Windows 8 Upgrade ... it's so easy!

- 2 minutes read - 370 words

Today I decided to upgrade my home computer to Windows 8 Pro. One thing you have to know is that this is a very critical system for us at home. It runs the entertainment system and most importantly feeds our TV system (XBox 360) in the living room. I was specifically nervous about the fact that the TV signal for the Media Center comes from a powerline connected devolo dLAN TV Sat PC device (that actually sits on the top floor of our house). Not much Windows 8 support information was given by devolo, but the Windows 8 upgrade assistant did say that there was a newer Version of the driver available (also I couldn’t find any Information on the web).

Well, I thought I just give it a try and start the upgrade process. I selected the option to include all the data, apps and settings … what a nice feature. After a couple of minutes Windows 8 welcomed me with the already familiar start screen. But, important to mention: not only the common, blank start screen was already there, when I first logged into the System … no! … since I used my existing Microsoft account (that I also use on other devices too), another nice Windows 8 Feature comes into Play: “Synchronize Settings”. All my settings like background screen, colours, accounts, etc.

But, back to enabling TV in the living room … you might have heard that Windows 8 does not automatically come with Media Center, you have to enable it in the Windows features (possible only in the Pro Version). After doing so, the Media Center appeared on the start screen, I launched it and the TV assistant asked whether or not I wanted to run a configuration wizard. Sure enough, that sounds like a good thing to do. One of the first options there is to migrate an old configuration that Media Center magically found. And then, after another couple of minutes … all channels, settings, options, recordings and even planned recordings of the Media Center are set-up.

What a great experience! What’s next? Well, at least a little bit of training for my wife on Windows 8 and all of its great new features.