Win 8.1 on Custom Box?

WinDude

New Member
Messages
5
Hey there! WittyWidi here.


Anyway, I'm building a custom machine. I want to get Windows 8.1 for it. Windows - Microsoft Store U.S. Here, I can probably see the right thing. However, $119 is a big amount, and it says
Important: Windows 8.1 full version is for Windows 7 users only. Currently running Windows Vista or XP? First upgrade to Windows 8. Upon installation you can update to 8.1 for free.
, which makes it sound like you NEED win 7 to get 8.1 for this price. Can I use this with my custom box with no prebuilt OS?


Thanks,


WittyWidi
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Ubuntu/WinVista Dual Boot
Clear as mud huh? The way I read it is, if you are running XP or Vista and want to do an "upgrade install", you'll have to upgrade to 8.0 first. Then do the free upgrade to 8.1 though the store. Windows 8.1 will not let you do an upgrade install from XP or Vista, only 7 or 8.0. It states >Windows 8 upgrade is for Windows Vista or XP users. Upon installation you can install the free 8.1 update available through the Windows Store.

If you are buying the full Retail version and not doing an upgrade install you can ignore all that. A full Retail version will let you clean install on your new hardware. Assuming the hardware is compatible that is.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 10 Education 64 Bit
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Asus
    CPU
    AMD Phenom II X4 980 Black Edition Deneb 3.7GHz
    Motherboard
    ASUS M4N68T-M V2 µATX Motherboard
    Memory
    8GB 4GBx2 Kingston PC10600 DDR3 1333 Memory
    Graphics Card(s)
    NVIDIA Geforce GT640 2 Gig DDR3 PCIe
    Sound Card
    VIA VT1708s High Definition Audio 8-channel Onboard
    Monitor(s) Displays
    22" LG E2242 1080p and 2 19" I-INC AG191D
    Screen Resolution
    1280x1024 - 1920x1080 - 1280x1024
    Hard Drives
    Crucial MX100 256 GB SSD and 500 GB WD Blue SATA
    PSU
    Thermaltake TR 620
    Case
    Power Up Black ATX Mid-Tower Case
    Cooling
    Stock heatsink fan
    Keyboard
    Logitech Wireless K350 Wave
    Mouse
    Logitech M570 Trackball and T650 TouchPad
    Internet Speed
    80 Mbps Down 30 Mbps Up
    Browser
    Internet Explorer 11
    Antivirus
    Windows Defender
    Other Info
    HP DVD1040e Lightscribe - External USB2
And, Win-8.1/ 32 bit is much more compatible with older hardware and software, than the 64 bit version.
The 32 bit version even has a 16 bit compatibility mode.....the 64 bit version does not.

I had W8.0/64 running nicely on an older eMachine, and when I tried to upgrade to 8.1/64 the install errored out.
W-8.1 is not nearly as compatible with older hardware as 8.0 is.

With a lot of experimenting and some wasted effort, I've found that Win-8.1/32 is the most compatible version of 8.1 available.

Good Luck!

TM :cool:
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Win-8.1/Pro/64
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Acer X-1200
    CPU
    AMD 2 Core
    Motherboard
    Acer
    Memory
    Crucial, 4GB
    Graphics Card(s)
    NVIDEA GeForce 9200
    Sound Card
    On Board
    Monitor(s) Displays
    24" Acer
    Hard Drives
    Sandisk, SSD 500GB
    PSU
    Acer
    Case
    SFF Slimline
    Keyboard
    emachines 101 key
    Mouse
    Logitech Wireless
    Internet Speed
    5 Meg
    Browser
    Firefox
    Antivirus
    Windows Defender
    Other Info
    Using Classic Shell on Win-8.1 /pro/64

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 10
    Computer type
    Laptop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Lenovo G580
    CPU
    Intel Core i5-3230M
    Memory
    8 GB
    Graphics Card(s)
    Intel HD Graphics 4000
    Browser
    Microsoft Edge
    Antivirus
    Windows Defender, standard user account
    Other Info
    UEFI firmware (BIOS) embedded Windows 8 product key.
And, Win-8.1/ 32 bit is much more compatible with older hardware and software, than the 64 bit version.
The 32 bit version even has a 16 bit compatibility mode.....the 64 bit version does not.

I had W8.0/64 running nicely on an older eMachine, and when I tried to upgrade to 8.1/64 the install errored out.
W-8.1 is not nearly as compatible with older hardware as 8.0 is.

With a lot of experimenting and some wasted effort, I've found that Win-8.1/32 is the most compatible version of 8.1 available.

Good Luck!

TM :cool:
JLYN, Its on new hardware.The 16bit comp mode is Hardware restrictions, and i have no prob wtsvr with it.
Thanks for the advice though, It was hrelpful. I will install Win 8.1 on my box. Also theog, same. Just couldnt multiquote because i have an aversion to more than one quote in a post.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Ubuntu/WinVista Dual Boot
Back
Top