Feature: Will your PC run Windows Vista?

Changes to the Windows core
There are few changes in Vista’s processor support. The main new feature is that all variants of Vista except the Starter Edition will be available in 64bit versions. There are improvements in power management: a new standby mode combines Suspend to Disk and Suspend to Ram, to make resumes much quicker.

Superfetch technology uses improved memory management to start frequently used applications more quickly.

Windows XP device drivers will only be of very limited use under Vista. The reason for this is that the new driver model moves substantial parts of the drivers from the kernel to User Mode, which is supposed to deliver more stability.

Mini-computer in a notebook lid
For notebooks, Vista will support a completely new class of device, known as Auxiliary Displays. These are effectively mini-computers with their own small display integrated into a notebook lid.

They can also be used to interactively display information when the notebook is turned off. Current notebooks will also benefit from Vista, as Microsoft has refined the power-management features and made them easier to use than those in Windows XP.

Support for HD DVDs
New features for multimedia PCs include making a reworked version of the Media Center software an integral part of most Vista versions for home use.

Microsoft is also working on a module to allow reception of subscription TV services; and Vista will support the new high-resolution HD-DVD format.

A wide-reaching system for Digital Rights Management (DRM) when playing videos or audio files is under development too, but this technology is not likely to be popular with many users.

Is the change to Vista worth it?
Spectacular graphics are only one aspect of Microsoft’s new operating system. Even if your computer’s graphics card isn’t powerful enough to support the new visual effects, the change is worth considering.

The new driver architecture makes Vista more stable than XP and provides more functions for notebooks and Media Center PCs.

In addition, it’s more secure than any previous version of Windows, as large parts of the program code have been written from scratch, taking into account potential exploits such as buffer over-runs.

It’s easier to use Vista without running as an Administrator than it was under Windows 2000 and XP. If you start Internet Explorer 7 under Vista, it defaults to using drastically reduced access rights for more secure surfing. The advanced search functions and virtual folders make working with files much easier.

The heart of Vista
Not as obvious as Vista’s chic graphics, but nonetheless important, are the changes in the way Vista interacts with the computer’s system components.

Vista is based on the NT kernel, now at version 6. This means there’s not much change to the interface between the operating system and the processor.

However, in comparison with XP, support for 64bit processors is much better; apart from the cut-down Starter Edition, all versions will be available with 64bit CPU support. This practically forces hardware manufacturers to make 64bit drivers available for all current peripheral devices.

To make use of the virtualisation hardware in the new Intel and AMD processors, Microsoft has come up with the Hypervisor. However, this won’t arrive until Vista Server is released in 2007.