Windows Vista at Stanford
On this page:
Service Pack 1
Microsoft released Service Pack 1 (SP1) for Windows Vista in March 2008. Click here for more information.
IT Services Recommendation
IT Services staff and others on campus have been using Windows Vista since it was released in January 2007. Our testing indicates it is compatible with the wired and wireless networks, the Stanford Windows infrastructure, and the BigFix service.
As of September 2007 all Essential Stanford Software applications are supported with Vista. Administrative applications, however, have not been certified to work with Windows Vista. Anyone who uses these administrative applications as a key component of their work should not upgrade to Vista or purchase a new machine with Vista at this time.
Overview
After many years of development, Microsoft released its new operating system, Windows Vista, to general distribution on January 30, 2007. The new operating system offers significant changes in the user interface, which will require user familiarization and, reportedly, greater security. See http://www.microsoft.com/windowsvista/ for Microsoft's information on Windows Vista.
Windows Vista is available in five versions: Home Basic, Home Premium, Business, Enterprise, and Ultimate. The versions differ by the features they offer. There are two versions marketed to the home user, two business versions, and the "Ultimate" version that includes every available feature in Windows Vista.
Due to security concerns and incompatibility with our campus computing infrastructure, IT Services is not supporting the "Home" versions. The Stanford IT Help Desk will support Windows Vista Business, Windows Vista Enterprise, or Windows Vista Ultimate (without supporting Media Center for home use). If you are a student living in on-campus housing, supported by your RCC, Residential Computing recommends simply that you avoid Home Basic—Home Premium is acceptable.
Some items to consider before upgrading to Vista or purchasing a new computer with Vista:
- You will need to make sure your system can handle the minimal requirements of the OS. In some cases, you may wish to wait until ordering a new computer to acquire Vista.
- Many vendors are still writing drivers for peripheral devices, so before upgrading, make sure your printers, scanners, and other peripherals are compatible with Vista.
- Campus business applications have not been certified to be compatible with Windows Vista. If you rely on these applications in your day-to-day work you may wish to wait before switching to Vista.
System Requirements
To help you determine whether your computer can run Windows Vista, Microsoft has created the Windows Vista Upgrade Advisor. This utility analyzes your system and identifies possible compatibility problems with your hardware and software.
See Microsoft's Windows Vista Capable and Premium Ready PCs page for the official list of system requirements. All versions of Windows Vista supported by the Stanford IT Help Desk require at least 1 GB of RAM.
Software Compatibility
Essential Stanford Software
As of September 2007 all Essential Stanford Software applications are compatible with Windows Vista.
Administrative Systems Applications
Administrative Systems is in the process of having its vendors certify their applications with Vista. Those who use Administrative Systems applications should postpone upgrading to Vista until the vendors have certified their applications to run properly on that operating system.
Other Applications
- Cisco VPN Client: Version 5.0.00.0304 is Vista compatible. It can be obtained from http://vpn.stanford.edu
- Microsoft Office 2007: Although Vista and Office were released at the same time, they are independent of each other. Office 2007 works fine whether or not you are running Windows Vista, and Vista works fine whether you are using Office 2007 or an older version.
