Windows Vista is here to stay. Many users has upgraded to Vista from XP, many are doing it now or plan to do it. There are few questions that you need to ask yourself before the upgrading:

1. What are the upgrade paths for Vista from XP versions?

Users may upgrade from Windows XP to Windows Vista, or upgrade from one version of Windows Vista to another. However, not all potential upgrade combinations exist. The accompanying chart indicates the possible upgrade paths:

Microsoft has also made a version for emerging markets only, which basically has the same functions as the Vista Home Basic but with limitations on hardware.

2. What edition should I choose?

It depends. For home users the choice should be between Home Basic, Premium and Ultimate. Basic is a very primitive version and not worth it. You should at least consider the Home Premium version. Ultimate offers far better networking and file share management so if either of these appeal to you, Ultimate is the one to go for. Business users (specifically of SOHO users) can choose between Business and Ultimate (if you want to be able to handle media files, I suggest forking for Ultimate, otherwise Business will do.

3. What is the hardware requirement of the chosen Vista?

Here's what Microsoft claim are the minimum spec for a Vista PC (called a Vista Capable PC):

• A processor with a minimum speed of 800MHz
• Half a gigabyte (512MB) of RAM
• A graphics system capable of supporting DirectX 9 (SVGA 800×600)
• 20GB hard drive (with 15GB free - don't worry though, Vista doesn't take up 15GB, it just needs that much room to install!)
• A DVD-ROM drive

For a Windows Vista Ready PC, the requirements go up a bit:

• A processor with a minimum speed of 1GHz (x86 or x64)
• 1GB of RAM
• A GPU that supports DirectX 9 and the following:
  • WDDM (Windows Vista Display Driver Model) Driver
  • 128MB of video RAM - Hardware support for Pixel Shader 2.0
  • 32 bits per pixel
• 40GB hard drive (with 15GB free - again, don't worry though, Vista doesn't take up 15GB, it just needs that much room to install!)
• A DVD-ROM drive
• Note that BitLocker Drive Encryption also needs a requires a TPM 1.2 chip or a USB 2.0 flash drive 4.

How can I tell if my hardware is up to the job of running Vista? 

The quickest and easiest way to test your system is to download and run the Windows Vista Upgrade Advisor from Microsoft. This will examine both your hardware and software and report back to you on things that might cause you a headache.