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Run the Upgrade Assistant to see if you can upgrade from WHS 1. I don’t think you can. Only Windows 7 and earlier qualifies and it must be on the computer to qualify for the upgrade. How to Upgrade
You should keep what you have now and save the upgrade key for another computer or buy windows 8.1 32bit retail disk. The unused key doesn’t expire.

Don’t forget that the Group Policy editor is only available in Pro version of windows.

”as the full instructions say – when you first switch on you will momentarily be presented with the options to press (usually) F2 or F12.”

….. or not! I have a Toshiba Satellite P755D laptop. It even has a HWSetup option to change the boot order. Except that it always boots from the hard disk. You can’t access the BIOS any way at all. Some internet research led to the discovery that this laptop was one of a family of models called “Legacy Free”. Oh what a marvelous way of telling you how you compare to pond scum. So, if the hard disk is broken enough to start the boot process but not enoiugh to bring up windows, you’re up the creek. You can’t also set up a dual boot system or boot something like the Network Security Toolkit. I have no idea what happens if you remove the hard disk entirely. That’s not something I consider routine maintenance. So, I can’t tell if the repair disk that I created will in fact even boot. One posting suggested that if you removed the hard disk, you could turn off the “Legacy Free” setting. I can’t vouch for that.

It is easier to start tapping the F12 key or whatever key you use to get to the boot menu as soon as you restart without waiting for any screen. Keep tapping until the boot menu appears or you hear a beep. That way you don’t wait for any screen to appear and you don’t miss the brief window. Today’s fast computers don’t allow much time to make the selection. Check with your computer maker for the correct key to access the boot menu. All computers have some way to start the rescue.

Put the disk in before you shutdown the computer. The second step is actually the first step–.

1)Place your boot/repair CD/DVD into your PC’s optical drive or plug the rescue drive into a USB socket.
2)Shut down all software, exit Windows, and turn your PC completely off (i.e., a full power-off shutdown).
3)Turn your PC on.

The sfc command should have a space– sfc /scannow. New users might try to run it without the space as it is printed in this article.

The reason that win 7 has failed is that win 8 installations are upgrades–all of them. You lose the rights to use or transfer win 7 after the upgrade. Only the System Builder OEM version is a full version.The license agreement says:
Windows 8 EULA

What about upgrading the software?
The software covered by this agreement is an upgrade to your existing operating system (XP SP3, Vista, or Windows 7) software, so the upgrade replaces the original software that you are upgrading. You do not retain any rights to the original software after you have upgraded and you may not continue to use it or transfer it in any way. This agreement governs your rights to use the upgrade software and replaces the agreement for the software from which you upgraded. After you complete your upgrade, additional software will be required to playback or record certain types of media, including DVDs.

Windows 7 & 8 cannot run word 97. It is the operating system that will force office upgrades. Win XP cannot run Office 2013.

You say–And only the full-retail version includes both 32-bit and 64-bit discs in the same package;
One correction–there are no Full versions available at retail stores. All retail versions–both in stores and downloads from Microsoft–are upgrades and require a qualifying version of windows on the hard drive before installing. The only full version is the OEM System Builder and that is only available from a few online retailers like Amazon and Newegg. Many users have found this out after being assured by an uninformed store clerk that they are buying the full version of win 8.

File History is easy and fast, but it has one huge disadvantage: as far as I can tell, you can’t restore the backup to a different computer, so it’s useless if your computer is trashed or stolen. I have yet to find a program that creates a full transferable backup and isn’t also, according to Internet posts, buggy with Win8.

I agree this is a huge drawback and I have found that it will not restore to a diff hard drive on the same computer. I wonder about how would work on a new replacement hard drive. I installed win 8.1 to a diff hard drive on the same computer and could not access or even see the File History files. It also filled up an external hard drive much too fast. My 1TB ext drive was filled almost to capacity–less than 100gb left–even with File History turned off after an initial trial period and with the highest frequency setting. I would like more control over the settings. Windows 7 system image is so much better and much more useful. That has been an efficient fix for me in the past.

Edit: I would be interested in finding out if there is a setting to allow access to File History from other drives/computers. Maybe there is a setting we are not aware of.

You cannot install WMC on a windows 8 core computer. Only Pro can be upgraded to Media Center. The pack you need is the Windows Pro Pack that upgrade win 8 to win 8 pro with media center. It’s available from MS for $100. IMO the user should skip it and save the $100. Media center is seldom used now with Internet video and TV.

Best procedure is to right click on the IE 10 update and select Hide. Wait until the bugs are out of it.

I found a problem with having a diff Hotmail acct password and MS Acct login password. I assume the only way to do it is to have separate hotmail accts. The hotmail acct associated with the microsoft acct has to have the same password. No way around this.

It would be wise to run CHKDSK /R before installing win 8. Many times the problem with windows is a failing hard drive. You could also run the hardware diagnostics including the extended hard drive test if you have that available from your computer maker. It would be in the Boot Menu that you access by tapping F12 as soon as you reboot. Don’t wait for any screen. Start tapping immediately after rebooting. No use updating windows on a bad hard drive.

Gadgets have been found to be vulnerable to security threats in win 7 and earlier versions of windows. Win 8 RP is supposedly not affected. You are not using the Final Version of win 8. You are testing the Release To Manufacturing (RTM) Enterprise version that is for business use and expires after 90 days of use. Several of the features in Release Preview are not available in Enterprise such as Media Center and Gadgets. Features could still change before the actual final release in October. Win 8 Pro will be the consumer version. It will have Media Center available for download. If you want the features now, go back and reinstall the release preview. I did to get Media Center back.

The Gadget Gallery has been closed, but you can still right click on the win 8 Desktop (RP version only) and select a few gadgets.

There is a new games app available in the Apps Store. Search for Solitaire in the apps store to find Card Games Chest