Windows 8 I spent most of today working in Windows 7!

[MikeHawthorne]

Hi

Today I logged into Windows 7 for most of the day.
I did all the updates, security scans, new video drivers etc.

Then I messed around with some of the stuff I've been doing in Windows 8.

I can't get Google Chrome to work in Windows 7 for some reason but everything else is normal. Chrome opens but won't go to any page. I ran all my malware scans didn't find anything, and Internet Explorer works fine. Even removing and reinstalling Chrome didn't help.

Windows 7 really feels slow!!!

I could hardly stand to work in it.

I guess my mind is made up, as soon as Windows 8 becomes available I'll be a full time user, especially at the price they are going to sell it for.

I think I'll then, remove Windows 7 and install Ubuntu as my backup OS.

I like dual booting, it means that you can almost always get into your computer, even when things go to pot.

Here is a question, I assume the disks they are selling for $39 is an upgrade.

Will it let you install in on another partition the way we do now, or will it insist on replacing Windows 7?

Better yet will it let us upgrade our present Windows 8 install so we don't have to start all over again?

Mike

 

[Drew]

Mike,

Right now I think clean installs can be done from the 'Upgrade' but, please, standby as I expect to have a definitive answer to this very soon. I'm just waiting for some contacts of mine in MS to get back to me.

Cheers,
Drew

 

[davehc]

This may clarify the situation for you, Mike. This was a definitive article. The goalposts have moved a little. You can upgrade over an existing, and legal, OS, and you can install from within that OS, even to reformatting, but you cannot do an installation from scratch.

Upgrade to Windows 8 Pro for $39.99

 

[MikeHawthorne]

Hi Dave.

Thanks for the info.

I'd prefer to install to a new clean partition and remove my Windows 7 install later, after I have everything up and running.

But I have 4 external hard drives I will back absolutely everything up before I do the upgrade.

Then I may as well format my C:\ drive and start clean.

I wonder if I can install over my Windows 7 installation and keep my present Windows 8 install intact until I get everything squared away. I hate to wipe my hard drive and not have a working OS some place on my computer, just in case.

Mike

 

[Drew]

Mike,

Ok, here's the answer... after a couple of E-mails & a long phone conversation w/ my cousin who works in Redmond, for MS, who was, actually on the Windows7 Build Team & is, obviously close, in his position, to what's what w/ Windows8. Furthermore, before we talked, on my behalf, he took the query to his colleagues responsible for Win8 Deployment & Start-up. That said, NO, cannot use Upgrade to do a clean install on a blank HDD or SSD, for that matter.

However, you can take a blank drive, throw say, XP, Vista, Win7 or even Win8 RP on it and then install the Upgrade telling it to keep nothing which, will format the drive as part of the install process... this would be the recommended approach as it, in effect, amounts to a clean install. Keep in mind, if using the RP, you better already have the RP because once Win8 goes RTM the RP will no longer be available for DL.

The (old) "double pass trick" used w/ Win7 Upgrade discs will not be doable w/ Win8 Upgrade discs or .ISOs. W/ 8 a Key must be entered for the install to proceed & the delayed Activation question/option does not exist @ the beginning of the Win8 install, either. As well, remember you don't buy the software, you buy a license. All the SKUs are on an install disc (or ISO) but, it's the Key, the License that determines what you get. Ergo, if, you tell, assuming there the choice/option, it to do a "custom" install but, have bought an Upgrade License (Key), you will get told the Key does not match what you are trying to do. Plus, if, it doesn't 'see' anything, an OS, already on the drive, the Upgrade (install) will not proceed.

So, bottom line... if, to save money, an Upgrade Win8 is used to a virgin drive that drive cannot be blank. But, you can throw a legit OS on it, even Win8 RP and then turn around & tell it, the Win8 Install, not to keep anything, thereby formatting that drive & in effect clean installing Win8 using Upgrade.

We will always encourage & recommend clean over a true Upgrade, keeping stuff from the prior OS & w/out formatting. Although, the upgrading w/ Win8 is WAY more sophisticated & more likely to give or end up w/ better results than w/ previous Windows OS Upgrade paths. For example, just being able to do upgrades from all of XP, Vista & 7 w/out losing everything; before, w7, you couldn't do upgrades from XP, @ all.

Anyway, I really hope this gives closure & clarifies the issue. The only other route for clean installs on blank drives is Full Win8 or Win8 System Builder Product. I do not have a price on that, yet.

Cheers,
Drew

 

[MikeHawthorne]

Hi

Any incite as to whether I can keep my Windows 8 install intact temporarily on another drive, until I have my upgrade of Windows 7 finished and set up.

It's always easier to transfer some things from one to another then to start from scratch, especially with my now 74 year old brain.

At least I'd have something to look at to remind me of what I did before.
I could remove it from the boot sequence before upgrading.

Mike

 

[davehc]

Why not! The current release expires on 16 Jan. So if you nip in early, you should have a couple of months to play with both.

 

[MikeHawthorne]

Well that's what I'm going to try.
I don't really want to start with a blank page and have to remember everything I did already.

 

[Medico]

For now my intention is to install Win 8 Pro directly into my Win 7 partition (after making a complete image of Win 7 just prior to the installation of course). This way I will have Win 8 Pro on C Drive, Win 8 RP on D Drive, and my data drive. Once I have Win 8 Pro fully customized to my liking and everything working properly, then I can decide whether I should delete the Win 8 RP partition and resize C to include this unallocated space. The plan is that this will happen fairly quickly.

I see no real reason to keep Win 8 RP once Win 8 Pro is working as expected. Since I have a retail version of Win 7 Ultimate, this will then be available for use elsewhere should the need arise since it will be deleted from it's original partition and no longer in use. Since I do own this license, it can be used elsewhere by me.

 

[MikeHawthorne]

Hi Ted

Haven't seen you around for a while.

That's what I'm going to do too.
I'll leave the beta running until I have Windows 8 configured and everything installed in it.

Then I'll delete RP.

I'm not going to miss Windows 7, I'm surprised I really liked W7 but I haven't used it in so long now that it seems strange.
And Slow!!!

I can't wait to get my hands on a real copy of 8.

I'll either merge my Windows 8 partition back into Drive D, or format it and install Ubuntu on it.
I like having a back up OS handy.

Mike