Upload
mike2977
View
56
Download
0
Embed Size (px)
DESCRIPTION
Windows 8 Hardware Requirements
Citation preview
Windows 8 Requirements.
Jere MinichProgram Director
Lake-Sumter Computer Society
Is all your gear Windows 8 compatible?
• Migrating to a new operating system is a bit like getting ready for a first date. – What will it look like? – Will it be easy to get along with? – Will the two of you be compatible?
• That last question is the precise question that millions of PC owners must consider on October 26, when they think about upgrading their machines to Windows 8.
The good news:
• Unlike moving from Windows XP to Vista: – the move from Windows 7 to 8 should be much
easier.– Windows 8 will be backward-compatible with
Windows 7.– And PC manufacturers and device makers such as:• Canon, Epson, and Hewlett-Packard
• ensure that gear "just works" when plugged in.
Windows 8 presents unique challenges for:
• peripherals that must work with the touch-centric interface found on: – tablets, – hybrids, – other newfangled devices.
• Will your Windows 8 tablet transfer print jobs to your laser printer problem-free?
• Will the advanced features on your webcam get hosed in the upgrade?
Of the thousands of hardware devices tested:
• only a handful of products were tagged as incompatible.
• Go to Microsoft's: – Compatibility
Center for Windows 8 Release Preview • www.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/compatibility/en-us/
CompatCenter/Home
Compatibility Center for Windows 8 Release Preview
And now for the bad news...
• Unlike previous OS upgrades: • Windows 8 has a dramatically updated
interface that will likely require: – driver upgrades if you want your peripherals to
work seamlessly with the new OS.
You're unlikely to run into upgrade compatibility problems with:
• gear from mammoth manufacturers like:– Epson and Hewlett-Packard.
• But equipment from smaller peripherals makers is at far greater risk of incompatibility.
• If you're considering upgrading your existing system's Windows 7 OS to Windows 8, you should run Windows 8 Upgrade Assistant
Gliches
• One component will invariably show up as needing an update Driver: – your DVD player– to play back videos, you'll need to install a fee-
based or free third-party option such as the open-source VLC media player.
• TOTAL DOWNLOADS: 235,032
• OS SUPPORT: Windows 8, Win 7/32, – Win 7/64, Win2000, Win XP
Bottom Line
• Desktop users will likely have fewer problems upgrading to Windows 8 than laptop users. – Because laptop manufacturers tend to maintain
tight control over driver releases. • Graphics hardware could be particularly
problematic. • Laptop manufacturers are notorious for their
slow deployment of the latest drivers.
Bottom Line
• Microsoft insists that current Windows 7 drivers will work on Windows 8.
• Take Microsoft's Windows 8 reverse-compatibility claims with a grain of salt.
• No OS upgrade is trouble-free for everyone.
• Buy Windows 8 at Christmas or after Jan 2013.