Windows Vista
I (Torley Linden) started this page because we're getting a lot of questions about whether Second Life supports Windows Vista or not. Officially at this time (2007-08-27), not yet, hence why the System Requirements page says:
- NOTE: Second Life does NOT currently support Windows Vista
We're continuing to do compatibility testing. In the meantime, do know that there are some Residents having no problems running Second Life with Vista. Here are some resources to ease the transition:
Official info
Update your graphics drivers first!
Be SURE to get the latest drivers direct from the manufacturer before trying Second Life with Windows Vista.
Microsoft's own update service, as noted in many sources such as OpenGL.org and various reports, does not contain the proper OpenGL ICD. What this means is that to have full hardware acceleration and better compatibility in Vista, you will likely have to go to:
or
depending on your graphics card, to download and install the newest stable drivers. Please do this before going further. The majority of the complaints we've heard were resolved by doing this upfront.
We're also aware that laptop chipsets may be require specific drivers not available on those sites — please go to your laptop manufacturer's website and look for updates there, or contact their support to inquire further.
Blog posts
- Vista support in Second Life - Dated 2007-07-20, and has more recent info from Aric Linden on how our progress is coming along.
- Windows Vista Status - Dated 2007-02-09 from the Official Linden Blog. Steve Linden explains why the First Look Viewer is an important step towards Vista compatibility.
Public Issue Tracker
You can search for "vista" to see issues fellow Residents have reported.
Forum threads
You can discuss in the Technical Issues forum. Also try an Advanced Search. Note that some of this info is deprecated and kept here for legacy purposes only.
- Vista? - General info.
- Will SL Work on Windows Vista?
- Ati - Vista - OpenGL drivers out followed up by Windows Vista / ATI Update on the blog
- Windows Vista/ SL hardware problems
Personal experiences
If you've used Second Life on Windows Vista- successfully or otherwise, please share your experience on Talk:Windows Vista