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Microsoft Windows 8 Pro $69 from Harvey Norman

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Microsoft Windows 8 Pro $69 from Harvey Norman
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vid_ghost on 23/10/2012 - 11:21 harveynorman.com.au (2560 clicks)
Last edited 23/10/2012 - 18:11

Great price for Microsoft Windows 8 Pro (boxed) $69! special launch price Pre-Order NOW! Available 26 October 2012 - Free pickup or $6.95 delivery

HN have now changed it too—
Original post was: "This version installs Microsoft Windows 8 Pro on new machines."
Now it's: "This version installs Microsoft Windows 8 Pro from a previous version of Windows."

EDIT: More comments on this deal then any of the current "TOP DEALS" going on at the moment. lol well done people! haha

Bring back the start bar in one free install ~ be a man
with this - http://classicshell.sourceforge.net/
or this - http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=SdW9t…

Computing Microsoft Operating System

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  • jcsantos on 23/10/2012 - 12:05

    is there anything good about windows 8?? lol

    • Trance N Dance on 23/10/2012 - 12:15

      Support for ARM processors.

      • andy911 on 24/10/2012 - 15:51

        That's only true in marketing land.

        Windows 8 pro being discussed here is for intel compatible CPU's.
        It's uses the NT kernel and introduces the new metro interface which looks like it's designed for tablets.

        When they release Windows RT, that will support ARM based systems. However it uses the kernel from the phone OS. Which has had too many names to mention.

        Anyone who gets an MS Slate won't have a choice about what to run Win RT will be their only choice. Should you run Win 8 pro on your PC/laptop is another question. Only time will tell, but most blogs have slammed it. So there might be a lot that want to avoid it (like Vista), especially in the corporate environment.

        One of things I don't understand is why MS keep changing their driver model. If upgrades (or at least most of them) meant that you could have new features available when you upgrade but the old API available for your existing hardware/apps that would be…
        Slap. Just realised I'm trying to talk sense.

        Go on, go and get yourself Win 8. Why should you have time to run around outside when you could be spending the next month trying to get your stuff working again.

        • the discombobulated… on 24/10/2012 - 16:04

          Go on, go and get yourself Win 8. Why should you have time to run around outside when you could be spending the next month trying to get your stuff working again.

          Not that I intend to be a microsoft apologist but my plan is to wait till december, letting the dust settle some, and buy the upgrade for $40 before the Jan price rise. Then wait a bit more and finally install it.

        • eug on 24/10/2012 - 16:07

          Go on, go and get yourself Win 8. Why should you have time to run around outside when you could be spending the next month trying to get your stuff working again.

          I'm confused. What are you trying to say?

          I installed Win8 on my 3-year old computer and everything works without having to look for drivers or anything. Same with my 2010 laptop.

        • andy911 on 24/10/2012 - 17:02

          Your milage may vary. If you have generic or well supported devices eg HP laser printer especially over a network interface. Then your always going to be supported. OTOH if you have some no-name scanner connected over USB, you could be in for a rough ride.

        • eug on 24/10/2012 - 17:42

          Mmm, but people have tried Vista drivers for their old hardware and they've worked.

          Maybe not every single device will work, so maybe the lesson here is, try and avoid cheap crap. ;)

        • the discombobulated… on 24/10/2012 - 20:00

          Maybe not every single device will work, so maybe the lesson here is, try and avoid cheap crap. ;)

          But, but, but… cheap crap is cheap! :)

        • StewBalls on 24/10/2012 - 20:16

          Maybe not every single device will work, so maybe the lesson here is, try and avoid cheap crap.

          Actually, cheap crap is more often than not based on reference designs, that's why it's so cheap…thus your likelihood of legacy driver support is actually frequently better than orphaned proprietary hardware!

          Maybe the real lesson here is, try and avoid avoiding cheap crap. ;)

        • eug on 24/10/2012 - 20:31

          True, true. If only generic products consistently performed as well as better non-cheap crap though.

        • StewBalls on 24/10/2012 - 23:32

          LOL, yeah that's the kicker…

  • R3b3l66 on 23/10/2012 - 12:12
    +18

    Windows 8 = Win8 = W8

    Even Microsoft is telling us to WAIT for the next OS release.

    • StewBalls on 23/10/2012 - 12:14
      +1

      I LOL'd! :)

  • HoracePinker on 23/10/2012 - 12:17
    +1

    So you pay and upgrade your os that comes with new bugs and software/hardware incompatibilities to install start8 to give you win7 experience… I say stick to win7 and save yourself some money/time and aggravation.
    I wouldnt install this if it was free!

  • vid_ghost on 23/10/2012 - 12:29
    +2

    EDIT: Its funny… over 50 comments and not a single +1 vote haha

    • kaberto on 23/10/2012 - 12:35

      you need to update your title. HN just updated to upgrade from previous windows versions, not new installation.

  • ShortyX on 23/10/2012 - 12:29

    How real people will use Windows 8 -
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v4boTbv9_nU

  • HoracePinker on 23/10/2012 - 12:33
    +1

    HaHa Vid_ghost even your posts have more pluses than the bargain.
    Mate the price is right, the product is shoddy and so is the company that supplies it I think thats where the problem lies
    You deserve a plus for posting a bargain, but there is a lot of us thinking the price of this will crash soon after release

    • vid_ghost on 23/10/2012 - 12:55

      agreed, but after installing 'start8' ,, win 8 really is better then 7.. is it worth upgrading too… maybe not but overall its better

  • atlas on 23/10/2012 - 12:40
    +1

    Before bagging it you should really try it yourself.

    I've had it installed for the last month and love it.

    Yes I've installed Start8 to default me to the desktop rather than the metro UI, but that is the only change I've made.

    It's like a really fine-tuned version of Win7. My computer literally boots up in seconds. The BIOS post process takes longer than getting into Windows, and the desktop is up in seconds. This is all on my lowly Core i3 520 but with Crucial M4 SSD.

    Performance overall is just snappier, and besides the metro UI there are no real drastic changes to the UI. It's all under the hood. Yes there's no real functional advantage over Win7 so if you're happy then just stick with the slower version of Windows =) Personally I like to stay up to date especially when there's tangible improved performance.

    • alvian on 23/10/2012 - 12:57
      -5

      Your W8 "boots" in seconds because it is in suspend-to-RAM sleep mode. My W95 machine also wakes up in seconds from sleep.

      • eug on 23/10/2012 - 13:00

        No, a cold boot is really fast as well. No, not from suspend. Try it.

      • atlas on 23/10/2012 - 13:02

        No, it is a cold boot.

        And whilst you've mentioned it, suspend-to-RAM also is also virtually instantaneous. There's no BIOS post process for that.

        • StewBalls on 23/10/2012 - 13:10
          +1

          Remember guys, fast cold boots from fresh installs of any OS are not uncommon! ;)

        • atlas on 23/10/2012 - 13:25

          Yes this is true. After a month though i've virtually got everything re-installed and it still feels as fast as when I first installed.

          I recall the first Win7 boot after a fresh install was also relatively instant, but after loading it with apps would get noticeably slower to boot.

        • eug on 23/10/2012 - 13:27

          Mine was not a fresh install. It's an upgrade of Win 7 which I installed last year.
          I did a fresh install on my desktop - that's REALLY quick.

      • mickeyjuiceman on 23/10/2012 - 13:09

        Impressive ability to know what other people's computers are doing, Alvian. Impressive indeed.

      • alvian on 23/10/2012 - 13:14
        +1

        Are you sure it is truly cold booting? When you "shutdown" W8, it saves OS & Apps states before going into the W7 equivalent of Hybrid Sleep. Just because you see POST doesn't mean it is loading from a blank slate. It could be waking from hibernation.

        I remember from W8DP that it was not easy to clear W8 of its saved states and really perform a cold boot. And when it does load from a blank slate, it was about as quick as W7. I learned this the hard way when I crashed W8DP and no amount of "reboot" will clear the bug.

        • atlas on 23/10/2012 - 13:23

          Yes I am sure. I hit Shutdown and it goes through the Shutdown process.

          I can also hit Hibernate or just leave it idle and it will go into Hibernate saving the state of the OS.

        • StewBalls on 23/10/2012 - 13:38

          Alvian makes a good point, as I recall one of my bug-bears was getting the system to actually shut down despite selecting shutdown! I had the side off the case at the time, so the spinning CPU fan at eye level was a bit of a giveaway! :p

          I recall having to do some hacking to get a hard power off…

        • alvian on 23/10/2012 - 13:43
          +1

          "Shutdown" in W8 does not clear OS kernel state. Powering on after a "W8 shutdown", W8 skips detecting HW, loading services, building kernel state, etc. That is how W8 can "cold boot" so fast.

          Reference 1: http://www.windowsfordevices.com/c/a/News/Windows-8-hibernat…

          Reference 2, including how to clear the kernel state for a real cold boot:
          http://blogs.msdn.com/b/b8/archive/2011/09/08/delivering-fas…

        • eug on 23/10/2012 - 13:44

          So the net result is that Windows 8 boots faster.
          Hurrah!

        • alvian on 23/10/2012 - 13:53
          +2

          Hurrah… until you crash the kernel or had a malfunctioning hardware. Then you spend the next 3 days trying to "cold boot" W8, wonder why it does not work, and end up reinstalling W8 because you do not know about the magic command. I hope you will remember where to look when this happens.

        • eug on 23/10/2012 - 13:58

          Sure, Mr Negative.

          It's like saying people should never ever cross roads because they might get hit by a car.

          edit: key point from the link -

          choosing Restart from the UI will do a full shutdown, followed by a cold boot.

        • rompastompa on 23/10/2012 - 14:01

          Though, with your second reference, it states:

          "choosing Restart from the UI will do a full shutdown, followed by a cold boot."

          So, any time you want a cold boot, reboot first!

          Or, they could have just put an option for 'full shutdown' from the UI.

          Edit: 'have you turned it off and on again' has to be changed to 'have you tried rebooting'.

        • alvian on 23/10/2012 - 14:07

          No eug, I am not Mr Negative. As I said earlier I learned this lesson the hard way. I spent 3 days trying to repair and "cold boot" W8DP, wondered why it did not work, and ended up reinstalling it because I did not know about the magic command.

          I have never said people should not cross roads or should not buy/use W8. Where did you get that idea?

        • eug on 23/10/2012 - 14:14

          You sounded like you were against the new method of speeding up bootup times.

          I would expect system instability when running a developer preview. I only ran it for a few days before going back to W7. I wouldn't use my experience with such an early build to judge the final release.

        • alvian on 23/10/2012 - 14:45

          I am all for the new hybrid boot, until it bit me. Now that I know what is really happening, I think it can be improved if MS makes it easier to clear the OS state. Overall, I like this feature but for calling this kernel hibernation a "shutdown".

          My comments were not meant to rubbish W8 or hybrid boot. Atlas said s/he was impressed with W8's "cold boot" speed and I simply said that it wasn't real because "W8 shutdown" is actually suspend-to-RAM + hibernation + hybrid boot; a real W8 cold boot is a tad quicker than W7; hybrid boot can bite.

          System crash in DevPre is no surprise. Making it difficult to clear the OS state and fix the crash is not so good.

        • atlas on 23/10/2012 - 15:34

          Interesting. Wasn't aware of the different shutdown mechanisms. Thanks for pointing that out.

          Having said that however, I find a reboot to also be very fast. In fact prior to this discussion I never noticed a difference between a reboot and cold boot, so I would say there's really not much in it.

    • TheContact on 23/10/2012 - 13:13

      I don't get the love for the start menu…

      Been using win8 since the consumer preview and I haven't missed it at all. Apart from the first time I tried to shut down the computer or access the control panel.

      MS should have a proper tutorial(before anyone says anything, 95 had one introducing the start menu…) or highlight the hot corners on a blank desktop temporarily to help get people started.

      • eug on 23/10/2012 - 13:46
        +1

        It really depends on how one uses the STart menu. I really love the W7 start menu - it makes launching programs so much faster. Hit the windows key, type the first few letters of the program's name, and press enter.

        The Win 8 "fullscreen start menu" defaults to searching documents when I hit the windows key. I need to click on Apps to make it search apps. Hopefully there'll be a way to change the search to put apps first.

        • TheContact on 23/10/2012 - 14:16

          Mine defaults to apps. I am using the Enterprise RTM trial currently(as close as I could get to full without a developer account), so I'd say that defaulting to apps should be the norm.

          Can also just start typing to search for apps within the store, which was an annoyance having to pull up the charms bar in the previous versions.

        • eug on 23/10/2012 - 14:56

          Strange, mine is Pro RTM VLK and it defaults to documents on both the computer I installed it on. Time to start playing around with it a bit!

        • TheContact on 23/10/2012 - 19:14

          Strange indeed! I don't recall ever changing anything. I hope that apps is the default. I can see how the old start menu would be nice if searching was set to documents as a default.

        • eug on 23/10/2012 - 19:51

          Whoops, now that I'm home in front of my w8 machine, the only thing strange is my memory. It does default to apps. I was actually thinking of control panel items like printers, network connections, bluetooth, user accounts, etc.

          Some things are so automatic that I do it without thinking, making it difficult to remember. :)

  • xyron on 23/10/2012 - 12:44
    +2

    I, for one, am thankful for Microsoft making Windows 8 Pro only $69. No more excuses to pirate - even convinced my housemate to buy a copy (and he's been running a pirated copy of Vista for the last god-knows-how-long).

    I'm also looking forward to embracing the new UI - although I wouldn't be surprised if Microsoft brought a Start Menu option back in Windows 8 SP1.

    • hellbound on 23/10/2012 - 15:29

      The $69 price wont apply to current pirates, they'll have to buy a System Builder license for around $130 which is quite a bit more.

      • xyron on 24/10/2012 - 00:07

        Will the upgrade check for the authenticity of the previous version though? This seems especially dubious considering you can't actually do an upgrade from XP/Vista, but are still eligible to use the Upgrade media if you run one of those OSes (and do a fresh install).

        • pumpkinspice on 24/10/2012 - 15:10

          I wonder if these methods will still work:
          http://www.winsupersite.com/article/windows-7/clean-install-…

          I have done fresh installs with Win7 "Upgrade" media, no previous version of Windows required.

        • hellbound on 25/10/2012 - 12:38

          Read somewhere it'll do a WGA check, so I'm assuming if your version passes that it may upgrade. If legiong's upgrade method works for Win8 then great, pirates should be able to get a cheap upgrade disc and move on to legitimate windows.

  • 51kabunka on 23/10/2012 - 12:48

    Seems like Harvey is on a mission :
    http://www.crn.com.au/News/320144,exclusive-inside-harvey-no…

    • Magic Mirror on 23/10/2012 - 13:01
      +5

      Harvey Norman head of computers Ben Macintosh

      LOL!

  • wutang01 on 23/10/2012 - 12:50

    I used to install Windows 7 with no key, and then enter in the upgrade key after Win 7 was installed and it activated successfully?

    I'd be keen on giving this a try with Windows 8.

    • alvian on 23/10/2012 - 13:00
      -2

      There are no grace period for W8. You need a key to install it.

      • eug on 23/10/2012 - 13:02
        +2

        Not true, I didn't enter in my key until I got annoyed by the watermark at the bottom right. It didn't ask me for a key for installation.

        • alvian on 23/10/2012 - 13:23

          Are you talking about W8 preview or W8 RTM upgrade/retail? Numerous reports on the net about the removal of installation grace period. Here is just one example. http://www.computerworld.com/s/article/9230399/Microsoft_end…

        • eug on 23/10/2012 - 13:37

          RTM - it's the final release. It's a volume licence copy, so maybe it's treated differently. I thought they ended the different-installer shenanigans with Vista! Grr.

          edit: I just browsed through the link you sent, which had a link to here:
          http://www.winsupersite.com/article/windows8/windows-8-insta…

          Since you don’t enter a product key during Setup—Enterprise activates continuously against a server running Key Management Service (KMS) or once against a server running Microsoft activation server—you have to do so after the fact.

          So that confirms that VLK windows 8 does not require a key during installation. Sigh, a no-key install was good while it lasted!

        • eug on 23/10/2012 - 19:54
          +1

          Heh that's the same file you edit to make a W7 installer a multi-installer.

          p.s. the Windows 7 USB/DVD tool works fine with W8. It makes a bootable Win 8 installer on a USB flash stick from the Win 8 ISO. No need to use ancient DVDs. You can edit the ei.cfg file directly as well.

          http://www.microsoftstore.com/store/msstore/html/pbPage.Help…

    • vid_ghost on 23/10/2012 - 13:02

      :) lets all line up to be the first to buy a copy of windows 8 and stay up after 12 midnight to install it lol.. because it cant wait until the next day!!!!

      • lopied on 23/10/2012 - 13:20

        lol: its actually the next day, so no need to wait

        • vid_ghost on 23/10/2012 - 13:22

          well…hmmm you now what i mean… 0_o

  • bbyboy on 23/10/2012 - 13:26
    +2

    It's $68 at bigw

  • MasterScythe on 23/10/2012 - 13:36

    I will hand one thing to microsoft, they 'get there in the end'
    I work in IT, and have used ME in the day, and Vista, a few years back to great extent.

    Both those OS' on release were PAINFUL. Fastforward to their final service pack and BAM! stable and nice.

    They get there… should should take a page from Blizzard and delay their releases until they're polished though.

    • StewBalls on 23/10/2012 - 13:55

      Hopefully they don't take a page from 3D Realms, Triptych, Gearbox & Piranha (did I miss anyone?) by announcing Windows Forever! :p

    • bbyboy on 23/10/2012 - 13:58
      +1

      are you referring to diablo 3? because diablo 3 was a big disappointment

  • vid_ghost on 23/10/2012 - 14:13

    Two pages of comments for a post that doesn't even make it to the DEALS page.. lol is that a fist, or what?

  • bogan on 23/10/2012 - 14:55
    +1

    Hmmm, it looks like the Start-button reviving program vid_ghost suggested will have to be bought once out of beta.
    http://www.ghacks.net/2012/09/27/stardocks-start-8-windows-s…

    Check out Classic Shell. It's free and works just as well.
    http://classicshell.sourceforge.net/

    • vid_ghost on 23/10/2012 - 15:27

      good thinking sir.. :)

  • grab_ur_freebies on 23/10/2012 - 15:26

    All this windows talk has made me watch old vids of windows past…simply nostalgic! (having used all vers. since 3.11)

    • vid_ghost on 23/10/2012 - 15:29

      The MOST popular deal on ozbargain at the moment and its not even on the main page :) hehe

  • iLikeCheapStuff on 23/10/2012 - 16:22
    +2

    It now says Launch price at $58.

    • vid_ghost on 23/10/2012 - 16:24

      OK NOW its an ozbargain DEAL…. everyone start voting +1… this is by far the cheapest windows 8 deal around!!!!

      • the discombobulated… on 23/10/2012 - 16:28

        Except for the download deal at $40. :)

        (just noticed the $7 delivery if you're not within pickup distance - poop.)

        • vid_ghost on 23/10/2012 - 16:30

          As a box deal its still the cheapest

        • the discombobulated… on 23/10/2012 - 16:35

          Agreed. :)

        • the discombobulated… on 23/10/2012 - 16:35
          +1

          BTW. You may want to add + delivery (or +$7 delivery if it's the same aust-wide).

        • vid_ghost on 23/10/2012 - 16:41

          done, thanks for the help

      • alvian on 23/10/2012 - 16:30
        +1

        How is this a deal when digital download costs $40 (key) + $0.50 (for a DVDR)?

        • vid_ghost on 23/10/2012 - 16:31

          Because the "pretty colour" box deal is selling for $69.99 everywhere else.

  • hollykryten on 23/10/2012 - 17:31

    Just got my pre order down. Can't go wrong for $58 it's a bargain.

  • cyberlaser on 23/10/2012 - 17:43

    Back to $69 now?

    • hollykryten on 23/10/2012 - 17:46

      Wow that was a stroke of luck. Just got it in a few minutes earlier for $58 according to the confirmation email right before it went up to $69. There must have been a limited number of pre orders available at the $58 price. I believe it said pre launch special price or something like that now that notice is gone and it's increased to $69.

      The OP will have to update the topic now to reflect the increased price. Deal is over.

  • ironworthy on 23/10/2012 - 19:40

    Is there anywhere I can get win 7 pro 64 for cheap? I'm still on xp

  • JimmyBargain on 23/10/2012 - 19:49

    will Windows 8 work under bootcamp on a Mac?

  • ozhunter on 23/10/2012 - 21:17

    $69 at Harris Technology too

    http://www.ht.com.au/cart/1/part/AH474-PRE-ORDER-Microsoft-W…

  • hollykryten on 23/10/2012 - 23:20

    $68 at Officeworks.

    http://www.officeworks.com.au/retail/products/Technology/Sof…

    $70 seems to be around the usual going price for the Win 8 Pro upgrade at the moment. I guess Microsoft finally released that Windows 8 isn't such a major upgrade over Windows 7 so they priced accordingly. Unlike the hundreds of dollars they charged for Windows 7 Pro upgrade which was just an updated version of Windows Vista.

  • grab_ur_freebies on 23/10/2012 - 23:47

    Where do you want to go today?

  • Gazaa90 on 24/10/2012 - 01:06

    So when it goes, installs on a previous version of windows, does that mean only legit versions of Windows? Will this still install/upgrade on a… Let's say…. A shifty version of windows?

    • Geewhizz on 24/10/2012 - 07:02

      Of course it wont!

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