Do I need a new monitor on my desktop PC to use the touchscreen capabilities of Windows 8, or does the software enable any monitor to be a touchscreen? P.S. I am currently run XP – not Vista or Windows 7.

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Windows 8 is the first version of windows to fully support touchscreens with built in gestures and a touch-friendly interface. The benefits of using a touch screen include a more natural way to interact with the computer, the precision of hand movements to move items and low learning curve associated with touch input.

So will upgrading to Windows 8 enable touch on a traditional monitor? Unfortunately the answer is no. Touchscreen technology requires both a monitor that supports touch input and software to make full use of that input. Windows 8 provides the software that will take advantage of a touchscreen, but you still need to purchase a PC with a touchscreen or buy a new monitor which is “touch enabled”.

On the plus side, there are a wide assortment of touchscreen enabled monitors available today from popular monitor companies such as Planar, 3M, Wacom, Viewsonic (and more), which can be added to your existing computer. You can even use your non-touchscreen monitor as a second monitor if your computer has 2 video outputs.