Windows 8 Upgrade Assistant

Windows 8 Upgrade Assistant is a program that helps prepare your computer for an upgrade to Windows 8. While you can upgrade without using this program, you'll find that this helps prepare you before the transition by checking through all your files to ensure they're ready. This can help ensure that the transition is smooth and easy.

Main Features

The jump to Windows 8 can introduce many changes to your computer and some programs, drivers and files may not be ready for the transition. This program uses a wizard system to easily scan through your computer to see what would happen if you upgraded your computer. The scan time depends largely on how many files are on your computer. If your hard drive is packed with lots of files, then this might need a while to finish the scan.

You'll find that the scan is very thorough. It checks on all the devices connected to your computer like your printer, keyboard, mouse and more. The program will also check through your computer's hardware to ensure there are no compatibility issues with Windows 8. For example, very old CPUs may not work with this operating system. It will check through your RAM and hard drive to ensure you can effective run the operating system without your computer slowing down or struggling to keep up with demands. To ensure the scan is as accurate as possible you should have any peripheral hardware connected to your computer before beginning.

Most computers have many program files and they may or may not continue working after you upgrade your computer. This is especially true with older computers as there may not be a modern version of your preferred software. If you are running Windows 7, then most of your programs should transition just fine. If you have an older version, then some programs may not work. This program can tell you if they need to be updated before you transition to Windows 8.

Windows 8 includes many new features not found in previous versions of Windows. This includes more touchscreen functionality, Windows Store and other features unique to this version. You can still upgrade to Windows 8 if your computer doesn't have these functions, but you won't be able to use them after the upgrade. These features are usually dependent on the computer itself and you may need to buy a whole new computer to use some of these features.

Lightweight and Portable

The great thing about Windows 8 Upgrade Assistant is that it's a very lightweight program. It requires little space on your hard drive, but it does a lot for such a small program. This is best used if you are upgrading from an older version of Windows to Windows 8. If you have the previous version, then more than likely the transition should be fine. But if you're upgrading from an older version, then there might be some problems to be aware of.

The program will give you a compatibility report once the scan is done. You can then perform all the suggested changes, like upgrading software, and then run the scan again until you're satisfied with the results. This is often much easier than trying to upgrade all of your software and drivers after installing Windows 8.

You don't even need to fully install this program to run it. This is actually a portable program. This means you can run it through a USB stick on any compatible computer. You'll find this very useful if you want to upgrade many different computers.

Works for Most Programs

Windows 8 Upgrade Assistant will effectively scan most program files to see if they would work with Windows 8 or not. Just be aware that there are some programs that will escape its notice. These are usually smaller programs or those made from relatively unknown developers. The assistant will say that there are no compatibility issues when you upgrade, but this might be false.