vivado Can I install and activate Vivado In Windows 8?

[James Watson]

Hi,

I am using Windows 8 and i3 processor and I wanted to know if can I install and activate Vivado on my PC if yes then please let me know the process of hassle-free installation. Or should I upgrade to the latest version of the OS?

 

Thanks

James Watson

[JColvin]

Hi @James Watson,

Based on Xilinx's documentation, https://docs.xilinx.com/r/en-US/ug973-vivado-release-notes-install-license/Supported-Operating-Systems, the official answer is that the latest version of Vivado/Vitis (2022.2 at time of writing) is not supported on Windows 8.

I didn't do any digging beyond a simple internet search, but based off of this Xilinx Answer Record, https://support.xilinx.com/s/article/54242?language=en_US, it appears that Windows 8.1 was last officially supported by Xilinx tools for 2016.3 and 2016.4.

I don't have a Windows 8 machine so I couldn't tell you if the software would successfully install (or if the installer would throw a fit that you do not have the correct operating system).

If you want a hassle free process (I'm choosing to interpret this in the most literal sense with no debugging), then I would say your best bet would be to upgrade to one of the newer operating systems that is officially supported.

Thanks,
JColvin

[James Watson]

So there is no point to install in Windows 8, If I try and it does not work then a lot of my time will be wasted. It would be better if I move to the new OS.

[zygot]

On 4/24/2023 at 1:10 AM, James Watson said:

So there is no point to install in Windows 8

Not necessarily. For most Digilent FPGA boards an older version of Vivado is fine to use; perhaps even better than a newer version. Newer tool versions may not have the free IP that you want, and older versions have. If you are contemplating a board purchase look around to see what version of Vivado the demos for your board use. There's a big problem with Digilent demos and tool versions. Installers for older versions of Vivado fit on a DVD. Current versions of the tools ban be a 60+ GB download.

As to why you are using Win8, that's another issue as that hasn't had Microsoft support for a while now.

An alternative is to install a supported version of Linux for Vivado onto a second HD and boot to either Win8 or Linux via BIOS boot options. Windows has a tendency to interfere with Linux boot block code. I like to keep the separate to the extent possible. Personally, I'd be worried about exposing a PC with unsupported an OS to the internet. 

If all you want to do is learn how to do FPGA development and learn how to use the tools you can install any version of Vivado, pick any FPGA platform, and simulate your designs. Just be aware that newer Vivado tool versions might have changes making porting projects built in earlier versions a bit of effort, and that constraint syntax changes. If you want to use a ZYNQ device, tool version earlier than 2019.2 have quite different software development frameworks. This is the only real downside to using an older version of the tools... you are learning how to use a tool that is not current. Generally this is not a big issue, especially for a beginner who just wants to start off.

The Vivado doesn't need "activation". The free version provides most of the functionality the you will need. You will need create a user account with AMD/XILINX to download and get access to most of the documentation. This is free to do. Most Artix devices and most ZYNQ devices are supported with the free tools.

Edited April 26, 2023 by zygot

[James Watson]

Yes, I am using Windows 8 since 2012 and I didn't upgrade it to the latest version. Now when I try to upgrade it, it is asking product key I also spoke to the MS support they told me to purchase a new product key.

The idea of installing Linux also comes to my mind. Thanks for your support. 🙂

[zygot]

Not every version of Windows is worth Microsoft's interest to support. Anyone remember Vista? Win10 had a large enough user base that users could "upgrade" to Win11. That hasn't happened very often in the annals of Microsoft domination of the PC market. Personally, Win10 is the last thing that Microsoft will force me to buy, whether I use it or not. UEFI and Linux can be problematic but it's Linux for my future.

Once you figure out how to use your Linux distribution effectively Linux is a much more "engineering" friendly platform than the others.

[edit] The last thought reminds me of a quote that I've read once. To paraphrase: "Unix is the worst operating system, except for all the others". Edited April 27, 2023 by zygot