Today, from midnight on Friday 26 October 2012, Windows 8 has been launched by Microsoft around the world and, this time, it is more than just an update. it is in fact a complete redesign of the system that leads to numerous changes in Windows 8, new functions and a new Microsoft vision.
From 17 October 2013 then Windows 8 became Windows 8.1 with new functions and improvements .
In a previous article we analyzed whether it is worth buying Windows 8 or not with a conclusion that I would like to fully confirm: those who have Windows XP, Vista or Windows 7 on their home computers today, should upgrade the system to Windows 8 without any doubt, soon .
I also want to say that this time Windows 8 will not be able to install and register later, maybe after a month so using it without paying for it will be quite complicated this time.
Also without a regular license you will not be able to access the Windows 8 Store, which is essential for downloading new applications.
Almost all programs that work with Windows 7 will be perfectly compatible with Windows 8 .
Before installation and purchase, any incompatible software will also be reported so you can leave it alone if an important program should not work on Windows 8.1.
If you prefer to give it a try first, you can download Windows 8.1 Enterprise which can be used for free for 90 days but which then cannot be activated (it's a trial version and that's it).
The upgrade and purchase is really simple for anyone and even a person with no experience or denied with the computer can do it.
Windows 8.1 can be downloaded in Italian directly from the Microsoft Windows site, by logging in with your Windows ID or Hotmail or Outlook.com account.
Just press the Windows 8.1 Pro update button which is the recommended and complete version.
All versions of Windows XP, Vista and Windows 7, Ultimate, Professional and Home can be updated to Windows 8 Pro .
If you use an Enterprise version instead, you need to install Windows 8.1 Enterprise.
If you prefer to have the installation DVD, you can download it by downloading Windows 8.1 .
Before installing the system, download Windows8-UpgradeAssistant from this link) to analyze the compatibility of computer programs and settings.
The list highlights those to be updated, the dubious ones and those that just won't work if you use Windows 8.1.
Once the necessary checks have been made, you can go ahead or stop and close the Upgrade Assistant program without doing anything else.
If you decide to go ahead, you can proceed with the order and download of Windows 8.1 Pro by paying by credit card or via PayPal.
After the download you can choose whether to install Windows 8.1 immediately or whether to create an ISO image for manual installation or to install from a shortcut on the desktop.
The ISO image can be saved on a DVD or on a USB stick.
If you want to switch from 32-bit Windows 7 or XP to 64-bit Windows 8.1 (if your computer is 64-bit), the only way to upgrade is to buy the installation DVD because from Upgrade Assistant you cannot .
Eventually the product key is provided to activate Windows 8.1 .
The whole installation of Windows 8.1 is absolutely simple and painless.
The documents and files are kept so there is no risk of losing anything.
Those who up to now have always preferred to install Windows from scratch, perhaps formatting the PC, this time can really feel comfortable and proceed with the guided update, already optimized for the best performance .
Before downloading and installing Windows 8.1 it is important to keep in mind a few things.
You can upgrade to Windows 8.1 on an old or new Windows 7, Vista or XP PC .
Keep in mind that:
- Upgrading to Windows 8.1 from Windows 7 allows you to keep Windows settings, personal files, documents, photos, music and installed programs
- Upgrading to Windows 8.1 from Windows Vista allows you to keep Windows settings and personal files such as documents, photos and music.
- Upgrading to Windows 8.1 from Windows XP allows you to keep only your personal files.
Therefore, updating from Vista and XP will also have to reinstall the programs.
However, it should be noted that when upgrading to Windows 8.1, only the partition where the old version of Windows is installed is touched and that all data will be kept in any case and will not be completely deleted, remaining available in a folder called Windows.old which can then be deleted later.
In another article there is the examination of possibilities to install Windows 8.1 from scratch and cleanly from the Upgrade Assistant update program .
The minimum hardware requirements needed to run Windows 8 are:
1 GHz processor or faster
1 GB of RAM (32-bit) or 2 GB of RAM (64-bit)
16 GB of available hard disk space (32-bit) or 20 GB (64-bit)
DirectX 9 graphics card with WDDM 1.0 or higher driver.
It is advisable to have something more even if Windows 8.1 is far from heavy and works well even at the minimum requirements.
The new Windows 8 Start menu consists of applications arranged as tiles in an interface called Metro.
To use Windows 8 Metro you need a monitor with a minimum resolution of 1024 × 768 .
If you try to launch a Metro app with a lower resolution (e.g. 800 × 600, 1024 × 600), an error message is displayed (which, however, can be resolved to force low-resolution Windows 8 to run).
In another very important post there is the guide on how to prepare the computer for Windows 8 before installing it
Is Windows 8 different from Windows 7?
I would say a lot, Windows 8 has many new features giving the feeling of using a tablet rather than a computer.
Windows 8, on the other hand, can do everything Windows 7 can do, even if there is a new interactive user interface.
For more details you can read the two summary articles:
- The Start menu in Windows 8
- guide to get started with Windows 8
- Keyboard shortcuts for Windows 8 and key combinations
Below, the promotional video for Windows 8
