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Product details

Is Discontinued By Manufacturer ‏ : ‎ No
Product Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 5.38 x 0.11 x 7.56 inches; 2.56 ounces
Item model number ‏ : ‎ WN7-00404
Date First Available ‏ : ‎ September 1, 2012
Manufacturer ‏ : ‎ Microsoft Software
ASIN ‏ : ‎ B0094NY3R0

Best Sellers Rank: #1,676 in Software (See Top 100 in Software)
- #70 in Operating Systems (Software)

Customer Reviews:
748

Product Description

Windows 8 System Builder is for pre-installation on a new personal computer or installation on a computer that is not currently running Windows 7, Vista, or XP. This product is not an upgrade and does not provide solutions to help you keep personal settings or files as the product is installed. Windows 8 System Builder DVD 64-Bit can be installed on personal computers with a 64 bit capable processor.

The new Windows 8 start screen is your personalized home for items you use the most and can be customized according to your user preferences. Windows 8 Live tiles provide real-time updates from your Facebook, Twitter, and e-mail accounts. Along with the new Start screen, the lock screen now includes e-mail, calendar, and clock widgets.

To access your PC, Microsoft has replaced a standard PIN or password with a swipe gesture; unlock your PC by clicking or swiping preset locations you’ve selected on the lock screen. New functions also allow you to search for your favorite software programs, open, close, hide, resize, or run multiple apps simultaneously with the swipe of a finger or a swipe of the mouse.

Windows has also made changes to make your PC more secure by boosting its existing security features and adding "SmartScreen," which acts to prevent suspicious programs or apps from being installed or running on your machine. Finally, Windows 8 also gives you the ability to "refresh" itself to give users a new starting point and a cleaner version of Windows.

System Requirements

1 GHz processor
2 GB RAM
20 GB available hard disk space
1366 × 768 screen resolution
DirectX 9 graphics processor with WDDM driver

Additional Requirements to Use Certain Features

Internet access (fees may apply)
For touchscreen, you need a tablet or a monitor that supports multi-touch
Microsoft account required for some features
Watching DVDs requires separate playback software
Windows Media Center license sold separately
To snap apps, you need a screen resolution of at least 1366 x 768

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Customer reviews

4 out of 5

748 global ratings

How customer reviews and ratings work

Customers say

Customers like the ease of installation of the software. For example, they mention that it's faster at start up and shutdown than Windows 7. They appreciate the appearance. That said, opinions are mixed on ease of use, performance, quality, value, compatibility, and stability.

AI-generated from the text of customer reviews

109 customers mention93 positive16 negative

Customers like the ease of installation of the software. They mention that it runs much faster and more efficiently than its predecessors, and is lightening quick once they master the keyboard. They also say that the system feels very responsive and recognizes everything right away.

"...have been since 1995, use it every day for my business, it's lightening quick once you master the keyboard commands (which i did many moons ago),..." Read more

"...The sad part is that Windows 8 is kinda sweet. It has a lot of improvements in speed, functionality and modernization, but the User Interface is a..." Read more

"...Obviously on the SSD it boots up and runs fast, but I can't make a real comparison as I was using a regular hard drive before...." Read more

"...Tech wise windows 8 is fast and manages system hardware better. Especially with the cpu and thats great for power conserving...." Read more

26 customers mention21 positive5 negative

Customers like the appearance of the software. They say it's sleek, has a clean feel and look, and has s sharp images.

"...and nice looking but flawed with other apps (Internet and news apps)...." Read more

"...Windows 7 especially redefined what an OS could be. It was stable, pretty, easy to use, compatible with everything, fast and intuitive...." Read more

"...I installed it, everything looked sleek and nice and modern...." Read more

"...Overall, I like that the OS just works. It is very clean looking and has many improvements from past versions...." Read more

147 customers mention88 positive59 negative

Customers are mixed about the ease of use of the software. Some mention that the start menu style is fast and very simple to use, and easy to install and get up and running. They also find the new Metro interface quite easy to use after they got used to it, and almost everything is laid out intuitively. However, others say that the user interface isn't as great as they would like, it's pointless, and not easy to read on a mixed colored background.

"...box built in but after some reading vb seemed so simple, so easy to install and get up and running, and it was, that i decided to just it instead of..." Read more

"...of that, I realized that Windows 8 was useless, crashes, the interface is horrible, and that I should go with Windows 7. So that was my decision...." Read more

"...It was stable, pretty, easy to use, compatible with everything, fast and intuitive...." Read more

"...The new start menu style is fast and very simple to use. I already find myself using it more and more. I will explain how it works...." Read more

104 customers mention68 positive36 negative

Customers are mixed about the performance of the software. Some mention that it works great, everything runs very well, and the system feels very responsive. However, others say that older PC devices and most software doesn't seem to work well with Windows 8, the direct x performance is slightly lower than previous versions, and there are some benchmark issues.

"...It has a lot of improvements in speed, functionality and modernization, but the User Interface is a disaster...." Read more

"...Windows XP is simple, it WORKS, and it's versatile. I've never had any crashes with my computer while using Windows XP...." Read more

"...The one problem I have is that I can't access my old hard drive due to some kind of security issue...." Read more

"...I even had no problems with the HDMI output on my graphics card, which did cause me some headaches when I tried to use Linux before this...no audio..." Read more

84 customers mention52 positive32 negative

Customers are mixed about the quality of the OS. Some mention that it's great, simple, faster, and secure. Others say that it is useless, crashes, and the interface is not ideal.

"...commands (which i did many moons ago), and imo it's a far more productive spreadsheet app when compared to the mouse driven, graphics saturated..." Read more

"...The sad part is that Windows 8 is kinda sweet...." Read more

"...Im running an Amd fx8120 eight core cpu and it is managed very well in win8...." Read more

"...But, all in all, it is a good choice for an operating system, and at the price I paid for the OEM System Builder version, it is well worth it." Read more

42 customers mention22 positive20 negative

Customers are mixed about the value of the software. Some mention it's a good investment for Mac users who want windows on their machine, while others say that it'll be a complete and utter rubbish.

"...and at the price I paid for the OEM System Builder version, it is well worth it." Read more

"...There are a lot of useless apps that come with Windows 8 that are just driven by social media. Not everything needs to be shared...." Read more

"...It was simple, inexpensive and worked as advertised. Running Windows 8 without a touchscreen is however, not ideal...." Read more

"...Microsoft forums spamming their server away, because this is the most ridiculous and child-looking OS from Microsoft, ever...." Read more

29 customers mention18 positive11 negative

Customers are mixed about the stability of the software. Some mention that it is more stable than its predecessors, a pretty solid OS, and secure. However, others say that it's still as buggy and crash prone as Windows ever was, with updates that make their system unstable and take hours to install.

"...Windows 7 especially redefined what an OS could be. It was stable, pretty, easy to use, compatible with everything, fast and intuitive...." Read more

"...is Windows 8 compatible, and I had all the right drivers, it crashed anyway. I got the "blue screen of death" during the first week...." Read more

"...So far, Windows 8 is fast and stable...." Read more

"...are good and useful. It boots faster, seems sturdier, and, well, I just do my job on it now without thinking about it...." Read more

28 customers mention14 positive14 negative

Customers are mixed about the compatibility of the software. Some mention that it's stable, pretty, easy to use, and compatible with everything. They say that it has no compatibility issues with Windows 8 OS, and that it can run all Windows 7 softwares. However, other customers say that nothing is compatible with it, including a brand new printer and Windows media player. They also say that the software is not compatible with a large number of applications and programs that run on Vista and Windows 7.

"...It was stable, pretty, easy to use, compatible with everything, fast and intuitive...." Read more

"...This OS is NOT made for a desktop PC, it's made for a tablet, so you have to use your mouse as if it where a finger...." Read more

"...I had no problems adapting to Windows 8. Even on XP, I stopped using the START menu long ago...." Read more

"...It is fast and to my surprise I have found only one issue with old component compatibility, my old sound card, it works fine just can't use the..." Read more

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Joe

Finally upgraded

Reviewed in the United States on July 25, 2013

Verified Purchase

First, I was "that one guy" that still had Windows XP installed until yesterday (July 24, 2013). I'm of the "if it isn't broke, don't fix it" mindset and XP worked fine for me. Unfortunately, I'm a gamer and a couple of games that I bought wont work on XP, which really was just laziness/cheapness by the developers because these are not "top of the line" games.

Anyway, I did have experience with Windows 7 on my laptop and work computers and thought it worked fine. I was deciding which to upgrade to (Windows 7 or 8) for my main machine and was hesitant to upgrade to 8 as I hadn't used it and I heard a lot of negative things about it. Well, coming from a guy that just upgraded from XP all I have to say is, stop whining! I had no problems adapting to Windows 8. Even on XP, I stopped using the START menu long ago. When I install programs I create a shortcut on my desktop and then sort those into folders. Windows 8 just puts them on an "active desktop" screen which is just fine to use, even on a PC with a mouse and keyboard. I've heard there are third-party programs out there that bring back the START menu. I have no desire to install any of them even though I was researching them because I was prepared to be frustrated with the new START screen.

This version of Windows loaded drviers for all my peripherals. I still had to install video drivers from my video card manufacturer, only due to an overscan problem. If I didn't have the overscan problem, I would not have had to find any drivers at all. That is a huge boon for casual users. Of course, Windows 8 has a built-in firewall, which elimantes yet another third-party application.

So far, Windows 8 is fast and stable. I can't comment too much on the speed as part of my upgrade was a solid state drive (SSD) for the windows installation. Obviously on the SSD it boots up and runs fast, but I can't make a real comparison as I was using a regular hard drive before.

I did have a problem with XP where it would "stutter" periodically. I'm not sure what was causing this, but its gone with the Windows 8 install.

I've heard there are third-party programs out there that bring back the START menu. I have no desire to install any of them even though I was researching them because I was prepared to be frustrated with the new START screen.

Overall, I'm very satisfied. I was preparing to hate the new interface, but I found it to be unobtrusive. I think all of the hate is just from people that hate any kind of change. While I'm sympathetic, computers aren't really the place where one should be resistant to change, and this is coming from a guy that had XP for over 10 years.

The one problem I have is that I can't access my old hard drive due to some kind of security issue. So I'm going to have to spend some time figuring that out. But, that is only because I did a fresh install onto a new harddrive. If you upgrade your old Windows install, you should be fine.

One person found this helpful

Helpful

roberto

am lovin' windows 8

Reviewed in the United States on March 18, 2013

Verified Purchase

not sure why so many are whining about windows 8, it rocks imo, and this is coming from a guy who refused to upgrade from xp because he didn't like vista or windows 7 after using them on the family's other pcs and laptops. pick up a nice a unit, with a nice processor, throw in a decent amount of memory, and windows 8 screams, just fantastic. and if you can't live without the classic start menu, just download a free start menu app or, like me, drop a few bucks and pick up star dock's great start menu and other windows 8 enhancements/tweaks. i hate change when it comes to operating systems and applications, clung to xp until my recent move to windows 8 a few weeks ago and i'm still using lotus 123 spreadsheets because i refuse to move on to excel, but i'm really lovin' windows 8.

just wanted to add - as i mentioned i still use lotus 123 (1995 version), have been since 1995, use it every day for my business, it's lightening quick once you master the keyboard commands (which i did many moons ago), and imo it's a far more productive spreadsheet app when compared to the mouse driven, graphics saturated excel and other modern spreadsheet apps of today. anyway, i was crushed when i discovered 123 wouldn't run on windows 8 64-bit, because 123 '95 is a 16-bit program, didn't know what i was going to do, thought i was going to have to stick with xp. but after some googling i discovered the free virtual box application, something i've never used before, a virtual machine, and all i can say is wow! it allowed my to create a "vitual" hard drive on my windows 8 system, format the drive, and load xp, then install my 123 app. it's crazy, i now have an xp machine, albeit virtual, on my windows 8 system, that doesn't require dual boot configuration, just a click of a windows 8 desktop icon and i'm in xp! fwiw windows 8 pro has it's own version of virtual box built in but after some reading vb seemed so simple, so easy to install and get up and running, and it was, that i decided to just it instead of windows 8's built in version.

4 people found this helpful

Helpful

Top reviews from other countries

Frank Thompson

Excellent OS for newer laptops and PC's

Reviewed in Canada on October 15, 2013

Verified Purchase

Hard Drive failure in just out of Warranty HP Laptop meant that recovery was not an option. Windows 8 Developer was the answer.
Installation was easy and fast with no Blue Screens or freezes. Worked perfectly first time. There were a few drivers that had to be downloaded from the HP Support site but, this is normal. Would definitely recommend for ease of installation, cost factor and time saved.

David MacNeil

Needs to be fixed

Reviewed in Canada on September 11, 2013

Verified Purchase

Its got an incredibly fast boot up time (even on a 7200rpm HDD) however it crashed on two occasions for me. One was while I was screwing around trying to put Mint on my PC, and the other immediately after Trying to install the Java JDK. The linux I can understand windows being Jealous about, but why does windows hate Java? Anyway, each time that it crashed it powered down then back up and took me to the bios screen for several seconds. Afterwards it was "configuring system updates" quite strange.

Happy quilter

Very good!

Reviewed in Canada on May 10, 2013

Verified Purchase

Bought this CD so I could use it on my MacBook with Boot Camp partition. I had a hard time entering the key code as it was difficult to find on the package. After trying a few combinations I was finally successful. Now I can use windows on my Mac. It's a new learning curve as I am so used to Mac OS. The price was good too.

4 people found this helpful

SLayton874

Windows 8 - does the job

Reviewed in Canada on August 19, 2013

Verified Purchase

I needed this so I can run some technical software. It does the job. Still getting used to the lay-out , but it's good enough.

YEGmeister

Windows 8 DVD

Reviewed in Canada on October 22, 2013

Verified Purchase

Installed onto a refurbished W7 laptop - tweaked install and this thing flies!
Not looking for anything special (no touch screen) - no hiccups!!
Great software and customizable!!

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Windows 8 System Builder OEM DVD 64-Bit [Old Packaging]

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