Everdream, a software-as-a-service (SaaS) desktop management vendor, says 79.9% of PCs are not fully compatible with Microsoft’s requirements for Windows Vista. This finding, which came from a survey of 145,000 business desktops owned by Everdream customers, highlights the difficulties that many companies will face when upgrading their PCs to the latest Windows operating system. Microsoft has defined recommended requirements for “Vista-ready PCs” as 1GB of RAM, 1 GHz processor, 40GB hard drive and 15GB free hard-drive space. Microsoft defines minimum requirements as 512MB of RAM, 800 Mhz microprocessor, 20GB hard drive and 15GB of free hard-drive space.
When compared against the recommended requirements, 79.9% of the machines do not meet at least one of the four requirements. The survey also concluded that 69.5% of machines do not have the required RAM, 62.4% of machines do not have the required hard drive, 18.4% of machines do not have the required free hard drive space and 6.7% of machines do not have the required processor speed.
The surveyed desktops fared better when it came to meeting minimum requirements for a Vista upgrade. The survey concluded that 24.9% of machines do not have the required RAM, 24.3% of machines do not have the required free hard drive space, 15% of machines do not have the required hard drive and 5.4% of machines do not have the required processor speed.
“Clearly many companies face stark realities as they consider upgrading their IT assets to Windows Vista in the coming months,” said Ed Mueller, chief marketing officer for Everdream.
“For companies developing Vista rollout plans, a critical first step is to ensure that their PCs meet the most basic standards for the new operating systems, which our data indicates is no small feat. The costs of getting computers into compliance with Microsoft’s requirements will likely be a huge obstacle to Vista adoption, especially for small and mid-sized companies that have limited IT budget, resources and staff. Desktop management providers like Everdream can play a very strategic role in helping businesses quickly determine their Vista readiness and put in place a sensible adoption plan.”
“Everdream’s striking numbers demonstrate that upgrading to Windows Vista may prove to be even more difficult than originally anticipated,” said Mark Minasi, technology columnist and author of the popular Mastering series and The Complete PC Upgrade and Maintenance Guide.
“Consumers and business buyers alike should be very careful about the labels that they’ll see on systems nowadays - a system that is Windows Vista capable doesn’t necessarily translate to one that is Windows Vista enjoyable

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