Win8 upgrade needs to be cautious

Computer store news: If you want to upgrade your computer to the new Windows 8 system, be prepared for difficulties and disappointments, especially if your computer already has more than 1, 2 At the age of the old, even if it is technically able to meet the basic conditions for running the new system version, it will still be a problem.

I have a deep understanding of this, because last week spent a whole week pouring two The big-name PCs and the very good PCs are upgraded to Windows 8 systems, one is the 2008 Lenovo notebook, and the other is the 2009 HP touch-screen notebook. It can only be said that the ideal is very full, the reality is very cruel, the result is very pessimistic, and many functions are lost. It is necessary to know that these two computers run Windows 7 very well and fully meet the minimum configuration requirements for running Windows 8.

There is no denying that those who upgrade their new PCs will have a better experience, because the manufacturers of these new PCs are preloaded with Windows 8 or have added software patches for the new system. I was too late to know that none of the two computers I upgraded were models that the manufacturer had to patch. This may be because their hardware does not meet the more stringent requirements of Windows 8.

For example, the touchpad of the Lenovo ThinkPad X301 notebook can't be used to scroll on the new tablet start screen environment of Windows 8, nor can it perform some Windows 8 gestures. For the HP Touch Smart 300, its touchable screen is not accurate or sensitive every time to reliably perform Windows 8 touchscreen gestures. In addition, the microphone does not work either. Also, in order to stop my HP computer from freezing, I had to run a program to erase most of the installed software, including HP and Microsoft programs.

For the old PC, it is not realistic to make full use of the new operating system. This phenomenon is normal, and the changes in Windows 8 are very large. But to my surprise, I actually need to overcome so many difficulties and obstacles to find that the two PCs are not working well with the new system. I thought Microsoft's installation software would tell me this, but it didn't.

Of course, I think I have some problems. If I have a comprehensive consideration, then I will go to Lenovo and HP's homepage to check. These models may be found by the manufacturer to be unsuitable for upgrading.

For example, in the information page of HP, it is said that my Touch Smart is not suitable for upgrading. After I input the official product serial number that I have finished grinding, I can see the result: “ HP has not tested this model. For this reason, HP cannot provide upgrade instructions or Windows 8 drivers, and if you try to upgrade, you may lose basic functionality and stability. ” sad reminder, I only noticed this information after I have upgraded.

A spokesperson from HP explained: "Any PC needs to ensure that the hardware and software are working well, which is very important. Some of the older PC models in our product list, including the Touch Smart 300 released in 2009, do not fully take advantage of the new extensions offered by Windows 8. ”

Similarly, a Lenovo spokesperson said: “The X301 has been released for five years, and Lenovo decided not to support its Windows 8 upgrade, and the touchpad hardware does not support all Windows 8 features. ”

Microsoft has also provided upgrade assistant software, and it may have warned me about related issues, which can be seen on related web pages. But the Windows 8 Pro DVD I box is only recommended to run this feature and view the manufacturer's web page, and this sentence is printed on the bottom of the back cover with only a small line of words.

My problem is to trust Microsoft's Windows 8 installation software. I have too much expectation of installing the software. It also checks the PC to determine if it can run the new operating system and tells me if there are some major incompatibilities. Indeed, it has found one, that is the Bluetooth function of the machine, it also told me to uninstall the software before running, I also faithfully listened to the advice.

I asked Microsoft why the software installation did not warn me of other incompatibilities that I might encounter. An official told me that it just didn't know the performance of each model, which is why it suggested users. Go first to find the manufacturer's instructions and warnings.

In addition, I found a lot of problems with the installer itself. On HP machines, it can't work with DVDs or downloaded versions of Windows 8. So I can only convert the downloaded version to a 4G USB flash drive to make it work (it requires at least 3G of flash drive).

During the deadline, at the end of this month, you can purchase the Windows 8 upgrade by downloading it for $40 (about RMB 249) or by DVD, for $70. (about RMB 436). These are just high-end Pro versions, and some of the added features require users to access these company websites themselves. Microsoft has not released the final normal price, but I think the standard version of Windows 8 is priced at least $100 (about 622 yuan), and the Pro version of Windows 8 is about $200 (about RMB 1,245).

The most basic requirement for running Windows 8 is a 1GHz or faster CPU, at least 1G or 2G of memory, depending on whether your PC is a low 32-bit requirement or a higher requirement. 64-bit, these installers will tell you. You also need to have at least 16G or 20G of free storage space, which still depends on whether your PC is 32-bit or 64-bit. In addition, you need an image processing system that can be managed as a Direct X9 with WDDM driver. & rdquo; Microsoft Image Standard.

In my testing of the two models, the actual installation took about 2 hours, but I spent a whole day or more to adjust each machine and get Windows. 8 and its built-in app upgrade. For example, after the installation process seems to be complete, I found that both machines do not have Wi-Fi network connectivity, I had to shut down the firewall to recover it, and then upgrade my anti-virus software.

The problem on the HP machine is even more serious, I thought it would be simpler, because it is a newer model and has a touch screen. On the HP computer, Windows 8 started to look very "naughty", I can't even go back to the start screen after opening the app, which is the main interface of the system, and the computer is frequently frozen. I can only run once  Refresh”, which is a program that comes with Windows 8. It can reinstall the system without erasing your data files, but all third-party traditional Windows programs can't escape. In addition to the new types of apps you buy from the Microsoft Online Store. This "Refresh" makes my HP run a lot better, but the microphone function is lost, and the performance of the old touch screen is not very satisfactory.

No matter how many cumbersome problems, the most troublesome thing is that I lost a lot of programs, such as HP touch screen software package, Google Chrome browser, iTunes, Windows Live Essentials, Firefox, etc., I have to spend more More time to reinstall these software.

All in all, the two machines running Windows 8 are very fast, but they are a bit clumsy and boot faster than before.

One thing is not good. Every machine has lost 12G to 13G of free storage space in the past. It is really lying down and shooting. This is mainly because the installation opportunity to collect incompatible files into a special folder called Windows.old. You can delete this folder to restore space, or the Windows system will automatically delete it after 28 days.

Warmly remind everyone, I sincerely hope that everyone will load Windows 8 system through a new PC. I believe most people will still play cards according to common sense. But if you don't have a new machine, or even a PC that has been in use for 3 years, you are advised to follow the rules and be loyal to the previously installed Windows system.