Windows 8 Upgrade to Win 8 Pro

[davidhk129]

I have my Dell Inspiron running Vista ready to upgrade to Win 8.
Win 8 upgrade assistant gave the green light.

Question :
If I go through Microsoft, here are the cost to upgrade ;
Windows 8 ......................$119.99
Win 8 Pro ........................$249.99

At ebay, I can have Win 8 Pro ( with both 32-bit and 64-bit discs ) for under $120 including shipping
Yes, it is brand new, unopened, and the seller is a top-rated seller.

Will some one please tell me why there is such a big difference?
Thank you.

 

[Saltgrass]

You may want to double check the prices. On Newegg, you can get the Windows 8 Pro OEM version for $139.99. The OEM version seems to be the replacement for the old Windows 7 Retail type, since the rules for OEM installs on Windows 8 have changed from Windows 7 or Vista.

No prior OS is required with the OEM version.... Right now, the Windows 8 Pro Upgrade seems to be going for $69.99. Just make sure exactly what you are buying, it can be confusing.

 

[davidhk129]

Here is an example from ebay: Some sellers have different prices.

http://www.ebay.ca/itm/Microsoft-Wi...perating_Systems_Software&hash=item3384130bd7


The price differential between MS and ebay is so great I need to be sure before I buy it from ebay.

 

[Saltgrass]

I would not buy software from e-bay, I do purchase other things. But your choice, of course.

 

[davidhk129]

I would not buy software from e-bay, I do purchase other things. But your choice, of course.

You mentioned Newegg.
Is there a difference between newegg and ebay?

 

[Saltgrass]

Newegg is an online retailer, like other well known sites. I have had good experiences with Newegg and would be comfortable recommending it. There are certainly other sites equally trustworthy.

E-bay is a bunch of folks selling stuff.... If you purchase from there, what you receive might be exactly what you need.

 

[davidhk129]

Newegg is an online retailer, like other well known sites. I have had good experiences with Newegg and would be comfortable recommending it. There are certainly other sites equally trustworthy.

E-bay is a bunch of folks selling stuff.... If you purchase from there, what you receive might be exactly what you need.

Thank you.

 

[Mike]

Newegg is an online retailer, like other well known sites. I have had good experiences with Newegg and would be comfortable recommending it. There are certainly other sites equally trustworthy.

E-bay is a bunch of folks selling stuff.... If you purchase from there, what you receive might be exactly what you need.

When I was building and selling a lot of computer equipment, NewEgg had no problem issuing refunds on defective parts. In fact, I once ordered a TV from them, it was broken by the carrier, and they completely refunded the cost, including shipping, in exception of their own policies. All of my home office computer equipment, including my main system, are from parts I bought from NewEgg, so I would still recommend them. For cables look at Monoprice as well.

 

[Mitchell_A]

If a seller is top rated on eBay, you can be almost guaranteed that what you get will be genuine. It's always a good idea to check their recent feedback before making any purchases though. I can also vouch personally for NewEgg as I have bought Microsoft Office there before, along with assortments of small hardware.

 

[davidhk129]

If a seller is top rated on eBay, you can be almost guaranteed that what you get will be genuine. It's always a good idea to check their recent feedback before making any purchases though. I can also vouch personally for NewEgg as I have bought Microsoft Office there before, along with assortments of small hardware.

Thank you.
Already bought one 2 days ago.... MS Windows 8 Pro 32/64 bit Upgrade Disk. $74.54 US.( incl. shipping.)

I know the old saying ; if it is too good to be true.......
I am ready to take the hit, if it comes to that.
When the package arrives, I'll find out.

 

[davidhk129]

Update of my original question.......
Just received the package of Windows 8 Pro 32/64 bit upgrade discs with a product key.
Began installing on my 32-bit Vista laptop 15 minutes ago.
Reckon it will take some time.

Meanwhile, I have a question :
I am posting this using my Win 7 64-bit laptop.
The package consists of a 32-bit and a 64-bit disc.
Can I use the 64-bit disc and install Win 8 Pro into my Win 7 laptop ?
Will I be in violation of EULA or whatever ?

Thank you.

 

[davidhk129]

Win 8 Pro 32-bit has been successfully installed and activated.
Took little under 1 hour.

 

[Jimbo22]

Question for you david; does the PC that you installed 8 Pro on have a 64 bit CPU? If so I would have gone with the 64 bit just for the RAM usage.

 

[davidhk129]

Question for you david; does the PC that you installed 8 Pro on have a 64 bit CPU? If so I would have gone with the 64 bit just for the RAM usage.

No, the Vista laptop does not have 64-bit cpu.
That installation is done, and I am satisfied with what I have.

The question now is about my other laptop which is a Win 7 64-bit.

 

[Jimbo22]

Yes and No...you can use the install media to install on the 7 pc but you would need another key.

 

[davidhk129]

OK. Thank you.

 

[davidhk129]

I'll never understand why......
Only about 2 weeks ago, I used this same Vista laptop and installed the Win 8.1 Preview.
Everything ran beautifully but I had trouble configuring a POP email account into Windows Live Mail.
I could receive but could not send.

I used to set up various email accounts for others in the past. I know what I am doing when it comes to Mail.

I reinstalled Vista, getting it ready for Windows 8.
Today, I installed Win 8 Pro 32-bit over Vista. After dust was settled, I installed Windows Live Mail and proceeded to configure my Bell.net POP account.
To my surprise, it went through without a hitch. I can both send and receive, and I used exactly the same account settings as last time.
Win 8 Pro, however, is not as fast as Win 8.1 Preview.
I wonder if I should upgrade to 8.1 after all.

 

[davehc]

A tip, David. You may be aware of this?

I have a separate mailbox, on a spare partition of my HD. This is not affected by subsequent re-installs, or reinsertion of images. By the nature of my work, this happens a lot!

If I should find it necessary to reinstall Windows live mail, First thing I do is go into File-Options-Mail-Advanced -Maintenance, and point it at my mailbox.
It automatically picks up most of my customisation, including all the previous mail. All I then need to do is put in my mail password again.

 

[davidhk129]

A tip, David. You may be aware of this?

I have a separate mailbox, on a spare partition of my HD. This is not affected by subsequent re-installs, or reinsertion of images. By the nature of my work, this happens a lot!

If I should find it necessary to reinstall Windows live mail, First thing I do is go into File-Options-Mail-Advanced -Maintenance, and point it at my mailbox.
It automatically picks up most of my customisation, including all the previous mail. All I then need to do is put in my mail password again.

No, I was not aware of that.
I used that options only if I needed to go to message store, and I did not make that connection.
Thank you for pointing that out.

 

[davidhk129]

I'll never understand why......
Only about 2 weeks ago, I used this same Vista laptop and installed the Win 8.1 Preview.
Everything ran beautifully but I had trouble configuring a POP email account into Windows Live Mail.
I could receive but could not send.

I used to set up various email accounts for others in the past. I know what I am doing when it comes to Mail.

I reinstalled Vista, getting it ready for Windows 8.
Today, I installed Win 8 Pro 32-bit over Vista. After dust was settled, I installed Windows Live Mail and proceeded to configure my Bell.net POP account.
To my surprise, it went through without a hitch. I can both send and receive, and I used exactly the same account settings as last time.
Win 8 Pro, however, is not as fast as Win 8.1 Preview.
I wonder if I should upgrade to 8.1 after all.

I have no proof. However, it has suddenly dawned on me that my issue of " can receive but can not send " while using Win 8.1 Preview is probably because of IE11, since I do not have this problem using Win 8 Pro, IE10.

Speculation, yes. But unless someone tells me he/she has not such problem with the POP account while using Win 8.1 RTM, I'll delay installing 8.1.
Being able to use POP account instead of web-based account is very important to me.