Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with upgrade and windows

Can I take advantage of $40 Windows 8 if I don't have an older Windows?

grobstein — Sat, 19 Jan 2013 10:29:26 -0800

I currently don't have any version of Windows installed on my PC (it's a Mac). I would like to install Windows on a Bootcamp partition. I noticed that Microsoft has a special offer where they are selling a Windows 8 download for $40 through Jan. 31. That's a good price for me. The possible catch: Microsoft seems to be saying that I need to have an earlier version of Windows installed in order to use that download. I can't quite tell whether they are serious about this. Do I really need to have a preexisting Windows install to take advantage of the $40 Windows 8 offer? For clarity: this is a question about what Microsoft is selling in their $40 deal. Is the download they're selling good enough to allow me to install Win 8 on my Mac, even though I do not have a previous version of Windows installed? If it won't, what's a good alternative?

Help me buy a new laptop!

New England Cultist — Mon, 17 Jan 2011 15:17:25 -0800

Help me buy a new laptop! I've worked on an Acer Aspire 5310 for nearly four years, and in that time, as a student and sometimes low-end gamer it has served all my needs. It's getting a bit long in the tooth now, and I am thinking of upgrading. My computing needs are thus:

-multitasking between programs like Word, Photoshop, Internet browsing

- being able to play certain games, with the most powerful probably being the upcoming Diablo 3

- something that will allow me to slipstream WinXP if I don't find Windows 7 to my liking (likely not a deal breaker, more of a bonus)

- something with a relatively quiet fan would be great

Thanks!

Where can I buy Windows XP?

msbrauer — Tue, 07 Dec 2010 17:13:10 -0800

Is it still possible to buy Windows XP at a reasonable price? My parents have an older desktop computer with Windows 98 (or possibly Windows Me) on it. They have some software that requires XP at least and want to upgrade. The computer probably can't handle Vista or 7. Where can I buy XP?

I have Windows 7 32-bit, what is the easiest/cheapest way to upgrade to 64-bit?

gibbsjd77 — Fri, 15 Oct 2010 05:53:07 -0800

I purchased Windows 7 at a discounted rate through my school. I didn't realize this at the time, but because I got the 32-bit version I am not getting full usage of all my RAM (8 GB). It says that I only have 3.75 GB "usable". Obviously, I would like to get the most out of my CPU performance. What is the best/easiest/cheapest way to upgrade from 32-bit Windows 7 to 64-bit Windows 7? I already tried the Windows "Anytime Upgrade" and it will not let you switch between the two. Also, will I have to backup before I make the switch or will it keep all of my data? Thank you for your time.

Can a HP Pavilion dv6780se notebook handle windows 7 x64 edition?

isopropyl — Mon, 28 Jun 2010 16:24:38 -0800

I'm currently running Windows 7 x86 fine and everything runs great. I did however run a routine pc audit with Belarc Advisor and noticed my PC was "64-bit ready". Here are the details of my dv6700 (dv6780se as stated on the bottom sticker) --1.67 gigahertz Intel Core2 Duo-- --64 kilobyte primary memory cache-- --2048 kilobyte secondary memory cache-- --3072 Megabytes Usable Installed Memory-- System info does state I'm running a 32-bit OS. I have access to a win 7 x64 and would assume a performance increase. Also HP dropped all support of windows 7 drivers on older machines.

I need help upgrading my windows OS 6.1 to 6.5

omaralarifi — Tue, 06 Oct 2009 06:38:18 -0800

I want to upgrade my HTC Touch HD GSM Windows OS from 6.1 to 6.5. What is 1.56.OliNex simple comprehensive English? what is the difference between upgrading through HSPL and USPL? I don't really know the meaning and the difference between HSPL and USPL, and which one is recommended and less risky? I went to xda-developers.com and couldn't comprehend there well.

Upgrading to Win-7 - Help me

jameslavelle3 — Sat, 19 Sep 2009 08:22:24 -0800

Can I buy the "upgrade" version of Windows 7 if I am also upgrading my hard drive at the same time? I have a purchased OEM version Vista Ultimate (x86) on my desktop right now and I want to upgrade to Windows 7 Professional (x64); however, I also want to upgrade my hard drive at the same time to a solid-state drive. Can I get the upgrade version of win-7, and if so how would the installation work on a new hard drive? Or do I need the buy the full version?

Minimum PC specs for playing HD video files?

wastelands — Thu, 26 Mar 2009 08:08:07 -0800

What are the minimum specs for a PC to play HD video files smoothly? I need to replace my ancient P4 2.8 GHz (w/onboard video) for several reasons, including that it chokes on some 720p videos during high action/movement scenes. Would your basic ~$480 Dell handle smooth playback of high def video files (.mkv, .avi) on VLC media player? Could I run other apps in the background (browser, IM, etc.) without input or video stutters and lag?

For example something like this:

Intel Core 2 Duo E7400 (3MB L2, 2.8GHz, 1066FSB)
Genuine Windows Vista Home Premium Edition SP1
2GB Dual Channel DDR2 SDRAM at 800MHz- 2DIMMs
500GB Serial ATA Hard Drive (7200RPM) w/DataBurst Cache
Integrated Intel® GMA X4500HD Graphics

Or do I need more power?

Can I upgrade my motherboard and CPU without reinstalling Vista?

adi — Mon, 03 Mar 2008 11:06:52 -0800

Can I upgrade my motherboard and CPU without reinstalling Vista? I'm using a Pentium 930 (Dual core, 3ghz) and want to move up to a Core 2 Quad, but am hoping to avoid a full reinstall.

I would also like to avoid losing my itunes library, and other such settings if possible (installed software, etc.).

How to activate Vista with an uprgrade key?

onshi — Fri, 22 Jun 2007 21:47:05 -0800

Windows Vista Activation: can I move from and un-activated install to Home Premium Upgrade in one fell swoop? One of my PCs was BSOD'n like nobody's business, so I wiped it out and installed Vista from a DVD.

I don't have a valid product key, but I knew from the PR blitz and buzz surrounding the Vista launch that one can be purchased and entered later on, so I soldiered bravely onward.

I now have 17 days and counting to activate. The activation dialog points me to a place where I can buy a Home Premium license for ~$270 CDN, but I have a valid XP Media Centre license and would prefer to pay less for an upgrade license.

Can I just buy Home Premium Upgrade anywhere and plug in the key, or must I choose between paying for a 'full', non-upgrade license and wiping everything out to start from scratch?

Windows Vista full versions, can you upgrade with them?

PetiePal — Mon, 11 Jun 2007 13:01:16 -0800

I want to upgrade to Windows Vista, although I've got a few important questions I can't seem to find answers to... I've decided that the version of Windows Vista I'd like to upgrade to is the Ultimate episode. It's got the few features I really wanted, such as Media Center and Remote Desktop (which was big for me).

Now I'm trying to figure out if I should get the upgrade or full version of the OS. I know you can perform a clean install with the upgrade edition through a work-around that's been discovered in the installation process. I believe this has to do with installing the OS by upgrading unactivated then later upgrading and activating within Vista for a clean full install, bypassing the need for your XP CDs.

However my big question is this:

If I buy a *full* version of Home Premium, Business or Ultimate (not the upgrades) can you perform an upgrade from XP or do these full versions ONLY support a clean-install?

I know I should do a clean install but at this point I really don't have the time to back everything up and catalog the software and settings I've got so an upgrade would be ideal. I would gladly buy a full version of the OS if it means I can both upgrade from XP now, and use it to fresh install in the future. Do the full versions allow you to do both of these installation options or is upgrade exclusive to upgrading only?

Upgrade? Downgrade? I just want it to work.

electroboy — Thu, 01 Feb 2007 11:23:07 -0800

How do I solve this Windows installation problem? It's not a software or hardware problem exactly, more like a logistics problem. Anyway, there's.... So I have a computer with a dead hard drive. I've got a replacement installed, went to install Win XP using the full version disk that I bought a couple of years ago through pricewatch. The problem is that, after moving, I can't find the authentication code. I have an old Win2000 upgrade disk, but no other full version except the XP disk. Here are some possible complications:

1. The XP disk appears to be an OEM that was to be included with a new computer, although it's not brand specific.

2. The 2000 disk is upgrade only.

3. I have no idea what to put on a boot disk so that I can format the drive and snuff the incomplete Win XP installation.

4. Retrieving the authorization code from the old hard drive is not an option because, as far as i can tell, it is fried.

So what's the solution? I'd really rather not shell out another $80-100 for another Windows disk if at all possible. I don't really care whether I have 2000 or XP.

How to redeem XP upgrade to Vista on home-made PC?

drinkspiller — Tue, 30 Jan 2007 19:15:08 -0800

Last month I built my own PC from components purchased from Newegg.com including Microsoft Windows XP Pro SP2b 1pk w/Upgrade Coupon for Vista - OEM What do I enter as my "PC-Model" and "Serial" at the upgrade site listed on the upgrade redemption certificate since my home-rolled PC has neither a manufacturer model number nor a serial number? One of the reviews on the NewEgg product page says:

"Here's what newegg customer service told me: "YES – ALL customers who purchased during this promotional time will qualify and be honored the promotion. Regardless if a Microsoft rep said otherwise. If they experience an denials, please report to newegg. "YES – The customer will still qualify even though they didn’t purchase a PC system. ...all purchase promotions will be honored. "If you have any further questions or concerns, please visit our FAQs page." There's nothing useful in the FAQ that I could find."

Well, that sounds promising, but isn't exactly helpful. AskMeFi to the rescue?

How do I move from Windows 98 to Windows XP?

RavinDave — Fri, 28 May 2004 06:04:03 -0800

Updating Windows98 SE to Windows XP. (mi) Understand, I come from the Unix world, so I don't know alot of things about Windows that are second nature to most of you.

I have my old copy of Windows 98. I have a new update disk for Windows XP. I would be re-installing my old system then installing XP over the top of it, right?

Do I need to get all the patches and upgrades first (are they even available now?), or would those be anticipated by the upgrade disk already?

Windows ME to XP upgrade questions

Termite — Sun, 02 May 2004 22:30:42 -0800

The bell tolls for ME. Help this loser to upgrade from Windows ME to XP Pro. [4 questions inside...] I have two hard drives. The operating system and all programs are on hard drive 1; all the files are on HD 2. If I do a clean install on HD 1, to make sure anything that could cause problems is wiped out, what will happen to my files on HD 2? Do I have to backup HD 2 on CD-R and load everything back? That's about 27 GB, so I'm not looking forward to it...

When upgrading to XP, people recommend changing the file system from FAT32 to NTFS. What about the files on hard drive 2? Can I convert hard drive 2 to NTFS without damaging the files?

Where is the desktop background picture hidden? I've made my own and I'd like to save it.

Finally, could someone explain why I shouldn't log into the computer as administrator? It seems like I need to create two accounts for myself - administrator and user.

XP update question

keswick — Mon, 08 Mar 2004 08:36:45 -0800

I just got DSL and XP is nagging me to update... [mi] I remember reading on Slashdot that one of the XP updates contains some spyware or excessively draconian DRM. Assuming I'm not misremebering this, should I update to SP1?

Will upgrading my Vaio to XP wreck my settings?

Vidiot — Fri, 02 Jan 2004 14:04:10 -0800

I'm about to upgrade my beloved Sony Vaio laptop from Windows Me (blecch) to XP. Will this screw up my previously installed drivers, software, documents, etc? Anything I should know before I start?