How to update "Windows 7" to "Windows 8" independently? Windows 8

In comparison with the seventh modification of Windows, the eighth version looks innovative and even somewhat unusual (if only for the reason that it does not have the familiar "Start" button and completely changed the graphical interface). Not surprisingly, many users also wanted to update "Windows 7" to "Windows 8". About how to do this by the simplest methods, now we will talk.

How to update "Windows 7" to "Windows 8": preliminary actions

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 requires a 2-core processor with a clock speed of not less than 1 GHz, 1 GB RAM for 32-bit version and 2 GB for 64-bit version, graphics adapter compatible with DirectX 9, with support for WDDM drivers, display, Which supports a screen resolution of 1024 x 768 pixels and free space on a 16 GB hard drive for 32-bit and 20 GB for 64-bit. In addition, if you plan to use touch input, the screen should support multi-touch technology.

To make a complete and most accurate diagnosis for the compatibility of the computer with Windows 8, it's best to immediately go to the official Microsoft resource and download a special "Update Wizard" from it, after which you can get exhaustive information about your system.

Is it possible to upgrade the "Seven" to "Windows 8" for free?

Another important issue of renewal is the problem of financial costs. If you approach this from a legal point of view, the system will have to be bought formally.

If you purchase a license disk from "Windows 8" in Russian, the activation code will be indicated on the box. If you buy the distribution through the website of the corporation, the code will be sent to the e-mail address specified during registration. But the Internet is full of unofficial distributions, which can be downloaded and completely free. But in this case it should be remembered that this is at least illegal.

Update Options

As for the upgrade itself, the update from "Windows 7" to "Windows 8" can be implemented in two main ways:

• Installation using the "Update Helper" (the one that checked the compatibility of the computer);
• Installation from an installation disk or other removable media.

The first option is simpler. And for the second method, the installer can be run directly in the Windows 7 environment without setting special boot priorities in the BIOS to start the installation process, bypassing the boot of the previous operating system.

Installing the system using the Update Helper

We go directly to the installation and use the "Assistant" to quickly and easily update "Windows 7" to "Windows 8".

After the start of the program, we select the OS installation. The next step is to perform one of three actions:

• Save current settings, settings and user data;
• Save only personal data;
• Do not save anything.

That they choose this? If you save everything (the first item), the new installed system can inherit the old errors, but all the user programs that will work in the new system will remain. In the second case, as already understood, only the user's registration data (Microsoft account, local "account", passwords, etc.) will be saved without programs. In the third case, the user will receive a so-called clean system. We choose what is required, and then it will only remain 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.

Next, as in the past case? Follow the prompts of the installer and come up with a suggestion for installing updates. To save time, they can be abandoned, but from the practical point of view they should be established.

Next, you enter the product key, and only after that, the window for selecting the saving of current parameters appears. Again, choose what is required and wait for the installation process to finish. The computer in both versions can be rebooted several times. At the end of the installation, you will only have to adjust the system settings (in the "clean" Windows 8 it is enough to use the standard settings, if you save the settings of the previous system, you do not need to do anything).

Upgrading to version 8.1

As you can see, it is not so difficult to update "Windows 7" to "Windows 8". Now a few words about the upgrade to version 8.1.

Download the update can be completely free of charge directly from the Microsoft resource. If automatic updating is enabled on the system itself (by default this is the case), the offer to install Windows 8.1 will be received through the "Update Center", after which it will only be necessary to agree to the start of the installation.

A few words at a time

Here were described the most simple methods for installing the eighth version of Windows over the seventh. But there is one more point related to the fact that the user may have a disk with several versions of the system, or the installation is made from the Internet. At a certain stage it will be necessary to choose a modification already for Windows 8 (usual, several corporate or professional versions).

Separately, it is worth mentioning that it is highly recommended to 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 driver versions for all devices. In this case, you can be firmly confident that the system will work without failures and conflicts between the software environment and the hardware.

As for storing parameters and user data, this item should be used only if there are programs on the computer that are absolutely necessary for further work. As mentioned above, the new system can inherit the errors of the old one, so in the absence of critical software components, it is better to install a "clean" OS, which will save the user from the occurrence of failures (possibly even immediately after the installation is completed). In principle, before starting the installation, you can perform a comprehensive test of Windows 7 by some optimizer or use utilities such as Microsoft Fix It to fix problems.

In the new system, the files of the previous OS may remain on the system disk (usually the Windows.old folder). You only need to remove them from the Disk Cleanup tool, which you can launch from the property menu of the section called by the right click on the drive letter, selecting the property bar, and going to the general settings tab. But you can not delete this system folder from the file manager.