Upgrading to Windows 8: Everything you need to know

Microsoft, in its firm commitment to Windows 8, has decided to make the upgrade process as easy as possible from previous versions to the new operating system . In this article we will look at the upgrade from three points of view: requirements hardware, how much does it cost , and what we saved and what we didn't from our previous installation.

Before looking at each section, we must remember that there are three versions of Windows 8 for PC: Windows 8, Windows 8 Pro and Windows 8 Enterprise.The first version is intended for new computers (not sold in stores at this time), and upgrading to this version is not contemplated.

The third is a variant for large companies and consequently, it is left out of the update process that we explain here. Therefore, the only possibility of upgrading for the particular user focuses on Windows 8 Pro, which I will refer to as Windows 8 for the rest of the article.

Windows 8 Minimum Hardware Requirements

In general, any computer capable of running Windows Vista can run Windows 8.

Processor: Intel or AMD 1 GHz or higher with PAE, NX, and SSE2 support. Microsoft provides a command line tool called Coreinfo that can help you determine if your processor is compatible with Windows 8.
Memory: 1 GB of RAM for 32-bit architectures and 2 GB of RAM for 64-bit architectures.
Free space on hard disk: 16 GB for 32-bit edition and 20 GB for 64-bit edition.
Screen resolution: 1024x768 pixels for running Modern UI apps and 1366x768 pixels for running two Modern UI apps simultaneously.
Graphics Hardware: Supports WDDM driver and Direct X version 9.
For Secure Boot UEFI v2.3.1 compliant firmware is required Errata B
Internet connection for certain features, such as online accounts.

I have performed the test of installing the RTM version on a Netbook with a 1.6 GHz Intel Atom processor, 2 GB of RAM and a 10-inch screen, being aware that The screen resolution was less than the minimum required.

You can't actually run Modern UI applications under these conditions, although the system runs better in speed and fluidity than the original Windows 7 Starter version of the computer. It is a simple anecdote, which serves to illustrate this point of minimum requirements.

Windows 8 upgrade cost

For new computers equipped with Windows 7 (and offered with upgrade promotion), purchased on or after July 2 of 2012, the update price is 14, 99 euros The update can be done this way until 28 February from 2013 All versions of Windows 7 are included here with the exception of Windows 7 Starter, not included in the offer, unless the equipment manufacturer has done some promotion in this regard.

For computers running Windows XP, Vista, or Windows 7 (with the exception of the Starter version), the price is39.99 dollars (29.99 euros in theory).This promotion is for online downloads only from Microsoft and ends January 31, 2013. It can also be purchased in stores, with physical media and box. The price varies depending on each store. The one where I usually buy hardware and software, they offer this update for 54.30 euros, in case it serves as a reference.

Regarding previous versions of Windows 8, you can't upgrade to the final version from Windows 8 RTM and apparently you can from Windows 8 Consumer/Release Preview at a cost of 39.99 dollars I say it seems so, because in July Microsoft confirmed it, and as far as I know, it didn't has denied. The problem is that requires a legal previous version of Windows XP or higher, and I really don't know how you can check this point if you've done a clean install .

Update has some limits: one license per computer and a maximum of five per user Microsoft offers free tech support included in upgrade price. The support period is 90 days, which starts counting once we have installed and activated the product.

What we did and didn't save from our previous installation

When Microsoft first discussed the upgrade process in July, it indicated that you could upgrade to Windows 8 “basic” from all versions of Windows 7, including Starter, while preserving system settings, personal files, and applications.

Another thing is that at the time of writing this article, as I have already commented, there is no possibility of upgrading to the lightest version of Windows 8 , nor has the manufacturer communicated anything about it.Said remains in case such a possibility exists later.

Upgrade from Windows 7: (Home Basic, Home Premium, Professional, and Ultimate) to Windows 8 Pro, retains system settings , personal files and applications that we have installed.

Upgrading from previous versions of Windows 8 (Consumer or Release Preview), nothing will be preserved and the files (if we do not format the disk) will be inside a folder named “Windows.old”. Unable to update RTM version, as I already mentioned.

Update from Windows Vista: Here you have to distinguish between whether or not you have Service Pack 1 installed. Without it, we can only keep our personal files If installed, system settings and personal files are kept.

Upgrading from Windows XP (with Service Pack 3): Only personal files will be preserved.

In order for these updates to be carried out as described, it is essential that they be carried out with the same architecture and language.

How to update

To perform the installation we need to use the Windows 8 Update Assistant program, which will download everything we need from the Internet. During the process, it will give us the option to create an installation DVD or USB disk. The size required for this boot image is approximately 2 GB

A step-by-step installation wizard

Windows 8 Upgrade Assistant verifies that the computer is ready for the operating system, providing a detailed compatibility report.
It will ask us what we want to keep from the previous installation (with the limits already explained).
If our option is a clean installation by formatting the hard disk, we need to boot the system from the installation media that we have chosen and continue from there the update.
The wizard takes care of the download process with its own manager, which allows you to perform this task at any time, allowing pauses. When finished, it performs a integrity check of the downloaded content.
The wizard will give us three options: install now, create installation media>DVD copy of the ISO image at the price of$15 plus shipping."