There is no overwhelming business reason to upgrade or install Windows Vista at this time. IST recommends that NJIT community members not install Windows Vista and continue to use Windows XP Pro instead until further notice.
IST's Position for Windows Vista
Microsoft released the new Windows Vista operating system on January 30, 2007. Vista is still undergoing evaluation by Information Services & Technology (IST), and is planned for release to NJIT's community in 2008.
IST recommends students, faculty, and staff continue to use Windows XP Pro, and newly purchased machines continue to have Windows XP Pro installed as the default operating system. However, IST also recommends that any newly machines purchased meet NJIT's minimum hardware requirements for Windows Vista.
| Windows Vista Challenges | | IST's Responses |
Challenge: Windows Vista requires a much more powerful machine than Windows XP Pro. Many computers currently in use at NJIT are not powerful enough to properly support Vista, and therefore will not be able to run the operating system. | |
Response: IST has put forth minimum hardware requirements for Windows Vista. Once Vista has been released by IST, only PCs that meet the minimum hardware requirements will be supported. |
Challenge: Many software packages currently in use at NJIT and elsewhere are not fully compatible with Windows Vista. | |
Response: IST is continuously testing software used by the NJIT community to determine Windows Vista compatibility. An up-to-date list of compatibility status of NJIT-provided software is available here. |
Challenge: Windows Vista's user interface is significantly different from Windows XP Pro, and has a steep learning curve that must be overcome before a user can reach full productivity. | |
Response: IST has compiled a website of training resources for users new to Vista. |
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Support for Microsoft Vista
IST currently does not offer any official support for Windows Vista. Support will be gradually phased in leading up to the release of Vista to the NJIT community. Currently, IST offers limited resources for Windows Vista. As software is updated for Vista compatibility, IST will eventually recommend Vista for general use by the NJIT community. Even after IST recommends Vista however, Windows XP Pro will continue to remain available - and widely used - for the foreseeable future.
Special needs for Vista installation in research and sponsored programs will be considered on a case-by-case basis. Please contact the IST Helpdesk for further information.
Purchasing Microsoft Vista
Do not buy Windows Vista.
Under special licensing with Microsoft through the Campus Agreement program, installations of Vista Business 32-bit edition will be available for all NJIT-owned computers (faculty and staff issued computers, computing labs, public machines, etc.). In addition, all students enrolled at the time Vista is released to the community will be licensed for an upgrade to Vista Business 32-bit edition on their personally owned computers. IST intends to release Vista to the community in 2008.
New Computers
New computer purchases for faculty, staff, and/or department use should continue to be purchased from the Dell-NJIT Premier web site (please contact the Purchasing department at x5789 for access) at all times. These computers will be shipped with an NJIT software image that contains Windows XP Professional. However, these machines are powerful enough to support Windows Vista, so a future upgrade to the operating system will be easier.
NJIT Links for Windows Vista
Microsoft Support links for Windows Vista:
Additional questions on upgrading to Windows Vista should be addressed to the IST HelpDesk at (973) 596-2900.
