Microsoft has updated its Get Ready Web
site to include the minimum system requirements to run Windows Vista.
A Windows Vista Capable PC must include at least a CPU running
at 800MHz, 512 MB of RAM, a DirectX 9 graphics card capable of at least
800x600, a CD-ROM drive and a 20 GB HDD with at least 15 GB free for the
install. Of course, systems with bare minimum specifications will be unable to
run Vista in the Aero interface.
In order a PC to be certified as “Windows Vista Premium
Ready,” it must have at least a 1 GHz CPU, 1 GB of RAM, a DirectX 9 graphics
with a WDDM driver, 128 MB of graphics memory, Pixel Shader 2.0, DVD-ROM drive,
a sound card, internet access and 40 GB of hard drive capacity with 15 GB free
space.
For Windows XP, users who did not meet the minimal requirements
for XP Home (300 MHz, 128 MB) were still able to install and run the operating
system, albeit rather slowly. It remains to be seen if Windows Vista will allow
installs on machines lesser than minimal specification.