Upgrade to Windows 8 Pro

By Drew Kwashnak

I'm sure everybody has heard about Microsoft's Windows 8 by now, and maybe that if you buy a new Windows 7 computer between June (2012) and January next year (2013), you can upgrade to Windows 8 for only $14.99. But what about the rest of us?  Not everybody wants to rush out and buy a new computer just to get Windows 8 at such a discount. So what are these people to do?

Microsoft has announced that they will be selling Windows 8 Pro Upgrade for only $39.99.  This will upgrade your Windows 7, Windows Vista, and even Windows XP machines to Windows 8 Professional!  Of course this isn't going to suddenly make your monitor a touch-screen, but if you want all of the latest goodies from Microsoft and the future of Windows without buying a whole new machine, then this sounds like a perfect solution for you.

This upgrade is a download and to be available when Windows 8 becomes generally available to the public on October 26, 2012.

This does beg the question, especially if you are using an older machine that is still quite capable of handling Windows 7, how well will Windows 8 run on your machine?   If you remember when Windows 7 came out, they offered an Upgrade Assistant which would scan your system and let you know what issues Windows 7 might have, what peripherals were not supported, and how "good" the user experience might be.  It seems they may be doing the same thing for Windows 8 as well.  The initial wording on the Windows Blog makes it sound like you have to purchase the upgrade before you get the Assistant, but I am pretty sure they will offer it before you put any money down.

What does this Upgrade mean for your current data?  That all depends on what you are upgrading from. 

DISCLAIMER:

Back up All of your files prior to ANY upgrade. No matter how easy and save it is supposed to be, things happen in an instant and all your data can be gone faster than you can say "Poof!".
  • Windows 7 users can bring along their Windows settings, personal files and applications.   Windows 8 is supposed to run all Windows 7 applications so this should work pretty cleanly and be the easiest migration (see disclaimer above).
  • Windows Vista users can bring their Windows settings and personal files, but no mention about your applications.
  • Windows XP users can bring their personal files along, and that's it. Even this I am suspicious of, since my time of upgrading from Windows XP  to Windows 7.  Best bet is to make sure your files are backed up before proceeding.  When Windows 7 superceded Windows XP, the directory scheme changed from C:\Documents and Folders\<username>\My Documents\*.*  to the simpler C:\Users\<username>\*.*, and having to move all of the file and application settings to their new locations would have been such a headache.  

So with only a $39.99 price tag to upgrade, Microsoft makes it pretty easy to get into their new flagship operating system for the power users, early adopters, and technology curious.  Even though my laptop does not have touch-screen capabilities, the low price tag and Windows XP option just may be enough to entice me to give it a try.
So, when Windows 8 comes out this October (2012), are you going to upgrade?
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Source:
Blogging Windows Upgrade to Windows 8 Pro for $39.99  : http://windowsteamblog.com/windows/b/bloggingwindows/archive/2012/07/02/upgrade-to-windows-8-pro-for-39-99.aspx

 

 


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