Upgrade Install to Windows 8 or Windows 8.1

How to Upgrade from Windows 8, Windows 7, Vista, or XP to Windows 8 or 8.1


information   Information
This tutorial will show you how to do a upgrade install to Windows 8 or Windows 8.1 from Windows 8, Windows 7, Vista, or XP.

You must be logged in as an administrator to be able to do this tutorial.

For more information about Windows 8 Upgrade Assistant, see:


Note   Note
Windows 8 frequently asked questions

You can only upgrade from 32-bit (x86) to 32-bit (x86) or 64-bit (x64) to 64-bit (x64). You would have to do a clean install instead to go from 32-bit (x86) to 64-bit (x64) or 64-bit (x64) to 32-bit (x86).

If you choose to start your PC from removable media that you created when you downloaded the Windows 8 upgrade files, you won’t be able to keep your apps, Windows settings, or personal files when you upgrade.

Upgrade from:

To: Windows 8 (32-bit or 64-bit)

Windows 8

You keep your Windows settings, personal files, and applications

Windows 8 Release Preview

You only keep user accounts and files

Windows 8 Consumer Preview

Nothing (your files will be saved in the Windows.old folder)

Windows 8 Developer Preview

Nothing (your files will be saved in the Windows.old folder)

Windows 7

You keep your Windows settings, personal files, and applications

Vista SP1 or later

You keep Windows settings and personal files

Vista

You keep your personal files only

XP SP3

You keep your personal files only


Upgrade from:

To: Windows 8.1 (32-bit or 64-bit)

Windows 8

You keep Windows settings, personal files, and most apps

Windows 7

You keep your personal files only

Vista

You keep nothing—you must boot from media and perform a clean installation

XP

You keep nothing—you must boot from media and perform a clean installation



Windows 8 Upgrade Paths
NOTE: Upgrade installations from retail versions of Windows to Volume License versions of Windows is not supported. To change from a retail version of Windows to a Volume License version of Windows, you must perform a clean installation.

Upgrade to
Windows 8

Upgrade to
Windows 8 Pro

Upgrade to
Windows 8 Enterprise

Windows 7 Starter

Windows 7 Starter

Windows 7 Professional (Volume License)

Windows 7 Home Basic

Windows 7 Home Basic

Windows 7 Enterprise (Volume License)

Windows 7 Home Premium

Windows 7 Home Premium

Windows 8 (Volume License)



Windows 7 Professional





Windows 7 Ultimate




Upgrade to
Windows 8.1

Upgrade to
Windows 8.1 Pro

Upgrade to
Windows 8.1 Enterprise

Windows 8

Windows 8

Windows 8 Pro (Volume License)



Windows 8 Pro

Windows 8 Pro with Media Center (Volume License)



Windows 8 Pro with Media Center

Windows 8 Enterprise (Volume License)




Windows 8 System Requirements
Windows 8 works great on the same hardware that powers Windows 7.

Processor: 1 gigahertz (GHz) or faster with support for PAE, NX, and SSE2

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: Microsoft DirectX 9 graphics device or higher with WDDM driver

Additional requirements to use certain features:

  • Internet access for activation.
  • To use touch, you need a tablet or a monitor that supports multitouch. (more info)
  • 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
MICROSOFT SOFTWARE LICENSE AGREEMENT

Windows 8 EULA

What about upgrading the software?
The software covered by this agreement is an upgrade to your existing operating system software, so the upgrade replaces the original software that you are upgrading. You do not retain any rights to the original software after you have upgraded and you may not continue to use it or transfer it in any way. This agreement governs your rights to use the upgrade software and replaces the agreement for the software from which you upgraded. After you complete your upgrade, additional software will be required to playback or record certain types of media, including DVDs.

warning   Warning
If you UEFI instead of BIOS, then see this below first.

How to Install Windows 8 Using "Unified Extensible Firmware Interface" (UEFI)


CONTENTS:

  • Option One: To Upgrade to Windows 8 or 8.1 Update with Only a Product Key
  • Option Two: To Upgrade to Windows 8 using the "Windows 8 Upgrade Assistant"
  • Option Three: Upgrade from Windows 8 to 8 Pro OR from Windows 8.1 to 8.1 Pro
  • Option Four: To Upgrade to Windows 8 or 8.1 using an ISO, DVD, or USB flash drive





OPTION ONE

To Upgrade to Windows 8 or 8.1 Update with Only a Product Key


NOTE: This option is when you already have purchased Windows 8, have a Windows 8 or 8.1 product key, and do not have any Windows installation media (ex: ISO, DVD, USB) to install with.
1. If you have not already, you will need to uninstall any 3rd party AV or security program you have installed first to prevent it from interfering with the upgrade to Windows 8/8.1. You can reinstall it after Windows 8/8.1 has finished installing.​
2. Click/tap on the link for the Microsoft site below, and click/tap on the Install Windows 8 or Install Windows 8.1 button at the site to download and run the Windows8-Setup.exe (Windows 8) or WindowsSetupBox.exe (Windows 8.1) file.​
3. If prompted by UAC, then click/tap on Yes (Windows 7/8) or Continue (Vista).​
4. Type in your Windows product key number, and click/tap on Next. (see screenshot below)​
warning   Warning
You will only be able to enter a Windows 8 product key when installing Windows 8.

warning   Warning

You will only be able to enter a Windows 8.1 product key when installing Windows 8.1.​
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.​

Download-1.jpg
5. You will now see what Windows 8 will be installed. Click/tap on Next if correct. (see screenshot below)​
NOTE: This is based on the product key you entered at step 3 above.​
Download-2.jpg
6. Windows 8 will now begin to download. (see screenshot below)​
Download-3.jpg
7. When it's finished downloading, select (dot) Install Now, and click/tap on Next. (see screenshot below)​
Windows_8_Upgrade_Assistant.jpg
8. Go to step 7 in OPTION FOUR below.​





OPTION TWO

To Upgrade to Windows 8 using the "Windows 8 Upgrade Assistant"


NOTE: This option is to both purchase and upgrade to Windows 8.
1. Do the tutorial below, select the Install Now (step 17) option while doing it.​
Windows_8_Upgrade_Assistant.jpg
2. Go to step 7 in OPTION FOUR below.​







OPTION THREE

Upgrade from Windows 8 to 8 Pro OR from Windows 8.1 to 8.1 Pro



Note   Note
This option is to be able to quickly do one of the following below using Add Features to Windows 8 or Add Features to Windows 8.1 without losing anything.


1. If you already have a Windows 8/8.1 Pro key, then use step 8 for the I already have a product key option in the tutorial link below.​
2. If you only have a Windows 8/8.1 key, then use step 9 for the I want to buy a product key online option in the tutorial link below to purchase a Windows Pro key.​
Add_Features-4.jpg







OPTION FOUR

To Upgrade to Windows 8 or 8.1 using an ISO, DVD, or USB flash drive


NOTE: This option is to upgrade to Windows 8 using you Windows 8 ISO or Windows 8 installation DVD/USB.


1. If you have not already, you will need to uninstall any 3rd party AV or security program you have installed first to prevent it from interfering with the upgrade to Windows 8/8.1. You can reinstall it after Windows 8/8.1 has finished installing.

2. If you have not already, you will need to either create a Windows 8 installation USB or DVD with your Windows 8 or 8.1 ISO file, OR mount the Windows 8/8.1 ISO file.

3. From within the current Windows 8, Windows 7, Vista, or XP SP3, open the Windows 8/8.1 USB/DVD or mounted ISO file, run the setup.exe file, and close the Explorer window. (see screenshot below)
NOTE: For example, I did this from within Windows 7.
step-1.jpg

4. If prompted by UAC, then click/tap on Yes (Windows 7/8) or Continue (Vista).

5. Select (dot) Go online to install updates now, and click/tap on Next. (see screenshot below)
NOTE: If you would like to help with Windows 8, then you could also check the box at the bottom as well.
step-2.jpg

6. When it's finished checking your computer for any updates, enter your Windows 8 product key number, and click/tap on Next. (see screenshot below)

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

See also: Solved - Activate retail Windows 8.1 with Windows 8 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.


Step-3A.jpg

7. Check the I agree to the license agreement box, and click/tap on Accept. (see screenshot below)
Step-3B.jpg

8. Select (dot) what you would like to keep in Windows 8 from your Windows 7, Vista, or XP, and click/tap on Next. (see screenshot below)
NOTE: The options you have available here will vary.
step-4.jpg

9. Windows 8 will now check for compatibility issues to see if you'll need to do anything to get your PC ready for Windows 8. If anything is found, you will need to take care of it being continuing. (see screenshot below)
step-5.jpg

10. If no issues were found from step 9 above, then click/tap on the Install button. (see screenshot below)
Step-6.jpg

11. Windows 8 will now start to install. The computer will restart a few times during this. (see screenshot below)
NOTE: This will take a while to finish.
step-7.jpg

12. When it's finished, select a color you like, and click/tap Next. (see screenshot below)
Step-8.jpg

13. 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 18 below.​
B) If you select Customize, then continue on to step 14 below.​
Step-9.jpg

14. Select the share settings you would like. (see screenshot below)
step-10.jpg

15. Select the Windows Update and IE security settings that you want, and click/tap on Next. (see screenshot below)
step-11.jpg

16. Select the settings that you want, and click/tap on Next. (see screenshot below)
step13.jpg

17. Select the settings that you want, and click/tap on Next. (see screenshot below)
step13b.jpg

18. Sign in by typing in your user password from your Windows 8 Release Preview, Windows 7, Vista, or XP that you are upgrading from, and click/tap on Next. (see screenshot below)
step-14.jpg

19. Do either step 20, or 21 below depending on if your would like to log on to Windows 8 with either your current local user account from step 18 above, or a Microsoft account. (see screenshot below)
step-15.jpg


20. If you want to Sign in to Windows 8 with your Current 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) Click/tap on the Skip button, and go to step 22 below. (see screenshot below step 19)​
OR
A) Click/tap on the Sign in without a Microsoft account link. (see screenshot below step 19)​
B) Click/tap on the Use my current local account button, and go to step 22 below. (see screenshot below)​
step-18.jpg



21. If you want to Sign in to Windows 8 with a Microsoft Account

Note   Note
Microsoft account:

  • You use youremail 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 Windows Live ID email address, and click/tap on Next. (see screenshot below step 19)​
NOTE: If you do not have a Windows Live ID email address, then click 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 screenshot below)​
NOTE: If you do not have a Windows Live ID email address, then click on Sign up for a Microsoft account link to get one.​
step-16.jpg
C) Enter security verification info if you like, click/tap on Next, and go to step 22 below. (see screenshots below)​
step-17.jpg
two-step-verification.jpg

22. In Windows 8.1 and Windows RT 8.1, click/tap on Next if you want to enable OneDrive integration. (see screenshot below)
SkyDrive1.jpg

23. Windows 8 will now prepare your PC for your user account.

24. Congratulations, you have finished upgrading your Windows 8 Release Preview, Windows 7, Vista, or XP to Windows 8. (see screenshots below)
Windows8.jpg
Start_8.1.jpg

25. You will notice that you will have a C:\$Windows.~BT and a C:\Windows.old folder that contains copies of files from the previous Windows installation. (see screenshot below)
Windows-old.jpg

26. If there's nothing in them that you would like to copy back into Windows 8 from the C:\Windows.old folder, then you could use Disk Cleanup to delete the Previous Windows installation(s), Temporary Windows installation files, and Windows upgrade log files items to free up the large amount HDD space that they take. (see screenshots below)
NOTE: This step will delete C:\$Windows.~BT and the C:\Windows.old folder from step 25 above.
Disk_Cleanup-1.jpg
Disk_Cleanup-2.jpg

27. 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.

28. Install any needed drivers for your devices.



That's it,
Shawn



 

Attachments

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Last edited by a moderator:
OK thanks.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Win 7 Ult SP1 + Win 10 Pro - (x64)
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Alienware® ALX X58
    CPU
    Intel® Core i7-975 Extreme 3.86 GHz 8MB Cache
    Motherboard
    ASUS P6T Deluxe V2 Socket 1366 Core i7, Dual Triple Channel DDR3 Mem
    Memory
    24GB Corsair Vengeance DDR3 SDRAM at 1600MHz - 6 x 4096MB
    Graphics Card(s)
    1792 MB NVIDIA® GeForce® GTX 295/Hauppauge HVR2250 TV Tuner
    Sound Card
    Onboard Soundmax® High definition Sound
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Samsung XL2370 LED
    Screen Resolution
    1920 X 1080P
    Hard Drives
    2 X 500gb SATA
    1 X 1TB SATA
    1 X 3TB external eSATA
    (Non-RAID)
    PSU
    Alienware® 1200 Watt Multi-GPU
    Case
    Alienware® P2 ALX Chassis with AlienIce 3.0 Video Cooling
    Cooling
    Alienware® High-Perf. Liquid Cooling + Acoustic Dampening
    Keyboard
    Microsoft® Wireless Entertainment 8000 + Logitech® G15 Wired
    Mouse
    Microsoft® Wireless Laser 8000 + Logitech® G9 Wired
    Internet Speed
    1tbs
    Other Info
    Using non-RAID on purpose as I find it too fussy and temperamental.
De nada. Thanks for posting it though. :)
 

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
How do you get the windows 8.1 upgrade. I have been to the Microsoft Store and when I tell it to upgrade it just goes back to the "upgrade" window and just sets there. Had left in there for over an hour and nothing. Also, what happens if you need to reinstall you need to install the upgrade to 8 after you may have needed to reinstall?

Thanks
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8 64bit
Not sure yet. I didn't get the option to create .iso from the downloaded files. Unless that is just me, there will a lot needing iso files in the future.

I will make one myself, then.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    7/8/ubuntu/Linux Deepin
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop

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 found something in the Windows Update screen on the desktop. A 230 MB update and a couple of others. I already have Win8.1 Pro RTM installed tho, so what exactly IS this? Well, an update will tell me, heh.

Nah, just an update. restarts at 30%. Why is it always 30%?

2013-10-17_142423.jpg
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8.1 Pro 64 bit GA
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    CPU
    i7-4770K Haswell
    Motherboard
    ASUS Z87-PRO
    Memory
    16 GB of Corsair 1866
    Graphics Card(s)
    GTX 780
    Sound Card
    Cooler Master Storm Headphones
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Dell 27 inch U2711 IPS
    Screen Resolution
    2560 by 1440
    Hard Drives
    Samsung 840 Pro 250GB SSD plus 2 3 TB drives
    PSU
    Corsair-750
    Case
    Corsair White Graphite Series 600T
    Cooling
    Corsair H00i Water
    Keyboard
    Corsair K90
    Mouse
    Logitech G9 Laser
    Internet Speed
    6.3 MBps
    Browser
    Firefox
    Antivirus
    MS
Right-click for details and usually there's a link to the KB article. They are no doubt security updates for 8.1.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Win 7 Ult SP1 + Win 10 Pro - (x64)
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Alienware® ALX X58
    CPU
    Intel® Core i7-975 Extreme 3.86 GHz 8MB Cache
    Motherboard
    ASUS P6T Deluxe V2 Socket 1366 Core i7, Dual Triple Channel DDR3 Mem
    Memory
    24GB Corsair Vengeance DDR3 SDRAM at 1600MHz - 6 x 4096MB
    Graphics Card(s)
    1792 MB NVIDIA® GeForce® GTX 295/Hauppauge HVR2250 TV Tuner
    Sound Card
    Onboard Soundmax® High definition Sound
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Samsung XL2370 LED
    Screen Resolution
    1920 X 1080P
    Hard Drives
    2 X 500gb SATA
    1 X 1TB SATA
    1 X 3TB external eSATA
    (Non-RAID)
    PSU
    Alienware® 1200 Watt Multi-GPU
    Case
    Alienware® P2 ALX Chassis with AlienIce 3.0 Video Cooling
    Cooling
    Alienware® High-Perf. Liquid Cooling + Acoustic Dampening
    Keyboard
    Microsoft® Wireless Entertainment 8000 + Logitech® G15 Wired
    Mouse
    Microsoft® Wireless Laser 8000 + Logitech® G9 Wired
    Internet Speed
    1tbs
    Other Info
    Using non-RAID on purpose as I find it too fussy and temperamental.
Not sure yet. I didn't get the option to create .iso from the downloaded files. Unless that is just me, there will a lot needing iso files in the future.

I will make one myself, then.

That is going to be the BIG question. Will folks be able to do a clean install of Win8.1 via an .iso or a USB stick from what MS gives them?
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8.1 Pro 64 bit GA
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    CPU
    i7-4770K Haswell
    Motherboard
    ASUS Z87-PRO
    Memory
    16 GB of Corsair 1866
    Graphics Card(s)
    GTX 780
    Sound Card
    Cooler Master Storm Headphones
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Dell 27 inch U2711 IPS
    Screen Resolution
    2560 by 1440
    Hard Drives
    Samsung 840 Pro 250GB SSD plus 2 3 TB drives
    PSU
    Corsair-750
    Case
    Corsair White Graphite Series 600T
    Cooling
    Corsair H00i Water
    Keyboard
    Corsair K90
    Mouse
    Logitech G9 Laser
    Internet Speed
    6.3 MBps
    Browser
    Firefox
    Antivirus
    MS
Those three are the GA rollups. Install them and 8.1rtm becomes 8.1 GA.

I did it a few days ago. You will notice the build number changes. There is also a weird bar thing at the bottom of the children's IE version.


I found something in the Windows Update screen on the desktop. A 230 MB update and a couple of others. I already have Win8.1 Pro RTM installed tho, so what exactly IS this? Well, an update will tell me, heh.

Nah, just an update. restarts at 30%. Why is it always 30%?

View attachment 29451
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    7/8/ubuntu/Linux Deepin
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
No idea. It is possible, perhaps if you use the "upgrade assistant " ( available tomorrow, strangely ). We will find out then.

That is weird as a lot will have done the upgrade today, only to find they need to d/l the whole darn thing again to create an iso. Seems a very odd way to go about it by MS.


Not sure yet. I didn't get the option to create .iso from the downloaded files. Unless that is just me, there will a lot needing iso files in the future.

I will make one myself, then.

That is going to be the BIG question. Will folks be able to do a clean install of Win8.1 via an .iso or a USB stick from what MS gives them?
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    7/8/ubuntu/Linux Deepin
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
Those three are the GA rollups. Install them and 8.1rtm becomes 8.1 GA.

I did it a few days ago. You will notice the build number changes. There is also a weird bar thing at the bottom of the children's IE version.


I found something in the Windows Update screen on the desktop. A 230 MB update and a couple of others. I already have Win8.1 Pro RTM installed tho, so what exactly IS this? Well, an update will tell me, heh.

Nah, just an update. restarts at 30%. Why is it always 30%?

Thanks SIW. I had to look up GA..

GA means General Availability, the Win8.1 version that is going out today. This is different than the RTM that I loaded from Technet.

Here are the differences, mostly subtle:

http://winsupersite.com/windows-8/ga-rollup-provides-updates-windows-81-rtm

[url]http://winsupersite.com/windows-8/windows-81-upgrade-step-step

[/URL]
 
Last edited:

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8.1 Pro 64 bit GA
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    CPU
    i7-4770K Haswell
    Motherboard
    ASUS Z87-PRO
    Memory
    16 GB of Corsair 1866
    Graphics Card(s)
    GTX 780
    Sound Card
    Cooler Master Storm Headphones
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Dell 27 inch U2711 IPS
    Screen Resolution
    2560 by 1440
    Hard Drives
    Samsung 840 Pro 250GB SSD plus 2 3 TB drives
    PSU
    Corsair-750
    Case
    Corsair White Graphite Series 600T
    Cooling
    Corsair H00i Water
    Keyboard
    Corsair K90
    Mouse
    Logitech G9 Laser
    Internet Speed
    6.3 MBps
    Browser
    Firefox
    Antivirus
    MS
Hey Simon,

I don't think the ISO option will be available until tomorrow (18th), and for when using the Windows 8.1 Upgrade Assistant.

Shawn, the link just loads in a 4.8 MB program that brings you to the regular Win8.1 update menu. any other places to find a Win8.1 .iso? The Technet ones require a separate Serial number from Windows 8 to run.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8.1 Pro 64 bit GA
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    CPU
    i7-4770K Haswell
    Motherboard
    ASUS Z87-PRO
    Memory
    16 GB of Corsair 1866
    Graphics Card(s)
    GTX 780
    Sound Card
    Cooler Master Storm Headphones
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Dell 27 inch U2711 IPS
    Screen Resolution
    2560 by 1440
    Hard Drives
    Samsung 840 Pro 250GB SSD plus 2 3 TB drives
    PSU
    Corsair-750
    Case
    Corsair White Graphite Series 600T
    Cooling
    Corsair H00i Water
    Keyboard
    Corsair K90
    Mouse
    Logitech G9 Laser
    Internet Speed
    6.3 MBps
    Browser
    Firefox
    Antivirus
    MS
Hey Simon,

I don't think the ISO option will be available until tomorrow (18th), and for when using the Windows 8.1 Upgrade Assistant.

Shawn, the link just loads in a 4.8 MB program that brings you to the regular Win8.1 update menu. any other places to find a Win8.1 .iso? The Technet ones require a separate Serial number from Windows 8 to run.

Hello John,

Currently the only way to get a Windows 8.1 ISO is if your purchased Windows 8.1 using the Windows 8.1 Upgrade Assistant or from an online retail outlet (ex: Microsoft Store).

Afterwards, you'll be able to use the method in the tutorial below with your Windows 8.1 product key to get a Windows 8.1 ISO file anytime you like.

http://www.eightforums.com/tutorials/18309-windows-8-upgrade-iso-download-create.html

Hope this helps. :)
 

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    Internet Explorer 11
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    Malwarebyte Anti-Malware Premium
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    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
Drats. I too figured that the only way to get a Win8.1 ISO was to purchase a standalone copy of Win8.1/Win8.1 Pro. So far, I have not seen a alternative method on the web on how to build your own Win8.1 ISO that will allow you to use a Win8 license. The only method then is to do a clean install of Win8 with an ISO or USB stick and update to 8.1.
 

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    Dell 27 inch U2711 IPS
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    Logitech G9 Laser
    Internet Speed
    6.3 MBps
    Browser
    Firefox
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    MS
My method to get a 100% official 8.1 iso was to just download it via BitTorrent thru a magnet link on the My Digital Life forums (another famous tech site). They also provide the hash sums for the images, so it was easy to compare those with the hashes available on MS's websites (to make sure it wasnt tampered with). Then I just installed with the publically available install-only key after I realized it wouldnt take my 8 key, and later activated via MS phone support. I'd say that's just about the easiest way to go about doing it.
 

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    Windows 8.1 Pro x64, Windows Server 2012 R2 x64
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    1 TB HDD (5400 RPM), 1.5 TB HDD (5400 RPM) installed in a 12.7mm disc drive caddy
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    Lenovo
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    Chromium (the open-source browser which Google Chrome is derived from)
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    Kaspersky, Malwarebytes, Spybot, Privatefirewall
    Other Info
    I will add more information here later
In the Note portion of this tutorial, the following is stated:

"If you choose to start your PC from removable media that you created when you downloaded the Windows 8 upgrade files, you won’t be able to keep your apps, Windows settings, or personal files when you upgrade."

Does the same thing happen with Win8.1, too?

I have this question because the step 5 (with a screen capture) in this article from another site:
How to Upgrade From Windows 7 to Windows 8.1

instructs:

"5. Select 'Keep personal files only' and click Next. This will allow Windows 8.1 to retain your data files from the Desktop and from your Documents, Music, Pictures and Videos libraries."
 
Last edited by a moderator:

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  • OS
    Windows 7 Home Premium x64 SP1
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    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Home built
    CPU
    AMD Phenom II X3 720 BE
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    GigaByte GA-890GPA-UD3H
    Memory
    A-Data DDR3 1333 Supreme SU3U1333B2G9-R 2G x4
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    ATI Raedon HD 4290 IGX on AMD SB850 chipset
    Browser
    FireFox 19.0.2
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    AVG LinkScanner 2012
Hello drkh,

The quote from the note box in the tutorial here just means that you will not have all the options available at that step 5.

The note box at the top will help show you what will be available to select at that step. :)
 
Last edited:

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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. Thank you.

I'll be cautious when I do my upgrade from Win7 to Win8.1.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 7 Home Premium x64 SP1
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Home built
    CPU
    AMD Phenom II X3 720 BE
    Motherboard
    GigaByte GA-890GPA-UD3H
    Memory
    A-Data DDR3 1333 Supreme SU3U1333B2G9-R 2G x4
    Graphics Card(s)
    ATI Raedon HD 4290 IGX on AMD SB850 chipset
    Browser
    FireFox 19.0.2
    Antivirus
    AVG LinkScanner 2012
You're welcome. I would definitely back up anything that you don't want to lose first to be safe. :)
 

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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