How to Do a Clean Install of Windows 8

   Information

This will show you how to do a clean install of the Windows 8 Consumer Preview.

Windows 8 Consumer Preview: frequently asked questions

This tutorial will be updated for any changes made before and when the retail Windows 8 is released.

   Note

Windows 8 Consumer Preview System Requirements
Windows Consumer Preview works great on the same hardware that powers Windows Vista and Windows 7.

Processor: 1 gigahertz (GHz) or faster

RAM: 1 gigabyte (GB) (32-bit) or 2 GB (64-bit)

Hard disk space: 16 GB (32-bit) or 20 GB (64-bit)

Graphics card: MicrosoftDirectX 9 graphics device or higher

Additional requirements to use certain features:

• To use touch, you need a tablet or a monitor that supports multitouch.
• To access the Windows Store and to download and run apps, you need an active Internet connection and a screen resolution of at least 1024 x 768.
• To snap apps, you need a screen resolution of at least 1366 x 768.

Here's How:


1. Boot the computer from your Windows 8 installation DVD or USB thumb drive.


2. Select your language preferences, and click on Next. (see screenshot below)

3. Click on the Install Now button to start the installation. (see screenshot below)

4. Enter the Windows 8 Consumer Preview product key number below, and click on Next. (see screenshot below)

DNJXJ-7XBW8-2378T-X22TX-BKG7J

OR

NF32V-Q9P3W-7DR7Y-JGWRW-JFCK8

5. Check the I accept the license terms box and click on Next. (see screenshot below)

6. Click on the Custom (advanced) option. (see screenshot below)

7. Select the hard drive or partition that you want to install Windows 8 on, and click on the Drive Options (advanced) link. (see screenshot below)
NOTE: If the hard drive or partition that you have selected is shown as unallocted, then you can just click on the Next button instead and go to step 8 since it is already empty.

8. Select a hard drive or partiton that you want to do a clean install of Windows 8 on, do one of the options for how you want to install Windows 8 to that drive or partition in the yellow TIP box below, then click on the Next button when finished. (see screenshot below)
NOTE: If you have your hard drives in a RAID setup and they are not listed, then you need to connect a USB key with the RAID drivers on it, click on Load Driver, select the folder on the USB key that contains the RAID drivers to install them. Afterwards, your RAID drives will be available to select from to install Windows 8 on.

   Tip

Drive options (advanced)

If you only have one partition for a disk # (hard drive) listed that you wanted to install Windows 8 on, then select the disk # and click on the Delete option if not grayed out to make it unallocated space.

If you have more than one partition for a disk # (hard drive) listed and want to install Windows 8 on only one of the partitions and keep the other partitions with that disk #, then only select the partition that you want to install Windows 8 on the Format option.

If you have more than one partition for a disk # (hard drive) listed and want to get rid of all of them to make that disk # one single partition drive again, then select a partition with that disk # and click on the Delete option for each partition with the same disk # until there is only one "unallocated space" with that disk # left as in the screenshot below.

To shrink an existing partition to create another partition to install Windows 8 on instead, select the partition that you want to shrink and click on the Extend option. Type in how much in MB (1 GB = 1024 MB) that you want to shrink it by. Now select the new extended partition.

9. The installation of Windows 8 will now begin. (see screenshot below)
NOTE: During the installation process, your screen may flash and computer will restart a few times.

10. When you get to this point, type in a computer name (ex: Brink-PC) that you want for this PC, then click on the Next button. (see screenshot below)

11. Select either the Use express settings or Customize button depending on how you want to set these settings. (see screenshot below)

A) If you select Use express settings, then go to step 16 below.

B) If you select Customize, then continue on to step 12 below.

12. Select the share settings you would like. (see screenshot below)

13. Select the Windows Update and IE security settings that you want, and click on Next. (see screenshots below)

14. Select the settings that you want, and click on Next. (see screenshots below)

15. Select the settings that you want, and click on Next. (see screenshots below)

16. Do either step 17 or 18 below depending on if your would like to log on to Windows 8 with either a Microsoft account using your Windows Live ID (Windows Live email address), or with a normal local account. (see screenshot below)

17. If you want to log on to Windows 8 with a Microsoft Account

   Note

Microsoft account:

• You use your Windows Live ID email address and password to sign in to Windows 8.
• When you sign in with a Microsoft account, your PC is connected to the cloud.
• Your friends’ contact info and statuses are automatically up to date from your Hotmail, Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, and other accounts.
• You can get to and share your photos, documents, and other files from SkyDrive, Facebook, Flickr, and other accounts without signing in to each one.
• Your personal settings are synced to any PC running Windows 8 Consumer Preview that you sign in to, including your themes, language preferences, browser favorites, and apps.
• You can get apps in the Windows Store and use them on any PC running Windows 8 Consumer Preview that you sign in to.
• Easily reacquire your Metro style apps on multiple Windows 8 PCs. The app’s settings and last-used state persist across all your Windows 8 PCs.
• You can associate the most commonly used Windows settings to your user account. In this way, the saved settings are available when you sign in to your account on any Windows 8 PC. So your PC will be set up just the way you are used to.
• You can also save time with sign-in credentials, because now the same credentials are available for the different apps and websites you use and you can easily get back into them without having to enter credentials every time.
• You can automatically sign in to apps and services that use Windows Live ID for authentication.

A) Type in your Windows Live ID email address, and click on Next. (see screenshot below step 16)
NOTE: If you do not have a Windows Live ID email address, then click on Sign up for a new email address link to get one.

B) Enter the password for the email address, and click on Next. (see screenshot below)
NOTE: If you do not have a Windows Live ID email address, then click on Sign up for a Microsoft account link to get one.

C) Enter security verification info if you like, and click on Next. (see screenshot below)

D) Windows 8 is now preparing your PC with your Windows Live ID account. (see screenshot below)

NOTE: The email address in this screenshot has been edited out, so this is not a real one.

E) Go to step 19 below.

18. If you want to log on to Windows 8 with a Local Account

   Note

Local account:

• You use a user name (and password if you want one) to sign in to Windows 8.
• A local user account gives you access to only the PC it's on. You will need a separate user account created on each PC you use.
• None of your settings will be synced between the PCs you use, and you won't get the benefits of connecting your PC to the cloud.

A) Click on the Don't want to sign in with a Microsoft account link. (see screenshot below step 16)


B) Click on the Local account button. (see screenshot below)

C) Type in user name, password, and password hint for your user account (administrator type), and click on Next. (see screenshot below)

D) Windows 8 is now preparing your PC with your local administrator user account. (see screenshot below)

E) Continue on to step 19.

19. Welcome to Windows 8. (see screenshot below)

20. It is highly recommened that you create a password reset disk for your user account just in case you forget it later. You will be able to use it to reset your user account password.




That's it,
Shawn

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• How to Upgrade from Windows 7, Vista, or XP to "Windows 8 Consumer Preview"
• How to Install "Windows 8 Consumer Preview" on VirtualBox
• How to Install "Windows 8 Consumer Preview" on VMware Player
• How to Reset Windows 8
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