Thread: Any chance that Release Candidate can be installed as an upgrade?

Interesting you ask. I have seen some speculation that it may indeed be possible to upgrade from a previous preview to a more recent preview, but it is just speculation since Microsoft doesn't seem to do much commenting on such things.
I would imagine there will be some clever work arounds (read hacks) like the cversion.ini minClient that was possible in Windows 7.
But, as I'm sure you already well know a custom clean install is always generally considered the preferred approach to an OS install. Granted, it's a pain, but the only real way to know with any degree of certainty that what you are seeing in the way of general performance and overall behavior is not in some way impacted by or inherited from a previous version of the OS.
I will definitely give it a go as soon as I can get my hands on the RP on my laptop which has a pretty plain vanilla install with just the OS, Office and a couple other programs. So a botched upgrade install won't really have much impact on that machine. I'll let you know one way or the other as soon as I know.
Regards
Randy

EDIT: From the horse's mouth. Seems they support "Migrating" or at least have in the past, which supports keeping your user accounts and files, but not programs.
Can I upgrade from previous versions of Windows to Windows 8 Consumer Preview?
Yes, you can upgrade to Windows 8 Consumer Preview from Windows Developer Preview, Windows 7, Windows Vista, or Windows XP, but you might not be able to keep all of your files, programs, and settings. The following table shows what you can keep during an upgrade depending on the current version of Windows running on your PC:

Current operating system	What you can keep
Windows Developer Preview	User accounts and files
Windows 7	Programs Windows settings User accounts and files
Windows Vista	Windows settings User accounts and files
Windows XP	User accounts and files

SOURCE: Windows 8 Consumer Preview: frequently asked questions

HI Randy

The problem for me is that I have been using nothing but Windows 8 for months.
I have everything I'm doing in it now, from Adobe Premier to the Secret World Beta.

Starting all over again is going to be a pain, in fact the first thing I would need to do is get some of the stuff I don't have in Windows 7, working there just in case I have problems. So that I have something to fall back on.

Non of the software I have installed for Windows 8 is on the same partition that Windows 8 is on so some of it will probably run, or retain setting after a new install.

Mike

To quote the former Prez...... I feel your pain.
I am in exactly the same boat with the only possible exception being that when I made the commitment to make Windows 8 my only OS, I physically removed my Windows 7 hard drive from my computer and put it in a drawer. So I do already have a decent fall back position, I would just need to catch up my .pst for Outlook and a few items in my Downloads directory both of which I could grab from my current Acronis .tib file before doing anything drastic.
As someone else has already remarked, it's the price we pay when we decide we're going to be serious about this whole beta testing idea.
You are correct for the most part, once you perform a reinstall and get all the appropriate registry entries where they need to be for your installed programs, they will likely work without issue.
My problem is that I have a couple which required a bit of finagling to get them to work at all in Windows 8, hopefully I'll remember what I had to do.

That's my problem!

I got this all working but I don't remember how I did some of it.
And the things that are an update are a pain, I'm hoping that since the installs are still there it will see them and go ahead.

Mike

I have hav'nt used it for a loong time, but you could try "Easy Transfer"?

Short answer to the original query is, NO. RP must be installed as a clean install, there is no upgrade path available. Back-up all data to be ready for the transition. Dual-boot scenarios, where there is, also, a separate Data Drive are the most ideal. Have everything on the Win8 CP backed-up on the Data Drive. Install the RP & pull everything back, again, from the Data Drive. Software/programs will have to be reloaded.

Running a Beta OS as one's only OS & on one's only computer is not what ought to be done. If, for no other reason (& there, certainly are others) Betas expire. But, also, cus, cannot use upgrade paths.

Cheers,
Drew

Hi

Well I have all my software installed in Windows 7 and my data and Windows 8 programs are on a separate drive all together.

My paying projects (I'm in the middle of a menu for a restaurant chain) can be opened from either Windows 7 in Indesign, or in Windows 8 in a separate Indesign installation. It doesn't really matter which I use, the data in on my data drive. But that should be done before the transition anyway.

The biggest problem is probably going to be games, I'll have to make sure the back up all my saves for Skyrim, and I have 2 betas for Secret World, both the open and the closed beta.

But I think the game is going live about the same time that Windows 8 RC comes out so that will take care of it'self.
If I'm going to keep playing I'll have to reinstall it anyway.

It's all the little stuff, will the new Windows 8 have the traditional games in it?
Or will I have to go through all that again?

Well we'll find out soon.

I never made a backup of Windows 8, as I have with Windows 7 using Acronis, maybe I will when I get RC installed.

Mike

Hi Mike,
I would thing it will work. By mistake I installed Windows 8 CP over Windows 7 on my laptop. It worked like a charm except for minor problems with Adobe Flash and IE10. Like most of us, I don't remember the changes and twicks I made to Win 8 so I do hope the RC version will just install as an update. Contrary to all the whiners and negative postings I really like Win 8 and find it easy to navigate with. I rarely miss the start button. I do wish I had a touch screen. Maybe for Christmas.

Rosita