Now that Windows 7 has just some few months to reaching its end of life or end of extended support; precisely on January 14, 2020; you might be wondering if you should upgrade to the next higher versions of Windows Operating Systems, which are Windows 8/8.1 & Windows 10.
The first thing to do is determine whether or not your PC can even run Windows 8. If your PC can’t run Windows 8, it definitely won’t be able to run Windows 10.
According to Microsoft, the minimum system requirements for running Windows 8/8.1 OS are as follows:
– Hard disk space: 16 GB (32-bit) or 20 GB (64-bit)
– Processor: 1 gigahertz (GHz) or faster with support for PAE, NX, and SSE2
– RAM: 1 gigabyte (GB) (32-bit) or 2 GB (64-bit)
– Graphics card: Microsoft DirectX 9 graphics device with WDDM driver
– Several other miscellaneous requirements for running various Windows 8/8.1 features
Even if your PC’s hardware meets these minimum requirements, there might still be compatibility issues with some of your software and peripherals. To make the process of determining whether you can run Windows 8/8.1/10 with your current hardware, peripherals and software as fast and easy as possible, Microsoft has created a free tool called the Windows 8/10 Upgrade Assistant. All you have to do is download it from Microsoft’s website, then install and run it. You’ll see a screen like this while the scan is in progress:
After the Upgrade Assistant has finished scanning your system you’ll be presented with a thorough report listing any incompatibilities it finds:
Some incompatibilities might not be deal breakers, but others might. At least you’ll have something solid to base your decision on.