Datasheet

PART I
Preparing for Installation
7
chapter 1
routers. Sometimes video cards have firmware
as well. Check with each device’s manufacturer
to see if updated firmware is available for your
device. Caution: You can completely disable
hardware if you flash it with the wrong
firmware, such as the wrong BIOS for your
motherboard. Follow the manufacturer’s
instructions exactly, or have a computer
professional help you.
Device Drivers
Device drivers are hardware-specific code used
by the operating system so that it can interact
with, manage, and control its functions.
Windows Vista ships with device drivers for a
large number of hardware devices on the
market, and new ones are sometimes made
available on the Windows Update site. See
Chapter 3 for information on the Windows
Update service. You should check with the
device manufacturer to see if new drivers have
been made available since Windows Vista’s
publication. The Internet offers another source
for updated device drivers. By using search
engines, such as Google, Yahoo, and Live
Search, you can type in the make and model of
your hardware device and search for sites that
include links to download updated drivers.
Some sites, such as DriverGuide.Com, specialize
in helping users find updated device drivers.
DriverGuide.Com provides thousands of links to
different device drivers, as well as a forum area
where users post messages and questions about
problems and concerns they have with specific
hardware devices. When you find a driver you
are looking for, you simply download it to your
computer and install it.
File System Type
If you are performing an upgrade from an
earlier version of Windows, find out the file
system type in use: File Allocation Table (FAT),
FAT32, or New Technology File System (NTFS).
The first two of these are more likely found on
Windows 9x or Windows Me machines, whereas
NTFS is more likely found on Windows XP, NT,
or Windows 2000 machines. The file system
type is relevant. Vista uses NTFS so your disk
drives must support that file system type. In
most cases, especially with drives that have
capacities large enough to support Windows
Vista (over 40GB), your system will support
NTFS. You will also want to make sure that any
file-system utilities that are installed on your
computer, such as Symantec’s Norton Utilities,
are supported by Windows Vista. If the version
of the file system utility you have running on
your computer is not Windows Vista
compatible, you should uninstall it before
installing Windows Vista. If you leave it installed,
you may encounter problems with Windows
Vista, or Windows Vista may not install at all.
Internet Settings
Internet connectivity is perhaps the single most
important function of any computer today.
Whether you are connected to the Internet
through a cable modem, an independent
Internet service provider (ISP), or your
company’s service provider, you should have
the necessary connection information so that
you can set up your new computer properly.
This information may already be available on
your computer, or you may need to get it from
your system administrator. On existing
Windows systems, you can find this information
by choosing Control Panel and then Network
Connections. Right-click a connection and
choose Properties. The Properties dialog box for
that network connection appears. Gather
information from the Internet Protocol (TCP/IP)
item on the General tab by double-clicking it.
Many times the IP address is obtained
automatically, which will be specified on the
TCP/IP Properties dialog box. However, if a
specific IP address is given, write it down in
case you need to input it later during Windows
Vista setup.
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