Upgrading to Windows 8.1?

han003

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Hi!
Just bought a laptop with Windows 8 pre-installed.

Question is, can I install Windows 8.1 on it? Will I lose my product key? Will it still be a licensed version of Windows?
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8
yes no yes
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Win 8.1 Pro
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Self Built
    CPU
    I7-3770K
    Motherboard
    ASUS SABERTOOTH Z77
    Memory
    CORSAIR 8GB 2X4 D3 1866
    Graphics Card(s)
    EVGA GTX680 4GB
    Monitor(s) Displays
    ASUS 24" LED VG248QE
    Hard Drives
    SAMSUNG E 256GB SSD 840 PRO -
    SAMSUNG E 120GB SSD840 -
    SEAGATE 1TB PIPELINE
    PSU
    CORSAIR GS800
    Case
    CORSAIR 600T
    Cooling
    CORSAIR HYDRO H100I LIQUID COOLER
    Keyboard
    THERMALTA CHALLENGER ULT GAME-KYBRD
    Mouse
    RAZER DEATHADDER GAME MS BLK-ED
    Antivirus
    Windows Defender
    Other Info
    APC 1000VA -
    LGELECOEM LG 14X SATA BD BURNER -
    CORSAIR SP120 Fans x 3 -
    NZXT 5.25 USB3 BAY CARD READER -
    HAUPPAUGE COLOSSUS
Hi!
Just bought a laptop with Windows 8 pre-installed.

Question is, can I install Windows 8.1 on it? Will I lose my product key? Will it still be a licensed version of Windows?

I would strongly recommend against attempting any upgrade to Win 8.1 on a brand new laptop. This new 8.1 is just in a Preview state right now and I can tell you first hand that you will not see anything that is overwhelmingly new. In fact, you might find that some things have actually disappeared. I only installed 8.1 as a curiosity on my Test rig; however, I would never attempt such an upgrade on a brand new laptop to an unproven Preview version. So, do as you will, but you have been warned. Good luck but I really hope you don't try it at this time.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8 Pro Windows 8.1 Preview
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
Windows 8.1 Preview FAQ - Microsoft Windows

Microsoft said:
Is Windows 8.1 Preview ready for everyone to try?

We strongly recommend that only experienced PC users download Windows 8.1 Preview or Windows RT 8.1 Preview. Before you download the preview, you should weigh the pros and cons of installing software that's still in development. If you install the preview release, you'll get to try out the many new features, but you might also encounter errors that you wouldn't encounter using a released version of Windows.

You should consider downloading the preview only if all of the following apply to you:


You like to use the latest software and enjoy experimenting with new technology.


You're comfortable backing up a PC, formatting a hard drive, and installing an operating system from scratch.


You feel comfortable troubleshooting PC problems yourself.


You don't mind updating software frequently.


You have or can create installation or recovery media and have the knowledge to restore your previous operating system after you're done testing Windows 8.1 Preview.





Warning


Warning

If you're running Windows RT you won't be able to restore Windows RT after you install Windows RT 8.1 Preview. You'll be able to upgrade to the final version of Windows RT 8.1.


If installation of Windows RT 8.1 Preview fails on your PC, you may need to contact your PC manufacturer.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    ME, XP,Vista,Win7,Win8,Win8.1
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Other Info
    Notebooks x 3

    Desktops x 5

    Towers x 4
Also, keep in mind that the final version of 8.1 is said to be released at the end of August.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Win 8.1 64bit
    Computer type
    Laptop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Toshiba
    CPU
    Intel i3, 2348
    Memory
    4GB
    Graphics Card(s)
    Intel HD3000
The 8.1 update will use your current 8.0 product code. I did the update though the store and had issues that made me reinstall Windows 8. I recommend waiting for the final version, especially if you don't have install media or a set of recovery disks.
 

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
I'm running 8.1 in Hyper-V as a VM, just to familiarize myself with it.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8.1 Pro
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Custom build
    CPU
    AMD Phenom II X 4 965 BE
    Motherboard
    Gigabyte GA-MA790X-DS4
    Memory
    G-Skill 8 GB PC 8500
    Graphics Card(s)
    AMD XFX HD Radeon 6790D
    Sound Card
    Realtek HD onboard
    Monitor(s) Displays
    2l Samsung SyncMaster S20B300
    Screen Resolution
    1600 X 900
    Hard Drives
    Seagate Barracuda 320 GB w/OS
    Seagate Barracuda 1 TB data storage
    PSU
    Ultra X4 750 watt fully modular
    Case
    Thermaltake OverSeer RX 1 fulltower
    Cooling
    Cooler Master Hyper212 120mm
    Keyboard
    Logitech G510
    Mouse
    Razor DeathAdder 3.5

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Win 8.1
    Computer type
    Laptop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Acer Aspire E1-571
    CPU
    i5-3230m
    Motherboard
    Acer Type-2
    Memory
    8GB DDR3 1333MHz
    Graphics Card(s)
    Intel HD 4000
    Sound Card
    High Definiton Audio Device
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Generic
    Screen Resolution
    1366x768
    Hard Drives
    Samsung 850 Pro 256GB
    PSU
    Generic
    Keyboard
    QWERTY
    Mouse
    ELANTECH Touchpad
    Internet Speed
    12.68Mbps
    Browser
    IE11
    Antivirus
    Windows Defender
It's my understanding that if you put the current 8.1 on,you will not be able to un-install it. So if you do put it on, it's a good ideato create a system image before you install 8.1, or be sure that you will beable to do a factory recovery when you want to install the final release of8.1. Unless a person knows his way around computers, I think it's best to waituntil the final version comes out.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8 Pro
    System Manufacturer/Model
    HP Pavilion g7-120us Notebook
    Memory
    8 GIG
@Frank1, that's my understanding too. You can go from 8 to the 8.1 beta or 8 to the 8.1 final, but you can't go from the 8.1 beta to the 8.1 final release. Not without reinstalling.
 

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
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