[BrianDrab]

No you can't directly upgrade to Win8/Win8.1 from Windows XP. You can read more here.
 

1.  Yes, I have pics and documents that I am not sure are backed up so would like to get those off.  I also, have Quicken data etc that I'd like to get as the last back up on the USB is 9/10..  I do have Norton Restore on my USB but can't figure out how it is helpful...

This should be doable.  It will be much easier if you are able to burn a CD. Would you be able to use a co-workers machine or friend/family member's machine that has a working burner? If so, please follow the steps below to create a bootable CD.
 
1. Download OTLPEStd.exe to your desktop of a working computer.
2. Ensure that you have a blank CD in the drive and a working burner.
3. Double click OTLPENet.exe and this will then open imgburn to burn the file to CD
 
If you can't do this just let me know. There are other ways...it will just be more tedious and take longer.
 

2.  By not recovery to previous state, does that mean I will lose my data or is this a way that I might retrieve it before I wipe the operating system?  If my data will be mostly available so I can retrieve, then yes I'd like to try

We don't need to go through the recovery steps if you plan on wiping your machine. We can try the previous step to get your data first. The recovery steps are intended to make your machine bootable again but there are risks. If we can't do the previous steps (because you don't have access to a burner or because it simply doesn't work) then we can try the recovery steps.
 

3.  Ultimately, I think I have no choice but to install Windows 8 or retire the computer.  I did run the windows 8 Wizard and it said my computer could be upgraded.  I'm not sure if all my memory slots are used.  When going through he BIOS it looked like there may be 2 slots that I could add to.  This is not something I'm terribly familiar with though I've seen it done and it looks simple enough.

 
It's ultimately your choice to retire the machine or install Windows 8/8.1. If you ran the Windows 8 Upgrade Assistant which it appears you have and it says it can handle it you can definitely try. One of the best tools (in my opinion) to determine your RAM, how many slots, what it can handle, etc. is the Crucial System Scanner. Your machine does meet the minimum requirements for Windows 8/8.1. So if you decide to install Windows 8 you can do so and not worry about the memory right away. You can always add later.
 
 
Let me know how you would like to proceed.

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[godawgs]

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[godawgs]

User Returned.

[Alikhat68]

OK.  I tried to burn a disk at work, but all the PC's have CD ROM.  My other co-worker wasn't around with his laptop.  My neighbor and my best friend our out of town.  I'm still working on the DVD/CD burner on my other computer but it only seems to recognize blank DVD not CDs.  If you want to give me the alternative instructions using a USB or just hang tight a bit longer.  My neighbor is back in town and I might be able to burn a cd there this evening after he gets home from work. Thank you for your patience!!

[BrianDrab]

Welcome back. No problem at all. Let's see if you can get that CD burned as it will make life much easier.

[Alikhat68]

CD is burned, so what do I do with it?  I have my suspicions...but want to know from you.  

[BrianDrab]

Just wanted to check in and let you know that we will be back with you shortly. We got a little busy. Hang in there. Thank you!

[BrianDrab]

Thanks for your patience.

 

Your suspicion is probably correct but thanks for checking. Please boot your sick computer to the CD. You may have to change your boot order to boot to the CD before the hard drive like you did for the USB. It will take a little time to boot. Eventually you should be brought to what looks like a desktop. The goal here is to copy all of your data off on to a USB drive. So once the machine is booted, plug in your USB drive. You can then double-click on the computer icon and browse for the files that you want to save and copy them to the USB drive.

 

Let me know how it goes and if you have any questions. Thank you.

[Alikhat68]

OK.  I think I have everything that I needed off the hard drive.  

 

Can I do the system scanner you recommended above with the computer booted this way so I can be sure that I won't have any problems with Windows 8?  I'm assuming the next step is to get the windows 8 and start installing...This is the first time I've had to change operating systems that couldn't just upgrade...anything I need to know?

 

Thanks,

 

Ali

[BrianDrab]

Great news. I'm glad you were able to recover your data. As long as you are sure you have all your data backed up then you can proceed with the steps to do a clean installation of Windows 8.1. There are many step by step tutorials that you can follow for this. One of them is here.

 

It's a fairly straight forward install. If you have any issues or further questions on installing the OS, feel free to post a topic in our Windows 8 forum. The experts there would have more knowledge as this forum specializes in malware removal.

 

One important item I wanted to point out is that since you are doing a clean install, any program that you have installed that you may have purchased (i.e. Microsoft Office, QuickBooks, etc.) will be gone as well. So you want to ensure that those programs are compatible with Windows 8.1 and if they are that you still have the license key for them or the software to re-install them. Lastly, Windows 8.1 comes with its own free antivirus (Windows Defender) so you don't have to download and install one unless you prefer a different one. Again if you have any questions or concerns about this, our experts can assist you in the Windows 8 forum.

 

Is there anything else I can help you with?

[Alikhat68]

I think I'm good.  Still traversing untraveled ground but I'll contact the other forum if I need help.  I do have a question and I'm not sure you can answer or not.  Most of my programs I have disks and license keys for: Office 2010 etc, but I have/had Quicken 2012 which was a digital upgrade from 2008.  Do you happen to know if I can install 2008 and upgrade again?  If you don't know the answer, that is fine.  I may email Quicken help before I wipe the drive and see if they have customer data that might assist me.

 

Thank you for all your help!!

 

Ali

[BrianDrab]

I do not know the answer for sure on Quicken. Emailing them would be the best course of action.

 

Good luck and I wish you the best.

[Alikhat68]

Thank you!  You've been a big help.  I'll probably just take my chances.  I have the data in the 2012 version, so if I have to upgrade again or re-install, should be fine.  Thank you again.

[godawgs]

Since this issue appears to be resolved ... this Topic has been closed. Glad we could help.

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