windows 8 on sale until jan 31 2013

overlordmike

overlordmike

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might have been mentioned b4 but windows 8 is currently on sale for 39.99 on microsofts website reduced from the normal price of 199.99.

i am posting this in the gaming section due to the fact that when playing my mmo games such as wow and tor. i noticed a 80 fps difference than with windows 7. was running 100-120 fps. now running 190-200 fps avrg in tor
 
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ok i wasn't planning on getting windows 8, but pro for 14.99?! are you kidding!!?! what a deal! i think use it on my non-gaming machine for now. just want to try it out.
 
This may have been answered, and I apologize if I overlooked - If I make this purchase (for my laptop), do I have to do the upgrade via download on that computer, or will it give me a windows 8 upgrade key outright when I purchase?

I have pretty crap-tastic internet, but I have an upgrade on disk coming from amazon for my desktop. I'd like to just install on the laptop with that disk and input the key from this deal.
 
[quote name='Dalerax']Thanks for posting this OP, but I ended up buying the boxed CD upgrade from amazon instead due to me currently running XP 32-bit and the upgrade from MS website would automatically upgrade me to Windows 8 32-bit because of it. Apparently it auto-detects which kind of OS you're using and keeps it at 32 or 64.[/QUOTE]
Ah, I have an old XP box I thought I could snag a free Win 8 key with (and use once I completely rebuilt it) but guess it's not worth my effort.

My brother-in-law works for Microsoft and gets insane discounts on the software anyway so I was really just being lazy and not wanting to bother asking him.
 
[quote name='gnargnargnar']This may have been answered, and I apologize if I overlooked - If I make this purchase (for my laptop), do I have to do the upgrade via download on that computer, or will it give me a windows 8 upgrade key outright when I purchase?

I have pretty crap-tastic internet, but I have an upgrade on disk coming from amazon for my desktop. I'd like to just install on the laptop with that disk and input the key from this deal.[/QUOTE]

Yes, it gives you a Product Key when you make the purchase.
 
[quote name='Romeo']I'm curious to ask this... how can anyone hate Win8 if all that's different is the metro theme, which is optional?[/QUOTE]

For the same reasons people hate Vista but love 7, even though they're practically the same OS. Seven is a polished Vista, Eight is a polished Seven. Upgraded, enjoying, well worth it.

Grabbed Pinball FX 2 with a free table in the MS app store.
 
[quote name='Saablic']Tom's Hardware did a review of the Windows 8 performance. They did not see the massive FPS difference the OP claimed. It looks like they are mostly the same with either of them running slightly better in different benchmarks (unless it is Sleeping Dogs which doesn't work at all in 8...)

http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/windows-8-gaming-performance,3331.html#xtor=RSS-182[/QUOTE]

Probably depends wildly on your hardware, and when the last time you upgraded your display drivers before upgrading was. If changing your OS is the only time you change your drivers, a massive boost makes sense.

Personally, I had to reinstall older drivers thanks to AMD deciding my 4890 was "legacy" and not giving proper Windows 8 drivers. (No openGL, hence Minecraft wouldn't start and Photoshop couldn't access the GPU - but downgraded drivers without a hitch.)
 
I'm sure it has been answered, but can I dual the Windows 8 upgrade and Windows 7? More than one person uses this computer and has already said they will not want to use 8.
 
[quote name='sendme']I'm sure it has been answered, but can I dual the Windows 8 upgrade and Windows 7?[/QUOTE]

http://lifehacker.com/5840387/how-to-dual+boot-windows-7-and-windows-8-side-by-side

I believe all the upgrade disc cares about is that you already have Windows 7 on your machine in order to install Windows 8, regardless of if it's an upgrade or dual boot situation. At one point during my installation I was prompted to choose Windows 7 or Windows 8 just before I chose to overwrite my Windows 7 partition.
 
^Yes thread lost a lot of weight. Clearly the mods here don't want the link you're referring to posted. Can't say I blame them. I think it's worth the extra $25 to just buy the upgrade honestly, that's just my opinion though.
 
[quote name='tylerh1701']^Yes thread lost a lot of weight. Clearly the mods here don't want the link you're referring to posted. Can't say I blame them. I think it's worth the extra $25 to just buy the upgrade honestly, that's just my opinion though.[/QUOTE]

gotcha. thanks man.
 
I'm sure the answer is no, but would I be able to install it on more than one computer? I have a laptop running windows 7 also and might want to upgrade it. I'm sure with out it being OEM I wont be able to install it on more than one machine, but I thought I would ask.

EDIT: Never mind looks like I'm right and that I can't.
 
^you'd need a license key for each computer..you can obviously use the same disc..It won't be long before some CAGs have extra keys that they get thru nefarious ways, or there are websites that just sell keys
 
[quote name='doubledown']Anyone have a spare PROMO code? I've tried and cannot get one. Keeps giving me errors.[/QUOTE]

pmed

Don't need since I got 1 free from expertzone and 1 free from that dreamspark site. Don't think I am going to bother putting it on my other 2 computers.
 
[quote name='Saablic']Tom's Hardware did a review of the Windows 8 performance. They did not see the massive FPS difference the OP claimed. It looks like they are mostly the same with either of them running slightly better in different benchmarks (unless it is Sleeping Dogs which doesn't work at all in 8...)

http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/windows-8-gaming-performance,3331.html#xtor=RSS-182[/QUOTE]


in both wow and swtor i noticed the increase by 60-80 fps. i dont know about other games but those 2 got a huge increase in fps
 
FYI, when you redeem your free Media Center Pack code and they warn you that your computer will restart once, they mean it. It sat downloading (and maybe doing other things) without any sort of status notification or update for a good 10-15 minutes and suddenly restarted on me. There was no warning or 20 second countdown or anything. Just make sure you aren't doing anything important.
 
[quote name='darkling23']There is literally no way your OS is affecting the performance of two games to that extent.

Literally. 0[/QUOTE]

it did. and after a bit of research it is due to the fact that windows 8 uses less resources to run then windows 7 (ram and such).

my computer has 6gb of ram on it*
 
[quote name='louiedog']FYI, when you redeem your free Media Center Pack code and they warn you that your computer will restart once, they mean it. It sat downloading (and maybe doing other things) without any sort of status notification or update for a good 10-15 minutes and suddenly restarted on me. There was no warning or 20 second countdown or anything. Just make sure you aren't doing anything important.[/QUOTE]


How long does it take to get this email/code? I signed up for it last night and nothing came yet.
 
[quote name='Romeo']How long does it take to get this email/code? I signed up for it last night and nothing came yet.[/QUOTE]

also wondering this as well. free is always good
 
[quote name='Romeo']How long does it take to get this email/code? I signed up for it last night and nothing came yet.[/QUOTE]
Had the same problem.
 
[quote name='overlordmike']it did. and after a bit of research it is due to the fact that windows 8 uses less resources to run then windows 7 (ram and such).

my computer has 6gb of ram on it*[/QUOTE]

Not to continue to argue, but you are wrong.

That is all. :)
 
ive played wow for 7 years and have always tried to get the best fps possible. i know what im getting and its sad that you have to resort to insulting someone . i know what fps ive been getting in those games, and since upgrading i have noticed that difference. also you dont seem to realize that ram controls how many programs can be running at once. and with 6gb of ram it isn't much, since windows 7 requires 2 alone and wow 4 to run decent.

also with you being new here you may not know, but on this site we dont go to other peoples threads starting insults with no data to back you up. if you want to continue this i will post the video where it shows windows 8 requires less resources to run then 7 if you so please

i made this thread to show how windows 8 is running the 2 games i play 4+ hours a day. . also my computer was custom built by me. if you want i will link my specs which will also show that it would not be getting this many fps with windows 7
 
Doesn't the Tom's Hardware link prove you otherwise, though? I doubt under normal circumstances someone will get that ridiculous of an fps boost when a professional review shows that the realistic difference is completely minimal (and even detrimental for some games) at best.

Here's another test that shows that there's no noticeable difference in game performance:
http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Microsoft/Windows_8_Graphics_Performance/1.html

I'm personally going to stay with Windows 7 until I see raving recommendations for 8.
 
[quote name='Romeo']How long does it take to get this email/code? I signed up for it last night and nothing came yet.[/QUOTE]

It took about a day for mine to show up.
 
[quote name='tylerh1701']^Yes thread lost a lot of weight. Clearly the mods here don't want the link you're referring to posted. Can't say I blame them. I think it's worth the extra $25 to just buy the upgrade honestly, that's just my opinion though.[/QUOTE]The $40 upgrade price is for people that didn't buy a PC in the timeframe MS put out there (June 1 to current timeframe, expiration unknown) with Windows 7 pre-installed. Those people (myself included) are able to get Windows 8 Pro for $15 ($30 for shipped DVD version) as that's a promotion from Microsoft only for those people.

Trying to get it for $15 by filling in invalid/erroneous information is fraud.
 
Can I just go ahead and delete the windows.old file?

Also, don't know if it's been mentioned, but there is no Start button in Windows 8. Kind of threw me for a minute. Make sure to pin any relevant programs if you use the Metro look. So far I've been sticking to the desktop, but the Metro layout is great for opening programs, just takes a while to figure out where everything is. If you don't know how to shut down, just go to "settings" when you hover at the right side of the screen.
 
[quote name='therealdanhill']Also, don't know if it's been mentioned, but there is no Start button in Windows 8. Kind of threw me for a minute. Make sure to pin any relevant programs if you use the Metro look. So far I've been sticking to the desktop, but the Metro layout is great for opening programs, just takes a while to figure out where everything is. If you don't know how to shut down, just go to "settings" when you hover at the right side of the screen.[/QUOTE]

Not well known, but in the Metro interface you can group items and name groups as well. Drag them to the side a bit to make a new group. Hit the "-" button in the far lower-right, then right click one of the now small groups. That'll let you name it.

I pin most of my frequent apps to the taskbar, some of my lesser used apps to start (aka Metro), and 99% of the time access the rest as I always have: Winkey -> Start typing a program name.
 
Let's not pretend it will ever be $199. MS is trying to give the illusion of a "sale" so they can get people to switch so they can get them into their store.

Resist. Use Windows 7 and use the $40 for something meaningful.
 
[quote name='therealdanhill']Can I just go ahead and delete the windows.old file?[/QUOTE]

Wow, it's a whopping 22GB. That's quite a chunk on my SSD. Thanks for pointing this out!
I'd research a bit more, but I'm probably removing it later tonight.

By the way, it looks like the built in Windows tool cleanmgr.exe is the easiest way to do this, aka "disk cleanup". Otherwise you might run into permission errors.
http://www.eightforums.com/tutorials/2527-windows-old-folder-delete-windows-8-a.html
 
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[quote name='shrike4242']The $40 upgrade price is for people that didn't buy a PC in the timeframe MS put out there (June 1 to current timeframe, expiration unknown) with Windows 7 pre-installed. Those people (myself included) are able to get Windows 8 Pro for $15 ($30 for shipped DVD version) as that's a promotion from Microsoft only for those people.

Trying to get it for $15 by filling in invalid/erroneous information is fraud.[/QUOTE]

I agree.
 
[quote name='therealdanhill']Can I just go ahead and delete the windows.old file?[/QUOTE]

As long as you're certain you don't need access to any of the files then you can safely delete it. I've deleted it every time I've reinstalled Windows and have never run into any problems. The Windows.old directory is just used as a dumping ground for most of the abandoned files left over from the previous installment.
 
To anyone who has done the $15 upgrade (I bought a Win 7 computer last month) how long does it take to get Windows 8 in whatever form they give it? I did this offer years ago (bought XP laptop right when Vista came out) and it took like 6 weeks to get a Vista disc in the mail. Though it was free instead of $15, iirc.
 
overlordmike its likely your Windows 7 install had extra software running while you were playing Wow and just reinstalling windows is what got you the performance boost. I see increases in performance when reinstalling windows after a few years. A 90% increase in fps would be amazing but it doesn't look like anyone else is getting that.
 
[quote name='Jeff Stephen']Isn't this a upgrade package? I doubt the full retail version would go for so little already.[/QUOTE]

With the upgrade disk, can't you still do a clean install over your Windows 7 OS ?
 
Protip: Be sober when you decide to purchase and install Windows 8. Ate a certain fungus and it took me forever to figure out how to work everything but now i am loving it. Haven't ran into any bugs or compatibility issues so far.
 
[quote name='UW_Shocks']With the upgrade disk, can't you still do a clean install over your Windows 7 OS ?[/QUOTE]

Yes, through the "Custom Install" option.
 
[quote name='UW_Shocks']With the upgrade disk, can't you still do a clean install over your Windows 7 OS ?[/QUOTE]

You don't even need Windows installed on the machine. I did this last night, put it on a USB drive this morning, booted it up, formatted my Windows partition, and did a clean install.

It's more of an upgrade price than an upgrade edition. It seems that you can redownload at any time and I have an .iso on my backup drive. As long as you hold on to your serial it shouldn't be much different than buying the full version.
 
[quote name='louiedog']You don't even need Windows installed on the machine. I did this last night, put it on a USB drive this morning, booted it up, formatted my Windows partition, and did a clean install.

It's more of an upgrade price than an upgrade edition. It seems that you can redownload at any time and I have an .iso on my backup drive. As long as you hold on to your serial it shouldn't be much different than buying the full version.[/QUOTE]

So presumably I could get Windows 8 through this upgrade and directly install it onto a new machine I'm building?
 
[quote name='MP77']So presumably I could get Windows 8 through this upgrade and directly install it onto a new machine I'm building?[/QUOTE]

I don't see why not. It think it asked for the serial before I wiped the drive, so there is a possibility that it checked though.

I doubt it though, and you could always throw an old copy of WinXP or something on there and then format it again if that's the case.
 
Yes, you could. At the end of the download, it'll let you make an ISO. You can burn that or put it on a USB stick and install with the key they send you in your e-mail. If you already have the ISO through other means you can just use that with the key. :)

Also: Windows 8 will not provide a 80FPS improvement in WoW. There's plenty of technical information out about the OS, indicating the performance changes you'll see. Some games are slightly better, some are slightly worse and most stay exactly the same. You won't get an 80 FPS improvement in WoW. That's not an insult, that's how it is! :)

Hey, here we go: http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/windows-8-gaming-performance,3331-12.html

That link there shows the performance differences between 7 and 8 in WoW. Specifically! I trust Tom's Hardware for this kinda thing. Have for about a decade. So, that's where we're at. :)
 
I have a question on the Windows 8 app store. Since you can also use the apps on there on a PC that has no touch interface are the games they are selling also enabled for keyboard and mouse and possibly controller even?

I mean, if you get Toy Soldiers from the Windows 8 store is it basically just the same as the PC Toy Soliders but with touch optionally enabled?

Is it possible to think of the Windows 8 store in terms of PC gaming as a new and improved Games For Windows Live Store?
 
[quote name='shrike4242']The $40 upgrade price is for people that didn't buy a PC in the timeframe MS put out there (June 1 to current timeframe, expiration unknown) with Windows 7 pre-installed. Those people (myself included) are able to get Windows 8 Pro for $15 ($30 for shipped DVD version) as that's a promotion from Microsoft only for those people.

Trying to get it for $15 by filling in invalid/erroneous information is fraud.[/QUOTE]

I filed for the 15 dollar upgrade however I want the disc. I had to put in false information to get it however back in August I did build a PC with Windows 7. I feel that anyone that purchased anything with windows 7 should be able to get the upgrade for 15. I don't think it should just be offered to those that purchased a desktop or laptop.

I did however go looking for the retail disc at Best buy and didn't see it. I was planning on price matching the deal at Microcenter. I would rather pay 40 cash and have the disc today than 15 and download it then another 15 and have a disc mailed out to me and not know if it will be retail, OEM or just a burned copy from Microsoft. I'm also trying to stay away from using my credit card.

When I was at Best Buy I did try it out on the laptops that were running it. I'm not sure what to think of it. I really couldn't access much because it all required internet access. I am still on the fence about it however it really felt like it was built for touchscreen and not mouse and keyboard.
 
in my opinion they will raise the price. considering all previous os at launch were 70$ to upgrade to the newest os's basic edition, ranging all the way up to 320 for windows ultimate
 
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