Win7 is unimpeded, XP/Vista cannot be upgraded directly to Win8

According to the news, Microsoft officially announced the Windows 8 version and the difference in functions in the official blog. Compared with Win7, the number of Win8 versions is significantly reduced, which is divided into: Windows 8, Windows 8 Pro and Windows RT, in addition to Windows 8 Enterprise Edition for enterprise users.

Microsoft confirmed in the blog that Win7 Starter Edition, Home Basic Edition and Home Premium Edition can be upgraded to Window8 and Windows8 Pro, Win7 Professional and Ultimate Edition can be upgraded to Windows8 Pro. Windows RT version, Windows on ARM, will only be pre-installed on ARM devices and will not be retailed. This shows that XP and Vista will not be able to upgrade to Win8 and must be completely new.

Microsoft's move may cause problems for companies that still use XP and Vista. What do they want to upgrade to Win8? From the perspective of upgrading, if you have to upgrade Win7 and then upgrade to Win8, Microsoft needs to make an explanation for the progress of enterprise users.

In general, Windows 8 Pro will be the most versatile version, Windows RT and Windows 8 will not support the following features: Group Policy, Remote Desktop Hosting, Built-in Hyper- V client, BitLocker and BitLocker to Go, virtual hard disk boot, encrypted file system. Windows RT will also lack Windows Media Player or Storage Spaces, but comes pre-installed with Office desktop versions optimized for touch operations, and will no longer support the installation of traditional desktop software and x86/x64 software.

Finally, Windows 8 Enterprise Edition includes all the features of Windows 8 Pro, as well as "for IT organization/enterprise features such as PC management and deployment, advanced security features, virtualization, new mobile scenarios, etc." , only for Microsoft Volume Licensing customers.