Surprise! Your cpu can't run Windows 8.1!

docj said:

Gary:

No disrespect intended, but according to Intel that processor was introduced in the first quarter of 2006.  That's 7 chronological years, an absolute eternity in computer years!  ;D  I think I'm on my third laptop since 2006.

In all seriousness, my current Dell with an Intel Core i7 quad core processor running 64-bit Windows 8 with 8 GB of RAM was surprisingly affordable and it absolutely screams compared to the one it replaced.  My wife's Dell with an i3 is nearly as fast and cost only 2/3 as much.

Joel

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Doc or anyone. Can you opine on my custom build in July 2008, please?

ASUS P5N-E SLI mb, 500g hd (just 4 days brand new, took forever to reload everything and do over 200 updates) Win Vista 64 Home Premium, e-4500 Intel CPU, 4g DDR2 Memory, Blu Ray DVD drive.

When I installed my OS system on the new HD, it asked for a key. The key is on the installation disk which was never opened since it came with the system, until now. I typed in the key and Windows said it was invalid. I talked to Win support and they said it was "expired" and I would have to get a new key from the manufacturer. Went to the builder and was told in 15 years they have never heard of a key expiring. Finished the install without a key. Now there is a clock running, down to 26 days, for Win to be activated. Tried it a couple of times, and it won't even let me get past the first letter. What is going to happen at the end of 26 days?

I've considered updating to Win 7 which I have on my laptop. Can I go all the way to 8? Or will I run into the same things as Gary? Also, my understanding is that Win 8 is a touch screen, with basically apps like my iPhone. I don't have a touch screen. Its a Dell 2407WFP that I had on my old Dell before this one. Will I have to buy a new display?

Thanks,

Stan

Ned I went to MS site and even chatted with rep. My computers CAN'T be upgraded and I would have to by 7 new laptops and 3 desktops to be able to get windows 8. So for now I will be a XP user unless I find a Sugar daddy who wants to buy new one's

Stan,

Keys don't expire but they do get invalidated by MS if they are found to be illegal.  You will have to get a valid key before the clock runs out or Vista will lock itself down.  You would be better to get a full Windows 7 DVD with key and install that.  Much better than Vista.  No need to go to Windows 8 unless you really want to.  It runs fine without a touch screen and 8.1 lets you boot direct to the desktop and not to the start screen.    If you do want to go to Windows 8, run the Upgrade Assistant first to verify that your hardware and software are all supported.

Conquest aka Robert said:

Ned I went to MS site and even chatted with rep. My computers CAN'T be upgraded and I would have to by 7 new laptops and 3 desktops to be able to get windows 8. So for now I will be a XP user unless I find a Sugar daddy who wants to buy new one's

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Have you run the Windows 7 Upgrade Advisor to see if they will support Windows 7?  No compelling reason to go to Windows 8 if 7 will run on those boxes.  And if it won't, I'd replace XP with Linux rather than run with a known vulnerable OS.

parttymer said:

I've considered updating to Win 7 which I have on my laptop. Can I go all the way to 8? Or will I run into the same things as Gary? Also, my understanding is that Win 8 is a touch screen, with basically apps like my iPhone. I don't have a touch screen. Its a Dell 2407WFP that I had on my old Dell before this one. Will I have to buy a new display?

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    Stan, I upgraded my "about a year old" ACER laptop from 7 to 8 earlier this year - and had no problems. As to the touch screen, Win8 let's you select whatever via the mouse or keystrokes. I hate touching the screen on a laptop anyway so that works well for me. Hard enough keeping a computer screen clean without having to wipe fingerprints off several times a day.

bobsharon said:

8.0 to 8.1? That is what I thought.
Attempted upgrade yesterday. My computer never finished the download from the Store and locked up after several hours. Several attempts to accomplish ended in failure.
Called Microsoft (1.5 hour wait time through some terrible south of the border elevator music) spoke with an expert. He kindly walked me through loading directly off their site him using their remote console.
Download install completed about midnight last night and Presto!
There I am with a brand new pristine install of Windows 8.0! Complete with most of my personalization gone and 76 updates out of date.
Now when I go to the "store" I don't even get the option to download 8.1.
Ask me if I am "irritated".
Bob

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My upgrade downloaded without a hitch overnight and was ready to use in the morning.  All my personalizations are intact which is good since I intend to continue to run Classic Shell since the new start button isn't much of an improvement IMO.  The system definitely runs faster than it used to, even though most of the other "improvements" such as animated backgrounds aren't of interest to me.

I concur with Ned - get Win7. It's a big improvement over Vista and for most common purposes nearly as good as Win8 (or 8.1).

The only way I have heard of a key becoming invalid is that it is already installed on another computer somewhere.  You said the key is rejected on the very first letter you enter.  That suggests the key type does not match the OS you installed, e.g. you are trying to apply a WinXP key to Vista or an MS Office Key to the operating system. Could that possibly be it?

But my experience with AMD processors versus INTEL finds that for same "rated performance" the INTEL processor always outperforms the AMD.

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My experience too. I figure the AMD rating has to be substantially higher than the Intel performance rating, so I was figuring I would need a 3.6 Ghz quad-core AMD to even match my dear old dual core Pentium  3.0.  AMD does have some new chipsets with really impressive graphics capability, but that doesn't do much for me since I already have a good video card and don't use the onboard graphics for much.

The Intel Core i3 is a very capable cpu for routine email and web chores, but the supporting chipsets are currently somewhat behind the AMD's at the same price level. If you step up to Core i5, it gets better but the processor is pricey and the motherboard/cpu/memory package comes out to around $400. That's a hefty price for my needs.

Gary RV Roamer said:

I concur with Ned - get Win7. It's a big improvement over Vista and for most common purposes nearly as good as Win8 (or 8.1).

The only way I have heard of a key becoming invalid is that it is already installed on another computer somewhere.  You said the key is rejected on the very first letter you enter.  That suggests the key type does not match the OS you installed, e.g. you are trying to apply a WinXP key to Vista or an MS Office Key to the operating system. Could that possibly be it?

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I don't think so Gary,

Here is a picture of the sticker that is on the side of the tower since day 1, and pictures of the package of the OS. Earlier I said it was never opened, but obviously t was; by the builder when the OS was installed. I would just add that when I was installing this on the new drive, it took all of the key symbols, it didn't refuse to go beyond 'D' until I tried to activate it after the install. What do you think?

Parttymer you have mail,LOL

I've got two pc's running Win8 and thought why not install 8.1.  Went to the store and found that the download is around 3.6 gB of data.  I am on the road using Verizon 4G Hotspot.  I only have 1.5 gB left for 3 or 4 days and don't want to waste most of next periods 5 gB on the download.  So I will wait a couple of weeks until I get back home and turn the DSL back on and use it.

Really don't need 8.1 except to see if the pc's will load it or be like Gary's machine.

yolo said:

So I will wait a couple of weeks until I get back home and turn the DSL back on and use it.

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Why wait -- buy a senior coffee at any McDonald's.

I always do my Tom Tom updates there. I also go there when I have a large DropBox update of data. My last TT one was about 1.6g. Most of the time I find those kind of downloads can be incremental in that if I don't have time to finish I can come back the next day and pick up where I left off - as is the case with TT. The last one took about an hour on my Acer Netbook. I would start the download, then go on working with my laptop. Total cost, 68 cents.

Bob Buchanan said:

Why wait -- buy a senior coffee at any McDonald's.

I always do my Tom Tom updates there. I also go there when I have a large DropBox update of data. My last TT one was about 1.6g. Most of the time I find those kind of downloads can be incremental in that if I don't have time to finish I can come back the next day and pick up where I left off - as is the case with TT. The last one took about an hour on my Acer Netbook. I would start the download, then go on working with my laptop. Total cost, 68 cents.

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Aha!  So your the reason I can't do any reasonable browsing at McDonalds? 

You're going to be spending quite a while at McDonald's downloading ~3GB.  The servers were very slow yesterday; mine loaded overnight.

finally!
Two computers now running. on W8.1. It took 1.5 hours to download on cable (3.5Gbit/90 minutes). Took another 50 minutes to install...total two hours twenty minutes for each one.
yea!

Molaker said:

Aha!  So your the reason I can't do any reasonable browsing at McDonalds? 

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Yep -- I plead guilty. 

Amazing how many are now doing McDonald's. Was at the one in Rocklin, CA a few days ago and pointed out to a friend that in the almost full crowd, only one person was without some kind of device using their WiFi. And in the cross section I saw business folk, students from Sierra College, plus many older users with tablets just messing around with their little toy.

The only time I saw a real slow down was in Quartzsite a few years back. The desert dwellers would come in early, buy a coke or coffee - then sit all day downloading movies. One fellow I met explained that he then watches them at night in the back of his pickup or with others in their tents - and exchange titles with each other. The next year I was there I didn't see any of that and wondered why until I tried to plug into one of the wall sockets. They had all been covered with metal plates. Still many users, just a different cross section of folk and objectives.

Of course, I have that base covered with my extra battery -- that gives me a full 7+ hours. Actually, I don't think I have ever downloaded a movie. But do mess with a lot of data at times. Dropbox can also be a real drain if not careful as a programmer.

For me, anytime I upgrade, something stops working.  Whether on my iPad or PC, upgrades cause me problems. 

bobsharon said:

8.0 to 8.1? That is what I thought. Attempted upgrade yesterday.

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After reading this thread, I decided to try an upgrade to Win 8.1 on my Accer Iconia W510 tablet (with the removable keyboard).

I am happy to report that all is fine. Took over an hour to complete (if not longer, I wasn't timing it) but it works perfectly with 8.1 and I like the small changes I noticed,  but I didn't notice any real  big differences, at least not yet. I had no complaints with 8.0, but thought I would try the upgrade anyway.

99WinAdventurer37G said:

For me, anytime I upgrade, something stops working.  Whether on my iPad or PC, upgrades cause me problems.

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Which is why I stopped upgrading a long time ago. My Chromebook upgrades automatically and it never causes any problems. I am so glad I have abandoned Windows for Chromebook. 7 second boot time, no blue screens, and blazingly fast.

The product key issue is solved. Thanks for the help. I think I will still upgrade to 7, now that Vista is activated.

Stan