In one of your previous articles, you mentioned the download link for Windows 7 so one could install it and test it and maybe buy it later. Is this also possible for Windows 8? I still run Windows XP, but I wouldnāt mind switching to Windows 8. Is it really true that one can upgrade from Windows 8 from XP for only 29 Euros? It seems, well, unbelievably cheap.
In this excerpt fromĀ Answercast #77, I look at upgrading Windows XP to Windows 8 and if a ātrialā version is available.
Trying out Windows 8
So, yes, there are a couple of questions here.
I know that the pricing of Windows 8 is definitely lower than most people have been expecting. I donāt know if thatās a limited time thing ā but yes, you can purchase an upgrade copy for what I assume to be on the order of magnitude of what you described: 29 Euros. I think itās $49 here ā at least for awhile.
I donāt know when (or if) that price raises. But like I said, for the time being, it is actually quite cheap.
Upgrade from XP to Windows 8
Now, that being said, can you upgrade from Windows XP? Yes, I actually have an article on that, āCan I upgrade from Windows XP to Windows 8?ā
Realize that it is very similar to the Windows 7 upgrade in that it really boils down to being a complete install. The Windows 8 updater actually does a good job of preserving your data, but everything else ā your install programs, your settings, all that kind of stuff ā is erased by the upgrade.
Youāll have to reinstall all of your software from scratch.
So, if youāre going to go that route, I typically recommend that you go ahead and back up first so youāve got absolutely everything saved before you do your upgrade.
Test download of Windows 8
Now, can you get a download for Windows 8?
You know, Iām quite surprised (and hopefully one of my readers will prove me wrong), but right now I donāt know of an equivalent download for Windows 8: a ātrialā that you could download, install, and try. Something that would allow you to activate somewhere along the line ā and if you didnāt activate, if you chose not to buy, then of course, it would stop working.
Windows 7 has that and Iāve got that article for downloading Windows 7 images. Iām surprised that there doesnāt appear to be anything equivalent for Windows 8.
Windows 8 for developers
Now, I will throw out one caveat. There is one download available. There will be a link with this article to it.
It is a download specifically for developers. It is a download that allows you to download Windows 8 āEnterprise Editionā and run it for 90 days. Thereās a catch⦠in fact, thereās a couple of catches.
- It is specifically for developers. In other words, itās not going to be the Home Edition, itās not going to be for pros. Itās going to be the Enterprise edition, so itās going to have all of the bells and whistles that you may or may not want.
- Second, thereās no way to buy it; thereās no way to activate it. Thereās no way to do anything to it other than use it for 90 days and then make it go away.
The reason I say that is because it is documented explicitly as expiring after 90 days and it cannot be upgraded. Which means: you can install it and use it for 90 days ā but when youāre at the end of the 90 days, thereās nothing you can do. Thereās no place you can go. You now must install another operating system on whatever computer you installed that 90-day copy on in order to continue to use it.
So, it may be helpful, it might be a useful evaluation tool, but itās not the same thing as the actual copy of Windows that you would purchase and install on your machine.
Windows 8 trial unavailable
So, those are the only things Iām aware of.
Iām surprised; Iām hoping that this will change over time. Heck, Iām hoping that Iām wrong and that somebody will have stumbled across the actual downloads ā and when I say āstumbled across,ā I do mean legal downloads. Iām not going to publish links (Iāll remove them) for anything that turns out to be an illegal file share copy of something. That isnāt right.
Microsoft made Windows 7 available for downloading. I would hope that maybe eventually theyāll make Windows 8 available for downloading as well.
(Transcript lightly edited for readability.)
Next from Answercast 77 ā Can I take the old hard drive out of a failed laptop, put it in an enclosure and connect it to my new laptop?
I think the Windows 8 Release Preview may suit his needs⦠Wikipedia has more information on that. You can use it till 15 January 2013, according to the license. Unless itās the same āDeveloper Previewā thingy Leo is referring to. :)
That 29 ā¬uro price is correct. I bought it for that price. As for the dollar price, I believe that is $39.
When I bought my Windows 8, it came with a 30-day refund option. Check their download site for details.