February 5 2007
Q: I recently bought a laptop that came with Windows XP, but I was wanting to upgrade to Vista.  Do you think this would be wise thing to do?

A: So you think you are ready for Vista?  Do you have a computer that is labeled Vista Compatible?  Well before you take the plunge, be sure you and your computer are ready.

First you can download a handy program from Microsoft that will evaluate your computer's status, recommend which flavor of Vista will be best for your computer, and provide an outline of which of Vista’s new features it will be able to run:  http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?
familyid=42B5AC83-C24F-4863-A389-3FFC194924F8&displaylang=en

Second, prepare to purchase more RAM memory.  Even if your computer is Vista compatible, be sure you have enough RAM.  If you have 512MB that isn't even enough.  You will want to get at least 2GB of RAM (just to start) if not just purchase the maximum amount of RAM memory your computer will hold.

Third, make sure that all your software will run on Vista.  Unlike other software of the past, some programs won't run specifically on Vista:
-ACT! 2006 or older (ACT! 2007 will, but you need a download).  Please see the following from Sage Software:
http://itdomino.act.com/act.nsf/1b3cab81ad2ef30207256bb300662231/
80fc1eeb75b3e71307257272005014ac?OpenDocument&Highlight=2,vista

-QuickBooks 2006 or older with exceptions.  Please see the following from Intuit:
http://www.quickbooks.com/Helpcenter/vista/ProductCompatibility.aspx

-Here’s a statement from Apple regarding iPod and Vista:
http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/bus/ptech/stories/
020307dnbusapplevista.9ae915.html

-Here’s some info regarding Palm & HotSync:
http://promosearch.palmone.com/search/promosearch?sp-q-required-1=
1&sp-a=sp10032ba7&sp-x-1=country&sp-q=vista&sp-q-3=knowledgebase&sp-x-2=
Model&sp-q-2=&sp-t=cat_search&sp-q-1=us&sp-x-3=col&sp-p-2=all&sp-i=1

Check all your software manufacturer's websites to verify Vista compatibility or if any additional downloads may be needed.

This is certainly a lot of areas to cover, but the time you save preparing will save you hours of troubleshooting and perhaps some frustration.