Clean Windows 8 Install on Blank Disk with no OS

Hi all,

My current Windows 7 machine's hard drive is about to fail. I have all the data backed up and I have a new blank hard drive ready to go. I could go into detail on why I can't install Windows 7 to this new hard drive, but that is not what this forum is for. I have a specific question related to installing Windows 8 on the new hard drive.

Given that I cannot install Windows 7 on the new blank hard drive, is it possible for me to purchase a copy of Windows 8 which I can install cleanly on the new blank hard drive. The investigations I have done so far seem to suggest that it is only possible to install Windows 8 as an upgrade. Is this correct?

Thanks

No,you would need to buy what's generally known as a "full retail" copy. So most of the time you go into a store, for example, you might see two copies of Win 8 on the shelf. One is probably about 35% more expensive (I've never done the math, and of course there may be differences by geographic region, so numbers are illustrative only) than the other. That would be the "full" version, which will let you install on a system with no previous version of Windows on it.

If you're buying online, first make sure it's a reputable retailer because there's no shortage of people who will sell you a pirated copy at what seems like an unbeatable price. Then just make very sure that what you're getting is NOT an upgrade version.

It might sound daft, but I've never bought Windows 8 as it came pre-installed... If an "Upgrade" version is not suitable for someone running Windows 7, who exactly is is suitable for? - What woud they upgrade from?

It would be suitable for someone upgrading from 7, but as the OP went out of their way to say, they are unable to install Windows 7 on their computer to qualify for the upgrade version.

Sorry Didn't read the OP properly

Hi, thanks asvent.
First of all I apologise for creating a second account. I got my password wrong 5 times, and after an hour I was still getting the wait 15 minutes message.

According to the Microsoft store the full version of Windows 8.1 is for upgrading Windows 7 only. "Important: Windows 8.1 full version is for Windows 7 users only." Source: Buy Windows 8.1 - Microsoft Store

Is this consistent with what you have said and I have misunderstood something?

Thanks

If you buy a Windows 8.1 product key, you can perform a clean Windows 8.1 installation on your computer.

Windows 8.1 - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

New retail installation media of Windows 8.1 were released alongside the online upgrade. Unlike their Windows 8 counterparts, they can install Windows on computers that do not have an operating system at all. Microsoft stated that the change was in response to customer feedback, and to allow more flexibility for users. Pricing for the retail copies of 8.1 remained the same.

Click to expand...

Assuming Wikipedia can be trusted (and when all they have to do is basically copy and paste a press release, it's usually accurate), it looks like that statement on the MS website might be a bit misleading, though I would have thought exactly the same thing if not for genet's post.

In this case it is confirmed by referencing a page on the official Windows Blog site which says:

http://blogs.windows.com/bloggingwindows/2013/09/17/pricing-and-packaging-for-windows-8-1/ said:

One shift to note in Windows 8.1 is that we will be offering “full version software” at retail and online for download that does not require a previous version of Windows in order to be installed.

Click to expand...

First line under the pictures of the Windows retail boxes. So my guess would be that the line about being only for Windows 7 is that you can't use it as an upgrade for XP or Vista, only Win 7.

simo2 said:

Hi, thanks asvent.
First of all I apologise for creating a second account. I got my password wrong 5 times, and after an hour I was still getting the wait 15 minutes message.

According to the Microsoft store the full version of Windows 8.1 is for upgrading Windows 7 only. "Important: Windows 8.1 full version is for Windows 7 users only." Source: Buy Windows 8.1 - Microsoft Store

Is this consistent with what you have said and I have misunderstood something?

Thanks

Click to expand...

The way I read that is, if you are going to upgrade your current OS, it has to be Windows 7. If your running XP or Vista, and upgrade install is not possible with this version. You can still do a clean install though regardless of what OS is on the PC. Your going to wipe it anyway.

EDIT: ops, looks like you already figured that out.

Thanks for the feedback people.