The ieXbeta wiki has a software and a hardware compatibility list for Windows Vista RC1. Everyone can add new software and hardware. They distinguish between “supported”, “has problems” and “heavy problems”. I think it is a great idea to use a wiki for such a purpose. If you check the change history, you’ll see that the community there is quite active. You can use these lists to verify, if your favorite tools are working with Vista. If they are not yet on the list, I’d suggest contributing your part to the project.

I was quite surprised when I found out about this today. I didn’t expect that Microsoft Data Protection Manager (DPM) will support backups of Exchange, Sharepoint and SQL Server before 2008. I tested DPM 2006 thoroughly and wrote an article about it in the German print magazine iX. Although I like Microsoft’s Continuous Data Protection (CDP) solution, I found several shortcomings.

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PowerShell originally was planned as a part of Windows Vista. Now, it seems it might be available even before Vista since RC2 is already available. I’ve read many marvellous things about Microsoft’s new command line shell. Some say that even Unix admins will get envious. This remains to be seen, though.

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Update: I wrote a comprehensive article comparing the 32 bit edition to the 64 bit edition of Window Vista.

Flexbeta has an interesting comparison between Vista 32-bit and Vista 64-bit edition. They tested installation time, integer processing, 2D graphics, memory speed, disk speed, 3D graphics and measured the PassMark rating. Their conclusion: Vista 64-bit does not bring any real advantage with respect to performance over Vista 32-bit.

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Update: Network Monitor 3.1 is available now.

I just played with Network Monitor 3.0 , Microsoft’s network sniffer. It is certainly a major improvement over its predecessor. It has a completely new user interface and many new features.

Did you ever try Network Monitor 2.1 that comes with Windows Server 2003 SP1? You can install it from the CD as an additional Windows component. I tried it once for about 3 minutes and then uninstalled it again.

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This week I found a couple of interesting posts about Vista which I am going to share today.

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If you are interested in Microsoft stuff, you probably know Microsoft Watch by Mary Joe Foley. She won’t be writing there anymore; her successor is Peter Galli. Mary Joe Foley has a new blog now. Check out this interview, if you want to know about her reasons. I hope she will still supply us with insider information in the future.

The Business Desktop Deployment (BDD) 2007 includes many important tools for Windows Vista deployment. Most important is the Windows Automated Installation Kit (WAIK) which contains ImageX, Microsoft’s new imaging tool, and Windows Deployment Services (WDS), the successor of Remote Installation Services (RIS). Please check out my summary about Windows Vista’s deployment tools for more information. BDD 2007 Beta 2 extends Beta 1 with a couple of new features.

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It seems that there are still so many out there having problems installing Windows Vista RC1 on VMware Workstation. It turned out that my workaround is not the best solution to this problem. Some readers mentioned it here. Thanks for that! In this post, I will also give some additional tips on how to configure Vista RC1 on VMware Workstation and Server.

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Aseem Badshah calls on testers to share their experiences about the reliability of Windows Vista RC1. On the “Windows Vista Scenario Voting” site you can rate how satisfied you were in various scenarios. Unfortunately, one doesn’t see the results of other voters. The question is: Is it justified to call Vista RC1 a release candidate?

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