Lesson 1: Identifying Hardware Requirements

7

Differentiating Windows Vista Logos

If you have browsed the aisles at your local computer superstore, you will have noticed that

many of the computers have a Windows logo attached that designates them as either Windows

Vista Capable or Windows Vista Premium Ready. These logos are designed to assure custom-

ers that the computer they purchase, even if it has a different operating system installed, is cer-

tified as capable of running the Windows Vista operating system. The differences are as

follows:

■

Windows Vista Capable A computer with the Windows Vista Capable PC logo, shown

here,

®

Designed for

Windows® XP

Windows Vista™

Capable

is certified to meet or exceed the minimum hardware requirements for Windows Vista.

A computer with the Windows Vista Capable PC logo might not necessarily be capable

of running Windows Aero, but it will still be able to display an interface comparable to

that of Windows XP. You generally see this logo on computers that have Windows XP

installed.

■ Windows Vista Premium Ready A computer with the Windows Vista Premium Ready

logo, shown here,

Windows Vista™

Premium

Ready

is certified to provide the best Windows Vista experience. The hardware on a computer

with this logo exceeds Microsoft’s recommended specifications. You generally see this

logo on computers that already have Windows Vista installed.

MORE INFO Windows Vista hardware planning

For more information about assessing whether existing computer hardware is capable of running

Windows Vista, check out the following website: http://www.microsoft.com/technet/windowsvista

/evaluate/hardware/vistarpc.mspx