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Windows 8 RTM Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

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We all know that Microsoft has released Windows 8 RTM (final version) and there are many questions related to Windows 8 which are coming in people minds. We have received so many emails about Windows 8 from various AskVG readers asking almost same questions. So today in this topic we are going to answer all those frequently asked questions (FAQs) related to Windows 8.

Windows_8_New_Logo.png

So without wasting time, lets share Windows 8 RTM FAQs:

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Q.1. What is Windows 8 RTM? Is it final version of Windows 8 or is it yet another testing build similar to Developer Preview, Consumer Preview and Release Preview?

Ans. Windows 8 RTM is the final version. RTM means “Release To Manufacturing”.

Q.2. Can I download Windows 8 RTM similar to previous free testing versions?

Ans. Yes, you can download a free 90-day trial version of fully functional Windows 8 RTM using following link:

Download 90-Day Trial Version of Windows 8 RTM Absolutely Free

Q.3. Can I download a full version of Windows 8 RTM not a trial version?

Ans. Yes, you can purchase Windows 8 as mentioned in following article:

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How to Download or Order Windows 8 Setup DVD Online?

Q.4. What are the system requirements of Windows 8 RTM?

Ans. Windows 8 system requirements are almost similar to Windows 7 system requirements. So if your computer system runs Windows 7 fine, it’ll also run Windows 8 smoothly. You can check out official Windows 8 system requirements at following link:

Windows 8 System Requirements

Q.5. I already have a Windows installed in my system, can I upgrade the existing Windows to Windows 8?

Ans. Yes, you can upgrade from Windows XP, Vista or Windows 7 to Windows 8 but there are some limitations.

Upgrade from Windows 7:

If you upgrade your system from Windows 7 to Windows 8, you’ll be able to keep your user accounts and files, installed programs and Windows settings.

Upgrade from Windows Vista:

If you upgrade your system from Windows Vista to Windows 8, you’ll be able to keep your user accounts and files and Windows settings but you won’t be able to keep installed programs.

Upgrade from Windows XP:

If you upgrade your system from Windows XP to Windows 8, you’ll be able to keep your user accounts and files but you won’t be able to keep installed programs and Windows settings.

Check out following article for more information:

[Windows 8 Upgrade Paths] How to Upgrade from Windows XP, Vista, 7 to Windows 8?

Q.6. Should I upgrade my existing Windows to Windows 8 or should I install it separately?

Ans. Installing Windows 8 separately on a different partition and doing a dual-boot between existing Windows version and Windows 8 would be a better idea. It’ll help you in uninstalling/removing Windows 8 easily from your system in future if you want. Also you’ll not have any chance of data loss and your existing Windows version will remain untouched.

Q.7. If I upgrade my existing Windows to Windows 8, will I able to uninstall Windows 8 in future and return to previous Windows version?

Ans. No. You can’t go back to previous Windows version. You’ll need to reinstall it using setup disk.

Q.8. How to install Windows 8 in a virtualization software like VMware Workstation, VirtualBox, Virtual PC, etc?

Ans. Installing Windows 8 in virtualization software would be a wise idea. It’ll help you in testing and learning Windows 8 before actually installing it in your system.

Check out following video which contains a step-by-step demo to show you how to install Windows 8 in Virtual Box:

Also take a look at following links to have an idea which software can be used to install Windows 8 virtually:

Q.9. Will all my favorite software programs work in Windows 8?

Ans. Yes. Almost all existing software which work in Windows 7, should also work in Windows 8. Microsoft also provides a complete list of all software and devices which are compatible with Windows 8. You can visit the complete list at this link.

Also all Windows 7 tips-n-tricks work fine in Windows 8. Check out following exclusive article to read many useful tips which were posted for Windows 7 but also work in Windows 8:

Best Windows 7 Registry Tweaks and Tips-n-Tricks Which Work in Windows 8

Q.10. I installed Windows 8 but I can’t find the Start button. How can I get it back?

Ans. Microsoft has removed Start button and Start Menu from Windows 8. Start Menu has been replaced by new Start Screen and Start button has been replaced by a small Start Screen thumbnail which appears when you move the cursor to bottom-left corner of screen.

You can get Start Menu and Start button back in Windows 8 using various freeware mentioned in following topic:

[AIO] List of All Free Software to Get Start Menu and Start Button Back in Windows 8

Q.11. As soon as I log into Windows 8, it shows the new Start Screen. Is there a way to skip Start Screen and directly boot into Windows Desktop similar to previous Windows versions?

Ans. Yes. You can take help of following guide to skip Start Screen and boot into Windows 8 Desktop:

How to Skip Metro Start Screen and Boot Directly into Desktop in Windows 8?

Q.12. Windows 8 Explorer comes with Office style Ribbon UI, can I get rid of it?

Ans. Sure. Check out following topic:

5 Easy Ways to Remove Ribbon from Windows 8 and 8.1 Explorer

Q.13. As soon as I move the mouse cursor to top-right corner of screen to close a window, the new Charms Bar appears automatically. How can I disable it?

Ans. Microsoft has introduced new hot corners feature in Windows 8. You can disable these hot corners such as App Switcher, Charms Bar, etc using following topics:

Q.14. How to shutdown or restart my system in Windows 8? I can’t find these options.

Ans. There are several ways to access power options in Windows 8. Check out following guides:

Q.15. When I dual boot between Windows 8 and a previous Windows version, first Windows 8 loads and then it shows a new Metro boot loader to select the OS. Can I disable it and get the classic boot loader back?

Ans. Yes. You can enable the Windows Vista and 7 style boot loader in Windows 8 using following tutorial:

Disable New Metro Boot Loader and Enable Windows Vista / 7 Style Boot Loader in Windows 8?

Q.16. I can’t find the “Advanced Appearance Settings” in Windows 8 Desktop Personalization window. How to access them?

Ans. Microsoft has moved them to a new location. Check out following topics for more info:

Q.17. I’m not getting Aero glass effect in program windows. Only Taskbar is transparent without reflection and blur effects. How can I enable Aero glass in Windows 8?

Ans. Microsoft has completely removed Aero glass from Windows 8. Currently there are no known ways to get it back. Check out following article for more info:

Is There Any Way to Enable Aero Glass Transparency in Windows 8?

But you can enable transparency without blur or a hidden Aero Lite theme in Windows 8 using following tricks:

Q.18. I don’t like the new lock screen in Windows 8 and I want to disable it in my system. I couldn’t find any option to turn it off. How can I get rid of the lock screen in Windows 8?

Ans. Microsoft doesn’t provide any direct option to disable Windows 8 lock screen but you can use group policy or Registry tweak to get rid of lock screen. Check out following tutorial:

How to Disable Lock Screen in Windows 8?

Above are the most frequently asked questions about Windows 8. If you have any other question in mind, please feel free to ask it in your comment.

Published in: 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.

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Comments

NOTE: Older comments have been removed to reduce database overhead.

  1. Just downloading it…
    Hope it is as good as Windows 7 or may be better (Loved Windows 7).

  2. thank you for the FAQs posted. it made me decide to try to upgrade from windows 7 to 8.it’s working smoothly in my laptop.

  3. Hi VG~.
    I Downloaded Windows 8 RTM 90-days trial . When I am Installing Windows 8 it shows an error

    ” Windows cannot install required files. The file may be corrupt or missing. Make sure all files required for installation are available, and restart the installation.
    Error code: 0x80070570 ”

    Thanks!

  5. ^^ It looks most probably a corrupt ISO problem. You’ll need to try to re-download the file and make sure you have a good Internet connection.

  6. Thanks VG!, there was a setuperr.log file

    Error applying F:\Windows\WinSxS\wow64_microsoft-windows-wpd-portabledevicesqm_31bf3856ad364e35_6.2.9200.16384_none_b613ca74a511baea\sqmapi.dll. GLE [1392][gle=0x00000570]

  7. Every time I try to open certain file types (such as PDF) it ALWAYS asks me if I still want to use the default program. There should be an option that says ‘don’t ask me again’ or something similar. What’s the trick?

  9. I’ve been looking all over for a solution to a problem I’ve been having with Windows 8. I have Test Drive Unlimited 2 for the PC, but no solutions seem to be available as to how to run the game in full screen, it always launches in windowed mode….do you know how I can change this so that it can launch in full screen? I can’t see anything in the game to run it in full screen with the display options. Any ideas?

  10. Good job with the website. Didn’t find what I was looking for, but I don’t doubt the stuff here will come in handy!

  11. DEAR
    I HAVE UPGRADED TO WINDOWS 8 AND I FORGOT TO UPDATE THE WINDOWS OFFICE STARTER BEFORE I UPGRADED. NOW WHATS THE OPTION?

  12. ^^ So what? You can still use the Office version in Windows 8 or you can upgrade it inside Windows 8 if you want.

  14. now i’m using widows 8, but in my explorer every i scroll down it back to top again and again.. Help please ?

    thanks before..

  15. I downloaded windows 8 pro but it will not let me open any apps it keeps telling my screen resolution is too low but it’s as high as possible

  16. My screen resolution is 1024×600. Is there any way I can make it work or is my screen just too small?

  18. Hey VG u r doing great work. I read somewhere that u can install ny version of windows 8 (pro , enterprise,etc.) from the same iso(doesn’t matter which one you have) by just deleting the ei.cfg file present in sources folder of the iso .Is this possible? Also besides various version, can I install x86 and x64 os by deleting the same? Plz comment

  19. another ques. while activating windows 8 by phone the country is selected to as Afghanistan by default and I cannot change it(its disabled) ny help on this front?

  21. @VG thanx for ur reply and I checked my regional settings and they r correct plz look up the issue, I can wait for a few days….

  22. ^^ I found someone else having similar problem:

    social.technet.microsoft.com/Forums/windows/en-US/499cc515-2fc6-45f5-8c72-1ddb961e6581/activate-windows-8-enterprise-over-the-phone-the-option-to-choose-what-country-you-are-calling-from

  23. ^^ solved the problem by going to the command prompt(admin) and then typed out slui 4(with space in b/w slui and 4) and I got the option to chose other countries which were not available till now. Hope this help others too. Thanx for ur reply that lead me to various searches to ultimate find the solution.

  24. Hey hi Vg, actually I wanted to know if there is a utility or software or program to download all windows 8 and office 2013 updates at once and just add new ones so that we can install them as per our request, I mean so that there is no need to download them again and again if I format my pc.I know of windows update downloader but it doesn’t provide office updates and also whether all updates are there or not. Secondly, there is this software called windows hotfix downloader which provide both windows and office update but doesn’t work in some countries(I know of india). So if u could tell me a utility I would be very obliged.☺☻☺

  26. Hey VG I was trying the ucweb hd web browser available through the windows app store but I m facing a problem that it doesnot support CTRL+ENTER option to input www and com to the url address, so do u know any other way for this bcoz it gets annoying to type www and com for each address and I m liking it for its interface and we all know it from our mobile how it uses fast and compression method to load web pages, ny help would be appreciated.
    -8th Oct. 2013, 14:22 GMT

  27. ^^ Sorry but I have not used this web browser so cant help much. Regarding Ctrl+Enter keyboard shortcut, if the browser doesnt come with this feature, you cant force enable it.

  28. hi vg…
    i have enabled hyperV and virtual machine stuff(i dont remember the exact name of the option in BIOS to enable the hyperV) to develop apps for WP8.1.

    i have noticed that after enabling these options heavy games like Far cry 4 and COD AW have started to lag very much. Problem is i am not sure if this is because i have enabled HyperV on my Windows 8.1. I have a fairly decent PC config to run these games, i have already played games like crysis3 and far cry 3 (before enabling hyperV) with no such issues
    here is my PC spec as below.

    Gigabyte GA880GM USB3
    corsair vengeance ddr3 8gb
    amd phenom ii x6 1075t
    seagate sshd 1tb
    CPU cooler

    i have not tried disabling HyperV and i would hate to toggle hyperV whenever i need to play game or develop app.

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