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Chapter 1

Installing Windows Vista Client

Running Windows Vista Upgrade Advisor

The Windows Vista Upgrade Advisor is a downloadable tool that allows you to determine

whether a Windows XP computer is capable of running Windows Vista. The Windows Vista

Upgrade Advisor runs only on the 32-bit version of Windows XP and Windows Vista. If the

computer that you want to test runs the 64-bit edition of Windows XP, you cannot use the

Windows Upgrade Advisor. The Windows Vista Upgrade Advisor will not run on Windows

95, Windows 98, Windows Me, or Windows 2000.

Installing the Windows Vista Upgrade Advisor

Before you install the Windows Vista Upgrade Advisor you need to install Microsoft Core XML

Services (MSXML) version 6.0 or later and the .NET Framework version 2 or later. MSXML pro-

vides client and server-safe components for Extensible Markup Language (XML) over Hyper-

text Transfer Protocol (HTTP). The .NET Framework manages the execution of applications

written specifically for the framework. Most new Windows Vista applications use it. If you run

the installation routine without installing these components, the installation will abort, for-

warding you to a page on Microsoft’s website that contains the necessary files.

To install the Upgrade Advisor, perform the following steps:

■

Download the Windows Vista Upgrade Advisor from the Microsoft website: http://

www.microsoft.com/windowsvista/getready/upgradeadvisor/default.mspx.

■

Start the installation process by double-clicking the executable file. If you do not have

Microsoft Core XML Services 6.0 installed, the installation routine redirects you to a

location on Microsoft’s website where you can download the installation file. Download

the file, and then install it.

■

Restart the installation process. If you do not have .NET Framework version 2.0 or

higher installed, a dialog box appears. Click Install The .NET Framework. The installa-

tion is downloaded from Microsoft’s website to the Desktop. Install the .NET Frame-

work by following the prompts. Restart the installation.

■

During the installation of the Windows Vista Upgrade Advisor, you are asked to accept

a license agreement and to specify an installation folder. You should accept the default

values. You should also allow the installation routine to install a Desktop Shortcut.

■

When the installation finishes, click Close. You will run the Windows Vista Upgrade

Advisor in Practice 2 at the end of this lesson.

Quick Check

1. Which operating systems will the Windows Vista Upgrade Advisor run on?

2. What is the recommended minimum amount of RAM for Windows Vista?