What are some common complications that arise when deploying Vista?

Q: What are some common complications that arise when deploying Vista?

About the author J. Peter Bruzzese is an independent consultant and has worked for and with Goldman Sachs, CommVault Systems and Microsoft, among other clients. He focuses on corporate training and travels frequently to speak at conferences. Peter is the author of Tricks of the Windows Vista Masters and writes for Redmond Magazine. Listen to his supplemental podcast on Vista deployment to hear more information about compatibility problems and Vista vs. XP.

There are any number of complications that can come your way, both hardware- and software-related, when deploying Vista. One consideration is performing a full system image first. Acronis or Norton Ghost are excellent products that ensure a quick recovery if the upgrade goes poorly. While the upgrade process has gone smoothly for many, some may choose to do direct installs rather than upgrade. Traditionally, this is the safer move to avoid complications in the upgrade process. As mentioned earlier, make sure you have the driver support you need before deployment. Another concern might be legacy antivirus software -- make sure that your antivirus software is Vista-ready. If you plan on doing the upgrade you might want to uninstall your virus protection software prior to the upgrade.

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