Security

Screenshots: Checking your PC for Vista-bility

By // July 18, 2006, 8:40 AM PST // billdetwiler

Image 1 of 4

  • The initial screen for Microsoft's Upgrade Advisor, which helps people assess whether their PC can run Vista.

    Microsoft

  • The Upgrade Advisor lists a number of Vista features and asks which interest the user. The tool then recommends a version of Vista that is likely to be appropriate.

    Microsoft

  • After scanning the system, the tool determines whether a machine can run Vista and what upgrades are needed, if any, to run higher versions. In this case, the PC was sufficient to run Vista but needed a better graphics card to run Vista's Aero Graphics.

    Microsoft

  • On the other hand, the Upgrade Advisor thought little of CNET News.com's relatively new low-end machine. It has 512MB of memory, but some of that is shared with its integrated graphics. Ironically, we have been testing beta versions of Vista on this machine.

    CNET News.com

The initial screen for Microsoft's Upgrade Advisor, which helps people assess whether their PC can run Vista.

Microsoft

Related Topics:

Security Software CXO Hardware Mobility Data Centers Cloud

By Bill Detwiler

Bill Detwiler is Editor in Chief of TechRepublic and Tech Pro Research and the host of Cracking Open, CNET and TechRepublic's popular online show. Prior to joining TechRepublic in 2000, Bill was an IT manager, database administrator, and desktop supp...