Windows 8 is the biggest release of October month in the year 2012
and most talked among professionals. Criticizer has driven some pros and cons
of having Windows 8 machine and I'll address the needed specifications for you
to make your PC Windows 8 enabled. Normal as well as advanced users would
already try Windows 8 however the final released version requires
certain specifications unlike the pre-released version.
October 26 was the date when Windows 8 released
worldwide and since then Microsoft offers Msheep (People who fall in love with
Windows OS) or Windows OS users to upgrade their current PC to Windows 8 or
Windows 8 PRO for only $39.99, purchase from Microsoft. It doesn't matter whether
you are using Windows XP, Vista or 7 everyone is free to taste Windows 8 after
paying the minimal cost as well as have the flexibility to travel with all their PC
settings & configurations, personal files and third party
applications.
Though, these features are limited if you are using older version
of Windows OS. Yeah, you need to focus on below points for more details:
 |
| Upgrade Assistant for Windows 7 OS |
- Windows 7 users can
transfer their system configuration settings, saved data and third party
applications if they have purchase it after Feb 17 and before end
June.
- Windows Vista users can only
transfer their saved data and user settings. Installed application of
Windows Vista is no more supported by Windows 8. Don’t worries, Windows 8
have the great apps gallery to provide you all the benefits of Vista in
more improved and fast way.
- In
the end, Windows XP users can
only transfer their hard drive data. User settings and
applications programs are all limited to only Windows 8.
After reading the above pros and cons (Depends on the Version you
are using) of having Windows 8, you can heads up to requirement sheet needed to
install Windows 8. However if you don't have those requirements, you need
to begin preparing for Windows 8. Don't worry I'll tell you in rest parts of
this article and ensures that anyone of you can have Windows 8 on
their targeted machine.
You can directly check for Windows 8 compatibility,
Online facility provided by MS to test and make sure that weather
your current configured PC can have Windows 8 or not. Alternatively, Below are
some quick introduction regarding Windows 8 requirement:
- Processor 1GHz or
Above
- RAM
: 1
GB for 32-Bit or 2 GB for 64-Bit
- Space
: Minimum
20 GB of hard disk Space
- Videos
graphics and direct x will be latest or upgraded from previous OS.
Moreover, above mentioned requirements are almost similar to
Windows 7, so if you have PC running Windows 7 can easily upgrade to Windows 8
without looking for any extra specific requirements. Out of above mentioned
requirement, you need to take care of some other things to make sure that
everything is working fine and you will never lost your precious data.
Backup, Backup, Backup!!!
The most important thing you should never forgot, that is to take
backup of all your important files and folders to an external storage media
before going to install Windows 8. This will assures that if anything goes
wrong, you're still able to retrieve your files. There are many ways to take
backup and live up with your old data, such as creating system Image or create
drive/volume backup. You can also backup your emails, important bookmarks and
files history and synchronize it to your new Windows 8.
Remove bugs, traces of faulty third party applications
This is to free you from old program bugs, malware/virus or
anything else that could ruin the joys of your Windows 8. You are advised to
uninstall useless third party applications, remove junk from system and repair
damaged or corrupted registries. However, if you don't want to mess up yourself
with such headache, you could simply choose a fresh copy of Windows 8
installation and easily remove all traces of your previous OS as files and
documents. Remember, this option will wipe off everything on your
hard drive and if you don't have backup copy, you could never see your data in
future.
Backup Hardware Drivers Too
It is possible that new Windows 8 could failed to support some or
all of your system hardware parts and Windows 8 upgrade assistant may flag such
items to be not able to carry forward to Windows 8. You don't want to lose your
important drivers, right? For same, you are advised to backup your driver’s
setup copy and place it somewhere else and use it later for installing those
items again in your Windows 8.
Gather Product Keys and Setup File
As you choose to install Windows 8 and wipe off all your previous
applications programs that is important but later you realizes and wants to
carry it with your new Windows 8, you need setup files as well as license keys
of the same.
This is all you need to take care of before going to install the
next generation OS-Windows 8 on you new build o old PC. If you believe
some or all of your hardware configurations are too old and couldn't handle the
burden of Windows 8, you'll need to upgrade it ASAP to taste benefits of
Windows 8.
You can follow me on Twitter @techieworld1 or like my Facebook page to stay updated about any latest
happenings on Windows 8. I'll appreciate your sharing and plussing.