from what I remember reading the w8.1 preview expires early next year (2014), but the release is supposed to be within the next couple of months.

harpo

Look at the motherboard specs...........can it take a faster cpu?...........if so go on ebay and get that faster cpu.........pennies

CPU is soldered in place. No dice.

Windows 8.1 Preview and Windows RT 8.1 Preview expires on January 15th 2014

So that means you can't download it after that date? Or does it mean if I put it on this notebook I'm working on it will refuse to work after January?

the second is closer,(ms OS expired previews usually NAG on an hourly basis and often demand reboots frequently), but as MS is claiming it will be released later this year this might not be such a big issue.

harpo

I'm just worried that if I put put it on there that it will not work past January. After all the soonest time he could upgrade to a legit version of 8 is around April, tax time. 

So I finished downloading Windows 8.1 Preview. Anyone know if it can be used until at least April? What's the deal with all of that? 

Guess I will keep Windows 7 on the machine then. No use in using a system that will not work. Guess I could talk him into using Ubuntu. You sure about that RedneckDude?

I have used previous beta and preview MS OS before on low use machines in my network of 20 and had the nagging & reboot hourly, so it would be a reasonable assumption that MS will do it again, and yes it IS irritating, BUT I remember seeing somewhere that  a w7 key could be used on w8, it might be worth testing this.

harpo

No luck. The Windows 8 install will not take a Window 7 product key. If only. LOL. 

I would be extremely surprised if Windows 8 would take a Windows 7 key. Really. 

Well it looks like we are going to sell the machine. Just to slow. Even after I reinstalled Windows 7, turned off everything that starts up at boot in MSCONFIG, went without a AV program, and no Windows 7 updates, and installed the lastest drivers, this machine is still having issues just reading the Facebook newsfeed. The whole system freezes just doing simple things. So it's on Craigslist. I hope Lonovo knows this system sucks. Hopefully I can get $225 out of it. Probably not. I doubt this CPU is a true dual core CPU. Something isn't right. 

http://www.iclarified.com/34275/microsoft-highlights-start-button-in-new-windows-81-ad-video