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System Requirements
- Platform: Windows 8
- Media: DVD-ROM
- Item Quantity: 1
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Product Description
Product Description
This product comes in 5 different box designs. The box design you receive may differ from that shown in the image above. The image to the right shows the different designs available.
If you currently have a personal computer running Windows 7, Windows XP or Windows Vista then you can upgrade to Windows 8 Pro (Professional). With Windows 8 Pro, you can connect and share your files. Windows 8 Pro also adds enhanced features if you need to connect to company networks, access remote files, encrypt sensitive data, and other more advanced tasks.
The new Windows 8 start screen is your personalized home for items you use the most and can be customized according to your user preferences. Windows 8 Live tiles provide real-time updates from your Facebook, Twitter, and e-mail accounts. Along with the new Start screen, the lock screen now includes e-mail, calendar, and clock widgets.
To access your PC, Microsoft has replaced a standard PIN or password with a swipe gesture; unlock your PC by clicking or swiping preset locations you’ve selected on the lock screen. New functions also allow you to search for your favorite software programs, open, close, hide, resize, or run multiple apps simultaneously with the swipe of a finger or a swipe of the mouse.
Windows has also made changes to make your PC more secure by boosting its existing security features and adding "SmartScreen," which acts to prevent suspicious programs or apps from being installed or running on your machine. Finally, Windows 8 also gives you the ability to "refresh" itself to give users a new starting point and a cleaner version of Windows.
You can upgrade to Windows 8 from Windows 7, Windows Vista, Windows XP, Windows 8 Release Preview, Windows 8 Consumer Preview, or Windows Developer Preview, but you might not be able to keep all of your files, software programs, and settings. The following table shows what you can keep during an upgrade, depending on the current version of Windows you are running. If you choose to boot from removable media, you won’t be able to keep your software programs, Windows settings, or personal files when you upgrade.
| Upgrading from: | What you can keep: |
|---|---|
| Windows 8 Preview | Personal files |
| Windows 8 Developer Preview | Nothing, but your old files will be saved in the "windows.old" folder |
| Windows 7 | Software programs; Windows settings; personal files |
| Windows Vista | Windows settings; personal files |
| Windows XP | Personal files |
System Requirements
- 1 GHz processor
- 2 GB RAM
- 20 GB available hard disk space
- 1366 × 768 screen resolution
- DirectX 9 graphics processor with WDDM driver
Additional Requirements to Use Certain Features
- Internet access (fees may apply)
- For touchscreen, you need a tablet or a monitor that supports multi-touch
- Microsoft account required for some features
- To access the Windows Store and to download and run apps, you need an active Internet connection and a screen resolution of at least 1024 x 768
- To snap apps, you need a screen resolution of at least 1366 x 768
Product Description
Microsoft WIN PRO 8 3264BIT VUP VERSION UPGRADE 3UR00006 Software Operating Systems
Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
222 of 233 people found the following review helpful
By Master1
Windows 8
I would advise that someone who wants to upgrade their machine to Windows 8 to first download Microsoft's upgrade advisor. This will check applications and hardware for compatibility with Windows 8.
Microsoft also has its own pages called Microsoft Compatibility Centre which lists a vast range of software and hardware which will (or won't) work with Windows 8. Both 32-bit and 64-bit, Windows 8 RT and Windows 7 are also included.
Having worked in I.T. for many years (going back to the days of Windows 3.1), and have already installed the pre-releases of Windows 8, I knew what to expect from the upgrade and its new look.
My PC is nearly 4 years old with a 320 Gig Hard Drive, 4 Gigs of RAM, 1 Gig Nvidia Graphics card and a USB Wireless adapter.
I created a new spare partition from the free space on my Hard drive and copied over all the documents and data that I wanted to keep. I already had another copy of documents and data on DVD.
I powered up my machine and set it to boot from the Windows 8 DVD. I selected clean install, resized and formatted my first and second partitions. The installation was fairly quick and I had Windows 8 installed on my machine in under 1 hour.
Windows 8 had installed most drivers apart from my printer, Wireless Adapter and Graphics Card. I downloaded the latest drivers for my USB Wireless adapter and had some trials at getting it to work. Looking on the Internet I found that other people had the same issue and the solution was to install the driver in Windows 7 compatibility mode. Doing this I got access to the internet.
I ran the Windows update in the Control Panel and this downloaded a further 750 Megs of updates.... Read more ›
I would advise that someone who wants to upgrade their machine to Windows 8 to first download Microsoft's upgrade advisor. This will check applications and hardware for compatibility with Windows 8.
Microsoft also has its own pages called Microsoft Compatibility Centre which lists a vast range of software and hardware which will (or won't) work with Windows 8. Both 32-bit and 64-bit, Windows 8 RT and Windows 7 are also included.
Having worked in I.T. for many years (going back to the days of Windows 3.1), and have already installed the pre-releases of Windows 8, I knew what to expect from the upgrade and its new look.
My PC is nearly 4 years old with a 320 Gig Hard Drive, 4 Gigs of RAM, 1 Gig Nvidia Graphics card and a USB Wireless adapter.
I created a new spare partition from the free space on my Hard drive and copied over all the documents and data that I wanted to keep. I already had another copy of documents and data on DVD.
I powered up my machine and set it to boot from the Windows 8 DVD. I selected clean install, resized and formatted my first and second partitions. The installation was fairly quick and I had Windows 8 installed on my machine in under 1 hour.
Windows 8 had installed most drivers apart from my printer, Wireless Adapter and Graphics Card. I downloaded the latest drivers for my USB Wireless adapter and had some trials at getting it to work. Looking on the Internet I found that other people had the same issue and the solution was to install the driver in Windows 7 compatibility mode. Doing this I got access to the internet.
I ran the Windows update in the Control Panel and this downloaded a further 750 Megs of updates.... Read more ›
255 of 269 people found the following review helpful
Windows 8 runs well but is very different and the new tablet focused interface is somewhat jarring on a desktop PC. That this has been designed for platform devices to compete with the dominance of Apple is very apparent in it's whole design.
When you boot, the first thing you see is the new Start Screen. This has replaced the old start menu and pulls apps and services together into this one screen presented as "live tiles" integrating deeply with Windows Live and it's services.
The look and feel is now very clearly optimised for tablets and it's going to be a shock to the system for a lot of people and you have to question whether it's of any real use to Windows 7 users who have all they need.
Programs are all now available via the "apps" search from the start screen, you need to search for them and can then pin them to there or your task bar. Once you start to get used to where things are it does fall into place. A tip for easier navigation is to press the windows key and just start typing the name of what you want to do.
If you prefer to work with the desktop in the traditional way then you'll want to hit the "desktop" option from the start screen.
I've tested a range of my programs and most worked fine for me. The only thing I've had to change was to switch to using Windows Defender for anti virus as my old one didn't work anymore.
Windows 8's main strength is in performance. It runs well and is slightly snappier than Windows 7 was. Having said that, you will get a much more significant speed boost if you install a Solid State drive, that brings huge gains rather than small boosts though I have experienced some reliability concerns of late with mine.
So windows 8...... Read more ›
When you boot, the first thing you see is the new Start Screen. This has replaced the old start menu and pulls apps and services together into this one screen presented as "live tiles" integrating deeply with Windows Live and it's services.
The look and feel is now very clearly optimised for tablets and it's going to be a shock to the system for a lot of people and you have to question whether it's of any real use to Windows 7 users who have all they need.
Programs are all now available via the "apps" search from the start screen, you need to search for them and can then pin them to there or your task bar. Once you start to get used to where things are it does fall into place. A tip for easier navigation is to press the windows key and just start typing the name of what you want to do.
If you prefer to work with the desktop in the traditional way then you'll want to hit the "desktop" option from the start screen.
I've tested a range of my programs and most worked fine for me. The only thing I've had to change was to switch to using Windows Defender for anti virus as my old one didn't work anymore.
Windows 8's main strength is in performance. It runs well and is slightly snappier than Windows 7 was. Having said that, you will get a much more significant speed boost if you install a Solid State drive, that brings huge gains rather than small boosts though I have experienced some reliability concerns of late with mine.
So windows 8...... Read more ›
325 of 354 people found the following review helpful
The new UI that greets you when you first log on to Windows 8 definitely takes you by surprise - and takes time getting used to. It definitely makes sense on a touch-enabled device, but very little on a traditional desktop/laptop. There are nice sides to it (weather app, easy searching a few others) - but I still find Microsoft's decision to "impose" it on non-touch users rather pre-mature.
HOWEVER - the moment you switch to the traditional desktop mode, this version shines. It loads/shuts down faster, it clogs your PC memory less, there are many small tweaks here and there. It's the "leanest" version out there - absolutely no bloatware (and the few "New UI" apps can be easily uninstalled - compare that to VIsta!).
Very easy installation and initial setup.
So, to sum up - if you are using conventional desktops/laptops, most likely you won't use the New UI much - but in no way will it make your traditional desktop experience less efficient and productive. Treat it as just a new form of the now gone Start button, and it's a better form of it. Yes, you have to change the way you do a few things - but without that we'd be still stuck in the DOS era.
If you are using anything older than a Windows 7, go for it - it's a no brainer at this price. If you are using Windows 7 - you might stick to it... However, it is obvious that touch interface is the way forward - there is no coming back to the old ways. So why not embrace the new Windows and master it earlier, rather than later?..
PS Go for the upgrade version available through Microsoft website - it costs only £24.99, is only a 2GB download, and you can still use it for a "clean" install if you wish.... Read more ›
HOWEVER - the moment you switch to the traditional desktop mode, this version shines. It loads/shuts down faster, it clogs your PC memory less, there are many small tweaks here and there. It's the "leanest" version out there - absolutely no bloatware (and the few "New UI" apps can be easily uninstalled - compare that to VIsta!).
Very easy installation and initial setup.
So, to sum up - if you are using conventional desktops/laptops, most likely you won't use the New UI much - but in no way will it make your traditional desktop experience less efficient and productive. Treat it as just a new form of the now gone Start button, and it's a better form of it. Yes, you have to change the way you do a few things - but without that we'd be still stuck in the DOS era.
If you are using anything older than a Windows 7, go for it - it's a no brainer at this price. If you are using Windows 7 - you might stick to it... However, it is obvious that touch interface is the way forward - there is no coming back to the old ways. So why not embrace the new Windows and master it earlier, rather than later?..
PS Go for the upgrade version available through Microsoft website - it costs only £24.99, is only a 2GB download, and you can still use it for a "clean" install if you wish.... Read more ›
Most Recent Customer Reviews
1.0 out of 5 stars
Why?
I find this version of Windows illogical and difficult to understand. I just cant see in what way is it an improvement on previous versions. Read more
Published 16 hours ago by Mr MooMoo
5.0 out of 5 stars
it renew my computer it go better faster than NEW
Do it .Its good to do it renew my computer it go better faster than new. And its easy to do
Published 1 day ago by john james
2.0 out of 5 stars
T00 RESTRICTIVE
Microsoft is starting to treat it's customers as children, they have gone too far with Windows 8, not everyone wants to be treated in this fashion with no start menu and a koisk... Read more
Published 1 day ago by Baldeagle812
1.0 out of 5 stars
rubbish
one word its rubbish stick with 7 less hassle then trying to get this one to work
and when you do it kills your PC not good
and when you do it kills your PC not good
Published 2 days ago by lee
5.0 out of 5 stars
Perfect delivery time
Delivered exactly when stated on morning time slot, and the product is what it is no more can be said.
Published 3 days ago by Mr B Shaw
5.0 out of 5 stars
Excellent product
This is my 5th copy of Windows 8 so you will see I like it - All have been upgrades from W7 and or XP all computers are working very well including the older XP's I have yet to use... Read more
Published 3 days ago by Steve
1.0 out of 5 stars
Don't buy it !
Supplier was excellent, Windows 8 arrived within 24 hours. Can't say the same about the software, the interface is very poor and not intuitive at all. Read more
Published 9 days ago by Mr BA Hamilton
1.0 out of 5 stars
Total frustration and many wasted hours
It has been returned to Amazon and Windows 7 purchased in it's place.
I have spent 2 late nights trying to get the PC to boot. Read more
I have spent 2 late nights trying to get the PC to boot. Read more
Published 9 days ago by Mr. E. Steeds
5.0 out of 5 stars
windows 8pro upgrade
its the first time i have used windows 8 and what a suprise its so fast compared with windows 7 and so easy to use well done microsoft its about time you came near apple on price... Read more
Published 12 days ago by boxer3333
5.0 out of 5 stars
ww8 to get used to
The first time I used it,coming from ww7 and xp,I thought NO! However, it gradually gains and grows on you. Read more
Published 12 days ago by quirinus rijke
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