New Technology

New Technology

The software giant announced plans for the Compatibility Center earlier this month, and it is now available at www.windows.com/compatibility. The site features a drop-down menu from which you select hardware or software. Enter the name of a product, and search the company's database.

The site also allows consumers to search by categories, such as "music and MP3" and "communication and Internet" under the software heading, or "media players and TV devices" in hardware. Users can also drill-down results by brand and compatibility, and the site provides links to drivers and software updates.
At this point, items that are listed as incompatible appear mainly to be older versions of software or hardware, including the first-generation Apple iPod classic, Microsoft Encarta Encyclopedia 2005 Standard, Microsoft Home Publishing from 2000, and Microsoft Money 2007.

"We have thousands of products listed and will continue to add thousands more over the coming months," Mark Relph, vice president of Microsoft's Developer & Platform Evangelism (DPE) Group, wrote in a blog post. "If you don't see a product listed on the site, please suggest an addition."

Windows 7 Upgrade Advisor, meanwhile, scans your computer to determine if your system will be able to run Windows 7 without displaying the ever-popular blue screen of death. Microsoft released a beta version of the product in May and the final version is now available.

"It checks to see if your PC meets the system requirements, lets you know if your processor is capable of running 64-bit versions of Windows 7 and gives guidance on your upgrade options," Relph wrote.