Solved Clean install Windows 8.1 Update 1 on Secure Boot system?

[Raident]

I have a Windows 8.1 Update 1 ISO and would like to use it to perform a clean install on a system which supports UEFI Secure Boot but has no optical drive. What would be the best way to approach this?

WIMBoot would be nice to have as well, if there's a way to do it without making things too complicated.

 

[Clintlgm]

Use Rufus to create a UEFI USB Install media. Since you don't have an Optical drive you'll have to do it from another computer to get the ISO off your Install DVD Or download the ISO Using your Retail Key. You may need to turn off secure boot? You'll need to insure that the USB Thumb Drive Boots UEFI, otherwise its a straight up Clean Install.

 

[Raident]

As a follow-up question, is it possible to store additional third-party software on the installation USB for installation/use after Windows is installed?

 

[Nuccii]

As a follow-up question, is it possible to store additional third-party software on the installation USB for installation/use after Windows is installed?

Not advisable, put them on a separate USB stick.

 

[vrosa]

As a follow-up question, is it possible to store additional third-party software on the installation USB for installation/use after Windows is installed?

After creating the bootable flash drive you optionally add more things to it. Doing this wont affect the installation media anyway.

 

[jimbo45]

Hi there

Just create a second partition on your USB drive -- I have one with a folder I call "Installables" where the software I want to add after the base Windows install is situated. In this folder I have say Ms Office, Photoshop, VLC, etc etc plus any serial numbers and recent update files. Then after the base Windows install I just go through all the "Installables" and click--click--click --Job done.

You might need a 32 GB USB stick -- depending on what you need to install. If you don't have too many large applications it might work with a 16GB USB stick. Your Windows install media probably won't need more than a 4GB partition. Make it 6GB if it needs just a bit more than 4GB.

Simply resize the USB sticks partitions AFTER creating the install media -- use GPARTED or equivalent.

Cheers
jimbo

 

[topgundcp]

As a follow-up question, is it possible to store additional third-party software on the installation USB for installation/use after Windows is installed?

Not to offend anyone here but why would it be not advisable ? I have done many times which I just created a folder and put all the third party programs, Context menus, Optimization scripts in one USB stick and after Windows Installation, I just install the rest one by one.

 

[Reddd]

As a follow-up question, is it possible to store additional third-party software on the installation USB for installation/use after Windows is installed?

Not to offend anyone here but why would be not advisable ? I have done many times which I just created a folder and put all the third party programs, Context menus, Optimization scripts in one USB stick and after Windows Installation, I just install the rest one by one.

I suppose it's just rule of thumb?

If I hadn't read this thread, I would never have advised anyone to put any files not related to the OS on the drive.

Though I don't have much of a credible reason for this Let's wait for someone brainy to answer

 

[alphanumeric]

I put my Drivers on my install thumb drives. I also add custom OEM info and a PID.txt file too so I don't have to enter a product code.

 

[Raident]

Thanks for the information, everyone. I was able to successfully reformat and install Windows 8.1 Update Enterprise without incident thanks to a combination of your information and Brink's guides. A couple of notes:

1. The installation zipped by unbelievably quickly when installing from a USB stick to an SSD. I think it took about 3 minutes? I remember it took about an hour and a half to install Windows 8 from an external DVD drive the last time I reformatted this machine...
2. There was no need to turn off Secure Boot at any point, though that may have been because I entered setup in an extremely unconventional way. I was trying to figure out how to enter the BIOS/UEFI interface to change boot devices but ended up causing an unclean shutdown instead, and Windows allowed me to boot from "EFI USB" as one of the recovery options.
3. Unlike the Windows 8/8.1 installation media, Windows 8.1 Update had a driver for my Wi-Fi adapter, so the precaution of preparing a separate folder containing my programs and drivers turned out to be more of a convenience than a necessity.