Windows Vista launch reportedly lifts PC sales

Microsoft Corp.’s new Windows Vista operating system spurred a 67% increase in personal computer sales at U.S. retail stores in its first week on the market, according to research firm Current Analysis Inc.

Hewlett-Packard Co. was the top PC seller by units during the week that ended Saturday, with its share rising from about 33% to more than 50%, according to the report. Gateway Inc. was the No. 2 seller. Dell Inc., the world’s second-largest PC maker, wasn’t included because the company doesn’t sell through stores.

The increase compares with sales in the same week a year earlier.