Solved Clean install of Windows 8.1

WalterW

New Member
Messages
44
I have Windows 8.1 64 bit Pro (updated to Windows 8.1)

I want to a clean install using the ISO created using Windows Media Creation on your web site before I update it to Windows 10 when it is released.

I have the product key that came with Windows 8.0 so when I install Windows 8.1 using the ISO from your web site do I use that key?

I hope that makes sense.:confused:
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    CPU
    E3750K
    Motherboard
    Asus
    Memory
    8 Gig
    Graphics Card(s)
    Gigabyte Nvidia 2 gig RAM
    Monitor(s) Displays
    iiyama 27" prolite
    Hard Drives
    128 gig SSD, 500 gig SATA
    Case
    Tower
    Internet Speed
    50 Mbits
    Browser
    IE11
    Antivirus
    microsoft

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

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    CPU
    E3750K
    Motherboard
    Asus
    Memory
    8 Gig
    Graphics Card(s)
    Gigabyte Nvidia 2 gig RAM
    Monitor(s) Displays
    iiyama 27" prolite
    Hard Drives
    128 gig SSD, 500 gig SATA
    Case
    Tower
    Internet Speed
    50 Mbits
    Browser
    IE11
    Antivirus
    microsoft
In that case, you'll still be able to enter the Windows 8 key during setup to activate Windows 8.1 with.
 

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
If this was a preinstalled Windows 8 on an OEM PC, then the installation should automatically detect the product key that is embedded in the PC's UEFI firmware chip, and activate. :)

Q: if one uses an 8.1 Update ISO to clean install, what happens to the OEM's basic drivers such as the WiFi/LAN adapter, audio and graphics, touchpad, etc ? Are these imbedded or do they have to be re-installed ? It seems that some of these are basic to the computer running, at all.

I'm thinking ahead to Windows 10, doing a clean install when an ISO is issued vs an in-place upgrade. I understand 10 will have OEM software/ bloatware in a separate package so they can not make a 'custom recovery image' as they do in 8.1 when you 'Reset'. Thanks in advance for any advice you can offer.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8.1
If this was a preinstalled Windows 8 on an OEM PC, then the installation should automatically detect the product key that is embedded in the PC's UEFI firmware chip, and activate. :)

Q: if one uses an 8.1 Update ISO to clean install, what happens to the OEM's basic drivers such as the WiFi/LAN adapter, audio and graphics, touchpad, etc ? Are these imbedded or do they have to be re-installed ? It seems that some of these are basic to the computer running, at all.

I'm thinking ahead to Windows 10, doing a clean install when an ISO is issued vs an in-place upgrade. I understand 10 will have OEM software/ bloatware in a separate package so they can not make a 'custom recovery image' as they do in 8.1 when you 'Reset'. Thanks in advance for any advice you can offer.

That is a good question as I will want to do a clean install on my ACER laptop which has a OEM 8.01 home on preinstalled.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    CPU
    E3750K
    Motherboard
    Asus
    Memory
    8 Gig
    Graphics Card(s)
    Gigabyte Nvidia 2 gig RAM
    Monitor(s) Displays
    iiyama 27" prolite
    Hard Drives
    128 gig SSD, 500 gig SATA
    Case
    Tower
    Internet Speed
    50 Mbits
    Browser
    IE11
    Antivirus
    microsoft
If this was a preinstalled Windows 8 on an OEM PC, then the installation should automatically detect the product key that is embedded in the PC's UEFI firmware chip, and activate. :)

Q: if one uses an 8.1 Update ISO to clean install, what happens to the OEM's basic drivers such as the WiFi/LAN adapter, audio and graphics, touchpad, etc ? Are these imbedded or do they have to be re-installed ? It seems that some of these are basic to the computer running, at all.

I'm thinking ahead to Windows 10, doing a clean install when an ISO is issued vs an in-place upgrade. I understand 10 will have OEM software/ bloatware in a separate package so they can not make a 'custom recovery image' as they do in 8.1 when you 'Reset'. Thanks in advance for any advice you can offer.

In that situation, you would lose everything since it's a clean install. You would need to download the drivers from the OEM support website if they were not available via Windows Update.
 

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, Brink. That's why I download and zipped all the current drivers and selective software for my model from the OEM and stored in Cloud. So, things like the network drivers, graphics and touchpad mouse are added after the OS is clean installed ? Otherwise, how would Windows Update know what drivers to update ? Does the install order matter ? Is the BIOS retained ?
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8.1
Windows has generic drivers already included with it that will usually allow most devices to work properly until you install their drivers after Windows has finished installing. Some manufacturers have partnered with Microsoft to deliver driver updates through Windows Update, but there are always some that you will need to manually update.

The BIOS/UEFI will not be affected by reinstalling Windows.
 

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 all the wonderful info, Brink. I do get occasional driver updates thru Windows but have a complete set in preparation. Now I can approach a clean install with confidence as to what will happen.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8.1
Glad I could help. :)
 

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
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