I admit it, I live on the dangerous side … when it comes to my desktop. When a new beta is out, I’m usually in line to load it up and Windows 8.1 was no different. I’ve been running the preview since it was first announced and like anyone with a new desktop I had all my apps and settings just the way I liked them. So the thought of starting over fresh with the release version of Windows 8.1 was not something I was looking forward to. Fortunately there’s an easy way to upgrade your computer from preview to release AND keep all your programs, settings etc.
I’ll provide a better link with details but in a nutshell it involves exporting the ISO image to a USB drive. Editing a file called cversion.ini in the sources folder and change the version numbers so that they look like the below:
[HostBuild]
MinClient=9431.0
MinServer=9431.0
Then you simply save the file, launch the setup from within your running Windows 8.1 Preview and it will give you the option to install keeping all of your programs and settings. Problem solved!
Here’s where I found all the goodness on how to do this if you’re interested in more detail:
