The Windows Vista Hardware Assessment is a tool that will find computers on a network and perform a detailed inventory of the computers using Windows Management Instrumentation (WMI). Through use of the detailed inventory data, the tool will assess and report whether the computers can run Windows Vista or the 2007 Microsoft Office system, where to find drivers for devices on the computers, and provide recommendations for hardware upgrades, where appropriate.


The Windows Vista Hardware Assessment 2.1 solution accelerator is localized in North American English, French, German, Japanese, Korean, Latin American Spanish, and Brazilian Portuguese. It will display the language according to the operating system language of the PC where the tool is installed. This tool does not require the deployment of agent software on the computers being inventoried and assessed. It provides a secure, quick, and easy way to determine which computers, in a networked environment, are ready for Windows Vista and the 2007 Microsoft Office system software.


For home users and users with a few Windows XP computers to migrate, use the Windows Vista Upgrade Advisor to understand the readiness of your computer for Windows Vista.