Quick article on my first experience upgrading from Windows Vista to Windows 8. This falls under the promotion for $39.99; Microsoft will let users upgrade from Windows Vista or Windows XP to Windows 8. It’s a really good price to get off of the older versions of Windows onto the latest one. Normally a Windows 7 upgrade kit costs around $140, so the savings are real. I believe this deal is good until January 31, 2013, but I believe they will extend the deal longer.
I must say overall the upgrade process was painless. Simply searchGooglefor “windows 8 upgrade” and the first listing is for the official Microsoft upgrade to Windows 8 page (or click on the Windows 8 logo below). On this page, you will download a small file that will then handle all the rest. This file also acts like an advisor program as it scans your current programs and tells you about any known incompatibilities. In my case, there weren’t any problems detected and all was a go for Windows 8.
The next step was buying a Windows 8 license for just $39.99. The upgrade software takes you through a few pages where you can pay by credit card or, my personal favorite, PayPal. After going through the shopping cart and purchasing the upgrade, the system begins to install.
The machine I happened to be working on had a solid state drive, so it installed VERY fast; I’d say the whole thing installed in less than 30 minutes. After the install is done, I would recommend a few 3rd-party programs to get the desktop more familiar. That is probably my only gripe with Windows 8; they got rid of the start menu!
Be sure to install the following programs after a fresh Windows 8 install for the best user experience:
- Object Dock (makes your programs look like little icons on the bottom, like a Mac)
- Classic Shell (replaces a generic start menu where the Windows one used to be)
- Google Chrome (because I hate the Internet Explorer browser in Windows 8)
All in all, after the Windows 8 install, the machine is blazing fast! Incredible value for $39.99 without a doubt; nice work Microsoft!