With more than 100,000 hours invested in testing and validating Microsoft"s Windows Vista, Dell specialists believe they are ready for the business launch of the new operating system on Thursday. "We"re ready to work with individual consumers or large enterprises," said Russ Ray, a senior manager in Dell"s client operating system product marketing unit as he described the hardware manufacturer"s game plan for the launch of Vista. "The smaller they are, the easier it is. We"re finding that everybody is interested in getting his hands on it."
Dell, which says it accounts for more than 10 percent of Microsoft"s business, said customers with volume licensing agreements with Microsoft can use Dell to factory-install Vista after they have provided their Windows Vista image. In extensive pre-launch testing of Vista, Office 2007 and Exchange Server 2007 with its customers, Dell has found that the ideal PC hardware configuration should grow to take advantage of the advanced functions included in the Microsoft products.
A typical Vista-based configuration should have 2-GB of RAM, a 256-MB memory card, a 7200 RPM hard disk and a dual core processor from AMD or Intel, according to Dell. In particular, the processor requirements represent a new departure for Dell; for years the firm was in a monogamous relationship with Intel, which was the sole supplier of its processors. In recent months, however, Dell has added AMD as a processor supplier.