Should I upgrade my computer to Windows Vista? 

A recent report from the Gartner Research Group indicates that most companies will spend 18 months testing Windows Vista before rolling it out to most users. Although the demands of university computing challenge the corporate support model, IT agrees with the Gartner group that computer support personnel should take time to fully evaluate Windows Vista before implementing and supporting it in departments and labs.

For information about some of the changes in Windows Vista, visit the following links:

• What's new with the Windows Vista desktop and start menu? *
• What's new with finding and organizing files with Windows Vista? *

If you are purchasing a new machine, many times Windows Vista is the only option. If this is the case, please read our "What version of Windows Vista should I get?" statement.

What are the recommended hardware specifications for Windows Vista? 

Microsoft has the minimum system requirements posted on their Windows Vista System Requirements page. Though the requirements listed by Microsoft are sufficient for Vista, IT has the following recommendations:

• 1 Ghz Intel Pentium M, Core Duo, Core 2 Duo; 2.0Ghz Pentium 4, or AMD Athlon 2000+
• At least 1GB of RAM
• 128 MB ATI or NVIDIA graphics card (or integrated video)
• 40 GB hard drive

Note, that the above system recommendations are only for the base Windows Vista, and likely will not run the new Aero interface.

*For Aero support we recommend:

• 1 Ghz Intel Pentium M, Core Duo, Core 2 Duo; 2.5Ghz Pentium 4, or AMD Athlon 2500+
• 2GB RAM
• 256 MB ATI or NVIDIA graphics card
• 80 GB hard drive

Not all hardware is going to be compatible with Windows Vista. To ensure your computer's hardware is compatible, see the Microsoft Upgrade Advisor.

What version of Windows Vista should I get? 

Microsoft offers five versions of Windows Vista: Home Basic, Home Premium, Business, Enterprise, and Ultimate.

IT recommends Windows Vista Business for most campus users. The upgrade version is available for students through the Microsoft Student Select purchasing program, e-academy, at www.olemiss.edu/computers.

If you require additional data security, we recommend Windows Vista Enterprise or Ultimate.

Will all my software work on Windows Vista? 

Here is what we know about some applications and how they run (or don't) on Windows Vista:

• The SAP GUI requires version 7.10 to run on Windows Vista, and any PC running this version (either in Windows Vista or XP) must have patch level one (1) installed before exporting files from SAP to Microsoft Office 2007.
• If using Windows Vista and Internet Explorer 7, you may have problems in Blackboard entering text in fields that contain the Visual Text Box Editor, such as discussion board entries, quiz answer fields, and announcements. We recommend you use Firefox 2.0 as your browser for Blackboard if you are on Windows Vista.
• The statistical package, SAS, currently does not run on Windows Vista. Version 5.2 and higher of Mathematica and SPSS 15 for Windows are supported for Windows Vista.
• Last month Adobe released Acrobat and Reader 8.1 to address issues that prevented the popular PDF application from working well or sometimes at all with Windows Vista.
• The Web-based VPN client used on campus is not compatible with Windows Vista, so IT provides a Cisco VPN client that Windows Vista users may install instead. For more information, see vpnhelp.olemiss.edu. If you use a departmental VPN connection, contact your network administrator for support with Windows Vista-related issues.

Will my Symantec AntiVirus software work with Windows Vista? 

If you are upgrading to Windows Vista from Windows XP, you must first uninstall Symantec Antivirus from your computer before upgrading. The university has a version of Symantec Antivirus that is Windows Vista compatible (10.2). If you are a student, this can be downloaded for free from http://www.olemiss.edu/online/av/. Faculty and staff should contact the IT Helpdesk for the Windows Vista compatible version.

Does IT offer any Windows Vista training? 

See the summer training schedule at http://www.olemiss.edu/helpdesk/training.html

Related Links:

What's new with the Windows Vista desktop and start menu? *
What's new with finding and organizing files with Windows Vista? *
TechNews - Windows Vista and Office 2007 *
Sign up for Windows Vista and Office 2007 training
Office 2007 Information