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Despite reports to the contrary, Microsoft Corp. said Tuesday it has not changed wording at its Web site to explain more clearly how hardware with a "Windows Vista Capable" label will perform when running the OS, in light of a class-action lawsuit filed against the vendor last week.

Reports published this week by the Seattle Times and other news outlets claimed that Microsoft has updated the description of what the label means on the Windows Vista Capable Web site, which is part of a marketing campaign that was launched before Vista was available.

According to reports, the changes are in direct response to a lawsuit filed in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Washington last week. The suit claims that Microsoft unfairly labeled PCs "Windows Vista Capable" even when the computers could only run the most basic form of the OS. Moreover, many of the machines with the label can't run or poorly run Home Premium, the least expensive version of Vista that includes most of the heavily advertised features, according to the suit, which is seeking class-action status and damages from the vendor.

Microsoft spokesman Jim Desler said Tuesday that the description of Windows Vista Capable on the Web site has remained consistent since it was launched, and the reports of the changes were a case of comparing "apples to oranges."

"We checked with the Web folks, and they said the only changes made [on the site] were some tense changes associated with moving from holiday season to the launch of products," he said. "The descriptions have not changed."

Desler acknowledged, however, that the descriptions of Windows Vista Capable in Microsoft news releases around the launch of the program and the Web site are slightly different. This difference was highlighted in the Seattle Times report.

The news release from when the program launched described Windows Vista Capable machines as "powerful enough to run Windows Vista." The Web site now says that while all Windows Vista Capable machines will share some common features, all those with the label will have the same basic OS improvements. Some high-end features of the OS, such as the Aero user interface, may require "advanced or additional hardware," according to the site.