October 25, 2012: Windows 8 is now available for purchase on new computers and is available for upgrades on University-owned computers. Windows 8 is a combination tablet/desktop operating system, and sports a completely new interface.
Before purchasing or upgrading to Windows 8, you should note a few items:
Windows 8 is a vastly different operating system than Windows 7. Most reviews indicate that there is a high learning curve.
Windows 8 upgrade is available for download for University-owned workstations through our Microsoft Campus Agreement. Check here for more information: UofMN: Windows OS.
Before upgrading your existing Windows computer, you should verify that your hardware will adequately support it. Following are Microsoft's minimum system requirements for Windows 8:
Processor: 1 gigahertz (GHz) or faster with support for PAE, NX, and SSE2
RAM: 1 gigabyte (GB) (32-bit) or 2 GB (64-bit)
Hard disk space: 16 GB (32-bit) or 20 GB (64-bit)
Graphics card: Microsoft DirectX 9 graphics device with WDDM driver
Additional requirements to use certain features:
To use touch, you need a tablet or a monitor that supports multitouch (more info)
To access the Windows Store and to download and run apps, you need an active Internet connection and a screen resolution of at least 1024 x 768
To snap apps, you need a screen resolution of at least 1366 x 768
Internet access (ISP fees might apply)
Secure boot requires firmware that supports UEFI v2.3.1 Errata B and has the Microsoft Windows Certification Authority in the UEFI signature database
Some games and programs might require a graphics card compatible with DirectX 10 or higher for optimal performance
Microsoft account required for some features
Watching DVDs requires separate playback software (more info)
Windows Media Center license sold separately (more info)
BitLocker To Go requires a USB flash drive (Windows 8 Pro only)
BitLocker requires either Trusted Platform Module (TPM) 1.2 or a USB flash drive (Windows 8 Pro only)
Client Hyper-V requires a 64-bit system with second level address translation (SLAT) capabilities and additional 2 GB of RAM (Windows 8 Pro only)
A TV tuner is required to play and record live TV in Windows Media Center (Windows 8 Pro Pack and Windows 8 Media Center Pack only)
Free Internet TV content varies by geography, some content might require additional fees (Windows 8 Pro Pack and Windows 8 Media Center Pack only)
Microsoft also provides a tool to check your hardware for compatibility:
University of Minnesota Campuses