Windows 8.1 Upgrade Will Cost £75 in the UK

By Jane McEntegart
published

The price of getting your Windows 8.1 on.

Windows 8.1 will be officially released in a month on October 18, 2013 (that's actually 12:00 AM on October 18 in New Zealand, so 4:00 AM PT, 7:00 AM ET on October 17 or noon on October 17 in the UK). Those who are already running Windows 8 will receive the upgrade to 8.1 for free, but those on Windows 7 and below will need to pay for the pleasure to use the new Start Screen. Microsoft earlier this week revealed that customers in the U.S. could expect to pay $119.99 for Windows 8.1 and $199.99 for Windows 8.1 Pro. But what about the UK?

According to Crave, Windows users in the UK will pay £75 for Windows 8.1 or £125 for the professional version of the software. Of course, if you already have Windows 8 on your computer, you can upgrade for free, just like in the States. If you're looking to go from Windows 8 to Windows 8.1 Pro, you'll have to pay a £62 upgrade cost.

If you're making the jump from Windows 7, you will have to reinstall desktop apps such as Office. Those upgrading from Windows XP and Vista will have to start clean as files, settings, and programs will not transfer. Furthermore, Microsoft recommends those upgrading from XP or Vista to purchase a retail boxed copy and perform a clean install.

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Jane McEntegart
35 Comments Comment from the forums
  • totemomt
    It is no wonder average people do not understand windows 8, the way the title for this article is worded is really misleading. 8.1 is only an update if you already have Win 8 installed! It is not an update for windows 7, it is a different operating system.

    The "update" is free. A new operating system is not.
    Just like it has been for the last 10 years....
    Reply
  • SpadeM
    "Of course, if you already have Windows 8 on your computer, you can upgrade for free, just like in the States. If you're looking to go from Windows 8 to Windows 8.1 Pro, you'll have to pay a £62 upgrade cost"

    So which one is it? Free or 62 pounds? Also .. has anyone actually seen retail copies of 8? Besides the OEM ones i mean.
    Reply
  • Sangeet Khatri
    Just for reference, Apple's Mountain Lion costs only 20 dollars for the full version and Linux which is far more secure and hackable (and which I use) is free.

    I think microsoft is going ridiculous for the pricing.
    Reply
  • IndignantSkeptic
    SpadeM

    I'm assuming they mean you have to pay something to go from regular to pro; not from 8.0 to 8.1
    Reply
  • Fredrik Aldhagen
    Windows 7 users have to pay for Windows 8.1, but they also don't need it since they already have a functioning start menu :P
    Reply
  • DjEaZy
    ... the words UPDATE and UPGRADE should sue Microsoft for using it in context of Windows 8 and Windows 8.1... good chances for winning, because the word METRO haz already won...
    Reply
  • IT-Guru-luke
    I am an IT consultant and have many Corporate Customers who have told me they just cannot afford the huge cost of upgrading their Windows XP which still works just fine to Windows 7 or 8

    So I found a perfect solution for them before Windows XP expires. It is a new commercially available Linux operating system that runs all Windows applications and programs sandboxed inside Linux, making XP and also Windows 7 100% immune to all viruses and malware, requiring no future security updates or any anti virus anti malware software. They do this by saving all windows data to drive e which is the Linux partition and they have a one click Windows VM restore so it impossible to get a virus or malware.

    It is so economical and bulletproof that I have already successfully deployed hundreds of these installs in the last 3months alone.

    This 3D operating system called Robolinux installs an XP 32 or 64 bit VM in just one click Then you load your licensed XP disk into the VM, but that was easy for my Customers to do.

    Check out Robolinux if you cannot afford to upgrade to 7 or you hate Windows 8.
    Reply
  • Stevemeister
    This is a very poorly written article
    Reply
  • back_by_demand
    Sangeet, the pricing is comparative if not less in real terms to every other Windows release ever, what is ridiculous is how a cheaper and a free OS have fared so terribly considering how vocal their tiny number of users are about how supposedly superior it is. Linux can take its 0.86% of the desktop market and whistle, if it was going to be successful as a free product it would have done it by now.
    Reply
  • IndignantSkeptic
    back_by_demand

    Vendor lock-in is very tough to break. People keep buying Windows software because they have a Windows OS and they keep buying a Windows OS because they have Windows software. It's a vicious cycle.
    Reply