Solved Upgrade from Win7Pro to Win 8.1 "Full" ?

[Pavl]

Hello to the forum.
Currently have Win 7 Pro 64bit and possess a 'reseller' Win 8.1 "Full version" mauve box packaged with 32 & 64 bit dvds and plastic product key card.
Have read a couple of articles from MS and cannot be certain that I can do what the box says "...If you're running Windows 7, your files will easily transfer".
Most response to upgrade questions mention 'staged' upgrade with some answers saying direct 7 to 8.1 cannot be done.
Just want to be sure before jumping ......
And aware of the probable need for telephone activation.
Side note ... I do have a MS account and a digital license for another machine running Win 10 Pro .... is the advice to try to register using that MS account or not (you may gather I am not familiar with this process!)

 

[samuria]

You can still upgrade 7 to 10 for free

 

[Pavl]

Thank you samuria.
But as stated, already have w10p machine and want the w7p machine NOT to be w10 so am going for w8.1 as it still has some life in it and less of the rubbish and irritations of w10 (wont go there on this forum).

 

[Megahertz07]

Thank you samuria.
But as stated, already have w10p machine and want the w7p machine NOT to be w10 so am going for w8.1 as it still has some life in it and less of the rubbish and irritations of w10 (wont go there on this forum).

Win 7 is still the best OS. It is safe to use and will work the same way it was before M$ end of support.

Between Win8.1 and win10, I would choose win10.

 

[Pavl]

Thank you Megahertz07
Agree about w7 being the best and would love to keep using it ... but I said the same thing about XP and had to give up on that eventually.
And just for fun ... my first windows machine was on a card inside an Acorn Risc machine ... now THAT was a good OS !.
So just for my reference ..... could I just upgrade w7 to w8.1 directly with my "Full version"?

 

[Megahertz07]

I never had Win8.x so I can't say how to upgrade keeping data and programs.
I would do a disk image using Macrium Reflect free saving on an external drive. Then run Win 8 setup from running Win 7. I think it will "upgrade".

 

[Pavl]

Thanks Megahertz07 .... so will hold the 8.1 in reserve for the time being. Have Macrium already. Think this is over and out ....

 

[Megahertz07]

If you're worried about the Win 7 updates, run simplix. Very good.

 

[townsbg]

You should be able to upgrade, although I've never done so. I don't think that you can go down in a version, for example pro to home, but I could be wrong. You cannot go from 32-bit to 64-bit or 64-bit to 32-bit through an upgrade. Just put the disk in your computer and run the exe. It'll take it from there. I would back up first. Note do not boot into the disk for an upgrade. Booting into the disk will do a clean install and everything will be wiped out.


I think that 8.1 needs a lot of tweaking unless you like the metro setup. Open shell will do a lot of that for you. Open Shell 4.4.162 Download There is also a program, I forgot what it is, that will simulate aero but I could never get it to work right on my 8.1 virtual machine. Also it nags it unless you "donate" to them. Unfortunately 8.1 has already been dropped by some third party software such as itunes.