The Windows 8 Upgrade Assistant executes a system requirements compatibility and physical memory requirement check before the purchase of a Windows 8 Professional Upgrade. There are some conditions where the upgrade assistant does not correctly detect compatible hardware. Incorrect memory detection is one common issue:
"You need to install at least 1GB of RAM before you can install and run Windows 8 Professional. Contact the PC manufacturer to see if you can install more RAM"
Here is a workaround I developed to set the amount of detected memory manually. If the assistant is not detecting the correct memory a workaround is required to allow the upgrade assistant to continue with other hardware checks and move on to the purchase stage.
1. Run the Windows 8 Upgrade Assistant and note any failures
2. Find this file:
3. Open WICA_System_[Machine_Name].xml in notepad
4. Manually correct the level of RAM detected:
5. Save the file
6. Right click the file and choose "Properties". Tick the "Read Only" box. Choose OK
7. Run The Windows 8 Upgrade Assistant again
Additional nerdy technical information: More technical details about setup failures and intermediate files can be found in the diagnostic logs in the same directory: setupact.log and setuperr.log. There may be a simpler method available setting memory as a soft requirement. I will open a comments section on this page soon in case anyone examining that or related issues would like to comment. Similar workarounds are possible for other issues. |