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Microsoft Windows Vista

Vista and Office main Project page -> Microsoft Windows Vista

 

Availability

In May 2008 Windows Vista will become the only option available on new Windows computer purchases of a UConn HuskyPC.

In the meantime, Windows Vista may be obtained using the UConn Microsoft Campus Agreement:

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Questions and Technical Support

For questions about Windows Vista and its impact to your environment, please contact your department IT staff or the UITS Help Center, which can be reached at (860)486-4357 (HELP), option 3 or email helpcenter@uconn.edu.

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What you need to know about Windows Vista

Computer Hardware Requirements

The hardware requirements needed to run Windows Vista are higher than those needed to run Windows XP and prior versions of Windows.

Some of Windows' newest visual features (called 'Aero') are available only with certain video cards installed (those which are more powerful and include additional RAM).

 

Security

Windows Vista includes additional security features such as the built in software firewall, file encryption, as well as several other new and innovative security features.

Microsoft Windows Vista allows you to be a computer administrator, but prompts to accept or deny certain administrative changes. This security feature is called User Account Control. More information can be found by clicking this link.

 

User Interface

  • The user interface (look and feel) of Windows Vista has changed and now includes a new start menu layout, window transparency, Windows Flip 3D (part of Windows Aero interface), and other changes.

  • There is also additional functionality built into Windows, including the Windows sidebar and 'gadgets' and Microsoft Internet Explorer 7.

  • Click this link to see a Microsoft demonstration of these features

 

To learn more about the features of Windows Vista, please click here.

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Education and Training

Classroom Setting
Courses are taught in a classroom by an instructor. Each department/area will be responsible for scheduling and paying for training.

 

 

Microsoft E-Learning Courses
If you learn best independently, E-Learning Courses provide a simple and effective way for you to learn at your own pace and on your own schedule at no cost.  More information can be found at:
http://software.uconn.edu/software/software_detail.php?softid=melearning

 

Microsoft Online Demo/Training
Learn Windows Vista with free self-paced demos and training courses online.  More information can be found at the following links:

 

Enterprise Learning Framework (ELF)
A free online tool that helps develop a customized training plan.  It identifies the most relevant learning topics on Windows Online Help and Office Online.  More information can be found at:
http://www.microsoft.com/technet/desktopdeployment/bdd/elf/Products.aspx

 

Test Drive Windows Vista
Want to try Windows Vista without installing it? You can run Windows Vista in a "Test Drive" session using the following link:
http://www.windowsvistatestdrive.com

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Hardware Requirements and Windows Vista

More memory (RAM) and hard drive space are required to install Microsoft Windows Vista than in previous versions of Micrsoft Windows. In addition, an improved vide card is required to take full advantage of Vista's newest graphical user interface enhancements.

For a good experience using Windows Vista it is recommended that your computer is equipped with the following:

 
Minimum
Recommended
Processor 1.0 GHz 2.6 GHz
RAM 512 MB 1 GB
Hard Drive Size 40 GB(15 GB Free) 80 GB
Video Card 128 MB RAM 256 MB RAM

For more detailed information, please see Microsoft's Minimum System Requirements page.
Not sure if your computer can run Windows Vista? Use Microsoft's Vista Upgrade Advisor to help.

NOTE: It is recommended that before upgrading to Windows Vista that you first contact your department IT staff or the UITS Help Center, which can be reached at (860)486-4357 (HELP) or email helpcenter@uconn.edu.

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UConn Applications and Windows Vista

University technicians have tested University of Connecticut business applications in a Windows Vista environment to ensure their functionality.

Applications which have been found to have problems running under Windows Vista are listed below. If using these programs, it is suggested that you locate an updated version of the program prior to running Windows Vista.

Microsoft also maintains a list of applications that have recieved the "Certified for Windows Vista" Logo.

UConn Line of Business Applications Compatibility with Windows Vista

Application Name
  
Version Tested
Windows Vista Version
Test Results
Additional Information
Autodesk AutoCAD   2007 sp2 32 bit Compatible Works as long after Service Pack 2 is installed post Autocad 2007 installation
BRIO   Online 64 bit Not Compatible BRIO compatible with 32 bit version of Windows Vista
Perceptive Software ImageNow     32 bit and 64 bit Not Compatible Windows Vista is not a supported product
Roxio EZ CD Creator   5 32 bit and 64 bit Not Compatible Upgrade to newer version
Sonic MyDVD   2005 32 bit and 64 bit Not Compatible Does not work with Windows Vista
Sonic RecordNow!     32 bit and 64 bit Not Compatible Upgrade to Roxio Creator Plus

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Department-Specific Applications and Windows Vista

University technicians have tested several department-specific applications in a Windows Vista environment to ensure their functionality.

Applications which have been found to have problems running under Windows Vista are listed below. If using these programs, it is suggested that you locate an updated version of the program prior to running Windows Vista.

To add your department's Applications to this list, please contact Mick DiGrazia at mick.digrazia@uconn.edu

Department-Specific d5Applications Compatibility with Windows Vista

Application Name
Version Tested
Windows Vista 32 or 64 bit
Department Name
Test Results
Additional Information
Aspen Engineering Suite 2004.2 32 bit and 64 bit School of Engineering Not Compatible Vendor contacted, Vista is not a supported operating system at this time
Borland   32 bit and 64 bit School of Engineering Not Compatible Vendor is not a supporting Vista at this time
Cadence Oracle PSpice 15.2 32 bit and 64 bit School of Engineering Not Compatible Error 1400 during installation. Vendor will nor support Vista until the next release.
Clisp   32 bit and 64 bit School of Engineering Not Compatible Requires Cygwin to function, Cygwin is not functional in Vista at this time.
Cygwin   32 bit and 64 bit School of Engineering Not Compatible Will not run in Vista at this time
Eclipse SDK   32 bit and 64 bit School of Engineering Not Compatible Build path errors when compiling
FEHT   32 bit and 64 bit School of Engineering Not Compatible Installs but does not execute properly.
IHT   32 bit and 64 bit School of Engineering Not Compatible Installs but does not execute properly
Invention Machine 2.1 32 bit and 64 bit School of Engineering Not Compatible No further information Available
Mastercam   32 bit and 64 bit School of Engineering Not Compatible Aladdin device driver fails to start amongst other errors
Microsoft Visual Studio 6.0 32 bit and 64 bit School of Engineering Not Compatible Upgrade to Visual studio 2005.net. Express editions are a free download off of Microsoft's website.
Netdrive 4.1 32 bit and 64 bit School of Engineering Not Compatible No support for this product likely in the future. solution, connect with Dreamweaver directly using WebDAV extensions.
pcyacc   32 bit and 64 bit School of Engineering Not Compatible Contact has been made UCONN vendor contact person about obtaining an updated version of the application.
Unigraphics Suite Nx4 32 bit and 64 bit School of Engineering Not Compatible Known incompatibility with IE7 which is integrated into Vista

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Links and other resources

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Updated: 02.05.2008:mdg