Windows Vista Compatibility List Available for Download

Posted by Sierra Monica B. in Microsoft and Windows on 07 10th, 2009 | no responses

Microsoft is preparing for the public release of its upcoming operating system following Windows Vista and, until October 22, when we all will be able to get it, the Redmond-based company provides us with a large applications compatibility list for the latest system, Vista.
Not only IT professionals can download it and check no less than 8,786 applications details, but also curious users who would like to read about how all these programs run on Windows Vista.

The reason for which Microsoft made this list available is that Windows 7 will support the applications running on Windows Vista in about the same way. This means that if a program runs on Windows Vista with no problems, it will run on Windows 7 as well.

You can obtain the list by downloading it from the official Microsoft website in the Office Excel format and check especially the applications listed as Certified for Windows Vista and Works with Windows Vista.
In addition, the list shows programs marked as Compatible, Free Update Required and Paid Update Required, just to give you a general idea of what these programs need in order to work on the upcoming operating system. You could say it’s like a part of a user manual and would be useful to keep it close in the future.

In the same Excel document you’ll find definitions of each compatibility status. For instance, if the application manufacturer or information on the software are not known, the status is set as Unknown. This doesn’t mean the software won’t run on Windows Vista.
Not Compatible suggests it is known that the program is not supported by the operating system.
Paid Update Required means you’ll have to spend some money on updating the application in order to make it work on Windows Vista, while Free Update Required clearly means you’ll have to update the software for free and it will work.

If the program manufacturer has reported that its application is compatible with the operating system, then the status is set as Compatible, but still it didn’t go through the Microsoft Windows Vista Logo programs.
Certified for/Works With Windows Vista means the program has earned one of the two logos and it’s most likely that you won’t encounter any problem while running the software.