Thanks to Radish for the heads up on the forum.
It looks like Microsoft wants to make sure you know if your computer is ready for Windows Vista. Currently, the beta only works on Windows XP systems. Chances are, if you are running something older than Windows XP, your computer won"t run Windows Vista anyways. It"s nice to see a downloadable tool in advance. So that you do not have to buy Windows Vista and then find out your computer won"t run it.
In the FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions) portion of the site, Microsoft also mentions the minimum system requirements for Windows Vista are the following:
· An 800 MHz processor.
· 512 MB of RAM.
· A 20 GB hard drive with 15 GB of free space.
The Windows Vista Upgrade Advisor is a small beta application that you can run on your current Windows XP-based computer to find out if it"s ready for an upgrade to Windows Vista. When you run the Upgrade Advisor, it will scan your computer and generate an easy-to-understand report of any known system and device compatibility issues, along with recommendations on how you can get your PC ready for Windows Vista. Microsoft plans to add functionality to Upgrade Advisor, such as checking how your software applications will run with Windows Vista. Download the beta version today and check this site in a few months for a new version.