Clean Install - Windows 8

How to Do a Clean Install of Windows 8 or Windows 8.1​


This tutorial will show you how to do a clean install of Windows 8 (ex: System Builder copy) or Windows 8.1 on your PC.


Windows 8 and Windows 8.1 System Requirements
Windows 8 works great on the same hardware that powers 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.

warning   Warning
If you want to install Windows 8 or Windows 8.1 using UEFI instead of BIOS, then see this below first.

How to Install Windows 8 or Windows 8.1 using "Unified Extensible Firmware Interface" (UEFI)

If you wanted to do a clean install with Windows 8 upgrade media, then see the tutorial below first.

How to Do a Clean Install with Windows 8 Upgrade





Here's How:

1. Boot the computer from your Windows 8 or Windows 8.1 installation DVD or USB flash drive.

Tip   Tip
Enable or Disable Always Automatically Boot PC from USB Drive in Windows To Go Startup Options

How to Boot from a USB Drive within Windows 8 and 8.1

How to Boot from a USB Drive on Surface



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


Step1.png


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


Step2.jpg

4. Enter your product key that matches the installed edition of Windows, and click/tap on Next. (see screenshot below)

Note   Note
The product key you enter must match what you are installing, or it will not work.

If this is an OEM computer that came with Windows 8 or 8.1 preinstalled, then your product key is stored in the UEFI/BIOS firmware chip and will be automatically detected instead.


You will not be able to enter a Window Media Center Pack or Windows 8 Pro Pack product key. These are considered to be an upgrade key and can't be used to install Windows 8/8.1. These can only be added after Windows 8/8.1 is installed, then use Add Features to upgrade to the Window Media Center Pack or Windows 8 Pro Pack.

If you have a retail Windows 8 product key and want to clean install Windows 8, then see How to Do a Clean Install with Windows 8 Upgrade instead.

If you have a retail Windows 8 product key and want to clean install Windows 8.1 or Windows 8.1 Update, then you would need to enter a generic key below to install unactivated with, and change the product key later on in step 22 below to activate with your Windows 8 key.

If you have a retail Windows 8.1 product key and want to clean install Windows 8.1 or Windows 8.1 Update, then you are good.

If you have an OEM Windows 8 product key and want to clean install Windows 8.1 or Windows 8.1 Update, then you would need to enter a generic key below to install unactivated with, and change the product key later on in step 22 below to activate with your OEM Windows 8 COA product key.

If you want to clean install Windows 8 Enterprise, Windows 8.1 Enterprise, or Windows 8.1 Update Enterprise, then you would need to change the product key later on in step 22 below to activate since Enterprise editions do not ask to enter a key at this step.

Generic keys to install with:

  • Windows 8 (core): FB4WR-32NVD-4RW79-XQFWH-CYQG3
  • Windows 8 Pro: XKY4K-2NRWR-8F6P2-448RF-CRYQH
  • Windows 8 Pro with Media Center: RR3BN-3YY9P-9D7FC-7J4YF-QGJXW
  • Windows 8.1 (core): 334NH-RXG76-64THK-C7CKG-D3VPT
  • Windows 8.1 (core single language): Y9NXP-XT8MV-PT9TG-97CT3-9D6TC
  • Windows 8.1 Pro: XHQ8N-C3MCJ-RQXB6-WCHYG-C9WKB
  • Windows 8.1 Pro with Media Center: GBFNG-2X3TC-8R27F-RMKYB-JK7QT
  • Windows 8.1 Enterprise: MNDGV-M6PKV-DV4DR-CYY8X-2YRXH OR FHQNR-XYXYC-8PMHT-TV4PH-DRQ3H

KMS setup keys (8/8.1): Appendix A: KMS Client Setup Keys
Click to expand...



Product_Key.jpg

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

step4.jpg


6. Click/tap on the Custom: Install Windows only (advanced) option. (see screenshot below)


Step5.jpg



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



Step6.jpg


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/tap on the Next button when finished. (see screenshot below)
NOTE: If your hard drive is not displayed and it's either a SATA drive or in a RAID setup, then you need to connect a USB key or DVD disc with the RAID or SATA drivers on it, click on Load Driver, select the folder on the USB key or DVD that contains the RAID or SATA drivers to install them. Afterwards, your RAID drives will be available to select from to install Windows 8 on.

Tip   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.



Note   Note
The 350 MB System Reserved partition is used for the Boot Manager code, BCD (Boot Configuration Database), System Recovery Options (Windows RE), and start up files for BitLocker (if turned on).

If you want to have (recommended) the 350 MB System Reserved partition in addition to the Windows 8 C: partition on a HDD or SSD after installation, then you would need to make sure that all partitions on the drive have been deleted until it is only unallocated space. Next, select the unallocated drive to install Windows 8 on. If there are no partitions on the disk, you will get the 350 MB System Reserved.

If you do not want to have the 350 MB System Reserved partition and only the Windows 8 C: partition on a HDD or SSD after installation, then select a formatted partition or drive to install Windows 8 on. If there are any partitions on the disk, you won't get the 350 MB System Reserved.





Step7.jpg


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.


Step8.jpg

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


Step9.jpg


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.


Step9B.jpg



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


Custom-1.jpg

Windows_8.1_Share.jpg

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


custom-2.jpg

Windows_8.1_Updates.jpg

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


Custom-4.jpg

Windows_8.1_solutions.jpg


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


Custom-3.jpg

Windows_8.1_Info.jpg


16. Do either step 17 or step 18 below depending on if your would like to sign in to Windows 8 or Windows 8.1 with either a local account or Microsoft account. (see screenshots below)

Note   Note
If you are not connected to the internet during installation, you will default to step 18C to set up a local account.

You will still be able to add or switch to a Microsoft account later after Windows is installed if you like when you are connected to the internet.



Step10.jpg

Windows_8_1_Microsoft_account.jpg



17. If you want to Sign in to Windows 8 or 8.1 with a Microsoft Account

Note   Note
Microsoft account:

  • You use your 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 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 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 email address, and click/tap on Next. (see screenshot below step 16)
NOTE: If you do not have a Windows Live ID email address and would like to use one, then click/tap on Sign up for a new email address link to get one.

B) Enter the password for the email address, and click/tap on Next. (see screenshots below and below step 16)
NOTE: If you do not have a Windows Live ID email address and would like to use one, then click /tap on Sign up for a Microsoft account link to get one.


Live-1.jpgother-1.jpg


C) For Windows 8, enter security verification info if you like, click/tap on Next, and go to step 17G below. (see screenshot below)
NOTE: If you are setting up an email address, then you may have a few additional screens to fill out as well.


Live-2.jpg




D) In Windows 8.1, you can use two-step verification to add this PC as a "trusted device", and click/tap on Next. (see screenshot below)



code-1.jpg

Enter the received security code, and click/tap on Next. (see screenshot below)

code-2.jpg

E) In Windows 8.1, select how to set up your PC, and click/tap on Next. (see screenshots below)



  • [*=1]If you select a listed PC name that you sign in to with the same Microsoft account, then your settings and apps from that PC will be synced (copied) to this PC. Afterwards, go to step 17G below.


  • [*=1]If you selectset this up as a new PC instead, then this PC will be set up as new PC without your settings and apps synced from another PC as above. Afterwards, continue on to step 17F below.
Windows_8.1_clean_install_setup-1.jpg

Windows_8.1_clean_install_setup-2.jpg


F) Select to either "Don't use SkyDrive" or "Use SkyDrive". (see screenshot below)

SkyDrive.jpg



G) Windows 8 or Windows 8.1 will now prepare your PC for your Microsoft account.

H) Go to step 19 below.



18. If you want to Sign in to Windows 8 or 8.1 with a Local Account

Note   Note
Local account:

  • You use a user name (and password if you want one) to sign in to Windows 8 just like it was in Vista and Windows 7.
  • 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) For Windows 8.1, click/tap on the Create a new account link. (see bottom screenshot below and below step 16)


Local_Account_A.png


Click/tap on the Sign in without a Microsoft account link, and go to step 18C below. (see screenshot below)

Local_Account_B.png

B) For Windows 8, click/tap on the Sign in without a Microsoft account link. (see top screenshot below step 16)



Click/tap on the Local account button, and go to step 18C below. (see screenshot below)


Step11.jpg



C) Type in user name, password, and password hint for your user account (administrator type), and click/tap on Finish. (see screenshot below)
NOTE: Your user name must be different than the computer name you entered at step 10 above.




Step12.jpg


D) Windows 8 or 8.1 will now prepare your PC for your local administrator user account.


E) Continue on to step 19.



19. When installation is finished, welcome to Windows 8 or Windows 8.1. (see screenshot below)



Windows8.jpg




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.

21. Install any needed drivers for your devices, and update your WEI score.

22. If you have an Enterprise edition or needed to use a generic key to install with from step 4 above, then you will now need to change the product key to enter your key and activate it.

Tip   Tip
If you need to first find your OEM product key that is embedded in the UEFI firmware chip, then OPTION FIVE in the tutorial below can help show you what it is to enter in step 22.

How to Find Your Windows 8 and 8.1 Product Key Number





That's it,
Shawn



Related Tutorials


 

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Last edited by a moderator:
Click to expand...
I have a copy of Win 8 Pro x64 which i bought for my pc, but i bought a dell inspiron n7520 today which comes with Win8 SIngle language pre-installed
i'd like to ask that if i wipe out the hdd completely, install the unused copy of win8 that i have as i normally did previously will it create any trouble due to the uefi bios ??
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8 Pro x64
Hello Witcher, and welcome to Eight Forums.

Yes, you could do that. You could install the 64-bit Windows 8 Pro either with UEFI or Legacy BIOS.

I'm assuming that it's an upgrade copy of 64-bit Windows 8 Pro, so:
If you wanted to install using UEFI, then see also:

Using the "clean" command on the HDD at boot will make it easier to wipe the HDD to be unallocated.

Hope this helps, :)
Shawn
 

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
Can anyone please tell me if I need to convert my partition to GPT prior to installing Windows 8?
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 7 home Premium SP 1
    System Manufacturer/Model
    TOSHIBA Satellite C855D-S5100
    CPU
    AMD E-Series Processor E-300
    Memory
    4GB DDR3 1066MHz memory
    Graphics Card(s)
    AMD Radeon™ HD 6310
    Monitor(s) Displays
    366x768 (HD), 16:9 aspect ratio, Supports 720p content
    Screen Resolution
    1366x768
    Hard Drives
    320GB HDD (5400rpm, Serial ATA)
    Other Info
    WIRELESS LAN*
    Wi-Fi® Wireless networking (802.11b/g/n)

    LAN
    10/100 Ethernet LAN

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
You're very kind Brink! When you say that it would be converted, does that mean that I don't need to set the boot mode, in BIOS to UEFI. Currently it is in CSM.
 
Last edited:

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 7 home Premium SP 1
    System Manufacturer/Model
    TOSHIBA Satellite C855D-S5100
    CPU
    AMD E-Series Processor E-300
    Memory
    4GB DDR3 1066MHz memory
    Graphics Card(s)
    AMD Radeon™ HD 6310
    Monitor(s) Displays
    366x768 (HD), 16:9 aspect ratio, Supports 720p content
    Screen Resolution
    1366x768
    Hard Drives
    320GB HDD (5400rpm, Serial ATA)
    Other Info
    WIRELESS LAN*
    Wi-Fi® Wireless networking (802.11b/g/n)

    LAN
    10/100 Ethernet LAN
Correct. You would want to disable CMS use UEFI instead of "Legacy BIOS". :)
 

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
Thank you so much for your help Shawn! You just made my day. Then again, I have another problem: My computer won't boot from my installation disk when set to UEFI. What do I do? Should I do the install while in Windows 7???
 
Last edited:

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 7 home Premium SP 1
    System Manufacturer/Model
    TOSHIBA Satellite C855D-S5100
    CPU
    AMD E-Series Processor E-300
    Memory
    4GB DDR3 1066MHz memory
    Graphics Card(s)
    AMD Radeon™ HD 6310
    Monitor(s) Displays
    366x768 (HD), 16:9 aspect ratio, Supports 720p content
    Screen Resolution
    1366x768
    Hard Drives
    320GB HDD (5400rpm, Serial ATA)
    Other Info
    WIRELESS LAN*
    Wi-Fi® Wireless networking (802.11b/g/n)

    LAN
    10/100 Ethernet LAN

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
That would be a DVD. The only way that it will boot up is with CMS Boot. I'm actually right here. Did I jump the gun?:huh:
 
Last edited:

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 7 home Premium SP 1
    System Manufacturer/Model
    TOSHIBA Satellite C855D-S5100
    CPU
    AMD E-Series Processor E-300
    Memory
    4GB DDR3 1066MHz memory
    Graphics Card(s)
    AMD Radeon™ HD 6310
    Monitor(s) Displays
    366x768 (HD), 16:9 aspect ratio, Supports 720p content
    Screen Resolution
    1366x768
    Hard Drives
    320GB HDD (5400rpm, Serial ATA)
    Other Info
    WIRELESS LAN*
    Wi-Fi® Wireless networking (802.11b/g/n)

    LAN
    10/100 Ethernet LAN

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
Hello all,
First of all i have to apologize for my English, I try the best.
I bought a new laptop and with the laptop comes the windows 8 cd key. But i want to perform a clean install. How i do it without DVD or image ?. I want to re-install personally because where i bought it costs me 100 euro/install (100 euro = 140 U.S. dollars) and they just reset the windows, not clean install... i am not a fool, that's not real. They say: The cd key is burned into the laptop motherboard its a new technology if i do something wrong the motherboard can go nuts and my warranty goes, and things like that... just for money. Its a Dell Inspiron 15z, i found on the official microsoft windows webpage. What i have to do ? its true what the guys from the store telling me ? thx.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 7

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 have a question related, in effect, to steps 7-8 of this tutorial and the 350 MB system-reserved partition. I have installed several ways leading to unallocated space on the install drive and ultimately to installation of the 350 MB system-reserved partition. The included ways are:

1. Clean install of upgrade to Win8 Pro and
2. Clean reinstall of Win8 Pro. In this case, I first applied steps 1-4 of SSD / HDD : Optimize for Windows Reinstallation--which yielded unallocated space on the install drive. Then, I followed up with Clean Install - Windows 8 which resulted in the installation of the 350 MB system-reserved partition.

Recently, however, I installed a dual boot (Win7 Ultimate and Win8 Pro) following Dual Boot Installation - Windows 8 and Windows 7 or Vista. In this regard, I shrunk my Win7 partition yielding D: with unallocated space. Then, in effect, I followed up with Clean Install - Windows 8. However, the 350 MB system reserved partition was not installed. I am trying to understand why not. Can you help in this regard?

Is it possible that the contents of this partition are embedded in the D partition (or the C partition)? One reason I ask is that if I use the Windows 8 startup options menu, then all the troubleshooting options appear to be there--refresh, reset, and advanced options (including those under advanced options). In this regard, I tried only the command prompt, and it worked. Note also that my Win7 installation does not have the 100 MB system-reserved partition--as often is the case.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Win7 Ult on DIY; Win8 Pro on MBP/Parallels; Win7 Ult on MBP/Boot Camp; Win7 Ult/Win8 Pro on HP
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    DIY Rig; MacBook Pro (MBP)/Parallels/Boot Camp; HP Pavilion dv6500t Laptop
    CPU
    Intel i7-2600K (sometimes OC'd to 4.8 GHz)
    Motherboard
    ASUS P8P67 Deluxe Rev B3
    Memory
    16 GB Corsair Vengeance
    Graphics Card(s)
    EVGA 570 SC
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Gateway
    Hard Drives
    Dual Boot:
    Win7 Ult RAID 0 on OCZ Revo x2 and
    Win7 Ult RAID 0 on Caviar Black SATA 3's
    PSU
    Cooler Master Silent Pro 1000W
    Case
    Cooler Master 932 HAF
    Cooling
    Zalman CNPS9900MAX-B CPU Fan
    Keyboard
    Logitech Cordless Desktop MX 5500
    Mouse
    Logitech Cordless Desktop MX 5500
    Internet Speed
    20 Mbps Download/2+ Mbps Upload
    Other Info
    Pioneer Blu-ray Burner/DVD Burner
Hello Don,

You didn't get a 350 MB partition since you didn't install Windows 8 by itself (no dual boot) on a completely unallocated disk.

Installing Windows 8 on just an unallocated partition on a disk instead wouldn't give you the 350 MB partition.

Hope this helps. :)
 

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 see; that was easy. Duh, the tutorial says "then you would need to make sure that all partitions on the drive have been deleted until it is only unallocated space." I was thinking I remembered exactly what the tutorial said, but I obviously didn't. Thanks much.

I still wonder about the following.

"... [Are the contents of the 350 MB] partition ... embedded in the D partition (or the C partition)? One reason I ask is that if I use the Windows 8 startup options menu, then all the troubleshooting options appear to be there--refresh, reset, and advanced options (including those under advanced options). In this regard, I tried only the command prompt, and it worked."

Would all of these things be working? Embedded in D? "The 350 MB System Reserved partition is used for the Boot Manager code, BCD (Boot Configuration Database), System Recovery Options (Windows RE), and start up files for BitLocker (if turned on)."

Obviously the boot items must be, I presume, on D.
 
Last edited:

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Win7 Ult on DIY; Win8 Pro on MBP/Parallels; Win7 Ult on MBP/Boot Camp; Win7 Ult/Win8 Pro on HP
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    DIY Rig; MacBook Pro (MBP)/Parallels/Boot Camp; HP Pavilion dv6500t Laptop
    CPU
    Intel i7-2600K (sometimes OC'd to 4.8 GHz)
    Motherboard
    ASUS P8P67 Deluxe Rev B3
    Memory
    16 GB Corsair Vengeance
    Graphics Card(s)
    EVGA 570 SC
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Gateway
    Hard Drives
    Dual Boot:
    Win7 Ult RAID 0 on OCZ Revo x2 and
    Win7 Ult RAID 0 on Caviar Black SATA 3's
    PSU
    Cooler Master Silent Pro 1000W
    Case
    Cooler Master 932 HAF
    Cooling
    Zalman CNPS9900MAX-B CPU Fan
    Keyboard
    Logitech Cordless Desktop MX 5500
    Mouse
    Logitech Cordless Desktop MX 5500
    Internet Speed
    20 Mbps Download/2+ Mbps Upload
    Other Info
    Pioneer Blu-ray Burner/DVD Burner
Please go ahead and post a screenshot of your Disk Management window to see what's up. :)
 

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. Sorry didn't get back earlier. Didn't see you had posted back. I'm eager to see your interpretation of what has happened.

Incidentally, to flesh out the history of the snip below, note that I started by using Acronis to restore an image of my old Win7 installation to my HP laptop on C: . The 100 MB system-reserved partition for this installation was not present after restoring, but I restored both the installation and it's MBR. I don't remember if the 100 MB partition ever was present.

Then, I shrunk the Win7 partition, thus, creating D:, having only unallocated space. From here, I did a clean install of Win8 on D: .

Note that Win8 is on C: below since I was running this OS when I made the snip.

DM.PNG
 

Attachments

  • DM copy.jpg
    DM copy.jpg
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Last edited:

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Win7 Ult on DIY; Win8 Pro on MBP/Parallels; Win7 Ult on MBP/Boot Camp; Win7 Ult/Win8 Pro on HP
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    DIY Rig; MacBook Pro (MBP)/Parallels/Boot Camp; HP Pavilion dv6500t Laptop
    CPU
    Intel i7-2600K (sometimes OC'd to 4.8 GHz)
    Motherboard
    ASUS P8P67 Deluxe Rev B3
    Memory
    16 GB Corsair Vengeance
    Graphics Card(s)
    EVGA 570 SC
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Gateway
    Hard Drives
    Dual Boot:
    Win7 Ult RAID 0 on OCZ Revo x2 and
    Win7 Ult RAID 0 on Caviar Black SATA 3's
    PSU
    Cooler Master Silent Pro 1000W
    Case
    Cooler Master 932 HAF
    Cooling
    Zalman CNPS9900MAX-B CPU Fan
    Keyboard
    Logitech Cordless Desktop MX 5500
    Mouse
    Logitech Cordless Desktop MX 5500
    Internet Speed
    20 Mbps Download/2+ Mbps Upload
    Other Info
    Pioneer Blu-ray Burner/DVD Burner
Hi Shawn:

Please see Disk Management and additional info above. As indicated earlier (two posts back), I tried command prompt, and it worked. I went one step farther this morning checking to see that system restore works. I hesitate to ty repair startup. ??? And, I am reluctant to go down the reset or refresh path because I don't remember if you can opt out if either begins working.

Thanks Don :D
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Win7 Ult on DIY; Win8 Pro on MBP/Parallels; Win7 Ult on MBP/Boot Camp; Win7 Ult/Win8 Pro on HP
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    DIY Rig; MacBook Pro (MBP)/Parallels/Boot Camp; HP Pavilion dv6500t Laptop
    CPU
    Intel i7-2600K (sometimes OC'd to 4.8 GHz)
    Motherboard
    ASUS P8P67 Deluxe Rev B3
    Memory
    16 GB Corsair Vengeance
    Graphics Card(s)
    EVGA 570 SC
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Gateway
    Hard Drives
    Dual Boot:
    Win7 Ult RAID 0 on OCZ Revo x2 and
    Win7 Ult RAID 0 on Caviar Black SATA 3's
    PSU
    Cooler Master Silent Pro 1000W
    Case
    Cooler Master 932 HAF
    Cooling
    Zalman CNPS9900MAX-B CPU Fan
    Keyboard
    Logitech Cordless Desktop MX 5500
    Mouse
    Logitech Cordless Desktop MX 5500
    Internet Speed
    20 Mbps Download/2+ Mbps Upload
    Other Info
    Pioneer Blu-ray Burner/DVD Burner
Hey Don,

You didn't get the 350 MB System Reserved partition since W8 was installed on a system that had W7 installed first. If you didn't have any other Windows installed, and installed W8 on an unallocated hard drive, then you would have gotten the 350 MB partition.

It's nothing to worry about though. You will still have the recovery options for W8 at boot.

If you turn on BitLocker for the W8 partition, it will add a 350 MB system partition. There's no need to do this unless you just wanted to use BitLocker.
 

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
Cool. I was more curious than concerned. Still, I'd like to know what to expect if I decided to use, say, refresh or reset.

So, is everything needed (i.e., all files) for all the recovery options to work, including reset and refresh, on the Win8 partition? I remember earlier seeing situations where some needed to "insert media" after going through Startup Options Menu > Troubleshoot. I would, of couse, have no problem inserting media, but I still am trying to get a handle on what all is installed and where.

Interesting!!! So, if I turn bitlocker on now, then a 350 MB partition will be added. Will it contain only what is needed for bit locker to work? Or, for example, will it contain also all the files necessary for all the recovery options to work.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Win7 Ult on DIY; Win8 Pro on MBP/Parallels; Win7 Ult on MBP/Boot Camp; Win7 Ult/Win8 Pro on HP
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    DIY Rig; MacBook Pro (MBP)/Parallels/Boot Camp; HP Pavilion dv6500t Laptop
    CPU
    Intel i7-2600K (sometimes OC'd to 4.8 GHz)
    Motherboard
    ASUS P8P67 Deluxe Rev B3
    Memory
    16 GB Corsair Vengeance
    Graphics Card(s)
    EVGA 570 SC
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Gateway
    Hard Drives
    Dual Boot:
    Win7 Ult RAID 0 on OCZ Revo x2 and
    Win7 Ult RAID 0 on Caviar Black SATA 3's
    PSU
    Cooler Master Silent Pro 1000W
    Case
    Cooler Master 932 HAF
    Cooling
    Zalman CNPS9900MAX-B CPU Fan
    Keyboard
    Logitech Cordless Desktop MX 5500
    Mouse
    Logitech Cordless Desktop MX 5500
    Internet Speed
    20 Mbps Download/2+ Mbps Upload
    Other Info
    Pioneer Blu-ray Burner/DVD Burner
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