Things To Know Before You Upgrade From Windows 7 To Windows 8

Microsoft encourages every existing Windows user to upgrade to Windows 8, its latest operating system. The tech giant claims to have simplified the upgrade procedure for Windows 8. Nevertheless, if you are not familiar with the Windows 8 installation steps, the upgrade can be a bit confusing. In addition to just knowing how to upgrade to Windows 8, the users need to know about certain precautionary steps to make the upgrade work without any errors. You will also see what you should do to restore to Windows 7 in case of an upgrade failure.

Creating the system image back up of Windows 7

Before upgrading to Windows 8 from Windows 7, it is recommended that you create a system image backup of Windows 7. It helps in restoring back to Windows 7 in case your Windows 8 results in an unexpected error. Read the instructions given below carefully and work them out to create a Windows 7 system image back up.

Instructions

• Turn on your Windows 7 computer and navigate to Control Panel.
• Select the icon titled System and Security and then, choose Backup and Restore.
• Go to the left pane of the screen and click on the link that says create a system image. Windows will now initiate the create system image backup wizard.
• Browse the location where you wish to save the image file. It is always recommended that you store the image backup on an external storage device.
• After selecting the location to store the image backup, press the Next button to proceed.
• Once you are done with creating the system image backup, you are ready for the Windows 8 upgrade. Follow the instructions below to begin upgrading to Windows 8.
• Turn on your Windows 7 machine and open the disk drive.
• Insert the Windows 8 setup DVD in the drive.
• Double-click the setup.exe file to initiate the installation. You may be prompted now to update your Windows 8 installation files online. Click Yes and press Next to continue.
• You will be prompted now to enter your Windows 8 product key. Type in the key (see the package that contained the installation disc).
• Press Next to continue.
• Follow the on-screen prompts to complete the installation steps.

Following the above steps, you should be able to create an image backup of your old operating system and then, upgrade to Windows 8. If any unexpected errors occur during the process, restore back to Windows 7 or contact the Windows 8 helpline for support.