Revise 1TB HDD from primary to secondary drive.

W

Wilbri

New Member
Messages
6
Location
Durban
My newly built PC uses a SSD (Windows 8.1 64bit) as primary drive.
I have also installed a 1TB HDD (which has been removed from another PC to act as a (slave) backup and library for saved folders and files. This was previously used as a primary drive so also has Windows 8.1 installed on it)
Questions:
  1. How do I go about safely removing Windows 8.1 in order to clean install the new Windows 10 64 bit OS?
  2. Can I remove Windows 8.1 from the 1TB HDD drive in a similar way as it is not required on this drive?
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Widows 8.1 to be upgraded to Windows 10
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Owner built
    CPU
    AMD FX8350 Vishera
    Motherboard
    ASUS M5A99FX Pro.2
    Memory
    16 GB
    Graphics Card(s)
    Galax GeForce GTX750Ti
    Monitor(s) Displays
    24" Samsung SC300 LED
    Screen Resolution
    1366x768 60Hz (Graphics limitation)
    Hard Drives
    1. ADATA Premier Pro SP600 128GB 2.5" SATA6G SSD
    2. Western-Digital WD10EZEX Caviar Blue 1TB 64MB Cache Sata6G 7200rpm
    PSU
    Super Flower SF-500P14XE(HX) Golden green HX500W Plus Gold
    Case
    ANTEC GX500 USB3.0 ATX Mid-Tower
    Cooling
    Coolermaster RR-212X-20PM-R1 Hyper 212X 120mm PSU fan
    Keyboard
    Logitech K120
    Mouse
    Logitech Opical
    Browser
    Firefox
    Antivirus
    Avast
    Other Info
    I have just completed building this PC which replaces the previous Acer Veriton X270 which was used in the interim.
    1TB HDD transferred from previous PC for Backup and primary file storage.
    8.1 64 bit OS installed (Retail Version) to be upgraded to Windows 10.
You can't actually "remove" an OS; there is no uninstaller that will do that. You can remove files and folders which will prevent the OS from working.

Unless you purchased a retail copy of Win10, if you clean-install it to a machine that has not had it previously installed, and Activated, before, it will NOT activate. The Upgrade version does not allow you to enter a product code. Instead, you have to do an in-place Upgrade from Win8.1. So, if you erase both Win8.1 versions, you won't be able to do the Upgrade.

Also, the Upgrade subsumes the existing Win8.1 key, meaning, after the upgrade you can't legally continue to use that 8.1 version separately. So having two installations of the same 8.1 on a machine, and only upgrading one, and continuing to use the other -- is a violation of the MS upgrade license.
 

My Computer

System One

So something like Drive Wipe on CCleaner won't remove the OS? Never tried it myself.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8.1 Pro 64-bit
    Computer type
    Laptop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Acer V3 771G-6443
    CPU
    i5-3230m
    Motherboard
    Acer VA70_HC (U3E1)
    Memory
    8GB DDR3 PC3-12800 (800 MHz)
    Graphics Card(s)
    HD4000 + GeForce GT 730M
    Sound Card
    Realtek High Definition Audio
    Monitor(s) Displays
    17" Generic PnP Display on Intel HD Graphics 4000
    Screen Resolution
    1600x900 pixels
    Hard Drives
    Samsung SSD 850 EVO 250 GB
    ADATA SSD SP900 128GB
    PSU
    90 watt brick
    Mouse
    Bluetooth
    Antivirus
    Comodo
    Other Info
    Asus RT-AC56R dual-band WRT router (Merlin firmware). Intel 7260.HMWWB.R dual-band ac wireless adapter.
Mark Phelps

Thank you for your reply.
First as the Win 8.1 OS installed on both the new SSD and the 1TB is a copy and therefore cannot be activated surely I can overwrite, uninstall or remove it in order to install a new retail copy of Windows 10.
Now this is my problem.
The Win 8.1 OS (Retail copy including free Widows 10 upgrade) was installed and activated on my previous PC, namely ACER Veriton X270 which due to its limitations would not accept windows 10 upgrade and subsequently crashed due to a PSU failure after just 3 months since replacing it and therefore my reluctance to spend ant further funds on further expenses on the machine as I discovered that the cost of repairs would be approximately 75% of the cost of a new windows 10 OS (retail copy) which I have purchased to install into my new PC thus forfeiting the opportunity of accessing the old PC to remove and the original copy of the Win 8.1 OS.
As previously mentioned unactivated copies of this same software is installed on my new machine. Surely therefore being unactivated it would be a relatively simple task to either remove, uninstall or overwrite this software and replace it with my newly acquired Windows 10 OS
Incidently all software mentioned is 64 bit not that I believe this to have any bearing on resolving this matter.
From what you would lead me to believe I could well have wasted my money on purchasing the new OS as it cannot be installed on the drives already containing copies of the unactivated of Win 8.1 OS?

I look forward to your further comment on this matter.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Widows 8.1 to be upgraded to Windows 10
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Owner built
    CPU
    AMD FX8350 Vishera
    Motherboard
    ASUS M5A99FX Pro.2
    Memory
    16 GB
    Graphics Card(s)
    Galax GeForce GTX750Ti
    Monitor(s) Displays
    24" Samsung SC300 LED
    Screen Resolution
    1366x768 60Hz (Graphics limitation)
    Hard Drives
    1. ADATA Premier Pro SP600 128GB 2.5" SATA6G SSD
    2. Western-Digital WD10EZEX Caviar Blue 1TB 64MB Cache Sata6G 7200rpm
    PSU
    Super Flower SF-500P14XE(HX) Golden green HX500W Plus Gold
    Case
    ANTEC GX500 USB3.0 ATX Mid-Tower
    Cooling
    Coolermaster RR-212X-20PM-R1 Hyper 212X 120mm PSU fan
    Keyboard
    Logitech K120
    Mouse
    Logitech Opical
    Browser
    Firefox
    Antivirus
    Avast
    Other Info
    I have just completed building this PC which replaces the previous Acer Veriton X270 which was used in the interim.
    1TB HDD transferred from previous PC for Backup and primary file storage.
    8.1 64 bit OS installed (Retail Version) to be upgraded to Windows 10.
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