Vista Compatibility Center now online
Microsoft has finally launched its online tool for checking whether hardware or software products are compatible with Vista.
The Windows Vista Compatibility Center was announced and due to go live last week, but visitors were instead greeted with a message saying it was unavailable. It’s not clear why there was a delay, though it may be that Microsoft was waiting until it had finished a revamp on the main Windows website.
The site lists 77,000 products which are either primarily sold in the US, or are marketed globally; products mainly sold outside the country aren’t included.
According to the site, the products listed as compatible are anything that either went through Microsoft’s Certified for Windows Vista process, or where the manufacturer’s own publicity claims compatibility.
The wording about products listed as not compatible appears incomplete, but it seems this category covers anything which causes a ‘hard block’ during Vista setup – that is, the setup flat-out refuses to continue until that product is removed.
Any other products are currently listed as ‘Status Unknown’, though Microsoft says it will research these products further. Some products are marked with ‘Action recommended’, which usually links to the manufacturer’s website and the option to buy an upgraded edition.
The site seems reasonably easy to use, with both a categorised list and a search option. However, some of the categories have got titles which seem a little Microsoft-centric. For example, media streaming devices are listed as ‘Extenders for Windows Media Center’.
There’s also an option by each entry to report an error, though Microsoft will only note this feedback and won’t reply. The same goes for firms who use the feedback form to report their products aren’t listed: bizarrely the site says that in these situations “We don’t have the resources to respond directly to you”. Given the firm’s stature, this probably translates as “We’re not going to spend our time getting into discussions with every manufacturer under the sun”.
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