# Windows8 ? should upgrade?



## tanveerahmed2k (Jan 25, 2011)

Should I upgrade to Win8? and will i be able to dual boot with Ubuntu?
I am looking to replace this old Win7, as I Just feel I cluttered it to much

few questions:
1. does 64 bit win 8 exist?
2. will my office 2007 CD work?
3. can I use my existing programs e.g. ps2 emulators?
4. What about amd GPU drivers? 

so the question once again is should I get win8 and upgrade? The menu is not good or bad but I just want the "latest"


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## linktopower (Aug 4, 2011)

For the answers to your questions.

1. Yes a 64 bit Windows 8 exist.
2. Yes office 07 will run just fine
3. all the emulators I have work fine except ZSNES 1.50
4 And about the drivers, it all really depends on what card your using. if you you have a Windows 7 driver for it. most likly it'll work in 8 under compatibility mode.

And I think you can dual boot Linux with 8. But I can't be sure, though...
You should try it on a VM or something before tryin.


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## helios19 (Nov 25, 2008)

Hi Tanveerahmed2k,

I think I should first say that mentioning "emulators" here isn't such a good idea.

Apart from that, imo... I suggest you give Win 8 sometime to stabilise. Considering it just came out, there's bound to be flaws here and there. Stick with Win 7 for now.

But the choice is yours!


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## MPR (Aug 28, 2010)

Even if you don't wish to upgrade right now but are thinking of it in the future, it might be good to purchase a product and download the .ISO and take advantage of the current discount; you can always upgrade your actual system later.

Windows 8 still has a few bugs in the system, maybe quite a few. However, MS also is addressing the issues and updates have been coming up frequently. As I've said in other threads, if you just want to play around with a new system, help people who have upgraded or wish to advise those who are thinking about it then install Windows 8. If you want a stable system, stick with Windows 7. I just talked to my brother, who owns a company with a couple hundred employees, asking if he had any plans on changing his computers over and he said probably not for years.


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## linktopower (Aug 4, 2011)

I just don't see how Windows 8 is buggy or unstable? I've been using it for awhile now and its more stable then Windows 7 will ever be...

@*helios19* 
I would think talking about emulators is not much of a problem, I would think that talking about roms wouldn't be a good idea.
In theory Emulators are safe to talk about while rom's are illegal.


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## djaburg (May 15, 2008)

Funny thing is, I don't find Windows 7 to be at all unstable. I've deployed it in corporate environments, small office environments, and homes and have never really found it to be unstable unless there's an issue with non-certified drivers. The driver issue is not really windows being bad, just the drivers not working. Windows 8 has its own issues as does any OS that is new. It's really a matter of whether you need the features or need to learn the latest OS. If 7 works for you, then I don't see a need to upgrade unless you have a compelling reason to. There are those that will always be first adopters, kinda like with cell phones, and there are those that just want things to work without being too far behind the technology curve. If 7 is working for you, my opinion is to just stay put.


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## MPR (Aug 28, 2010)

linktopower said:


> I just don't see how Windows 8 is buggy or unstable? I've been using it for awhile now and its more stable then Windows 7 will ever be...


Go into your event viewer and look at the errors and warnings. You might not notice it, but Windows 8 is "hanging" all the time and then working itself out. As with any new OS, it will be awhile before things are really stable. That is why I _don't _recommend upgrading at this time for any but home users and enthusiasts.

The main reasons I upgraded:

1. I don't actually have to rely on this computer for anything critical -- it's a hobby.
2. Because it's a hobby computer, it's fun to tinker around with a new OS.
3. Installing Windows 8 allows me first-hand experience to better help and advise here.
4. It was inexpensive -- $40 is pretty cheap for a new "toy."

Note that I have had no problems whatever in running Windows 7 applications from the desktop, even old games (and I mean _really _old games -- I ran SimAnt under DOSBox just the other day without a hitch). There are a few 32-bit add-ons like the spell checker Spekkie that no longer will install but they are no longer needed either -- Windows 8's IE 10 comes with an integral spell checker.


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## linktopower (Aug 4, 2011)

MPR said:


> Go into your event viewer and look at the errors and warnings. You might not notice it, but Windows 8 is "hanging" all the time and then working itself out. As with any new OS, it will be awhile before things are really stable. That is why I _don't _recommend upgrading at this time for any but home users and enthusiasts.


Actually I haven't seen anything in my event viewer showing anything bad.
The only hangup I've had was trying to run a really really old program >.<.


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## MPR (Aug 28, 2010)

linktopower said:


> Actually I haven't seen anything in my event viewer showing anything bad.
> The only hangup I've had was trying to run a really really old program >.<.


Perhaps the 32-bit Win 8 is more stable with 32-bit aps than the 64-bit version is.


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## djaburg (May 15, 2008)

MPR said:


> Go into your event viewer and look at the errors and warnings. You might not notice it, but Windows 8 is "hanging" all the time and then working itself out. As with any new OS, it will be awhile before things are really stable. That is why I _don't _recommend upgrading at this time for any but home users and enthusiasts.
> 
> The main reasons I upgraded:
> 
> ...



Just keep in mind that your system may be doing that, but that doesn't mean everyone else will have the same experience. I have Windows 8 Pro installed on a couple of test computers, one with Intel and the other with AMD hardware and I don't get any of the issues you're mentioning. I've used all hardware that is certified, perhaps that's the difference. While I do computers for a hobby, I also do it as my profession. I'm always testing the latest and greatest for deployment to my clients and so I know what to recommend. I can say that other than Windows ME, most operating systems are pretty darn stable if you're running the appropriate hardware, drivers, and software designed for that OS. Using older stuff, while it may work (sort of), is one of the main reasons I see for instability in an OS other than faulty hardware.


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## MPR (Aug 28, 2010)

One warning most people are getting is similar to this:



> The IO operation at logical block address 4a85626f for Disk 0 was retried.


On the surface, this appears to be a bad sector of the disk that has to be read several times before the data can be accessed but it's not as people are getting the warning (with different addresses) no matter the age, quality and type of storage media they run. It's just one of those glitches that needs to be worked out.


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## djaburg (May 15, 2008)

If it were my guess I'd say storage controller drivers were at fault, but that's just a guess. None of my systems having that issue, but I'll certainly keep my eye on it. Also, the systems with these issues, are they running release or pre-release (aka Beta, RC, or RTM) versions of windows?


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## linktopower (Aug 4, 2011)

MPR said:


> One warning most people are getting is similar to this:
> 
> 
> ```
> ...


Yeah... I've never had that problem... Most be something on your system maybe?


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