How to make switching to Windows Vista a lot easier
Microsoft’s announcement that Windows XP will no longer be available on new PCs from 2008 makes upgrading to Windows Vista almost inevitable for many business users.
Fortunately, there are a number of tools that make migration much easier for business and Microsoft is leading the pack with a recent release of several net tools for deployment which can be downloaded for free from the company’s site.
Microsoft Solution Accelerator For BDD 2007
The accelerator is a set of guidelines and tools that small to midsized businesses can use to deploy both Windows Vista and Office 2007 for desktops. This particular pack contains bundle of tools focusing on user-state migration, remote deployment, and integration with other Microsoft applications.
Windows Vista Hardware Assessment 1.0
The hardware assessment tool is a major time saver as the wizard inventories all PCs on a network without installing any software agents. Comprehensive reports are then generated, detailing each computer’s compatibility with Vista and giving upgrade recommendations.
Microsoft ACT 5.0
The Application Compatibility Toolkit (ACT) 5.0 helps SMEs analyze a portfolio of applications, evaluate the impact of switching to VISTA, and centrally manage configuration settings. The tool ensures their applications are compatible with VISTA by recommending ways to resolve conflicts.
USMT 3.0
The User State Migration Tool (USMT) 3.0 provides a way to migrate user files and setting during deployments of both Windows XP and Vista. The tool is handy for migration task as it provides encryption and compression, as well.
Windows Easy Transfer
Windows Easy Transfer is targeted for large-scale migrations that switch several users at once. The tool moves files and settings from a PC running Win2000/XP/Vista to one running Vista. Everything from user accounts and files to photos and music can be transferred, as well as Internet settings, email messages, contact lists, and application settings.
Switching to Vista should not be a painful experience. However, to undertake the task requires a certain amount of knowledge to manage possible hardware, application and the file transfer issues. Using the right tools can make switching a lot easier.
Related Posts:
May 19th, 2007
If those of us who do not wish to enrich parts manufacturers start a clamor at Microsoft’s sites, they just might extend what has now turned out to be a pretty fair OS.
My personal feeling is that Vista will rank right up there with ME. Wow.
November 16th, 2007
Freeware and Shareware Software Downloads…
I couldn’t understand some parts of this article, but it sounds interesting…