Most of us already know that Windows 8 Setup is much simpler and its easy to install Windows 8 even for less-advanced users, potentially reducing the number of clicks from 60 to 11.
Windows 8 also dramatically reduced the amount of time needed to upgrade systems loaded with lots of files and applications. In addition to the simplified setup, a separate (and more complex) process will be available to those who want to dual-boot multiple operating systems, configure partitions, or perform other advanced tasks.
The overarching theme is reducing the amount of stuff users have to do to upgrade a Windows 7 (or XP or Vista) machine to Windows 8, compressing the size of the OS download, and cutting installation time by optimizing file operations.
While a Windows 7 ISO for x86 clients was 2.32GB, holding 874 files and 200 folders, Microsoft is eliminating duplicates and utilizing an improved compression algorithm to cut that down to 1.51GB for Windows 8 downloads. But a more dramatic change is promised in the installation process, which in an extreme case could cut upgrade time from 513 minutes down to just 52.
Installation times in Windows 7 didn't scale very well for users with large amounts of files, While a clean installation of Windows 7 takes about 32 minutes (according to Microsoft), a "medium" sized upgrade with 213,000 files and 77 applications takes 131 minutes. Heavy upgrades with 430,000 files and 90 apps take 188 minutes. "Super upgrades" with 1.44 million files and 120 apps take a whopping 513 minutes.
In Windows 8, a clean install will take only 21 minutes, according to test results from Microsoft's labs. More importantly, the medium, heavy, and super upgrades will range from 42 minutes to 52 minutes, a dramatic difference from Windows 7.
The reason for slow Windows 7 upgrades was that the process preserved the customer's applications in the Program Files folder and their files in the Users folder by moving each file to a transport location (so that the original folders can be deleted to make way for the newer installation), and then moving them back again to complete the installation. With music and photo collections, it's not unusual to have hundreds of thousands of files, so even relatively fast move operations can really add up.
While in Windows 7 each file that was preserved, was moved individually, with Windows 8, instead of moving things file-by-file, Windows 8 Setup move entire folders, drastically reducing the number of file operations required. Moreover, instead of using file move operations, Microsoft will use hard links that link to the actual data on disk in the transport location without having to physically move the file.
By keeping system requirements basically flat from Windows 7, Microsoft is encouraging people to upgrade existing machines rather than buy new ones.
With Windows 7, a typical upgrade involves running several tools and clicking through 60 screens to complete. In Windows 8, rather than having Upgrade Advisor, Setup, and Windows Easy Transfer as separate apps or features, Windows 8 setup have folded them together into one fast and fluid experience in which Windows 8 first determine if your PC, apps, and devices will work in the new OS, note which things you want to keep (apps, files and/or settings), and then install Windows 8
Windows 8 Setup have also added the capability for setup to resume automatically after certain actions (such as resolving a blocking compatibility problem), which in the past would have required restarting setup again from the beginning.
In the end, a Windows 8 upgrade can be completed in as few as 11 clicks. However, the exact number of steps you need to take to complete the installation varies based on your existing Operating System, migration choices, install method, and number of blocking issues you need to resolve to get the PC ready for installation, but the experience is greatly simplified for everyone on Windows 8.
Just by simply streamlined the existing experience, Windows 8 have accomplished all of this with no loss of functionality or customization.
While the simplified setup eliminates some "control of setup options, disk layout, and partition configuration," Microsoft promised to preserve these options in a separate upgrade process for advanced users. MSDN subscribers can also get a Windows Assessment and Deployment Kit, which is designed for OEMs and IT pros who want to customize and automate Windows installations in organizational settings.
And if you have not downloaded Windows 8, just head on to Microsoft's developer site and download it. We would also recommend you to know the Minimum System Requirements For Windows 8. However, you'll just need a PC with a 1GHz or faster processor (either 32- or 64-bit), 1GB of RAM (2GB for 64-bit), 16GB of hard disk space (20GB for 64-bit), DirectX 9 graphics with WDDM 1.0 or higher driver. Of course, if you want to play with Windows 8's touch abilities, you'll need a screen that supports multi-touch.
Windows 8 runs on both traditional desktops, laptops and tablets, as well as on ARM chips for the first time. If you are interested in testing Windows 8, we would recommend you to download your copy of Windows 8 Here.
