Windows purchase question

cb2367

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I'm building a computer and will be installing Windows on it. The processor is 64-bit, so I'd be getting the 64-bit version of Windows. The only thing I'm able to find is an OEM copy. I don't know that I necessarily need to get the 32/64 bit copy of Windows.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8.1
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Custom Built
    CPU
    Intel I7-4790K
    Motherboard
    Asus Z97-A
    Memory
    G.Skill DDR3-1866 PC3 8GB
    Graphics Card(s)
    Sapphire Radeon R9-280x
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Acer
    Hard Drives
    Samsung 850 Pro 256GB SSD
    Western Digital 1TB HDD
    PSU
    SeaSonic x-650
    Case
    Corsair 600T
    Cooling
    HyperMaster 212 Evo

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    64-bit Windows 10
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Custom self built
    CPU
    Intel i7-8700K OC'd to 5 GHz
    Motherboard
    ASUS ROG Maximus XI Formula Z390
    Memory
    64 GB (4x16GB) G.SKILL TridentZ RGB DDR4 3600 MHz (F4-3600C18D-32GTZR)
    Graphics Card(s)
    ASUS ROG-STRIX-GTX1080TI-O11G-GAMING
    Sound Card
    Integrated Digital Audio (S/PDIF)
    Monitor(s) Displays
    2 x Samsung Odyssey G7 27"
    Screen Resolution
    2560x1440
    Hard Drives
    1TB Samsung 990 PRO M.2,
    4TB Samsung 990 PRO PRO M.2,
    8TB WD MyCloudEX2Ultra NAS
    PSU
    OCZ Series Gold OCZZ1000M 1000W
    Case
    Thermaltake Core P3
    Cooling
    Corsair Hydro H115i
    Keyboard
    Logitech wireless K800
    Mouse
    Logitech MX Master 3
    Internet Speed
    1 Gb/s Download and 35 Mb/s Upload
    Browser
    Internet Explorer 11
    Antivirus
    Malwarebyte Anti-Malware Premium
    Other Info
    Logitech Z625 speaker system,
    Logitech BRIO 4K Pro webcam,
    HP Color LaserJet Pro MFP M477fdn,
    APC SMART-UPS RT 1000 XL - SURT1000XLI,
    Galaxy S23 Plus phone
Thanks for reply.

In looking at the list of all Windows products, I see mostly OEM. There's a 32/64 full version and an 8.1 pro full version. The computer is going to be for home use, so I don't I need the pro benefits like joining a domain or bit-locker.

The link provided for what appears to be a full version of 8.1 for home use is actually both the 32 and 64 bit versions.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8.1
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Custom Built
    CPU
    Intel I7-4790K
    Motherboard
    Asus Z97-A
    Memory
    G.Skill DDR3-1866 PC3 8GB
    Graphics Card(s)
    Sapphire Radeon R9-280x
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Acer
    Hard Drives
    Samsung 850 Pro 256GB SSD
    Western Digital 1TB HDD
    PSU
    SeaSonic x-650
    Case
    Corsair 600T
    Cooling
    HyperMaster 212 Evo
All versions of Windows can be installed as 32-bit or 64-bit with your product key. You would just need the 32-bit or 64-bit installation media. You could download a Windows ISO file at anytime with your product key.

http://www.eightforums.com/tutorials/18309-windows-8-windows-8-1-iso-download-create.html

If you like, the downloadable full version would be a good option. You save a little bit of money since you just download the ISO file, get a product key in email, and create your own installation USB/DVD from the ISO file.

Microsoft Windows 8.1 (Full Version) - Download - Newegg.com
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    64-bit Windows 10
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Custom self built
    CPU
    Intel i7-8700K OC'd to 5 GHz
    Motherboard
    ASUS ROG Maximus XI Formula Z390
    Memory
    64 GB (4x16GB) G.SKILL TridentZ RGB DDR4 3600 MHz (F4-3600C18D-32GTZR)
    Graphics Card(s)
    ASUS ROG-STRIX-GTX1080TI-O11G-GAMING
    Sound Card
    Integrated Digital Audio (S/PDIF)
    Monitor(s) Displays
    2 x Samsung Odyssey G7 27"
    Screen Resolution
    2560x1440
    Hard Drives
    1TB Samsung 990 PRO M.2,
    4TB Samsung 990 PRO PRO M.2,
    8TB WD MyCloudEX2Ultra NAS
    PSU
    OCZ Series Gold OCZZ1000M 1000W
    Case
    Thermaltake Core P3
    Cooling
    Corsair Hydro H115i
    Keyboard
    Logitech wireless K800
    Mouse
    Logitech MX Master 3
    Internet Speed
    1 Gb/s Download and 35 Mb/s Upload
    Browser
    Internet Explorer 11
    Antivirus
    Malwarebyte Anti-Malware Premium
    Other Info
    Logitech Z625 speaker system,
    Logitech BRIO 4K Pro webcam,
    HP Color LaserJet Pro MFP M477fdn,
    APC SMART-UPS RT 1000 XL - SURT1000XLI,
    Galaxy S23 Plus phone
I'll probably get the download version.

For the initial install, would I be able to boot from a USB? What size would be needed?
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8.1
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Custom Built
    CPU
    Intel I7-4790K
    Motherboard
    Asus Z97-A
    Memory
    G.Skill DDR3-1866 PC3 8GB
    Graphics Card(s)
    Sapphire Radeon R9-280x
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Acer
    Hard Drives
    Samsung 850 Pro 256GB SSD
    Western Digital 1TB HDD
    PSU
    SeaSonic x-650
    Case
    Corsair 600T
    Cooling
    HyperMaster 212 Evo

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    64-bit Windows 10
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Custom self built
    CPU
    Intel i7-8700K OC'd to 5 GHz
    Motherboard
    ASUS ROG Maximus XI Formula Z390
    Memory
    64 GB (4x16GB) G.SKILL TridentZ RGB DDR4 3600 MHz (F4-3600C18D-32GTZR)
    Graphics Card(s)
    ASUS ROG-STRIX-GTX1080TI-O11G-GAMING
    Sound Card
    Integrated Digital Audio (S/PDIF)
    Monitor(s) Displays
    2 x Samsung Odyssey G7 27"
    Screen Resolution
    2560x1440
    Hard Drives
    1TB Samsung 990 PRO M.2,
    4TB Samsung 990 PRO PRO M.2,
    8TB WD MyCloudEX2Ultra NAS
    PSU
    OCZ Series Gold OCZZ1000M 1000W
    Case
    Thermaltake Core P3
    Cooling
    Corsair Hydro H115i
    Keyboard
    Logitech wireless K800
    Mouse
    Logitech MX Master 3
    Internet Speed
    1 Gb/s Download and 35 Mb/s Upload
    Browser
    Internet Explorer 11
    Antivirus
    Malwarebyte Anti-Malware Premium
    Other Info
    Logitech Z625 speaker system,
    Logitech BRIO 4K Pro webcam,
    HP Color LaserJet Pro MFP M477fdn,
    APC SMART-UPS RT 1000 XL - SURT1000XLI,
    Galaxy S23 Plus phone
What size flash drive would I need in order to get started?
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8.1
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Custom Built
    CPU
    Intel I7-4790K
    Motherboard
    Asus Z97-A
    Memory
    G.Skill DDR3-1866 PC3 8GB
    Graphics Card(s)
    Sapphire Radeon R9-280x
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Acer
    Hard Drives
    Samsung 850 Pro 256GB SSD
    Western Digital 1TB HDD
    PSU
    SeaSonic x-650
    Case
    Corsair 600T
    Cooling
    HyperMaster 212 Evo
A minimum of 4 GB should be fine, but 6 GB to be safe. This way you could also save your driver installation files and such to the USB as well.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    64-bit Windows 10
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Custom self built
    CPU
    Intel i7-8700K OC'd to 5 GHz
    Motherboard
    ASUS ROG Maximus XI Formula Z390
    Memory
    64 GB (4x16GB) G.SKILL TridentZ RGB DDR4 3600 MHz (F4-3600C18D-32GTZR)
    Graphics Card(s)
    ASUS ROG-STRIX-GTX1080TI-O11G-GAMING
    Sound Card
    Integrated Digital Audio (S/PDIF)
    Monitor(s) Displays
    2 x Samsung Odyssey G7 27"
    Screen Resolution
    2560x1440
    Hard Drives
    1TB Samsung 990 PRO M.2,
    4TB Samsung 990 PRO PRO M.2,
    8TB WD MyCloudEX2Ultra NAS
    PSU
    OCZ Series Gold OCZZ1000M 1000W
    Case
    Thermaltake Core P3
    Cooling
    Corsair Hydro H115i
    Keyboard
    Logitech wireless K800
    Mouse
    Logitech MX Master 3
    Internet Speed
    1 Gb/s Download and 35 Mb/s Upload
    Browser
    Internet Explorer 11
    Antivirus
    Malwarebyte Anti-Malware Premium
    Other Info
    Logitech Z625 speaker system,
    Logitech BRIO 4K Pro webcam,
    HP Color LaserJet Pro MFP M477fdn,
    APC SMART-UPS RT 1000 XL - SURT1000XLI,
    Galaxy S23 Plus phone
Thanks for the info. I'll read through the tutorial and see if I'm successful in creating the bootable flash drive.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8.1
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Custom Built
    CPU
    Intel I7-4790K
    Motherboard
    Asus Z97-A
    Memory
    G.Skill DDR3-1866 PC3 8GB
    Graphics Card(s)
    Sapphire Radeon R9-280x
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Acer
    Hard Drives
    Samsung 850 Pro 256GB SSD
    Western Digital 1TB HDD
    PSU
    SeaSonic x-650
    Case
    Corsair 600T
    Cooling
    HyperMaster 212 Evo
A 64 bit system builders (OEM) version worked fine for me in similar circumstances.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8.1 update
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    HP Compaq
    CPU
    Pentium duo
    Motherboard
    Custom
    Memory
    4 Gb
    Graphics Card(s)
    Intel
    Monitor(s) Displays
    NEC 1980sx
    Screen Resolution
    1280 x 1024
    Browser
    IE 11
    Antivirus
    Defender
I would get the OEM, except that in the event Microsoft support is needed, I wouldn't be able to get support.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8.1
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Custom Built
    CPU
    Intel I7-4790K
    Motherboard
    Asus Z97-A
    Memory
    G.Skill DDR3-1866 PC3 8GB
    Graphics Card(s)
    Sapphire Radeon R9-280x
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Acer
    Hard Drives
    Samsung 850 Pro 256GB SSD
    Western Digital 1TB HDD
    PSU
    SeaSonic x-650
    Case
    Corsair 600T
    Cooling
    HyperMaster 212 Evo
I would get the OEM, except that in the event Microsoft support is needed, I wouldn't be able to get support.

Don't be too concerned about M$ support..their support sucks anyway.. you'll get better support here anyway - follow Brink's advice.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    PC-DOS v1.0
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    IBM
    CPU
    Intel 8088, 4.77MHz
    Memory
    16K, 640K max
    Graphics Card(s)
    What's that?
    Sound Card
    Not quite
    Screen Resolution
    80 X 24 text
    Hard Drives
    dual 160KB 5.25-inch disk drives
I use the OEM edition and works great for me.. I build computer's on my spare time and use OEM Builder software on the computers I build as well as provide support for any of my customers I deal with if they have any issues and like Superfly said MS support sucks this forum is far more better than MS Support. :thumbsup:
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Microsoft Windows 10 Pro 64-bit
    Computer type
    Laptop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    HP Pavilion DV6
    CPU
    Intel(R) Core(TM) i5 CPU M 460 @ 2.53GHz
    Motherboard
    Hewlett-Packard 144C
    Memory
    6 GB soon to be 8 GB
    Graphics Card(s)
    Intel(R) HD Graphics (Core i5)
    Sound Card
    IDT High Definition Audio CODEC
    Screen Resolution
    1366 x 768 x 32 bits (4294967296 colors) @ 60 Hz
    Hard Drives
    1 TB Samsung HDD and Samsung 600 GB SSD
    Case
    HP metal case.
    Cooling
    Standard fan ( Does a good enough job)
    Keyboard
    HP backlit keyboard.
    Mouse
    Standard USB Mouse
    Internet Speed
    60 Mbps Download and 10 Mbps Upload thru Charter High Speed Internet
    Browser
    Firefox and Internet Explorer
    Antivirus
    Norton Internet Security
    Other Info
    Custom Built Windows Server 2008 R2 used for storage server, DHCP server, Primary DNS server. Novell Suse Server running 2 custom built desktop that have Novell Netware installed. Samsung Note 3 (Primary Phone) and Samsung S4 (Back up phone).
Got Windows downloaded to the USB drive. While I was going to get the OEM, the only download option I saw was for a32/64-bit Windows. I changed the boot order and got to setup screen. It's asking if I want to do an upgrade or a custom install. The obvious choice to make is a custom install. I've already got a laptop running 8.1. Would anything transfer over from that computer (I.e. things saved in one drive). I'm surprised I'm getting prompted for the type of install considering I got a full version of Windows.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8.1
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Custom Built
    CPU
    Intel I7-4790K
    Motherboard
    Asus Z97-A
    Memory
    G.Skill DDR3-1866 PC3 8GB
    Graphics Card(s)
    Sapphire Radeon R9-280x
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Acer
    Hard Drives
    Samsung 850 Pro 256GB SSD
    Western Digital 1TB HDD
    PSU
    SeaSonic x-650
    Case
    Corsair 600T
    Cooling
    HyperMaster 212 Evo
hi, the question is asked because you could be doing a upgrade, just do the custom and if the drive has anything on it format the drive and continue the install
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    win8.1.1 enterprise
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Hinze57
    CPU
    AMD FX 6100 6core 3.30gHz
    Motherboard
    gigibyte ga-78lmy-s2p
    Memory
    4gig ddr3
    Graphics Card(s)
    Radon hd5000 Series
    Sound Card
    onboard realtek hd
    Monitor(s) Displays
    19" viewsonic/ 22"Samsung
    Screen Resolution
    1680x1050
    Hard Drives
    128gig ssd Kingston
    80gig WD 10000 rpm spinner
    Case
    micro
    Keyboard
    microsoft curve 200
    Mouse
    Logitech wireless M215
    Internet Speed
    high speed 20
    Browser
    ie 11
    Antivirus
    windows defender
    Other Info
    updated enterprise apr 2/14
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