Most vendors design their operating systems to run on a minimum set of hardware requirements to ensure adequate performance. Ignoring these requirements can result in a failed installation. Verify that the hardware in your system meets the minimum hardware requirements before upgrading.

The minimum hardware requirements for Vista include:

Vista Home Basic

• 800-megahertz (MHz) 32-bit (x86) processor or 800-MHz 64-bit (x64) processor
• 512 megabytes (MB) of system memory
• 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

Vista Home Premium, Vista Business, Vista Enterprise, and 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
• 128 MB of graphics memory (minimum)
• 40-GB hard disk that has 15 GB of free hard disk space
• Internal or external DVD drive
• Internet access capability
• Audio output capability

Keep in mind when you are choosing hardware that these are the minimum requirements to run the operating system. They do not take into account any network services or applications that may be running on the computer. Plan to increase these requirements for optimal performance.

[tags]Vista, Windows upgrade, Microsoft[/tags]