Chapter 2 Operating Systems 61
two applications to be displayed side by side
on the screen at the same time. It requires a
minimum screen resolution of 1366 × 768.
The following table lists the Windows 8
system requirements. To learn more about any
particular operating system, visit the Microsoft
website or conduct a search using the key terms
“Microsoft features” followed by the name of the
edition such as “Windows 8.”
Hardware 32-bit 64-bit
CPU 1 GHz 1 GHz
RAM 1 GB 2 GB
Hard drive space 16 GB 20 GB
Screen resolution,
for Start
interface
1024 × 768 1024 × 768
Screen resolution,
for Snap feature
1366 × 768 1366 × 768
Graphics support DirectX 9 or
higher
DirectX 9 or
higher
The table in Figure 2-27 identifies if a
particular Windows 7 edition can be upgraded to
a particular Windows 8 edition. While you can
upgrade to Windows 8 and Windows Pro from any
previous Windows 7 edition, you may not retain all
your system settings. Also, you cannot upgrade a
32-bit operating system to a 64-bit operating system
and retain Windows settings, personal files, or
applications. The Microsoft TechNet website lists
detailed information on upgrading to Windows 8
and retaining system settings and data. You
can find this information by entering “TechNet
Windows 8 upgrade path” in the search box of your
Internet browser.
Before installing or performing an upgrade
to Windows 8, Microsoft recommends you verify
that the processor can support the following
CPU features: PAE, NX, and SSE2. All modern
processors have these features. If SSE2 is not
supported, some drivers and software applications
may not perform as intended. If a computer was
purchased after 2006, it should have no problem
running Windows 8. You can run the Windows 8
Upgrade Advisor to determine if the computer
can support Windows 8 features. The Upgrade
Advisor will check program and hardware
compatibility and advise of any expected
problems.
Physical Address Extension (PAE)
Operating systems that are 32-bit can only
access 4 GB of RAM, but a processor that has
the Physical Address Extension (PAE) feature
can access more than 4 GB. This feature allows
Windows 8 to be installed on a 32-bit system and
to access more than 4 GB of RAM.
Windows Vista Edition Windows 7 Home
Premium
Windows 7
Professional
Windows 7
Ultimate
Windows Vista Home Basic Yes No Yes
Windows Vista Home Premium Yes No Yes
Windows Vista Business No Yes Yes
Windows Vista Ultimate No No Yes
Goodheart-Willcox Publisher
Figure 2-26.
Use this table
to determine if a
particular edition
of Windows Vista
can be upgraded to
Windows 7.
Windows 7 Edition Windows 8 Windows 8 Pro Windows 8 Enterprise
Windows 7 Home
Premium
Yes Yes No
Windows 7
Professional
Yes Yes Yes
Windows 7 Ultimate Yes Yes Yes
Goodheart-Willcox Publisher
Figure 2-27.
Use this table to
determine if a particular
edition of Windows 7
can be upgraded to
Windows 8.