Upgrading to WIN8 using the upgrade assistant

When upgrading to Windows 8 o'clock, Microsoft strongly recommends installing the Windows 8 Upgrade assistant first. It scans your current computer to see if it is ready to upgrade to Windows 8, and can provide compatibility reporting and optional steps for purchasing, downloading, and installing Windows 8. If your computer is currently running Windows 7, your files, applications, and settings will be easily transferred to Windows 8. If your computer is running Windows XP or Windows Vista, then you need to reinstall your application after the upgrade.

Four main features of the Upgrade assistant:

-It scans your hardware, applies, and connects to the device to see if they apply to Windows 8, ensuring that all peripherals (such as printers and monitors) that need to be used on your computer are connected to your computer and enabled before running the upgrade assistant.

The Upgrade assistant checks your computer hardware to see if the hardware meets the Windows 8 system requirements for installation on your computer, including CPU speed, PAE, NX, and SSE2 processor features, as well as RAM size and hard disk capacity. It also checks for compatibility of your currently installed applications and devices.

--it will provide a compatibility report.

Applications and devices that apply to Windows 7 typically also apply to Windows 8, but in some cases you may need to update the product or you may need to uninstall and reinstall the product after the upgrade. The compatibility Report lists the applications and devices that can be used in Windows 8, the applications and devices that can be used, and what you can do to regain their use after the upgrade. If some of your applications or devices are not listed, it may be because we do not yet have compatibility information for the product. For more information about a specific product, see the Windows Compatibility Center or the consulting product manufacturer.

You can save or print a compatibility report for future use. Unless you select "Do not keep" option during the upgrade, you will be able to find the report on the desktop after the upgrade. For more information, see Using your applications and devices in Windows 8.

-it checks to see if your computer supports specific Windows 8 features.

In particular: Windows Store, mount, secure startup, and multi-touch capabilities. If your computer does not support one or more of these features, you will see a warning. You can still install Windows 8, but specific features will not be available.

-it provides the option to purchase, download, and install Windows 8.

If your computer is ready, the Upgrade assistant will advise you on which version to purchase and guide you through the steps to upgrade.