Clean Install with Windows 8 Upgrade

How to Do a Clean Install with Windows 8 Upgrade

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This tutorial will show you how to do a clean install with a Windows 8 upgrade copy on an empty drive (HDD/SSD).

Windows 8 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.

Here's How:

1. If you haven't already, you will need to either purchase a Windows 8 Upgrade from a retailer, or use the Windows 8 Upgrade Assistant to purchase and download a Windows 8.1 ISO file online from Microsoft to create a bootable USB/DVD with.


2. Do a clean install or clean install with UEFI with your Windows 8 upgrade USB/DVD, and enter your Windows 8 product key number during installation.
NOTE: You can do the clean install using either a local account or Microsoft account. It doesn't matter.

   Warning

You will only be able to enter a Windows 8 or Windows 8 Pro product key.

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. These can only be added after Windows 8 is installed, then use Add Features to upgrade to the Window Media Center Pack or Windows 8 Pro Pack.

3. When the clean install is finished, if you check in System, you will see that your Windows 8 upgrade may not be activated yet.





4. Do step 5 or 6 below for how you would like to activate the Windows 8 upgrade.


5. Activate by Refreshing the Windows 8 Upgrade

A) Refresh Windows 8, and go to step 7 below. (see screenshot below)
NOTE: You would use OPTION TWO at this link. Be sure to keep your Windows 8 installation DVD in the drive or Windows 8 installation USB connected.




6. Activate Windows 8 Upgrade using a BAT File Download

A) Click/tap on the Download button below to download the .bat file below, and save it to your desktop.


Activate_Windows_Upgrade_after_Clean_Install.bat





B) Right click or press and hold on the downloaded .bat file, and click/tap on Run as administrator.

C) If prompted, click/tap on Run and Yes (UAC).
NOTE: If you like, you can stop getting the Run prompt by unblocking the downloaded .bat file.

D) You will now notice a command prompt quickly open and close while applying the changes to your registry.

E) Click/tap on OK. (see screenshot below)




E) Restart the computer to apply, and go to step 7 below.


7. When finshed, if you check in System, you will see that your Windows 8 upgrade is now activated with the product key you entered in step 2 above.




8. You have just finished doing a clean install with an upgrade copy of Windows 8.


That's it,
Shawn

Related Tutorials

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• How to Do a Clean Install of Windows 8 or Windows 8.1
• How to Clean Install Windows on a MSATA (SSD) Drive
• How to Install Windows 8 Using "Unified Extensible Firmware Interface" (UEFI)
• How to Upgrade from Windows 8, Windows 7, Vista, or XP to Windows 8 or 8.1
• How to Downgrade Windows 8 to Windows 7
• How to Download and Run the "Windows 8 Upgrade Assistant"
• How to Create or Download a Windows 8 and Windows 8.1 ISO
• How to Install Windows 8 on VirtualBox
• How to Install Windows 8 on VMware Player
• How to Do a Dual Boot Installation with Windows 8 and Windows 7 or Vista
• How to Create a Windows 8 VHD at Boot to Dual Boot with Windows 7 or Vista
• How to Change the Product Key Number in Windows 8 and 8.1
• How to Find Your Windows 8 Product Key Number
• How to Activate Windows 8 and 8.1 by Phone
• How to Do a Repair Install of Windows 8 without Losing Anything

 

[Frank1]

I previously installed Win8 Pro from a disk that I bought from Staples. Today I installed 8.1 but I didn't do the clean install. If I would want to do a clean install, can I still do it by reinstalling 8 from the CD that I have and then go back to store and get 8.1 then do a clean install? I realize that with the clean install it will wipe out everything that I have and I will have to reinstall everything. If I went through all of that would there be any advantage?

 

[Brink]

Hello Frank,

Yes, that would be correct to do for a clean install for Windows 8.1 when you have Windows 8 Pro.

It's still technically an upgrade though, but at least you would be starting from a blank slate. The only real advantage to doing it like this is if you didn't want to keep what you previously had, or if you had unrepairable issues in the old Windows 8 Pro installation.

Hope this helps.

 

[Frank1]

Well, I haven't had any unrepairable issues. Actually everything is working very well, so I think I'll go by the, "If your car ain't broke, don't fix it."

 

[Brink]

 

[Frank1]

Oops, Shawn I had one of those senior moments when I told you that everything was running fine. I forgot that I have been getting the "Windows explorer has stopped working" pop ups. I have already posted it. One nice thing about being my age is that you can blame all of your mistakes on the "senior moment".

 

[Brink]

LOL, I like that idea.

 

[ghost010]

This might be a real stupid question. but can i do this with my windows 8.1 pro -student upgrade?(its probably a normal upgrade version)

So i dont need windows 7/8 be installed first?

 

[Brink]

Hello Ghost, and welcome to Eight Forums.

If you have upgrade installation media for it and a 8.1 key, then you should be able to do so without installing 7/8 or first.

 

[Gilgamesh]

I tried doing this with my retail upgrade to Win 8 Home.
But during the installation when it asks be for the licence key it keeps rejecting it saying it is invalid.
I successfully used it doing an upgrade over Windows 7 but I wanted a clean install.

 

[Brink]

Hello Gilgamesh,

If it's rejecting the product key that came with the Windows you purchased when 1st installing, then double check to make sure that you are entering it correctly. It's not hard to mistakenly enter 0 (zero) instead of O (letter), 1 (number) instead of l (letter), etc....

 

[Gilgamesh]

I have checked, double checked, and triple checked they key upon entering it.
There are no O, I, 0, or 1 in it. There are no 6 and G errors (an error I used to make) so it is being entered correctly.

In case it makes any difference I'm doing it in VMWare and this is the version of Windows I have.
It was purchased in Australia and installs with British English as the only available language.

 

[Edwin]

@ Gilgamesh:
Are you entering characters from that screenshot?

 

[Brink]

@Gilgamesh,

That wouldn't be your product key number in your screenshot. See the tutorial below to help find your key instead.

http://www.eightforums.com/tutorials/27129-product-key-find-windows-8-a.html

 

[Gilgamesh]

No I'm not entering those numbers, that's just to show the version of Windows I have. After all, those numbers wouldn't work when doing the upgrade (as I mentioned in my original post {but it ended up on the previous page} - an upgrade from win 7 works, a clean install fails to recognise the key)
I wouldn't post my actual licence key on a public forum.
They key I'm entering is on the back of this little card that was in the box

 

[Edwin]

Did you format the partition were the OS that you are trying to clean install resides? If the OS still resides there the key is still active.

Edit: You could also try extracting your key then try again:
How To Uninstall Your Windows Product Key Before You Sell Your PC

 

[Gilgamesh]

I'm trying to do this in VMWare and for a clean install I'm creating a new Virtual Machine with a new Virtual Disk. The new disks are unpartitioned, so the Win 8 install process creates and formats the System Reserved and Windows partitions just like installing on an empty physical disk.
This is the choice that appears during installation

 

[Edwin]

Yes, but if your previous OS is still sitting on some other partition somewhere, it's still active, which means the product key is still active, which is why your getting rejected trying to use it again.

 

[Brink]

@Gilgamesh,

Is that product key activated on any other PC, or has ever been activated on another PC?

If not, then skip entering the key when you get the invalid message. This way you can try to activate using step 5, step 6, or by phone after the installation finishes.

 

[Gilgamesh]

@Edwin
That disk is the only one that VMWare sees. There are no other partitions available to the virtual machine and it can't see the host disks either.
@Brink
After several failed clean installs on VMWare I tried doing the upgrade from Win 7 - also on VMWare, this upgrade did activate.
Until this install the key had never been used and was in a sealed retail packet.
If I skip the licence key during the install it seems that windows uses a generic key (which bears no similarity to my key) as seen here in the PC settings after completing the install.

If I enter my key here is is also rejected.
A refresh seems to use the same generic key that was in the install so doesn't achieve much.
BUT - I am glad to say that after running the BAT file and rebooting I was able to go to PC settings and enter my licence key. And this time it was accepted.
I seem to have got hung up on entering my key at the start. Perhaps a little tweak to the instructions could add this little option too.
Thank you for your help.

 

[Brink]

Great new Gilgamesh.