11 Clicks to Upgrade to Windows 8
With the huge success of Windows 7, all eyes are on the next big version of the Microsoft-developed operating system, Windows 8. We already know that the operating system (OS) will come with a fresh new interface optimized for touchscreen input, apps that can communicate with each other, better performance, security, privacy, and system reliability that Windows 7, a Windows Store, and support for ARM chips.
What we did not know was that Microsoft also improved the setup process for Windows 8, making it a lot easier to install the OS. According to Christa St. Pierre from Microsoft's setup and deployment team, upgrading from Windows 7 to Windows 8 can take as little as 11 clicks.
That is a considerable improvement compared to upgrading to Windows 7 – you had to go through 4 different wizards and some 60 screens. To upgrade to Windows 7, you had to download and install the Windows 7 Upgrade Advisor, a tool that told you if your hardware and software is compatible with Windows 8. After running the Windows 7 Upgrade Advisor you had to run Windows Easy Transfer to save files and settings. Then you had to run the Windows 7 setup and install the OS. And then you had to run Windows Easy Transfer again to restore files and settings. That meant going through 4 different wizards and some 60 screens.
Things are a lot simpler with Windows 8. Christa St. Pierre explains:
“In Windows 8, rather than having Upgrade Advisor, Setup, and Windows Easy Transfer as separate apps or features, we’ve folded them together into one fast and fluid experience in which we first determine if your PC, apps, and devices will work in the new OS, note which things you want to keep (apps, files and/or settings), and then install the new OS.”
Christa St. Pierre added that: “We’ve also added the capability for setup to resume automatically after certain actions (such as resolving a blocking compatibility problem), which in the past would have required restarting setup again from the beginning.”
The bottom line is that it seems Microsoft is bent on making Windows 8 better than Windows 7 in every way, including the setup experience.
What we did not know was that Microsoft also improved the setup process for Windows 8, making it a lot easier to install the OS. According to Christa St. Pierre from Microsoft's setup and deployment team, upgrading from Windows 7 to Windows 8 can take as little as 11 clicks.
That is a considerable improvement compared to upgrading to Windows 7 – you had to go through 4 different wizards and some 60 screens. To upgrade to Windows 7, you had to download and install the Windows 7 Upgrade Advisor, a tool that told you if your hardware and software is compatible with Windows 8. After running the Windows 7 Upgrade Advisor you had to run Windows Easy Transfer to save files and settings. Then you had to run the Windows 7 setup and install the OS. And then you had to run Windows Easy Transfer again to restore files and settings. That meant going through 4 different wizards and some 60 screens.
Things are a lot simpler with Windows 8. Christa St. Pierre explains:
“In Windows 8, rather than having Upgrade Advisor, Setup, and Windows Easy Transfer as separate apps or features, we’ve folded them together into one fast and fluid experience in which we first determine if your PC, apps, and devices will work in the new OS, note which things you want to keep (apps, files and/or settings), and then install the new OS.”
Christa St. Pierre added that: “We’ve also added the capability for setup to resume automatically after certain actions (such as resolving a blocking compatibility problem), which in the past would have required restarting setup again from the beginning.”
The bottom line is that it seems Microsoft is bent on making Windows 8 better than Windows 7 in every way, including the setup experience.
