Windows 8 Deployment at WPI

Windows 8 is the latest version of Microsoft's Operating System. WPI Information Technology does not yet support Windows 8 for use at WPI. Academic software packages used at WPI are currrently being tested for support for Windows 8.

If you have further questions on this please contact the helpdesk@wpi.edu.

Below are frequently asked questions about Windows 8:

Q: Can I use Windows 8 on the WPI Campus?

A: At this time we do not support Windows 8. You are welcome to use it but any issues related to network access, file shares, or software compatibility will not be able to be handled by the WPI IT Helpdesk.

Q: What support is available for systems with Windows 8?

A: Below is a summary of the supported and unsupported areas for Windows 8 at this time. As we complete testing and confirm areas of support for Windows 8 we will update these pages.

Wired Internet: Windows 8 systems may be registered for wired ethernet connections on our network via NetReg.
Wireless Internet: Windows 8 systems may be configured using the WPI Wireless Certificate Tool from NetOps.
VPN: The VPN is supported on Windows 8 but will not work on Windows RT devices, such as Microsoft Surface.
Business and Academic Applications: We are currently evaluating support for Windows 8 and Internet Explorer 10. At this time Office 2010 should work, but McAfee VirusScan Enterprise is not yet supported. A larger list of software will be provided at a later date.

Q: What editions of Windows 8 are supported?

A: With Windows 8 there are three main versions. Support for any version is not available at this time, but we are providing guidance based on our expected long term support:

Windows RT: Windows RT is a tablet specific version of Windows 8 and will not support any academic software. RT will only support Apps from the Microsoft store. Users should consider a Windows RT device as they would an iPad or an Android tablet.
Windows 8 (32-bit/64-bit): This version is equivilent to Windows 7 Home Edition. Our plan is to support this verison.
Windows 8 Pro (32-bit/64-bit): This version is equivilent to Windows 7 Professional Edition. Our plan is to support this verison.

If you have specific application or hardware support concerns please contact the Helpdesk and we will do our best to work with you to find a solution for you. For more information please see Microsoft's version comparision page.

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Last modified: Nov 16, 2012, 16:03 EST