Clean Install with Windows 8 Upgrade

droberto · Dec 3, 2012

I upgraded my 7/64 laptop to 8/64 Pro via the upgrade download (also burned the disk). I also installed the Media Center shortly after. If I were to attempt a "clean" install with my disk, do I use the original key that MS sent me in the email, or the new key that I acquired when I installed the Media Center? My understanding is that that new WMC key took over as my master key. Can anyone set me straight?

Thank you, Drew

Edit: Just finished "clean" re-install. First entered the emailed Pro key for W8 and then the emailed WMC key for the WMC add on. It was automatically activated also, prob because of the prior install.

Geo · Dec 3, 2012

Brink said:
Hello Geo,

I hope you had a good vacation.

The Windows 8 Upgrade Assistant will still run and check your XP SP2, but it may tell you to install SP3 first before letting you purchase or download Windows 8.

Well, I need to thank you and this forum very much!!! I followed your instructions to a T and I now have 64bit Win-8 Pro on a semi old OptiPlex 745, with the max RAM 8GB (4x2GB) which used to have XP(SP2)-32bit w/4GB RAM!!! My son now will have a decent computer for only a small investment.

BTW, I needed to upgrade to SP3 before I ran the Upgrade Assistant (to check the hardware compatibility only)...when I ran it with SP2, I got an instantaneous "platform not supported"....but it wasn't a huge deal. I then saw that I had no real compatibility issues other than those I had anticipated, and all else went perfectly! I didn't even need to do a reset....I was already activated after 1st install! This post has been made on the new machine! IE 10 looks nice too.

Thank you again!
Geo

Brink · Dec 3, 2012

You're most welcome Geo. I'm happy to hear that the installation went well. I hope your son enjoys the computer.

FlightMedic · Dec 4, 2012

I attempted the extracted ISO method, and it loaded. I thought it went OK. But when it booted, it entered a boot-loop with the method "there was an installation error." I have redownloaded the ISO twice and now when I try to burn it to a bootable usb, it hangs at 95%. I redownloaded the iso and I will try the extracted .iso once again.

Jim

Brink · Dec 4, 2012

Jim,

Are you using any type of 3rd party download manager program? If so, try downloading it without it.

Silverfox · Dec 4, 2012

Hi Recently upgraded my oldish Dell XPS 420 from Win 7-32 bit to Win 7 -64 bit and then on to Win 8 - 64 bit. Along the way i've also replaced the D drive with a 1 TB drive for all my music, photos etc
Now I've purchased a OCZ Vertex 4 256 GB SSD to use as my C drive but have not as yet been able to install it successfully.
Originally i tried a method from an Australian Mag details here -
How to transfer your OS to your new SSD drive
I know this is for Win 7 but even so the only problem was I have a 450 GB HDD C drive at the moment and although it has about 350 GB of free space i couldn't shrink it enough to get it onto the SSD.

Then I tried using Acronis Migrate easy but that seemed to hang up after the reboot and after about 20 hours of looking at the log in screen on Win 8 i rebooted and went back to my original set up.

Would the above method work if i just take out the current HDD and put in the SSD and install win 8 pro from the upgrade DVD I have - then I guess I'd have to transfer the program files etc from the old HDD to the new SDD.

Appreciate your comments.

Brink · Dec 4, 2012

Hello Silerfox, and welcome to Eight Forums.

Sorry, but programs and drivers cannot be transferred like that to a new installation. They must be reinstalled instead.

Silverfox · Dec 4, 2012

Thanks for that - no real problem - i did it when I went from Win 7 32 bit to 64 bit - but I still can't get to the stage where i need to reinstall my progs etc.

Any advice on getting win 8 onto my SSD would be appreciated.

Brink · Dec 4, 2012

If you don't mind starting from scratch, you could use the tutorial on the first page to do a clean install with your Windows 8 upgrade on the SSD.

MrShowdown · Dec 5, 2012

Hmm, I don't think it asks for Activation if you migrate from x86 to x64...

EDIT: And if it detects another OS is currently installed.

Brink · Dec 5, 2012

MrShowdown said:
Hmm, I don't think it asks for Activation if you migrate from x86 to x64...

EDIT: And if it detects another OS is currently installed.

Hello Adeel,

You would need to do a clean install to go from x86 to x64.

Windows 8 usually doesn't ask for a product key is if you are installing Windows 8 Enterprise that will have to be activated later, or if you have an OEM computer that came with Windows 8 preinstalled and it's product key hard coded in the BIOS/UEFI that activates it automatically.

jimdriver2 · Dec 5, 2012

This worked! :thumbsup:

Went pretty much flawlessly exactly as the guide described. The only hitch was my mistake, which was that on the refresh part I didn't have the DVD in the drive and because Windows never warned me it just appeared to run the refresh then just restarted saying "there was a problem no refresh occurred".

Once I read the guide again and put the DVD in it went flawlessly.

Thanks for putting this up. I was Googling for a while the other night before finding this. Couldn't find anything else on the web, just a load of fancy looking tech sites which kept reiterating MS's line about a version of Windows needing to already be on there. This has been a major help. I had to reinstall because my drive died and this cut the hassle of that process down no end.

Brink · Dec 5, 2012

You're most welcome Jim. I'm happy to hear it went pretty well.

Silverfox · Dec 5, 2012

Hi again, tried doing the clean install and after going round several times - seemed more like 20 actually - it eventually got stuck.
at this stage of the 238.5 GB avaiable on my SSd there were 151.9 GB still avaiable i.e. it had written about 86.6 GB to the SSD.
Then when it gets to screen 9 in your tutorial I get a message - Windows Setup - Windows setup could not re-initialise the deployment engine. To install Windows, restart the installation. So i did this and ended up at the same screen.

Any ideas what to do now - apart from convert my SSD to a boat anchor?

Appreciate your help

Silverfox

Silverfox · Dec 5, 2012

Hi Again, Silverfox here - did as you suggested and the process went well after about 7 hours of restarts I ended up getting to a road block .

At this stage my new SSD had 86.6 GB on it and still had more than 150 GB free and when i got to the screen in stage 9 of your clean install tute I got a message - Windows setup - Windows setup could not re-initialise the deployment engine. To install Windows,restart the installation.

Done this several times now and keep getting back to the same place.

Appreciate any ideas to help me get past the road block.

Cheers

Silverfox

Brink · Dec 5, 2012

Hey Silverfox,

Where did you get you copy of Windows 8 from? You may have a corrupted copy and need to download a new one, or create a new installation DVD/USB.

Silverfox · Dec 5, 2012

Thanks for your prompt and helpful reply.

Its a Windows 8 pro upgrade DVD purchased from Officeworks - which is a large and very reputable office supply company here in OZ.

Certainly worked fine for the upgrade I did on my original HDD, take it back? What's involved in the download?

Cheers

SF

Brink · Dec 5, 2012

I would suspect that the DVD is still good then since it's from a retail package.

If you haven't already, create a set of Dell factory recovery discs to be able to reinstall your Windows 7 back to factory conditions if you ever wanted to in the future.

Restoring Your Dell Computer to Original Factory Installation with Dell DataSafe Local Backup 2.0 | Dell

Next, while booted from your Windows 8 DVD and in setup, open a command prompt (Shift+F10), and run a clean command to wipe your HDD out. Be sure you use this on the correct drive.

Disk - Clean and Clean All with Diskpart Command - Windows 7 Forums

Next, use OPTION TWO in the same command prompt to create a partition on the drive.

Partition or Volume - Create New - Windows 7 Forums

Now, try the tutorial again to do a clean install with an upgrade.

Silverfox · Dec 5, 2012

Thanks again,
Little bit confused by your reply.
I still have the original C Hard drive which is sitting safely in a protected place, this has Win 8 installed on it as an upgrade of the previous Win7, this was removed and replaced with my SSD which is where I'm trying to do ther clean install.

Do you want me to wipe the SSD i.e continue from next above but on the SSD rather than the HDD as you've typed.

Appreciate your clarification.

Cheers

SF

Brink · Dec 5, 2012

My apologies SF. I thought you were doing this on your original HDD that came with the OEM computer, and was just wanting to make sure that you had a set of factory recovery discs.

No need to do the recovery disc part since you are using a new SSD, but do go ahead and do the second part for Clean and creating a new partition before starting over.

Clean Install with Windows 8 Upgrade

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