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Vista Hardware Requirements

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Computers capable of running Windows Vista are classified as Vista Capable and Vista Premium Ready A Vista Capable or equivalent PC will be 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 will take advantage of Vista's "high-end" features.

Windows Vista's "Basic" and "Classic" interfaces will work with virtually any graphics hardware that supports Windows XP or 2000; accordingly, most discussion around Vista's graphics requirements centers on those for the Windows Aero interface. As of Windows Vista Beta 2, the NVIDIA GeForce 6 series and later, the ATI Radeon 9500 and later, Intel's GMA 950 integrated graphics, and a handful of VIA chipsets and S3 Graphics discrete chips are supported. Although originally supported, the GeForce FX 5 series has been dropped from newer drivers from NVIDIA. The last driver from NVIDIA to support the GeForce FX series on Vista was 96.85. Microsoft offers a tool called the Windows Vista Upgrade Advisor to assist XP and Vista users in determining what versions of Windows their machine is capable of running.

PC getting slow

Home Office
Contributing Editor Steve Bass, our resident curmudgeon, dispenses pearls of PC wisdom that enable you to work harder and play smarter.

Is Your PC Too Slow? Try These Tricks

Steve Bass asks a stupid question and then entertains readers with some smart memory tricks.

Steve Bass
From the January 2000 issue of PC World magazine

Here's a stupid question: After you load a bunch of programs, does your PC crash frequently or act sluggish and out of sorts (in other words, behave like my editor)? My PC used to do that too, even with 128MB of RAM. Then I discovered the Wonderful World of Memory Tricks, and life was worth living again.

So this month I'm going to tell you about a handful of utilities--including some freebies--that will work wonders for your system.
The Defrag Rag

The first (and easiest) thing you can do to energize your PC is to defragment the hard drive. You're going to laugh, but I defrag my hard drive every four or five days. (I love watching the colors while defragging, especially when ignoring a deadline.) I perform this painless operation after doing maintenance chores like cleaning out crusty old .tmp and .bak files, moving around lots of data, or before installing new programs.

Windows 9x comes with its own defragger, but one I like better is Fix-It Utilities from Ontrack (formerly Mijenix). On my 8GB drive, Fix-It's defragger runs about 40 percent faster than the one in Win 98. And that utility is just one of a dozen worthwhile tools--including a great Windows Explorer substitute called PowerDesk--that you get for only $34.

The next thing you'll want to deal with is your PC's memory, and you know what I'm going to say: Get more of it. Anything less than 32MB of RAM just isn't enough anymore, and 64MB is better still.

You see, Windows gobbles up real memory faster than a teenager wolfs pizza at an all-you-can-eat joint. When you load lots of apps, Windows runs out of RAM and uses virtual memory--a hard disk cache--to do its dirty work. (If you hear your drive churning as you load files, it's probably using virtual memory.) The more often Windows accesses the hard drive, the slower your PC will perform.

That's why you should use Cacheman to fine-tune your disk cache settings. It can adjust your settings to match the way you work--say, a bigger cache for power users, a smaller one for the rest of us. It's available free on FileWorld or from the author's site.
Your Memory Is Leaking

Most days I run several apps bumper to bumper: Word, Eudora, Internet Explorer, PowerDesk, and a handful of background utilities. By midday, I've opened and closed other huge apps like Excel and Ventura Publisher. After a while, my PC looks like a data landfill, and I start running dangerously low on resources.

The problem? Some programs are dumb and won't release resources after you've closed them, which means that you have less RAM available for other apps. This is called memory leakage; a blacklist of the leakiest software is available at Radsoft's Developers Workshop.

For years, my low-tech remedy was to reboot every so often. But for the last year I've used MemTurbo, a $20 utility that automatically flushes memory taken up by DLL files no longer being used, and recovers RAM that has leaked out into the bit bucket. Just as important, the utility requires no skill or deep understanding of memory (important, in my case). After I use MemTurbo, my system perks up, I stop getting resource error messages, and I even feel a little taller.

Now, I know what you're asking yourself: Why not simply use Windows 9x's Resource Meter? Don't bother--it's a memory hog. (Isn't that ironic?) Use TClockEx instead--it takes up way less RAM. Then grab PrcView, a neat tool that'll give you detailed views of which applications are running and how much memory they're using. You can download both TClockEx and PrcView for free from FileWorld. And for a non-geekspeak tour of system resources, check out InfiniSource's TechFile.

These days, my PC almost never gives me trouble. Now if only I could do something about my cranky editor.

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Vista prompting for credentials

Vista Corner: How to make Vista stop prompting you for credentials to install applications
With Vista now in public beta, we are going to start introducing various features of this new operating system. This week, we’ll focus on User Account Control (UAC).

The most common complaint I’ve heard from others who are testing the Vista Consumer Preview Edition (Beta 2) is about the seemingly endless number of dialog boxes that pop up every time you try to do something like installing a program, even if you're logged on as an administrator. That happens because as part of the quest for better security, by default Vista runs in Admin Approval Mode and has application installation prompts enabled. Although not recommended, you can disable Admin Approval Mode and User Account Control Prompts. This is done by editing the local security policies. See "Configure User Account Control" on the Microsoft TechNet web site for instructions on how to do this change.

Prevent Windows from calling home
There have been many complaints about Microsoft's Windows Genuine Advantage (WGA) anti-piracy feature, especially the aspect that regularly sends information to Microsoft on a daily basis (this is being changed to only check for new settings every 14 days). The WGA tool is part of the monthly security updates, and it has two parts: the validation part that determines whether the copy of Windows running is legal and the Notifications part. It's the latter that sends info every day even after the copy of Windows has been validated. Now a company called Firewall Leak Tester has come out with a program called RemoveWGA that removes the Notification portion of WGA only and works on XP SP1 and SP2. Read more about it here.

How to use the command line file compression tool
You know you can compress files and folders in XP by right clicking, selecting Properties and clicking the Advanced button. But did you know there's also a command line compression utility? And it will do some things you can't do through the GUI. For example, you can compress just the files on a drive that have the .bmp extension. Here's how:

1. 1. Click Start | Run.
2. Type cmd to open the command prompt window.
3. At the command prompt, go to the folder within which you want to compress files or if you want to compress all files of this type on a drive, go to the root of the drive. For example, if the folder within which you want to compress is named MYFILES, type the following:

compact /c /s:\myfiles *.bmp

By Christian Heilmann

Published on January 31, 2006

There are several reasons inaccessible Web products get published. One we discussed in my last article is that some clients just don’t care about accessibility. Their reasons make a lot of sense if you put yourself in their shoes. Another reason is developer mistakes. Making mistakes is natural, and suffering the consequences and learning from them is what makes us better developers and better people.

Here are some of the major mistakes I encountered during my years as a professional Web developer. If we keep an eye open for them in the future, we are a lot more likely to create accessible, beautiful Web products without much hassle—and make both clients and visitors happy.

Many Web developers believe myths about screen readers. Test one, or ask a person that is dependent on assistive technology how they use it and what they really need and want.

I’ve offered tips on how to avoid these mistakes at the end of each description. Following them may not be possible within the limits of your budget, or they may require a more mature relationship with your clients, but it cannot harm keeping them in mind. No step toward designing for the end user with the client’s ideas in the back of your mind is a waste of effort.
The Seven Accessibility Mistakes: 1-3
Mistake #1: Believing in products without putting them to the test

A lot of editing tools, frameworks and content management systems claim to create standards- and AAA-compliant sites. Many of these simply close tags and lowercase elements generated by WYSIWYG editors and enforce alt attributes on images. Neither of these is a bad idea, but they’re not enough.

Valid HTML isn’t necessarily semantically correct or logical—only humans can determine that. Don’t get me wrong, there are a lot of amazing tools out there. But they are just tools, machines that can’t understand human interaction issues. Machines can’t determine if the outcome makes sense, no matter how sophisticated they are. Halfway through a project you might find out that the CMS has a major flaw that was cleverly glossed over in the demo sites that came with it (UTF-8 compliance for international sites comes to mind).

What does this mean for development?

* Put aside a lot of time for developer training on the product (in the case of an IDE, this is a one-off investment).
* Document flaws and their workarounds. Make this document a mandatory part of the project hand-over to the maintenance crew or new team members.
* Enforce human testing in the deployment process. This can be done by a trained editor if there is no time for a full testing cycle.

Mistake #2: Taking too much responsibility

Let’s face it: A Web site will not stay within the scope of the original plan. Web sites have the tendency to grow organically, and that is the really cool thing about them. If you don’t want to be the one responsible for maintaining all changes (that is, unless you have a really trusting or rich client to pay you for your time) you’ll have to make sure the client knows about the ins and outs of your product.

Introducing yourself to the client as the accessibility superhero who fights crime at night in a costume is a sure-fire way to failure. The issue is not that the client does not trust you—they’ll be happy to get rid of this responsibility. The problem is that you’ll get involved in the internal bickering of the client company and take on the whole responsibility.

A typical scenario: The marketing department comes up with some text that is totally inaccessible because it depends on the imagery that goes with it (probably taken from an ad campaign in another medium like print or TV). The project manager hands this text over to you. You explain the issues and he tells you that this is what marketing really, really wants and asks you how he should deal with the issue. You explain it to him and he forgets this or that small detail when reporting back to marketing. You play a childish “telephone” game, and end up spending a lot of time reiterating the obvious and going nowhere fast.

The facts:

* The client wants a Web product
* The client wants happy customers, readers, listeners or visitors
* The client is very likely to change everything for various reasons

The logical solution is to coach the client as soon as possible where accessibility snags are, and agree to stay within the limitations (which are not really that strict) when maintaining the product.

This also covers your lower backside if a client faces a lawsuit. Your rap should be, “We help you ensure accessibility,” not “We make your Web site accessible.”

What does it mean for development?

* Plan for client workshops and training on accessibility before you start developing.
* Find a champion inside the client company to take on responsibility for accessibility standards. There is always someone who wants to stand out, and this is a good chance—accessibility is a legal issue.
* Produce hand-over material on accessibility measures and how to sustain them through design changes.
* Have a clear and concise part of the project contract state that the accessibility of content after the initial project delivery (the day you go out for drinks to celebrate) is the responsibility of the client. Any input they need from you should be budgeted separately. This threat of extra cost will make the client push his people to listen to you more intently. Talk to your legal team to phrase this bit as if it is there to save the client money and protect them—legalese is a powerful weapon.
* Make sure you practice what you preach. Your initial content and code has to be immaculate. Mistakes will be copied, and it’s hard to explain to a client that your advice was wrong.

Mistake #3: Planning only for the worst-case scenario

It can happen that we developers, lose sight of the big picture. But accessibility is about everybody, regardless of ability or geographical background. For many of us, the idea of keyboard access, voice recognition or even screen-reader users is something we hadn’t thought of before. Now we feel guilty and want to make up for it by fiercely thwarting anything that might make screen-reader use impossible.

Here’s a little secret: A screen reader is also a tool that comes with own rules. Many Web developers believe myths about screen readers. Test one, or ask a person that is dependent on assistive technology how they use it and what they really need and want.

There is simply no way you can anticipate every constellation of ability, hardware and knowledge on the other side of the screen, and by cutting it down to the lowest common denominator you will not succeed in making the site accessible, usable and enjoyable by the majority of visitors. You’ll also perpetuate the myth that accessible sites have to be clunky and ugly.

The minimum requirements for an accessible site are:

1. Semantically correct, logical and valid HTML
2. Content that makes sense when being read or heard
3. Alternative text for any visual content
4. Headings and links that make sense outside their context

These basics are the foundation of your site. If all the extras you put on top of that do not diminish the functionality of this foundation, you are in the clear.

Extras to avoid are:

* Low color-contrast in graphics and CSS
* Color combinations that are not easily distinguishable for the colorblind
* Type that is too small or cannot be resized
* Overlapping elements that obscure each other at larger font settings

If you want to add some JavaScript to allow for drag-and-drop functionality or drop-down menus, that is fine, too. Simply make sure the JavaScript only applies this functionality when the user agent can deal with it. Even better, make it an option or offer a way to turn it off in favor of an easier interface.

What does this mean for development?

* Ensure that the basics are covered first and show the client how well the site works for all kinds of different environments.
* Try to introduce the idea of progressive enhancement. Don’t start with visuals but instead with unstyled wireframes.
* Use tools that allow editors to write copy outside any visual framework. This could be clean Word templates or a simple publishing tool like WordPress.
* Demonstrate how covering the basics of accessibility helps everyone—browse the site on a cell phone or PDA.
* Don’t forget to praise the search-engine friendliness of good content.
* Don’t underestimate the power of CSS and JavaScript as a usability tool. As a user with JavaScript enabled, I like to find out there’s a problem before the whole page reloads.
* Design with usability in mind. Good graphic design not only sets the mood, but also makes it a lot easier for the visitor to find what is important immediately and without thinking too much.
* Design with flexibility in mind. Web sites should be able to grow both from an information architecture and screen-space point of view. Avoid filling up any space to the brim. Some day, new Back links will be changed or added, or copy will be translated into a language with longer words.

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Using XP command line

How to Use Command Line Shortcuts
Published: March 1, 2004
By Joli Ballew, Windows XP Expert Zone Community Columnist

Back in "the day", I was one of those people who enjoyed showing off my command line prowess to astonished friends and family. I even took an MS-DOS class in 1983 (keep the snickering down, please). The command line is a user interface to a computer's operating system, which allows the user to type commands and get responses directly from the system. Commands are entered at a command prompt, a symbol that indicates a command is expected. Generally a command prompt looks like this: C:\>.

Depending on your age and level of technical expertise, you may have had a little experience in the command-line interface field yourself. As computers evolved, most users got away from the command-line tools and began depending solely on the graphical user interface. Recently I discovered the command line again, and to be honest, I'm feeling a little nostalgic. Yes Virginia, there really is a command line, and it's alive and well in Windows XP.

Why would you use command-line tools when Windows XP already provides a graphical user interface to handle these tasks? There are many reasons for taking the time to learn how to work "under the hood" of the computer, among them:
•

Using the command line often offers a faster way to perform a task, such as renaming multiple files or folders.
•

Working from the command-line interface uses fewer resources than working from inside the graphical user interface.
•

Creating powerful and multifaceted commands by stringing commands together is easily accomplished.
•

Working from the command line may even inspire you to become a computer programmer!

You can use command line shortcuts to automate routine tasks, such as shutting down your system and viewing system information. They're also useful for scanning and repairing protected system files and identifying problems with a hard disk. For more information on the command line interface, read the definition at WhatIs.com. TechNet also provides good coverage in the Command Shell Overview.

In this column, I share some of my favorite command-line tools and shortcuts, including how to recover data, send a message to other computers on a network, and find a complete list of system drivers. It'll be great fun, and I promise not to let you foul anything up while we do it.

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