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University Information Services at Georgetown University
Faculty Help Staff Help Student Help About UIS

WINDOWS VISTA: GETTING WINDOWS VISTA

Do you need to buy a computer now? Or are you wondering whether you should buy now or wait until Vista is released?

When Will Vista be Available?

Starting in January 2007, most major computer manufacturers began shipping some of their computer models with Windows Vista. Departments that are part of the UIS Computer Replacement Cycle will receive Windows Vista when they are eligible to receive new computers as part of the replacement cycle.

If you're looking to purchase (upgrade to) Vista for your own computer, you will have a number of different editions of Vista from which to choose. Department, lab, and classroom computers at Georgetown will run on Windows Vista Enterprise.  

Getting Vista on the UIS Replacement Cycle

If your department is on the Main Campus computer replacement cycle, expect to have Windows XP installed on all the replacement computers in your department. UIS isn't yet deploying Vista on department replacement computers because UIS is currently doing extensive testing to determine which applications are compatible with Vista. UIS will be ready to officially support Vista once it has completed this testing. So all replacement computers will continue to be bundled with Windows XP at this time.

Your department will, however, be able upgrade to Vista once Vista is available. To do this, just contact the UIS Help Desk, your TSS Team Leader (if you know who that person is), or your Department Technology Representative (DTR) or administrator.

If your department is NOT on the replacement cycle, you can contact the UIS Help Desk with a request that you want to upgrade your department to Windows Vista. The Help Desk will forward your request to Jacalyn Banks, UIS Associate Director and Manager of Technical Support Services (TSS). Jacalyn or a TSS Team Leader will subsequently contact your department and discuss your needs, and determine an upgrade strategy that best fits those needs.

UIS Replacement Cycle Standard Systems

UIS will offer the following systems as part of the computer replacement cycle once Vista is released:

  • Laptops
    • Dell Latitude D630
    • Dell Latitude D830
  • Desktops
    • Dell OptiPlex 745

Should I Get Vista Now?

If you will be making a personal purchase, or if you already have a computer, you may be wondering if you need to get Windows Vista now. Although Vista is a major release of the Windows operating system, there are a number of reasons why you won't need to (and even shouldn't) get Vista at this time:

  • UIS is testing all Georgetown standard applications in Windows Vista Enterprise and Business editions. The testing process may take several months.
  • UIS will not officially support Vista until it fully tests Vista against existing software and other hardware devices to ensure Vista works properly with them. (Note:  Check the Windows Vista Application Compatibility Chart for a list of applications that UIS has certified can run satisfactorily in Vista. This list will be updated regularly as applications are tested and verified that they can run on Vista.)
  • Since Windows Vista hasn't been fully tested, it's uncertain how those applications will run on Vista.
  • It will be at least 2-3 years before all Georgetown University departments are running Vista. So there's no need to rush to get Vista now.
  • If you purchase Vista before UIS support is available, UIS will not be able to assist you if anything happens to your computer.
  • Many of Vista's new and updated features involve its "look and feel", such as a redesigned graphical interface, a new Start menu, and changes to how you access your documents and programs. Unless you have special computing needs that require getting Vista now, you can always upgrade to Vista later on to take advantage of these features.
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