14 DAY TRIAL // The Windows Vista Hardware Assessment solution accelerator and the Volume Activation Management Tool are two fresh releases from Microsoft designed to deliver additional assistance with the deployment of Windows Vista. The Assessment solution accelerator is a tool delivering inventory, assessment and reporting capabilities. The Windows Vista Hardware Assessment will evaluate the extent to which computers or networks are ready for Vista deployment.
Microsoft revealed that at the basis of the Windows Vista Hardware Assessment is the Windows Management Instrumentation (WMI) and will provide not only a Vista-ready assessment but also assistance to locate drivers and hardware upgrade recommendations.
"The Windows Vista Hardware Assessment tool does not require the deployment of agent software on the computers being inventoried and assessed. It provides a secure, quick, and easy way to determine which computers, in a networked environment, are Windows Vista ready," reads a fragment of the product's description.
Volume Activation Management Tool build 1.0 is limited to x86 platforms and it enables the centralized management of Windows Vista volume activation process using a Multiple Activation Key (MAK). The first version of the Volume Activation Management Tool is an integer part of the Microsoft Volume Activation 2.0.
The Microsoft Volume Activation Management Tool provides both MAK Independent Activation or MAK Proxy Activation and even local reactivation but a MAK is mandatory. Microsoft informed that VAMT offers support not only for Windows Vista but also for Windows Longhorn Server. The tool also features activation status checking capabilities and the remaining activations of a MAK key.