Buying Vista? Get a guarantee

by admin January 29, 2007 at 9:41 am

Before spending the money for Windows Vista, set to debut this week, is there any guarantee that the software you buy will run as advertised on your PC? Not exactly, analysts say.

Microsoft does offer its Windows Vista Upgrade Advisor 1.0 which scans computers for Vista readiness, indicates which of four versions will adequately run and makes upgrade recommendations, should hardware need help. CNET and other tech sites also offer free tools to analyze a PC’s Vista readiness and version compatibility. Still, such tools won’t absolutely certify that consumers will be able to run the version of Vista they pay for, analysts say.

“Just because a machine came back Vista-positive, I am not ready to make the assumption that all the features of Vista will run on this machine,” said Michael Cherry, lead analyst for Windows and Mobile at Directions on Microsoft. His advice: “If it says (a PC) will run Vista, you still want to think about which features are important, and in talking to a vendor, you want to get an assurance that the unit (you are buying) will, in fact, accomplish those things you want.”

While Microsoft’s tool, and others like it, provide a general indication of whether a computer is Vista-compatible, they do not let users probe to see if specific features–such as Vista’s new graphical interface or BitLocker drive encryption–will work, Cherry said.

Full article: CNET News.com