Things to check before switching to Vista Part 2
We took a look at possible hardware incompatibilities of Windows Vista yesterday and will do the same today for software. Do you think that all the software that is currently installed on your Windows XP system will run on Vista? Think again. Did you for instance know that the latest Nero Burning Rom or the firewall Outpost do not work in Vista currently?
Tip: Check out parts 3 and 4 of the Vista guide as well
The Windows Vista RTM Software Compatibility List is a big list of programs that are marked as working, have minor problems or as incompatible to Windows Vista at the current stage of development.
The list is large but it naturally does not include every computer program created. If you take a closer look at the list you see that many antivirus and security related programs have issues or wont work under Windows Vista right now.
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 it, 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 checks 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.
Update: The Application Compatibility Manager is no longer available on the Microsoft website. We have removed the link as a consequence.
The website is correct of course. I did not check if the update was already available or not. Last time I checked it was not and they only announced that it would be available before one could buy Vista.
You still have to upgrade somehow which means that you will have to download the update (not upgrade) from the website to be able to install it in Vista.
The normal CD that you have purchased before will probably not install.
oh I should have added that Nero 7 Ultra Enhanced was released on 27th November
interesting that you should say the latest Nero isn’t Vista ready when I have just seen on their website that the latest is Nero 7 Ultra Enhanced that they say is Vista ready…so are M$ wrong ….or Nero?