Microsoft: Getting You Ready for Vista

Computer software giant announces new Web tools and special labeling to help you get your home or business ready for Windows Vista.

Microsoft today continued its gear up for the launch of Windows Vista as it formally unveiled a number of new initiatives to help customers make the most informed decisions. These new initiatives specifically include a preparation Web site, a program which will identify both PCs now available that are compatible with Vista as well as forthcoming ones which meet or exceed the new OS’s technical requirements and a diagnostic tool help customers narrow down their Vista choices.

The Windows Vista “Get Ready” Web site, said Microsoft, provides a variety of information and tools customers can use to help them prep for switching over to Vista. These details include information on the different editions of software as well as the Windows Vista Upgrade Advisor beta, a diagnostic tool which determine if a user’s current PCs are ready for an upgrade as well as evaluating if customers’ devices will support the edition and features of Windows Vista that meets their needs.

Also available through the “Get Ready” site is information about Windows Vista Capable PCs and Windows Vista Premium PCs. Windows Vista Capable PCs – those already available from PC manufacturers which are advanced enough to support Vista – will have a Windows Vista Capable logo to let consumers know the PC they buy will run the OS when it comes out. Windows Vista Premium PCs, meanwhile, are forthcoming computers which receive a special designation because meet or exceed the technical requirements listed here.

“Customers have many options and choices to make when it comes to buying a PC today. A wide range of form factors, price points and new technologies figure into their decisions,” said Mike Sievert, corporate vice president of Windows Product Management and Marketing at Microsoft, in a statement. “With that in mind, Microsoft and OEMs are making it easier to prepare for the arrival of Windows Vista. Customers now have the information they need to get a great Windows XP- based PC today that will deliver rich Windows Vista experiences tomorrow.”