System Requirements
The following list describes the recommended minimum hardware requirements for basic functionality of the different editions of Windows Vista. Actual hardware requirements vary, depending on system configuration and on the programs and the features that you install. If you install Windows Vista over a network, additional hard disk space may be required.
Windows Vista Home Basic
800-megahertz (MHz) 32-bit (x86) processor or 800-MHz 64-bit (x64) processor
512 megabytes (MB) of system memory
Note: On system configurations that use system memory as graphics memory, at least 448 MB of system memory must be available to the operating system after some memory is allocated for graphics.
DirectX 9-class graphics card
32 MB of graphics memory
20-gigabyte (GB) hard disk that has 15 GB of free hard disk space
Internal or external DVD drive
Internet access capability
Audio output capability
Windows Vista Home Premium, Windows Vista Business, Windows Vista Enterprise, and Windows Vista Ultimate
1-gigahertz (GHz) 32-bit (x86) processor or 1-GHz 64-bit (x64) processor
1 GB of system memory
Windows Aero-capable graphics card
Note: This includes a DirectX 9-class graphics card that supports the following:
A WDDM driver
Pixel Shader 2.0 in hardware
32 bits per pixel
128 MB of graphics memory (minimum)
40-GB hard disk that has 15 GB of free hard disk space (the 15GB of free space provides room for temporary file storage during the install or upgrade.)
Internal or external DVD drive
Internet access capability
Audio output capability
Note: A Windows Aero-capable graphics card is a graphics card that meets the following requirements:
Supports a Windows Display Driver Model (WDDM) driver
Has a DirectX 9-class graphics processor unit (GPU) that supports Pixel Shader 2.0
Supports 32 bits per pixel
Passes the Windows Aero acceptance test in the Windows Driver Kit (WDK)
For more information about system requirements for Windows Vista, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:
919183 (http://support.microsoft.com/kb/919183/ ) System requirements for Windows Vista
Windows Vista Upgrade Advisor
If your computer is running Windows XP, use the Windows Vista Upgrade Advisor to help you determine if your computer can run Windows Vista. To run the Windows Vista Upgrade Advisor, visit the following Web site:
http://www.microsoft.com/windows/products/windowsvista/buyorupgrade/upgradeadvisor.mspx (http://www.microsoft.com/windows/products/windowsvista/buyorupgrade/upgradeadvisor.mspx)
Upgrade Paths From Earlier Versions
The following Web site explains the installation options to help you decide whether to perform an upgrade or a clean install when you are you upgrade to Windows Vista from Windows XP or from Microsoft Windows 2000:
http://www.microsoft.com/windows/products/windowsvista/buyorupgrade/upgradepaths.mspx (http://www.microsoft.com/windows/products/windowsvista/buyorupgrade/upgradepaths.mspx)
Upgrade to Windows Vista from an earlier version of Windows
To upgrade the current Windows operating system on your computer to Windows Vista, follow these steps:
Start the computer and make sure that the current version of Windows has started.
Insert the Windows Vista DVD into the DVD drive and then close the drive tray. Wait a moment for the Setup program to start automatically.
If the Setup program does not start automatically, follow these steps:
Click Start and then click Run.
Type Drive:\setup.exe and then click OK.
Note: Drive is the drive letter of the computer’s DVD drive.
When the Setup program starts and the Install now screen appears, click Install now.
Note: When you receive with the Get important updates for installation message, click Go Online.
Click Upgrade when the Which type of installation do you want? screen appears.
If you cannot click Upgrade and you receive an error message, go to the "Troubleshooting" section if you are comfortable trying to troubleshoot, or go to the "Next Steps" section to determine your next steps.
Follow the instructions to install Windows Vista.
If Windows Vista is now running on your computer, you have completed the upgrade to Windows Vista.
If the installation does not finish or you receive an error message, and you are comfortable trying to troubleshoot the problem, go to the "Troubleshooting" section for more information about common issues and their resolutions. If you are not comfortable trying to troubleshoot the issue, go to the "Next Steps" section.
Perform a Clean Installation
There are two ways to perform a clean installation of Windows Vista. The first method is to install Windows Vista by running the Setup program from the current version of Windows on your computer. The second method is to start the computer from the Windows Vista DVD. First, try method 1. If it does not work, try method 2.
Warning In a clean installation, existing data on your computer is deleted. This data includes personal data, settings, hardware driver information, and software programs. After you install the operating system, you must also reinstall all programs. Make sure that you back up personal data to disks or other external storage devices before you perform a clean installation.
Method 1: Perform a clean installation of Windows Vista by running Setup from the current version of Windows
To perform a clean installation of Windows Vista from the current version of Windows on the computer, follow these steps:
Start the computer and make sure that the current version of Windows has started.
Insert the Windows Vista DVD into the DVD drive and then close the drive tray. Wait a moment for the Setup program to start automatically.
If the Setup program does not start automatically, follow these steps:
Click Start and then click Run.
Type Drive:\setup.exe and then click OK.
Note: Drive is the drive letter of the computer’s DVD drive.
When the Setup program starts and the Install now screen appears, click Install now.
When the Which type of installation do you want? screen appears, click Custom (advanced). The follow the instructions to install Windows Vista.
If Windows Vista is now running on your computer, you have completed the installation successfully.
If the installation does not finish or you receive an error message, and you are comfortable trying to troubleshoot the problem, go to the "Troubleshooting" section for more information about common issues and their resolutions. If you are not comfortable trying to troubleshoot the issue, go to the "Next Steps" section.
Method 2: Perform a clean installation of Windows Vista by starting the computer from the Windows Vista DVD
Note The computer must be configured to start from the DVD drive. For information about how to configure the computer to start from the DVD drive, see the documentation that is included with the computer. Or, contact the computer manufacturer.
To perform a clean installation of Windows Vista by starting the computer from the Windows Vista DVD, follow these steps:
Start the computer.
Insert the Windows Vista DVD into the DVD drive and then close the drive tray.
Restart the computer.
When you receive the "Press any key to boot from CD" message, press a key.
Follow the instructions to install Windows Vista.
If Windows Vista is now running on your computer, you have completed the installation successfully.
If the installation does not finish or you receive an error message, and you are comfortable trying to troubleshoot the problem, go to the "Troubleshooting" section. If you are not comfortable trying to troubleshoot the issue, go to the “Next Steps” section.
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