Windows Vista Team Blog : Windows Vista, Certified for Windows Vista

Get your ticket to ride the CES 2008 Media Center Express

Nick White — Fri, 04 Jan 2008 20:42:00 GMT

This year at CES we're partnering with PodTech to provide ground transportation specifically for bloggers attending CES via the Windows Vista Media Center Express. This is an executive-class coach with a distinctive, custom exterior design, so you'll know it when you see it. We dreamed up the Media Center Express as a way to help bloggers get between the CES BlogHaus at the Bellagio Hotel & Casino and CES 2008 at the Las Vegas Conference Center, while also providing them an entertaining, hands-on experience with cool technology -- and of course refreshments -- en route. (If you've ever been to CES, then you know how difficult it can be to negotiate the Las Vegas streets while competing with the 150K other people in attendance.) We've equipped the bus with PCs and hardware showcasing some of the best aspects of Windows Vista, namely, Windows Media Center and Certified for Windows Vista devices.

If you're coming to CES, register for the BlogHaus so you can take advantage of the Media Center Express. Meanwhile, check out the set-up of hardware on board:

Dell XPS 420 with an Intel Core 2 Q6600 Quad-Core (8MB L2 cache,2.4GHz,1066FSB) processor, 3GB (Dual Channel DDR2 SDRAM at 667MHz) memory, 512MB NVIDIA GeForce 8800 GT and 750GB storage (7200RPM SATA 3.0GB/s, 16MB Cache). The Dell XPS 420 also comes with a built-in Windows SideShow device in the front of the case
Gateway ONE with an Intel Core 2 Duo Processor T5250 (1.50GHz, 2MB L2 cache, 667MHz FSB) processor, 2GB (667MHz DDR2 SDRAM0 memory, ATI Mobility Radeon HD 2600XT Graphics Media Accelerator with 256MB of Discrete Video Memory, and 400GB (7200RPM Serial ATA II hard drive w/ 8MB cache) storage

Xbox 360 with Halo 3 and serving as a Media Center Extender

Two Canon mini320 Compact Photo Printers so you can print your photos from the show floor

While on the Media Center Express, you can play Halo 3, check out two top-notch PCs running Windows Vista Ultimate, view your photos and video within Windows Media Center, print photos and documents, compare notes with your fellow bloggers, and generally relax and recharge on the way between the BlogHaus and the Las Vegas Convention Center. To ride the bus, all you need to do is show that you're a registered attendee of the BlogHaus.

But first, we have to get the Media Center Express to Las Vegas. Leaving tomorrow (Saturday) from the Microsoft Silicon Valley campus, it'll pack in a few bloggers from the San Francisco area (including Robert Scoble of PodTech) for the ride there. Among them will be Windows Featured Community members Jason Dunn of Digital Home Thoughts and Robert McLaws of Windows-Now. Like all Windows Featured Community members, both Jason and Robert are Windows veterans and experts in Microsoft technology. They'll have with them a few Certified for Windows Vista devices such as the Canon HV20, as well as Windows Vista in their pockets -- courtesy of the Samsung Q1 Ultra UMPC. Both Jason and Robert will be covering their CES experiences on their sites, so be sure to keep track of their impressions as the week progresses.

As for Brandon and me, we're off to Las Vegas tomorrow to meet the Media Center Express when it arrives. Stay tuned for more Windows Vista news from CES 2008, as we'll be blogging live from Las Vegas starting Sunday...

New Application Compatibility training available

Peg McNicol — Wed, 22 Aug 2007 19:19:00 GMT

When we talk about application compatibility for our large customers, it goes beyond making sure the latest game or end user application works. Our enterprise customers sometimes have hundreds of thousands of PCs to manage. That means a lot of different applications, from many different companies, some custom and some customized. To help these customers we created a suite of enterprise tools called the Application Compatibility Toolkit (see my earlier post), and also worked with partners to create a service called the Application Compatibility Factory (see here).

One thing you may not know is that we also have a team of specially trained consultants who work with customers on some of these very large deployments. We try to make sure all our customers can take advantage of the team's knowledge, so we send them to events like TechEd or IT Forum and they contribute significantly to the content you find on TechNet and MSDN. Unfortunately it's not always possible for customers to have one-on-one interaction with this team. That's why we are pretty excited that one of the consultants, Caio Chaves Garcez, recently recorded the full 2 day training the team usually presents to these large customers. The training covers most common application compatibility issues found with Windows Vista, as well as how to use the various tools we make available. Whether you are an IT Pro starting your deployment or a developer trying to make your older applications work with Vista, the content of this webcast is well worth the just over 8 hours it will take you to get through it. If you want to learn more about what the team is working on, you can also check out Chris Jackson's blog.

Download the training

Certified for Windows Vista Software Demo Video

Ben Reed — Fri, 22 Jun 2007 18:41:00 GMT

Over the past few weeks, we have been talking about the Certified for Windows Vista Logo Program specifically related to devices. That’s only half the story. Today’s demo video is all about Certified for Windows Vista Software. The video is shot using Canon's new high-def HV20, which is a Certified for Windows Vista device.

In this video I talk about Certified for Windows Vista software from a security, reliability, performance and compatibility perspective. The video shows how easy and seamless it is to install a Certified for Windows Vista software application. To demonstrate that, I have chosen CorelDRAW Graphics Suite X3 to be installed on an HP Pavilion dv9000z.

Click here for general information on the Windows Vista Logo Program.

Video: Certified for Windows Vista Software Demo

Certified for Windows Vista Networking Demo

Ben Reed — Wed, 23 May 2007 23:00:00 GMT

Here is our second installment of the Certified for Windows Vista demo videos. Just like the Digital Memories demo, we shot this at my house using Canon's new high-def HV20, which is Certified for Windows Vista.

Video: Networking Demo - Certified for Windows Vista

The video I've posted here shows how easy it is to set up and configure a wireless network using the D-Link DIR 655 using the Windows Connect Now wizard. We then also showed how to use a USB Flash drive (we used the Kingston Data Traveler II) to copy the network profile and configure another device. Both of these products have earned the Works with Windows Vista logo.

Also, we're still running the Look for the Logo sweepstakes, so go and enter to win thousands of dollars of Certified for Windows Vista products. Check back for future posts and more videos!

Click here for general information on the Windows Vista Logo Program.

Certified for Windows Vista Digital Memories Demo

Ben Reed — Fri, 27 Apr 2007 22:51:00 GMT

Over the last couple of months, we’ve been working on some Certified for Windows Vista demo videos, which I’ll be posting here over the coming weeks. We shot the videos at my house to showcase a bunch of the Certified for Windows Vista and Works with Windows Vista devices and how they all work together and take advantage of some of the great new features in Windows Vista. We shot the videos using Canon’s new high-def HV20, which is Certified for Windows Vista.

The video I’ve posted here is all about capturing digital memories, using the Canon PowerShot SD900 (which is also Certified for Windows Vista), and then showcasing some cool things that you can do with Windows Vista once you import your photos into Windows Photo Gallery.

[On the site you would see an embedded video player here]

Also, we’re still running the sweepstakes, so go and enter to win thousands of dollars of Certified for Windows Vista products. Check back for future posts and more videos!

Click here for general information on the Windows Vista Logo Program.

Certified for Windows Vista Devices and Software

Ben Reed — Wed, 28 Feb 2007 22:10:00 GMT

Have you been wondering how you can tell which software and devices will be compatible with the premium features of Windows Vista? You can easily identify these products by looking for the devices and software that are Certified for Windows Vista. Read below for more specifics on the program, and then enter to win thousands of dollars worth of Certified for Windows Vista products.

What does it mean to be Certified for Windows Vista?

You all have probably seen the Designed for XP logo that appears on PCs. The Windows Vista Logo Program is the next generation, however, we’ve made two important changes. First, Microsoft has worked with industry partners to develop new standards and device categories so Windows Vista can take full advantage of dramatic advances in hardware and devices to enhance the types of computer activities people have become accustomed to. Secondly, we’ve set up a certification process, so that devices and software need to go through Microsoft compatibility tests before they qualify for the logo. So, yes, there are there thousands of applications and devices that are compatible with Windows Vista, however, Certified for Windows Vista devices and software have been tested to help ensure that they are compatible with the premium features of Windows Vista. Devices and software that carries the Works with Windows Vista logo are tested for baseline standards of compatibility with all PCs running Windows Vista.

Devices:

To talk a bit more specifically about device drivers, they have undergone Microsoft compatibility tests for ease-of-use, better performance and enhanced security. We are continuing to add approximately 1,600 device drivers per month. These devices will install easily on Windows Vista and can automatically download device driver software. Wireless devices are also intuitive to set-up and security-enhanced.

Devices are tested to deliver performance and quality beyond basic compatibility, so you can have high-definition experiences with photos, music, videos and communications. For example, they are able to take advantage of Windows Vista features like native DVD burning, Network and Sharing Center and Windows Aero user experience. Color sensitive devices like monitors and printers work together with the Windows Color System so when you print pictures, they look like what’s on your screen. Certified of Windows Vista wireless routers provide reliable connectivity for demanding applications like on-line gaming and HD media streaming, while wireless networks are security-enhanced.

Software:

And now on to some software specifics. I want to emphasize here that Certified for Windows Vista software products are tested to Microsoft’s compatibility standards to help make software easy to install, better performing and more secure. For example, software is specifically tested to minimize the number of crashes, hangs and reboots that are typically experienced by users. It also installs without degrading the performance of Windows Vista or other applications. I also think it’s important to mention that Certified for Windows Vista software should continue to improve over time, because we require that they not just include error reporting, but that they also use this data to continually update their product. Certified for Windows Vista software is also designed to work with advanced security features in Windows Vista, as well as meets the Anti-Spyware Coalition privacy guidelines.

I’m planning on posting information about specific Certified of Windows Vista products on a regular basis, so continue to check back for product highlights and deeper spec information. This is a just an introduction to the program. Don’t hesitate to let me know if you have any questions. In the meantime, enter each week for a chance to win a ton of great products from our partners.