Check if your PC can run Windows Vista

There's every possibility that you'll first encounter Windows Vista when you buy a new PC, but Microsoft is unsurprisingly keen on persuading as many of us as possible to upgrade older systems. Whether Windows Vista offers you sufficient enticement to bother upgrading will certainly vary from person to person and business to business, but one thing is clear – if upgrading is a hassle, it's certainly not desirable.

Thankfully, there is a way to check how complex upgrading might be. Before installing Windows Vista on a current Windows XP system, you are well advised to check whether your PC has the brute strength to run it. Beyond checking the headline system requirements, you can download the Windows Vista Upgrade Advisor. This is a small application that scans your computer hardware and reports accordingly.

1. Download and scan

You can download the Upgrade Advisor tool from here. As the opening screen recommends, connect as many of your external devices as possible, including hard drives. Initiate a scan and leave well alone for a few minutes.

The Upgrade Advisor checks that your computer is up to the task of running Windows Vista.

2. Check its findings

When the scan concludes, click See Details. This report tells you whether you can successfully install Windows Vista – or, if you can't, why not. Check the details carefully because you may find that a simple upgrade in the graphics or memory department is all you need.

In this case, it's a thumbs down from the Upgrade Advisor but some freed-up hard disk space should suffice.

3. The recommendation

The Upgrade Advisor makes a recommendation about which version of Windows Vista is a good fit for your PC. In this case, it suggests Windows Vista Home Basic. If you hanker for something better, click the other versions of Windows Vista in the left-hand panel. The program will now tell you about any specific problems you'll have in relation to each version.

Select the version of Windows Vista that interests you and click See Details in System Requirements section.

4. Clarify what you need

For example, to run Windows Vista Home Premium to full effect, we're going to need a new audio driver, a TV tuner and a new graphics card. This is because this version includes Windows Media Center, whereas Windows Vista Home Basic doesn’t – hence the earlier recommendation by Upgrade Advisor.

The Upgrade Advisor flags up any potential incompatibilities between your system and your chosen version of Windows Vista.

5. Ignoring driver concerns

Be sure to check out the Devices and Programs tabs. Don't worry too much about driver issues, as most manufacturers – at least, those what want to stay in business – will be releasing special Windows Vista drivers quickly. You can also get many drivers directly from Microsoft just by running Windows Update after you've installed.

Upgrade Advisor tells you of any devices that it doesn't have drivers for. It's worth checking that Windows Vista drivers are available from the manufacturers before you decide to upgrade.

6. What to do next

Finally, visit the Task List tab for a summary of what to do now and what you should expect to have to do post-installation. This doesn't include tasks like ‘dump your obsolete printer’. If you are told to uninstall software, make sure that you are prepared to live without it.

You are well advised to perform any necessary tasks now, because if Windows Vista detects these problems during installation it will refuse to continue.

A visit to Windows Update can keep devices working when you install Windows Vista.