Is Your PC Ready for Windows 8? Check Yourself Using Windows 8 Upgrade Assistant

We all are aware of the new OS “Windows 8” from Microsoft. When it was under development, Microsoft released a few testing versions of Windows 8 such as Developer Preview, Consumer Preview and Release Preview to public for free so that people can test the OS and can provide the feedback to Microsoft. It helped Microsoft in fixing the issues and bugs to make Windows 8 a perfect OS.

Recently Microsoft completed the development of Windows 8 and released it to manufacturing. First it was released to TechNet and MSDN subscribers and a free 90-day trial version of Windows 8 RTM was also provided to public for free.

Today Microsoft has released the final version of Windows 8 to public and now it can be purchased from market and online stores. It’ll also come preinstalled in new computer and touch enabled devices such as tablets and smartphones.

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If you are going to purchase a new Windows 8 computer, it’ll be already compatible with Windows 8 but if you are planning to upgrade your existing computer to Windows 8 RTM, you’ll need to know whether its compatible with Windows 8 and whether your existing hardware supports Windows 8?

You can check out following article containing system requirements for Windows 8:

Windows 8 System Requirements

Microsoft has also released a portable tool “Windows 8 Upgrade Assistant” which will help you in finding whether your PC is ready for Windows 8 or not.

When you’ll run the tool for first time, it’ll automatically scan your hardware and installed programs and will show you a report containing compatibility information.

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You can also check which apps and devices are compatible with Windows 8 and which are not by clicking on “See compatibility details” link. You can save or print the report as well.

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It’ll also help you in choosing the Windows settings, personal files, documents and apps which you want to keep while upgrading your existing OS to Windows 8.

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At last it’ll also let you download or order Windows 8 RTM DVD online.

Interested people can download the free tool using following link:

Please note that if you are using Windows 7 in your computer, your files, apps, and settings will easily transfer to Windows 8. But if your PC is running Windows XP or Windows Vista, you’ll need to reinstall your apps after you upgrade to Windows 8.

Check out following article for more details:

Windows 8 Upgrade Paths for Windows XP, Vista and 7

Published in: Software, Windows 8

About the author: Vishal Gupta (also known as VG) has been awarded with Microsoft MVP (Most Valuable Professional) award. He holds Masters degree in Computer Applications (MCA). He has written several tech articles for popular newspapers and magazines and has also appeared in tech shows on various TV channels.

Comments

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  1. Hi vg thanks 4 update , my question is that i installed win8 cp , it is a clean istalled over vista os which i had previously . Now i want to upgrade win 8 pro by using 39$ upgrade offer . So is it necessary to install vista os to upgrade win 8 pro.

  2. Thanks VG.

    I just received my promo code for the $15 upgrade. I’m using the Enterprise Evaluation right now, but it’s the same as the final release right? I can just keep on using the evaluation until it’s close to expiring then upgrade.

  3. I tried the consumer preview of Win 8 for almost three months and I got to say the only things I was impressed with was the boot and shut down times and the amount of customization you can do.

  4. VG, it was said in the System Requirements that 1GB RAM will be able to run a 32-bit Windows 8. But when I ran the Windows 8 Upgrade Assistant, it said that I should have 2GBs of RAM. I am currently running a 64-bit Windows 7 Ultimate with 1GB of RAM only.

  5. ^^ I think its happening because you are running Upgrade Assistant in 64-bit OS. If you run it in 32-bit OS, it’ll not show that message.

  6. VG, are we allowed to install a 32-bit Windows 8 from a 64-bit Windows 7? I have asked this since I saw a question from the Windows 8 Upgrade Assistant download page in the official Microsoft website. It’s “Can I upgrade from a 32-bit version of Windows to a 64-bit version of Windows 8?” Microsoft also said that if I install a 64-bit Windows 8 from a 32-bit Windows, I won’t be able to transfer my personal files, apps and settings to the newly installed Windows 8. Is this the same for 64-bit to 32-bit? Thank you.

  7. ^^ Officially no.

    @LNico
    You’ll need to boot using Windows 8 32-bit setup disc or USB and then you can install.

  8. I was wondering, if I can buy Widows 8 on line and install it myself with out losing a single iota of info on my PC. At the end of running Windows 8 up grade assistant, I could not conclude much. Woder if I could be helped

  9. Dear All,

    is this good advice to go for Windows 8 Pro with Core 2 Duo processor that holds 3 GB and 120 GB hdd.

    Will 8 pro will work at full force.

    Kindly advice.

    Rgds
    Murugan

  10. Hey Murugan
    Windows 8 requirements are similar to that of windows 7.I am running windows 8 Pro on a system with core 2 duo(T6500-2.1 Ghz) Processor,4 GB Ram And 320 GB hard disk.My system is running without any problem. In fact it is liitle faster than widnows 7 But if resolution of your monitor is lower than 1336×768 then just like me you will not be able to use app snap feature.This does’nt really matter because this feature is not present in windows 7.So you will not miss it.

  11. Secure Boot isn’t compatible with your PC
    Your PC’s firmware doesn’t support Secure Boot so you won’t be able to use it in Windows 8. what is this

  12. ^^ Its an extra security feature for new computers. Old computers dont provide this functionality. You can ignore this message.

  13. Hi, I wanted to ask if Windows 8 could run on my machine, I have 1GB of RAM, Intel 950 GMA video card, and a Intel pentium 4 processor with 2 cores. 3.00ghz.

    A response would be appreciated.

  14. My system config is… 3.06 ghz processor,2 gb ram,128 gb hdd ,i dont have a graphic card and i connect to net often by my dongle … my question is do my system support windows 8….pls help me

  15. Hi, i tried to install windows 8 pro 64 bit on my pc, but when i inserted my usb it just froze at the bootup screen of windows 8, also… no loading symbol…. nothing…. could you help me figure out why?

  16. am giving details about my computer.please look at this and please say is this support windows 8.1?
    processor:-intel (R) pentium (R) D CPU 3.00ghz 3.00ghz
    RAM:-2gb

  17. ^^ Did you try to run the assistant tool? It’ll automatically inspect your computer and will let you know about the hardware and software compatibility.

  18. Can anyone tell me where I can find the download for upgrade assistant from XP to windows 8 or 8.1 please?

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