Microsoft revamps, renames Windows Vista Upgrade Advisor

News.com the forthcoming update to Microsoft's Windows Vista Upgrade Advisor. The tool debuted in its beta stage as a free download, which is available here. It was supposed to tell you how well a PC would handle Vista, but because of kludgy graphics calculations and a confusing overall result, the consensus was that it was a nice but unhelpful attempt to inform the buying public. The new version, rechristened the Windows Experience Index, is supposed to address those concerns when it becomes available later this summer, although according to the article, reps from various parts vendors are still not thrilled with the changes.

We'll give the new adviser a spin when it comes out. The original software didn't calculate system vs. graphics memory accurately, giving you a skewed idea of a PC's ability to handle Vista's snappy Aero effects. As long as the new software fixes that problem, we'll be happy.