Windows
Vista is a line of operating systems developed
by Microsoft for use on personal computers, including home
and business desktops, laptops, Tablet PCs, and media center
PCs. Prior to its announcement on July 22, 2005, Windows
Vista was known by its codename "Longhorn". Development
was completed on November 8, 2006; over the following three
months it was released in stages to computer hardware and
software manufacturers, business customers, and retail channels.
On January 30, 2007, it was released worldwide, and was
made available for purchase and download from Microsoft's
website.The release of Windows Vista came more than five
years after the introduction of its predecessor, Windows
XP, the longest time span between successive releases of
Microsoft Windows.
Windows
Vista contains many changes and new features, including
an updated graphical user interface and visual style dubbed
Windows Aero, improved searching features, new multimedia
creation tools such as Windows DVD Maker, and redesigned
networking, audio, print, and display sub-systems. Vista
also aims to increase the level of communication between
machines on a home network, using peer-to-peer technology
to simplify sharing files and digital media between computers
and devices. Windows Vista includes version 3.0 of the .NET
Framework, which aims to make it significantly easier for
software developers to write applications than with the
traditional Windows API.
New
or improved features
End-user
features
Windows Sidebar: A transparent panel anchored to the side
of the screen where a user can place Desktop Gadgets, which
are small applets designed for a specialized purpose (such
as displaying the weather or sports scores). Gadgets can
also be placed on other parts of the desktop. Windows Calendar
is a new calendar and task application.Windows Photo Gallery,
a photo and movie library management application. It can
import from digital cameras, tag and rate individual items,
adjust colors and exposure, create and display slideshows
(with pan and fade effects) and burn slideshows to DVD.
Hardware requirements
Computers
capable of running Windows Vista are classified as Vista
Capable and Vista Premium Ready A Vista Capable or equivalent
PC is capable of running all editions of Windows Vista although
some of the special features and high end graphics options
may require additional or more advanced hardware. A Vista
Premium Ready PC can take advantage of Vista's "high-end"
features.These two classifications are on the low side and
may be insufficient for adequate speed and responsiveness;
some have given their own unofficial viewpoint as to what
they believe would be a recommended system specification
for smooth operation.
Processor
800 MHz[52] 1 GHz
Memory 512 MB RAM 1 GB RAM
Graphics card DirectX 9 capable DirectX 9 capable GPU with
Hardware Pixel Shader v2.0 and WDDM 1.0 driver support
Graphics memory 32 MB RAM 128 MB RAM supports up to 2,756,000
total pixels (e.g. 1920 × 1200) or 512 MB+ for greater
resolutions such as 2560x1600[53]
HDD capacity 20 GB 40 GB
HDD free space 15 GB 15 GB
Other drives DVD-ROM DVD-ROM
Audio Audio output HD Audio output