Windows Vista Upgrade Recommendation

Contents of this page

• Windows Vista Flavors
• Hardware Recommendations
• Upgrade Path
• Who Should or Shouldn't Upgrade
• What's New in Windows Vista
• Windows Vista Home Editions vs Business Editions
• Why Wouldn't You Want to Upgrade to Windows Vista?
• Known Problems in the Cornell Environment
• Software Compatibility
• Vendor and Pricing Information
• Summary

Microsoft released Windows Vista, the follow-on product to Windows XP, for volume licensed/corporate customers in November 2006 and for all customers in January 2007. Some of the new features found in Vista include: enhanced security (User Account Control - UAC), bi-directional firewall, better search facilities, upgrade to Internet Explorer 7 (with security improvements), improvements to connectivity, and additional mobility features including better handwriting recognition for tablet PC users.

The most noticeable changes are the new user interface, Aero (if your hardware supports it) and differences for those who run with Administrator privileges. Although Server (Longhorn) versions are planned, they are not scheduled for release in this time frame. The majority of this recommendation is targeted towards individuals and departments intending to deploy Windows Vista on desktop and laptop computers.

If you have questions or concerns, you may want to join the Vista-L e-list (How do I join a list?). When reading questions and formulating responses, please remember that everybody is at a different point on the learning curve so we all need to be patient as skills and knowledge are acquired.

Windows Vista comes in 5 different flavors in the US:

Microsoft Recommendation	Cornell Comments
Windows Vista Home Basic is designed to deliver improved reliability, security, and usability to home PC users who just want to do the basics with their PCs.  Will not include the new Aero user interface.	If all you do is read mail, surf the internet, and perform basic tasks, then this version may meet all your needs at a good price point.
Windows Vista Home Premium: Whether you choose to use your PC to write e-mail and surf the Internet, for home entertainment, or to track your household expenses, Windows Vista Home Premium delivers a more complete and satisfying computing experience.	Contains many of the features found in Windows Media Center Edition and tablet PC edition.  For most home users this version should be acceptable.
Windows Vista Business: Regardless of the size of your organization, Windows Vista Business will help you lower your PC management costs, improve your security, enhance your productivity, and help you stay better connected.	Also includes Remote Desktop, MS Web server and Encrypted File System (EFS). Depending on pricing, this version may be acceptable for most departmental uses since it is probably the closest thing to Windows XP Pro they are currently running.
Windows Vista Enterprise is designed to meet the needs of large global organizations with highly complex IT infrastructures. Windows Vista Enterprise can help you lower your IT costs while providing additional layers of protection for your sensitive data.	Includes Windows BitLocker Drive Encryption (full volume startup encryption), Virtual PC Express for added support for running some legacy applications under Vista.   This would be a good selection for users who routinely travel with a laptop that contains sensitive data.
Windows Vista Ultimate: If you want all of the best business features, all of the best mobility features, and all of the best home entertainment features that Windows Vista has to offer, Windows Vista Ultimate is the solution for you. With Windows Vista Ultimate you don't have to compromise.	This makes it easier for a user to work from home, work while traveling and at the same time access a variety of entertaining possibilities.  The best of all worlds.

Recommended minimums for running Windows Vista on your computer:

Microsoft's minimum system requirements are very optimistic. CIT believes that if you attempt to run Windows Vista with these minimums you will find your system performance will be less than optimal and since Vista will scale back the user interface to the hardware capabilities of your system, you will not be able to take advantage of some of the new features found in Windows Vista.  For that reason CIT suggests that you consider systems with at least the recommended processor and memory values in the above table.  See the Windows Vista Upgrade Advisor.

Recommended Upgrade Options/Path:

It may be possible to upgrade your existing Windows XP operating system with Vista but because of the significant changes included with Windows Vista, we recommend that you perform a clean installation. If you choose to upgrade in place, you need to make sure that any software already installed is compatible with Windows Vista.  We know that the current version of Symantec Client Security is not compatible so it must be un-installed prior to attempting to upgrade to Windows Vista.

From Windows Version	To Windows Vista
Windows 95 (or earlier)	No
Windows 98/98SE/Me	No
Windows NT 4.0	No
Windows 2000 Professional	Qualifies for purchase of a Vista upgrade, but requires a clean install of Vista.
Windows XP Home Edition	Yes
Windows XP Professional	Yes

 

Who Should or Shouldn't Upgrade:

The decision about whether or not to upgrade lies with you and your network administrator. However, an important factor to consider is that because Windows Vista is such a dramatic change from earlier versions of Windows, some older legacy devices supported by previous versions of Windows may no longer be supported or may require vendor supplied drivers to work with Windows Vista.

If you plan to upgrade, you may find that reformatting your hard drive and installing a fresh copy of Windows Vista rather than carrying along old baggage associated with an upgrade is a better approach. If you elected to upgrade your existing Windows XP installation, Vista comes with an Upgrade Advisor that does do a pretty good job of analyzing your system and making recommendations, but be sure to backup your critical data before you upgrade.

Upgrading to Vista gives you access to a stable environment with better security than any previous version of Windows.

What's New in Windows Vista:

• x86 & x64 Support: All versions of Windows Vista include support for both platforms.
• Aero Interface: This provides an user interface that adapts to the hardware you have. If you have minimal graphics hardware, you will see the Basic Windows Vista interface which provides some new features. If you have higher end graphics you will experience an additional level of visual gratification including live thumbnails of running applications by hovering over the task bar icon or using the Alt-Esc sequence to step through running tasks.
• Improved Security: The User Account Control allows administrators to run at the lowest level of privileges necessary. If a task requires higher privileges you will be prompted to continue. This helps to keep your system secure from rogue applications.
• Anti-Piracy Measures : (This particular feature protects Microsoft.) You must register within 30 days or Vista will limit functionality until you are only allowed to run your browser in 1 hour increments. New licensing for Business and Enterprise editions using either Multiple Activation Key (MAK) or Key Management Service (KMS via TCP port 1688). New systems will have OEM Pre-Activation and Retail purchases (Home Basic/Premium and Ultimate) will be similar to what they are under Windows XP. See Microsoft's web cast on Volume Activation 2.0 for Educational Customer for additional information and common Education questions. Also Desktop Deployment offers additional links and information.
• Internet Explorer 7+: This version of IE supports tabbed browsing as well as enhancements to security including a phishing filter. Internet Explorer 7 will also be downloaded to Windows XP machines at some point, but it will not offer the security features found in IE7 under Vista that rely on new security features built into Vista. If you want to block the download of IE7 via automatic updates you should check out <http://www.microsoft.com/technet/updatemanagement/windowsupdate/ie7announcement.mspx>
• Bi-Directional Firewall: The new Firewall not only blocks incoming attacks, but can be enabled to restrict outgoing network traffic.
• Windows Defender: This offers additional protection from virus, worms, and other spyware that may try to infect your system.
• Parental Control: Although probably not used in the work environment, it does offer a way for parents to restrict access to the computer.
• Menus are not shown: In applications like Internet Explorer and Windows Explorer, the Menu bar is not displayed. The tasks that were previously located under the menu items have been moved to the tool bar icons. You can use the ALT key to temporarily display them or you can configure them to be displayed all the time.
• Windows Easy Transfer: A built-in tool to help you migrate Accounts, Settings, and Files from your old Windows XP computer to your new Vista computer. Nothing on the old computer is affected. If you upgraded your existing Windows XP installation, this is done automatically for you.

To find out more about the features found in Vista Home and Business Editions, see The Editions.

Differences Between Vista Home Editions and Vista Business Editions

Side by Side comparison of Vista Versions <http://forums.microsoft.com/TechNet/ShowPost.aspx?PostID=587581&SiteID=17>

Which Edition is Right for You?

Reviewing the versions of Windows Vista above and at the Microsoft Vista site should help you to decide which version best meets your needs.

For departmental systems, the ability to join a domain and encrypt files make Windows Vista Business versions a good fit along with the ability to be managed centrally. If you travel or occasionally work from home, you may find that the Remote Desktop facility in Windows is useful for some tasks.

Why Wouldn't You Want to Upgrade to Windows Vista?

• You may have older unsupported hardware or it may not meet minimum requirements and will therefore be unable to run Windows Vista.
  
• Your technical support providers may lack experience with Windows Vista and may not be able to offer timely assistance.
• Because of changes in the internals to Windows Vista, existing applications may not run properly.

Software Compatability

If you're thinking of upgrading to Windows Vista, you may want to know if your software programs are compatible with Vista. This Excel file lists the testing results of several universities for many common software programs. It also describes known issues, workarounds, and planned upgrades.

To download the Excel file: Right click on the link below and choose Save Target As... in Internet Explorer or Save Link As... in Firefox.

• Windows Vista Software Compatibility List (updated 6/15/07)

Known Problems in the Cornell Environment:

• See Bear Access Testing document for information on many of the applications distributed with Bear Access.
• There have been announcements on the Net-Admin's list regarding other applications that have problems under Internet Explorer 7 which is the browser delivered with Vista.
• If you utilize fast user switching, your Kerberos tickets could be exposed. Be sure to clear your Kerberos ticket by logging out from within SideCar.
• Symantec has a version of Symantec AntiVirus software that supports Vista and is available for download from: http://www.cit.cornell.edu/software/downloads/antivirus/scs-access.php and will also be available for download in the Bear Access/Protect My Computer folder on uPortal.Cornell. Symantec's Client Security (Firewall) software is scheduled to be released in the first half of 2007.
  If you are concerned about the lack of the Firewall component of Symantec Client Security then you should look at configuring the Windows Vista internal Firewall which can be configured to block outbound traffic as well as inbound traffic.

Vendor and Pricing Information:

Cornell pricing can be found at www.cit.cornell.edu/software/licenses/msselect/.

Summary

If you have a Windows XP system that is performing satisfactorily and meeting your needs, there is no compelling reason to upgrade to Windows Vista. If you have a system running any earlier version of Windows, then it probably will not meet the minimum system requirements to run Vista.

Cornell staff should always consult their local network administrator before making any upgrade or other system change.