To install Visual Studio 2008 Professional Edition, you need:
Software requirements:
32 bit OS: Windows® XP Professional with Service Pack 2 installed, Windows Server 2003, or Windows Vista
64 bit OS: Microsoft Windows Server® 2003 with SP1, Standard x64 Edition (WOW)
Microsoft Windows Server 2003 with SP1, Enterprise x64 Edition (WOW)
Microsoft Windows Server 2003 with SP1, Datacenter x64 Edition (WOW)
Microsoft Windows Server 2003 R2, Standard x64 Edition (WOW)
Microsoft Windows Server 2003 R2, Enterprise x64 Edition (WOW)
Microsoft Windows Server 2003 R2, Datacenter x64 Edition (WOW)
Microsoft Windows XP Professional x64 Edition (WOW)
Windows Vista
Client software prerequisites: Internet Explorer® 6.0 with Service Pack 1,
Microsoft Office 2003 with Service Pack 1 or
Microsoft Office 2007, MDAC 9.0, .NET Framework 2.0
Hardware requirements:
Minimum: 2.0 GHz CPU, 512 MB RAM, 8 GB HDD
Recommended: 2.6 GHz CPU, 1 GB RAM, 20 GB HDD
http://www.microsoft.com/visualstudio/en-us/products/professional/default.mspx
Edilson Moura