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.