The entire world is going gaga over the final release of Windows 8, which is a Metro-style operating system from Microsoft, designed to offer a blended experience of a tablet/Smartphone and computer. Similar to your tablet or Smartphone, you can do everything right from your computer’s Start screen viz. emails, instant messaging on IM, image/video capturing, listen to or download music, app downloads, check weather & other news, share photos and videos etc. whatever you capture on Flickr, PhotoBucket etc, live updates, update Twitter, Facebook other social networking sites, open Control Panel, run Disk Defragmenter and miscellaneous things.
So basically Windows 8 offers a gestural experience which was absent from the previous versions including Windows 7. Swiping through tiles, tapping or clicking them to open or zoom, sharing and making changes are among the major highlights that Windows 8 has to offer to customers.
I remember one of Neil Postman’s quotes on technology transformations and that is “Technological change is not additive; it’s ecological. A new technology does not merely add something; it changes everything”. And this exactly applies to Windows 8 which brings a brand new, stylish, lavish, colorful, beautiful, and different experience on a platter for customers. Windows 8 is not just an old wine in a new bottle. It is built upon the rock solid platform of Windows 7. Thus Windows 8 brings an array of advanced features, superior performance, faster boot and shutdown times, and a whole new experience leveraging the capabilities of the previous version.
Windows 8 is a major hit as we can calculate from the number of 4 million upgrades sold within just 4 days from its release. Though it will take time for some customers to be able to get used to Windows 8 but once they do, it will become easier for them to understand and use their computers.
To be able to explore your world through Windows 8 and experience the change, you will have to install it on your computer. Similar to Windows 7, Windows 8 offers you to either do a clean install or upgrade to it from your previous version. You can choose and avoid the desired option. It all begins with a smile when you prepare your computer to install Windows 8 on it. What I’m highlighting in this post today is Windows 8 installation problems which may occur during or after the installation procedure.
Blank/Black Screen Post-Installation
A blank screen after installation seems to be the major problem faced by a lot of users who hardly have an idea about what went wrong. It has been observed that Windows 8 installation goes successful without problems and the blank screen appears only after your computer is through with the procedure. Thus you may not have an idea about what’s missing. If you want to fix this problem, you can take help of Windows 8 support. You can also apply these steps. To fix the problem, create a bootable Windows 8 installation USB or DVD and then try to install. If it doesn’t work, check the BIOS settings for your computer and make the Plug & Play OS enabled. You should also disable your security software viz. antivirus and/or firewall. Download a fresh copy of Windows 8 from the Microsoft website. If you are facing problem during upgrade, choose to do a clean install.
Missing Important Files/Drivers
You may receive this error message ‘Unable to install Windows to this partition because of missing drivers, try to enter BIOS’ while or after installing Windows 8. This problem occurs during the disk selection process. You can fix this problem by holding down the Alt key once you hear your computer beeps during reboot. Continue to hold the Alt key until you see the whirling gear and then select your OS as your startup drive. This method is applicable for Windows 8 installation on a Macbook Air.
Failed Upgrade
Failed upgrade problem can be attributed to many things. So, you must check whether you system meets the minimum system requirements for Windows 8 installation or not. You must disable your antivirus or firewall to let the upgrade take process smoothly. You must have an active and strong Internet connection which doesn’t break during the installation process. You must have a valid, licensed key of your Windows 8 copy. If you are trying to use the touch-based functionality, you must make sure that your computer supports multi-touch. If you continue to face problems, you can take the expert help of Windows 8 support.