IT infra-
structures lower IT costs, reduce risk, and stay connected. If your organization has these requirements,
Windows Vista Enterprise will provide additional layers of protection for your sensitive data. Building on the
features in HYPERLINK " Windows
Vista Business, Windows Vista Enterprise provides higher levels of data protection using hardware-based
encryption technology
. It also includes tools to improve application compatibility and enables organizations to
standardize by using a single worldwide deployment image. It also adds BitLocker full drive encryption, Virtual

PC express, the subsystem for UNIX and full multilingual support. Advanced networking and the Domain
Model is supported.
Windows
V
ista Enterprise
is available only to Volume License customers who have PCs covered by Microsoft
Software Assurance. These customers are also eligible to acquire an optional subscription license for the
Microsoft Desktop Optimization Pack for Software Assurance. This software extends the value of Windows Vista
Enterprise by:
• Reducing application deployment costs
• Enabling delivery of applications as services, and
• Allowing for better management and control of enterprise desktop environments.
Together, these technologies deliver the most cost-effective and flexible Windows desktop management solution.
So, here is what it comes down to as far as the “street” is concerned. Retail customers have four choices:
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W
indows Vista Home Basic
i
s for cost-conscious PC buyers who want basic functionality without a lot of
extras. It provides the simplified Vista user interface but does not support DVD burning or Media Center fea-
tures; nor does it support any of the highly publicized 3-D graphics, TV Tuning, and Tablet PC support. This ver-
sion might be installed on entry-level PCs for manufacturers who want to advertise a more popularly priced
PC. This can provide opportunities to sell upgrades to a version with more features; get ready for the sales
pitch.
Windows Vista Home Premium adds the Aero interface; integrated desktop search; Media Center features;
and support for DVD burners, TV Tuning, and Tablet PC. This will be the default installation for most mid-range
PCs. In fact, it’s a simple test: If the computer has a DVD burner, it will probably get Vista Home Premium.
Windows Vista Business adds the Aero interface, support for Tablet PCs, integrated desktop search, collabo-

ration tools, full disk backup, networking and remote desktop features, as well as all of the base features of
the operating system, TV Tuning, and Tablet PC. This is the baseline operating system for business customers.
Advanced Networking and Domain Support are also included.
Windows Vista Ultimate is positioned as the one that “has it all.” It includes all the features in the other
retail versions as well as corporate features like BitLocker drive encryption. It includes a host of other features
such as Photo Gallery
, Movie Mak
er
, Media Center, TV Tuning, and Tablet PC. Advanced Networking and
Domain Support are also included.
Are you ready for the
Biggest Change of All? These four retail versions are included on either CD or DVD
.
The product key, which is entered at the beginning of the installation process, determines which version gets
installed. That’s potentially very good news for retail customers, who should be able to use any Windows Vista
media to reinstall the operating system (provided they haven’t lost
the product key).
Corporate customers who have PCs covered by Microsoft Software
Assurance or a Microsoft Enterprise
Agreement have it easiest of all: They get one version, Windows Vista Enterprise, which includes BitLocker
encryption, Virtual PC Express, the Aero interface, and more. The idea is to give corporate customers a single
image that they can customize and deploy to meet their own needs.
With a single media source, it should be possible for a Windows user to upgrade to a more feature-rich version
without a lot of hassle. Buy a new product key from a retailer or direct from Microsoft (the price would depend
on the specifics of the upgrade – jumping from Home Basic to Ultimate would incur a higher cost than going
from Basic to Home Premium or from Home Premium to Ultimate).
If the upgrade premium cost is low enough, this could be the ultimate “upsell” opportunity vendors look for.
You want Media Center features? Buy a $50 upgrade (actual price may vary), get the product ID via e-mail,
and install the new version from your existing media. For that matter, you could upgrade a handful of comput-
ers on a home or small business network with one DVD and a quick visit to an online license reseller

.
Now let’s upgrade, but from what? From how far back can I upgrade?
Upgrade Planning for Windows Vista
For many of you, the Windows Vista experience will begin with the purchase of a new PC. For others, however,
the experience begins by upgrading their current PC, and it’s important to know and understand the upgrade
options.
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raining LLC. All rights reserved.
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