Windows Vista Home Basic
Windows Vista Home Basic supports basic computing needs, such as e-mail, browsing the Internet, and viewing photos. With this edition you'll be able to find what you're looking for on your PC and the Internet quickly and you'll get automatic security features that will help you and your family use your PC safely. If you want more mobility and home entertainment options, you may want to consider Windows Vista Home Premium or Windows Vista Ultimate.
Search
Search and find files on your PC and the Internet
Instant Search, in Windows Vista Home Basic helps you find your most important programs and files—whether they're on your PC, on the Internet, or within your e-mail.
Search anywhere, even from the Start menu.
When you're surfing the web, you can see all your open windows on one page and use tabbed browsing to easily flip through them. You can also use web search from the toolbar in Internet Explorer 7 and Internet Explorer 8 to find what you're looking for.
See all your open browser windows on a single page.
Keep organized
You can use Windows Sidebar and gadgets to have the real-time information you care about, such as weather and news, always available at a glance on your desktop.
Organize your gadgets in Windows Sidebar.
Rather than relying on your memory to find specific documents, music, photos, or e-mail, you can rely on Explorers. These flexible organization features help you find and view your files any way you want.
Get creative and show off your digital photos
Download your images onto your PC using Windows Photo Gallery. And then explore the fun ways you can view, edit, and share them with your friends and family.
Quickly view, edit, and share images with Windows Photo Gallery.
Enjoy easier setup and long-term peace of mind
Windows Easy Transfer helps you automatically copy your files, photos, music, e-mail, and settings from your old PC to your Windows Vista-based PC.
After you have set up your computer, you will appreciate how performance technologies can help improve the responsiveness of your most-used applications and help decrease the time it takes you to download files.
System disruptions are kept to a minimum with little or no effort required from you. Self-healing technology automatically identifies and fixes problems, and built-in diagnostics alert you to disk failure, defective memory, and other potential issues so they can be resolved before affecting your everyday tasks.
Safe
Explore the web
Windows Firewall and Windows Defender can help you decrease the number of pop-up ads and lessen the security threats caused by spyware and other unwanted software.
Windows Defender helps you avoid unwanted software.
More ways you'll be safer:
Help protect your family and your PC
With Parental Controls, you can manage your children's computer use by setting time limits and rules for accessing the web and PC games.
With User Account Control, you can set up a user account for each family member, so a child will be prompted for a password when attempting to change system settings, install any additional software, or use certain websites or games.
Lastly, you can help safeguard your files, including music, documents, and priceless digital images, with basic backup features.
System requirements
Recommended system requirements
1 GHz 32-bit (x86) or 64-bit (x64) processor
512 MB of system memory
20 GB hard drive with at least 15 GB of available space
Support for DirectX 9 graphics and 32 MB of graphics memory
DVD-ROM drive
Audio output
Internet access (fees may apply)
Actual requirements and product functionality may vary based on your system configuration.
Windows Vista Upgrade Advisor
can help you determine which features and edition of Windows Vista will run on your computer.
While all editions of Windows Vista can support multiple core CPUs, only Windows Vista Business, Ultimate, and Enterprise can support dual processors.
Minimum supported requirements
Certain product features are not available with minimum supported requirements.
800 MHz processor and 512 MB of system memory
20 GB hard drive with at least 15 GB of available space
Support for Super VGA graphics
CD-ROM drive
Compare system requirements across the editions.