In Microsoft's perspective, the over 80% of users still running older Windows iterations, beginning with XP dropped in 2001, are nothing but fertile soil for planting Windows Vista. In this context, both Vista RTM and the upcoming Vista SP1 are the Redmond company's selection of seeds, And on top of the operating system, users also have access to a tool designed to streamline the upgrading process. If you're getting the feeling that Microsoft has done everything in its power to help you "plant" Vista where XP used to be, you're not the only one. Concomitantly with the availability of Vista, users began having access to a little something dubbed the Windows Vista Upgrade Advisor. The tool was set up to determine whether or not a computer running Windows XP was ready to make the jump to the latest Windows client.

"Windows Vista Upgrade Advisor is a downloadable web application that helps Windows XP users identify which edition of Windows Vista meets their needs, whether their PCs are ready for an upgrade to Windows Vista, and which features of Windows Vista will be able to run on their PCs. The end result is a report that explains which edition of Windows Vista to buy and provides suggestions about what, if any, hardware updates may be necessary to install and run the appropriate edition and features of Windows Vista. Running Windows Vista Upgrade Advisor is a great first step for anyone considering whether to install Windows Vista on a PC they already own", Microsoft informed in a FAQ about the tool.

The Windows Vista Upgrade Advisor is essentially a replica of the Windows Vista Hardware Assessment, with the sole difference that the latter is aimed at the corporate environment, whereas the first is addressed at home users. On December 17th, Microsoft made available for download a fresh version of the advisor. Little appears to have changed from the last time the company refurbished the tool back in August. The Redmond company failed to provide any information related to the release. Users that want to assess the status of the system configuration, drivers, applications and devices in relation to Vista can grab the tool via this link.