Compared with the seventh modification of Windows, the eighth version looks innovative and even somewhat unusual (if only for the reason that it lacks the familiar Start button and the GUI is completely changed). It is not surprising that many users also wanted to upgrade Windows 7 to Windows 8. How to do this with the simplest methods will now be discussed.
How to upgrade Windows 7 to Windows 8: preliminary steps
Before proceeding directly to the upgrade, you should check your own computer terminal or laptop for compatibility. First you need to pay attention to system requirements.
For normal operation of Windows 8, you need a 2-core processor with a clock frequency of at least 1 GHz, 1 GB of RAM for the 32-bit version and 2 GB for the 64-bit version, a graphics adapter compatible with DirectX 9, with support for WDDM drivers, a display, supporting a screen resolution of 1024 x 768 pixels and free space on the hard drive 16 GB for 32-bit modification and 20 GB for 64-bit. In addition, if you plan to use touch input, the screen must support multi-touch technology.
To make the most complete and most accurate diagnosis for compatibility with Windows 8, it is best to immediately contact the official Microsoft resource and download the special “Update Assistant” from it, after which you can get comprehensive information about your system.
Is it possible to upgrade the "seven" to "Windows 8" for free?
Another important upgrade issue is the issue of financial costs. If you approach this from a legal point of view, you will have to buy the system officially.
If you purchase a licensed disk with Windows 8 in Russian, the activation code will be indicated on the box. If you buy the distribution kit through the corporation's website, the code will be sent to the email address provided during registration. But the Internet is full of unofficial distributions that can be downloaded for free. But in this case, it should be remembered that this is at least illegal.
Update options
As for the upgrade itself, the upgrade from Windows 7 to Windows 8 can be carried out by two main methods:
- installation using the "Update Assistant" (the one that checked the computer's compatibility);
- installation from an installation disk or other removable media.
The first option is simpler. And for the second method, the installer can be launched directly in the Windows 7 environment without setting special boot priorities in the BIOS to start the installation process, bypassing the previous operating system boot.
Installing the system using the Update Assistant
We go directly to the installation and use the "Assistant" to quickly and easily update "Windows 7" to "Windows 8".
After starting the program, select the OS installation. The next step is to perform one of three actions:
- save current parameters, settings and user data;
- save only personal data;
- do not save anything.
What to choose them? If you save everything (the first paragraph), the new system to be installed can inherit the errors of the old one, but all user programs that will work in the new system will remain. In the second case, as is already clear, only user registration data (Microsoft account, local "account", passwords, etc.) will be saved without programs. In the third case, the user will receive the so-called clean system. We select what is required, and then it remains only to follow the prompts of the installer (the issue of installing updates for the eighth version will be discussed separately).
Installing from removable media directly from under Windows 7
Upgrading to Windows 8 can be started directly in Windows 7 using the start file on removable media Setup.exe.
Further, as in the past case? follow the prompts of the installer and get to the offer to install updates. To save time, you can refuse them, but from a practical point of view they should be installed.
Next, enter the product key, and only after that a window appears to choose to save the current settings. Again, select what is required and wait for the installation process to complete. The computer in both cases can be restarted several times. At the end of the installation, it remains only to configure the system parameters (in a “clean” Windows 8, it is enough to use the standard settings, when saving the settings of the previous system, nothing needs to be done).
Update to version 8.1
As you can see, updating Windows 7 to Windows 8 is not so difficult. Now a few words about the update to version 8.1.
You can download the update for free directly from the Microsoft resource. If automatic updating is enabled in the system itself (by default this is the case), a proposal to install Windows 8.1 will be received through the Update Center, after which it will only be necessary to agree to start the installation.
A few words in the end
The simplest methods for installing the eighth version of Windows over the seventh have been described here. But there is another point related to the fact that the user may have a disk with several versions of the system, or the installation is done from the Internet. At a certain stage, you will need to choose a modification already for Windows 8 (regular, several corporate or professional versions).
We should also say that it is strongly recommended that you enable the installation of updates directly during the installation process, since this will affect not only the system itself, but also the search for the latest drivers for all devices. In this case, you can be firmly convinced that the system will work without failures and conflicts between the software environment and the hardware.
As for the storage of parameters and user data, this item should be applied only if the computer has programs that are essential for further work. As mentioned above, the new system can inherit the errors of the old one, therefore, in the absence of critical software components, it is better to install a “clean” OS, which will save the user from failures (possibly even immediately after installation). In principle, before starting the installation, you can conduct a comprehensive check of Windows 7 with some optimizer or use utilities like Microsoft Fix It to fix problems.
In the new system, files of the previous OS may remain on the system disk (usually this is the Windows.old folder). You only need to delete them using the disk cleanup tool, which can be launched from the properties menu of the section, called by right-clicking on the letter of the disk, with the choice of the property line and the transition to the general settings tab. But you can’t delete this system folder from the file manager in any case.