The Windows Vista RTM Software Compatibility List contains a big list of programs that are marked to be working, have minor problems or are incompatible to Windows Vista at the current stage of development. The list is large but it naturally does not contain every computer program created. If you take a closer look at the list you see that many antivirus and security related programs have problems with Windows Vista.

Many developers will fix those problems before Vista will be released to the public. Nero for instance will have a patch that makes the tool, that is Nero 7, Vista ready. Users that still work with previous versions of Nero will run out of luck and have to purchase the new version if they want to make the switch to Vista and continue using Nero.

My advice would be to evaluate which programs you definitely need and try to find information about them on the net. Try the compatibility list, try the developers website and see what he, or the community, have to say about compatibility with Vista.

Microsoft released a software called Microsoft Application Compatibility Manager which seems to test your applications for Vista compatibility. You need to install some additional software to get the application running. I did not try it out but it looks promising. The Vista Upgrade Advisor is also checking the software of your XP system and could be a good start for further evaluation.

I will be taking a closer look at the restrictions that come with Windows Vista compared to Windows XP tomorrow. Restrictions mean DRM, WGA and Trusted Computing.