Windows Sidebar gives you quick access to gadgets like picture slide shows, Windows Media Player controls, or news headlines. You pick the gadgets you want to see in Windows Sidebar. View larger.

Use Instant Search to quickly find the information you need. View larger.

Use Flip 3D to navigate through open windows using the scroll wheel on your mouse. View larger.

Windows Vista Aero provides spectacular visual effects such as glass-like interface elements that you can see through.

Compare Windows Vista editions.

Security alerts enable you to quickly resolve potentially damaging issues that can harm your Windows Vista PC. View larger.

Use the new Sync Center to manage the synchronization of your data with other PCs or the devices you connect to your PC. View larger.

Starting and managing file sharing and application collaboration is easy and intuitive. View larger.

Windows Vista Provides a single destination where you can access all of the related Backup and Restore features. View larger.

Windows Fax and Scan simplifies your document handling and communication needs. View larger.

Update Eligibility
You can upgrade from your current edition of Microsoft Windows XP or Windows 2000 (including Windows XP Professional, Windows XP Home, Windows XP Media Center, Windows XP Tablet PC, Windows XP Professional x64, Windows 2000) to a corresponding or better edition of Windows Vista by purchasing and installing this upgrade copy of Windows Vista. Depending on which edition of Windows you are running and the edition of Windows Vista you would like to install, you have two options for the installation process: You can upgrade in-place, which means you can install Windows Vista and retain your applications, files, and settings as they were in your previous edition of Windows or you can do a clean install. If you are currently using Windows 2000 Professional or Windows XP Professional x64, you are eligible for an upgrade copy to a corresponding or better edition of Windows Vista, but a clean install is required. For versions of Windows earlier than Windows 2000, upgrade copies are not available. These earlier versions of Windows require you to install a full copy of Windows Vista.

Easier, Faster Access to Information
Windows Vista Business features Windows Aero, a new interface that delivers higher levels of efficiency for any business user. This easy-to-use interface makes it a snap to navigate through the operating system and from application to application. Most importantly, Windows Aero helps you juggle multiple tasks at once by providing a three-dimensional, real-time, animated view of all your open applications and documents.

In addition to these navigation improvements, Windows Vista Business makes it easier than ever to manage huge volumes of business documents. By integrating search throughout the operating system and providing new ways to organize files, this software helps you quickly find exactly what you are looking for.

Collaborate and Communicate More Effectively
Windows Vista Business helps your work teams collaborate and communicate more effectively, regardless of their location. By helping users find and use information quickly and easily, this software can dramatically improve how people in your organization access and apply essential knowledge and resources on PCs, in e-mail, from corporate servers, and on the Internet.

Improved Security and Compliance
Protecting your business information and complying with regulations places increased demands on your IT staff. Windows Vista Business' more sophisticated data protection and auditing capabilities help simplify IT management and can help lower costs for regulatory compliance. In addition, with features like the Encryption File system, Windows Vista helps organizations manage security risks by protecting information and services in a more controllable and secure environment.

Safe Operation
For businesses of any size, Windows Vista Business makes it possible for your IT department to configure users' systems so that they can log onto their PCs as standard users instead of as administrators. This helps minimize compatibility and usability issues that might have occurred in previous versions of Windows, while also making those issues easier to resolve. Moreover, this new capability significantly reduces the likelihood of a malicious attack causing damage to your organization's PCs.

Keep Your Network Running Smoothly
For small businesses, Windows Vista Business includes new technology and tools to ensure your PCs are always up-to-date, more secure, and running smoothly. For instance, this software helps make your PCs safer with built-in protection against malicious software, or malware. And because Windows Vista Business warns you of impending hardware failures early on, you don't have to worry about the devastating loss of any important business data. No matter what potential problems arise, an array of sophisticated new backup technologies helps protect your information even in the event of a catastrophic hardware failure. When it comes to management, features like Domain Join and Group Policy support improve the efficiency of your workgroups.

Small Business Resources
And for those who are not full-time IT professionals but have roles that require them to support their organizations' PCs, Windows Vista Business includes Small Business Resources. This built-in how-to guide leads you through everyday tasks and troubleshooting in easy-to-follow, non-technical language. By giving you the ability to solve problems as they arise, you can help keep your business efficient. Windows Vista Business also provides business specific features like fax and scan that increase productivity.

Image-Based Installation
For larger organizations, Windows Vista Business has been designed from the ground up to improve the deployment and management of the central operating system. For instance, image-based installation is now the default method for installing the Windows Vista operating system, and the images are no longer hardware-dependent. These two key design principles enable your organization to dramatically reduce the number of images you are required to manage and streamline the process of deploying new PCs and updating existing PCs. The end result is faster, easier operation than ever before, which helps improve the overall productivity of your business.

More Mobile and Better Connected
Today, more businesses rely on an ever-expanding mobile workforce as a way to enhance their scope of service and reduce enterprise costs associated with supporting a large on-site staff. Windows Vista Business gives mobile professionals easier and more secure access to corporate resources so they can readily collaborate with colleagues-- both on and off the network. Employees and colleagues will also find it easier to make wireless connections and synchronize mobile devices. The success of any business depends on communication, and Windows Vista Business helps you easily and quickly connect with your organization, your customers, and your partners, whether you are in the office or on the road. This software package includes all of the essential infrastructure required to more securely connect you to your business information whether you are sitting at your desk, working at home, connected to a Wi-Fi hotspot, or even if you are using your cell phone to connect to the Internet.

To help you be more productive when you're away from your desk, Windows Vista Business includes Windows Tablet and Touch Technology, so you can interact with your Tablet PC by using a digital pen, your fingertip, or a keyboard. Improved handwriting recognition and easier ways to browse documents and programs without using a keyboard give you added flexibility and convenience.

Easy Accessibility
Computers that include Windows Vista Business and an auxiliary Windows SideShow display will also allow you to access critical business information even when your computer is turned off. You can also share documents and collaborate with colleagues, partners, and customers--even if a network is not available. Additionally, Windows Vista Business helps you get the most out of your portable PC by making it quick and easy to manage key mobility settings.

Cost Effective
Meeting the increasingly complex demands that are placed on your IT systems doesn't have to be expensive. Designed to be less expensive to deploy and support, Windows Vista Business offers you a better return on your IT investments. By empowering people to work more efficiently, this system helps keep both productivity and morale high.