I coppied this from Kim Komando's tip of the day for Wednesday March 22:

High-tech issues in Windows Vista
Q. Since you get the latest on Windows Vista, can you update us on its EFI 
and 64-bit capabilities? Will current computers be able to be upgraded to 
the new operating system?

A. That's some pretty heavy duty stuff. But questions about Windows Vista 
are important. It will be available to businesses late this year. But it 
won't be available to home users until January 2007. It will be the first 
new version of Windows since 2001, when XP was released.
I'm going to answer these questions in reverse order. So let's start with 
upgrading current machines.
Final system requirements for Vista have not been released. But it 
definitely will be more demanding than Windows XP. According to Microsoft, 
machines will require a "modern processor." I assume that means a higher end 
processor from Intel or Advanced Micro Devices.
In addition, you'll need a minimum of 512 megabytes of random access memory. 
I would double that. And you'll need to be able to run DirectX 9 graphics. 
That probably translates to a video card with 128 MB (or more) of RAM.
According to Microsoft, all Vista versions sold in the United States will be 
capable of 64-bit computing. That means it will be able to operate via 
64-bit microprocessors. These chips can manipulate 64-bit (or eight-byte) 
chunks of data. That is twice as much as most current chips.
Will that be a big deal? Well, yes, in some cases. Really demanding 
programs, such as games or those that do video editing, probably will run 
faster or be more capable. However, Windows Vista also will run today's 
32-bit chips. Most people will find them perfectly acceptable, at least for 
the next several years.
Although we are definitely headed toward 64-bit computing, there is a lot of 
hype over the issue. For more information, read tips on my Web site about 
the availability of 64-bit software and the difference between 64-bit chips 
and dual-core chips.
Lastly, let's look at EFI. That stands for extensible firmware interface. 
Your question implies that EFI will be part of Windows Vista. That 
apparently is not correct.
EFI is a specification backed by Intel as a modern replacement of the BIOS. 
The BIOS (basic input/output system) in your PC is basically its bare-bones, 
hard-wired operating system. When the computer starts, BIOS paves the way 
for a high-level operating system like Windows to take over. For example, it 
typically ensures that all the computer's hardware components are present.
Unlike BIOS, EFI promises a standardized bridge between the operating system 
and the computer's hardware. The specification dates to 2000.
Along with standardization, EFI takes direct control of the computer's 
hardware away from operating systems like Windows. It also takes the 
responsibility for device drivers from operating systems. This gives 
developers easier ways to support multiple operating systems (including OS X 
and Linux).
Apple computers equipped with Intel processors boot up using EFI. However, a 
Microsoft manager's comments at an Intel developer meeting indicate Vista 
will not support EFI.
Should you worry about that? I doubt it. The average user will probably 
never know the difference 


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