Vista - Windows Vista Hardware Compatibility List!

For those of you who have not yet purchased a new PC and want to get the most out of it by running Vista x64, I recommend looking up your prospective purchase on the
"Windows Vista Hardware Compatibilty List" at the following link:


Windows Quality Online Services: Windows Vista Hardware Compatibility List


(You must use Internet Explorer to view this page!)


You use it in the following manner:

For instance., If you have a Notebook, then select "Notebooks & Tablets" in the left margin, then select "Mobile" from the "Drop Down List," then select the manufacturer in the
"Narrow your selection by:" field., such as:
"Acer Incorporated," then select "All" in the "x64 Compatibilty" field, then click the "Go" button on the right, then look for the model you're interested in in the left most column., such as:
"Aspire 5100, AS5101, AS5102, AS5103, AS5104, AS5105." Click on the link and you will be taken to a page where you will see an entry such as the following:


Windows Vista Compatibility:

Windows Vista x86 "Windows Vista"
Windows Vista x64 "Unknown"


If it says "Unknown" to the right of "Windows Vista x64" "DON'T BUY IT!!!"


This will save you newbies much of the untold heartache, that those of us, who purchased our systems within the last year have had to go through, thinking that we bought the "latest & greatest" and that all we would have to do is get the updated drivers and load the OS and all would be well. Unfortunately as you can read throughout this blog, this has never been the case for the majority of us. FORGET about the Vista Upgrade Advisor because all it will do is tell you if you can upgrade to Vista x32, NOT Vista x64. Vista x64 will almost always require a BIOS flash to resolve Device Memory Mapping incompatibilities, which prevent many of us from using 4GB RAM in our systems without getting the dreaded "Blue Screen of Death," or BSOD for short if your PC falls into the "UNKNOWN" category. Sometimes, even that will not solve the problem. Your MFG may be slow in getting around to x64 BIOS support, if they ever do!



Good luck with your next purchase and remember "Caveat emptor!"



John