Tag Archive: discount



There is a little known “gotcha” when upgrading to Windows 8 from Windows XP.

Microsoft doesn’t make it real well known, that if you upgrade from Windows XP 32 bit to Windows 8, you will end up with the 32 bit version of of Windows 8. You will not get the option to install the 64 bit version “even” if your system is 100% compatible. Really it isn’t the fact that its XP, it’s the fact that it is a 32bit version of the operating system, it can be Vista, Window 7, or any other 32 bit operating system.

This was verified on a Dell Optiplex 745 and a Dell Optiplex 960.

What I did, was actually call Microsoft, explain the situation and simply cancel my order. Then I installed the Trial/beta/pre-release edition of Windows 8 64 Bit which allowed me to upgrade to a legal licensed copy of Windows 8 64 Bit.

After much research, I was able to find this on Microsoft’s website. Which means until January 31st, 2013 instead of paying the special upgrade price of $39.99, Microsoft will get you for the DVD version at $69.99, which is still a fair price for an operating system. You could always do what I did and install a 64 bit version first though. Regarding the special upgrade price, see this article.

 

Can I upgrade from a 32-bit version of Windows to a 64-bit version of Windows 8?
Yes, but you can’t do this using Upgrade Assistant. If your PC has a 64-bit capable processor (CPU) but is currently running a 32-bit version of Windows, you can install a 64-bit version of Windows 8 Pro, but you’ll need to buy it as a DVD and perform a custom installation. If available in your country or region, you can buy Windows 8 Pro from a participating retail store. You can also buy it online from the Microsoft Store in Austria, Belgium, Canada, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Netherlands, Spain, Switzerland, United Kingdom, and United States.
Please note that the Windows 8 Pro Pack is used to upgrade from Windows 8 to Windows 8 Pro, and is not for cross-architecture installs and does not include any media. If you want to change architectures, purchase Windows 8 Pro.
You won’t be able to keep any files, settings, or apps when you upgrade from a 32-bit to a 64-bit version.”

If you are dying to get Windows 8 and don’t want to break the bank, you better hurry up. Microsoft has Windows 8 at a introductory offer of only $39.99! That price is for the download version of Windows 8. If you would rather have a retail disk, that will cost you $69.99 for a DVD (free standard shipping). Also, as a Bonus you receive the Pro version, Microsoft is really pushing their new operating system and I think this is a great way to convert a lot of the slower to adopt users.

Personally, I have 3 machines to upgrade before the final day, so I will report back how the process goes. According to Microsoft, it is a simple upgrade. Installing the beta release candidate could not have been easier, so I don’t imagine this will be a problem.

Downloading the upgrade is easy, simply go to http://windows.microsoft.com

  • Click Download Pro to install Windows 8 Upgrade Assistant. Depending on your Internet connection, the installation might take several minutes.
  • When prompted by your browser, open, save, or run Upgrade Assistant. You must run Upgrade Assistant to purchase Windows 8 Pro, but you can also run it without purchasing.
  • Follow the instructions in Upgrade Assistant to find out if your PC can upgrade to Windows 8 Pro, and then follow the steps to purchase, download, and install. For more detailed information, see How to download Windows 8 orUpgrade to Windows 8.

Check back or sign up for an email alert at the bottom of this page to see how my upgrades go.

windows-8-logo

Recently I wrote about switching to All State and installing the Drive-Wise device into one of my vehicles. *SEE ARTICLE HERE*

 

As promised, 30 days later, I wanted to let you know how the device was doing and most importantly whether or not I was going to receive a discount and how much!

 

After the device is activated, you get your own portal to track how you are doing and see your projected discount at https://drivewise.allstate.com. Here are some actual screenshots from my personal account, obviously I blacked out any information deemed to personal for the web, looks like the government got a hold of it huh…

This screenshot shows the most important information, the amount of projected discount. Now, this vehicle is driven by my wife, and normally she drives about 1500 miles a month, but this month was a little unusual and she didn’t even drive 500. Mainly this is just because we have been trying to save money for Christmas, taking my truck when we went shopping, and hiding from the Mayan Apocalypse. So you can see, they are projecting a 7% discount, which isn’t too bad considering we have not tracked a lot of miles, and my wife has had a few hard breaking events.

Allstate-Drivewise-report-122

 

The screenshot below shows our overall performance grade. So far we have a “B”, which although is a passing grade in school, we are trying to get the best discount we can. I consider my wife a very good, safe driver so I was a little surprised to see we were not getting an “A”.

Allstate-Drivewise-report-overall-grade1

 

Now this screenshot shows our grade for each of the 4 categories that AllState monitors. You can see they are interested in Mileage, Braking, Time of Day and keeping your speed below 80 MPH.

Allstate-Drivewise-report-overall-grade-2

 

This final screenshot has the actual information reported by the device. You can see the miles tracked, 3 hard breaking events, time of day the vehicle is driven and the amount of miles my wife actually spent below 80 MPH.

*NOTE according to Allstate Hard braking events are triggered when the vehicle decelerates 8 mph or more (up to the “extreme” threshold) in one second. Extreme braking events are recorded when the vehicle decelerates at 10 mph or more in one second”

Allstate-Drivewise-report-2

 

Overall I am very happy with the device and will post a follow up to this article in another 30 days to see if we have improved our discount or not. I doubt I will be able to review the Progressive device since I really do not plan on switching from AllState. If someone has a review of the Progressive Snapshot device please leave a comment to help other readers researching the available insurance discount trackers.