Window 8 install


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Hi,

 

I recently had a crash. For some reason my connector from the boot SSD to my MB was, probably, not clicked in securely and I can only assume that caused it to move and disconnect/reconnect sporadically, eventually destroying my boot drive.

 

I got an RMA and now I am about to install Windows but I always felt I never really installed Windows 8 properly in the first place, meaning the install orders of the drivers and updates, what drivers to get and what changes to make to windows once it is installed for best performance.

 

I will post a system spec below but I was wondering if someone can give me a synopses of how they install Windows 8 from scratch and go through the steps in order. I hope this is not too much to ask.

 

 

 

ASUSTeK COMPUTER INC. SABERTOOTH Z77
3.50 gigahertz Intel Core i7-3770K
Samsung SSD 840 Series [Hard drive] (250.06 GB) -- drive 1, s/n S14GNEACC05540N, rev DXT09B0Q, SMART Status: Healthy
Samsung SSD 840 Series [Hard drive] (120.03 GB) -- drive 0, s/n S14ENEACC23516K, rev DXT09B0Q, SMART Status: Healthy
WDC WD5003AZEX-00K1GA0 [Hard drive] (500.11 GB) -- drive 2, s/n WD-WMC1S3294310, rev 80.00A80, SMART Status: Healthy
16330 Megabytes Corsair Vengance Memory
Intel 7 Series/C216 Chipset Family SATA AHCI Controller (2x 6Gb / 2x 3Gb)
Asmedia 106x SATA Controller (2x 6Gb)
ASMedia USB 3.0 eXtensible Host Controller
Intel 7 Series/C216 Chipset Family USB Enhanced Host Controller
Intel 7 Series/C216 Chipset Family USB Enhanced Host Controller
Intel USB 3.0 eXtensible Host Controller
NVIDIA EVGA GeForce GTX 650 Ti BOOST SuperClocked [Display adapter] (2x)
ASUS VH242H [Monitor]
Realtek ALC892 8 Channel High Definition Audio
Intel 82579V Gigabit Lan
 
Thanks,
 
 
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This is a custom system ?...assuming system boots just needs the OS.... I would based on what I see above....

 

do not connect to internet

install win 8 to drive 0  (win 8 on dvd.right?)

install motherboard drivers 

install any device drivers you have

connect to internet let windows update it self and register win 8 

update motherboard, video,and any other drivers you had to install from internet

install any additional software you want and you should be fine

 

 

keep in mind there are several ways to install things and everyone has there own perferences

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remember when updating motherboard , video etc...drivers from internet, I do not like to use Microsoft drivers but the manufacturer drivers.  To me manufacturer drivers run better...Yes it may take time to find them but they run better

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More or less what mduren said, but i always ensure that i download all the latest drives for all the hardware possible and allow the computer to be connected during installing. Sometimes windows installs all the drives but at a basic level or ones that are currently the ones Microsoft is pushing through device manager. 

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Good, thank you. I had a basic idea of the best way to install drivers and I always try to get them from the manufacturer, although Asus makes that difficult sometimes. I see now my problem is probably not installing the chipset drivers before all else. I have had an issue in the past where installing the chipset drivers later gave me issues and I had to re-install some other drivers after. I'll post my progress.

 

Thanks,

 

 

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When you have your system to your fresh install and updates and so forth, you should look into making a clone of your install.  I use Clonezilla on my Win 8.1.1 machine and it works flawlessly for restoration if you should need to.  It will save you time in the long run.  :)

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Hi,

 

Yeah I do that with Acronis True Image. The problem here is the install was bad by the time I backed it up.

 

I am going to re-install Windows this week with the suggested steps. Once installed are there any other steps to take in tweaking a fresh install, with the exception of Samsung's notes on what to do for their SSD's?

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When you have your system to your fresh install and updates and so forth, you should look into making a clone of your install.  I use Clonezilla on my Win 8.1.1 machine and it works flawlessly for restoration if you should need to.  It will save you time in the long run.  :)

 

Honestly, this is kind of redundant with Windows 8.

 

it has two built in restore options.  Sure a clone will have drivers and software ready, the problem is by the time you need it the clone is outdated and you need to reinstall all the drivers and most software anyway. leading to more work, as opposed to just doing the drivers as normal and ninite plus manual install for software. 

 

On top of that, in general unless you mess you real bad, you're never going to need it, and if you do need it it's going to annoy you that your precious image is already outdated and needs to spend hours updating windows, drivers and software. 

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Honestly, this is kind of redundant with Windows 8.

 

it has two built in restore options.  Sure a clone will have drivers and software ready, the problem is by the time you need it the clone is outdated and you need to reinstall all the drivers and most software anyway. leading to more work, as opposed to just doing the drivers as normal and ninite plus manual install for software. 

 

On top of that, in general unless you mess you real bad, you're never going to need it, and if you do need it it's going to annoy you that your precious image is already outdated and needs to spend hours updating windows, drivers and software. 

In my case, it is not redundant. 

 

I play around a lot with Linux and sometimes will go and test out OSX86 stuff.  Doing this, even Windows 8's restore will not be viable. :)

 

I agree though with Windows 8's built in repair stuff, and that is good I'm sure, but since I have never ever crashed my system or messed it up, never had to use it.  

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One thing I would highly recommend doing before installing Windows 8 is downloading the driver for your network card onto a USB stick. 
This is because for whatever reason, if the driver from a install disc doesnt work, you have a backup to get online. If you cant get online after installing Windows 8, and need drivers to install things for your motherboard, well, your up a certain brown creek without a paddle.

https://downloadcenter.intel.com/Detail_Desc.aspx?agr=Y&ProdId=3299&DwnldID=23071&ProductFamily=Ethernet+Components&ProductLine=Ethernet+Controllers&ProductProduct=Intel%C2%AE+82579+Gigabit+Ethernet+Controller〈=eng

Cant tell you how much of having that driver backed up somewhere will save your butt :)

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I download all drivers beforehand, getting the newest at the time.  Then install chipset first and reboot.  Most of the other drivers, I don't reboot again until they're all installed.

 

Then I do Ninite to get my basic programs.

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In my case, it is not redundant. 

 

I play around a lot with Linux and sometimes will go and test out OSX86 stuff.  Doing this, even Windows 8's restore will not be viable. :)

 

I agree though with Windows 8's built in repair stuff, and that is good I'm sure, but since I have never ever crashed my system or messed it up, never had to use it.  

 

Why wouldn't you run linux in VM's instead of destroying your windows install all the time and having to reinstall drivers on an old image all the time ? 

 

There's virtually no reason to use a full installation to play around today with todays VM performance. 

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Hmm, some good info, thanks. So if I do a windows 8 "restore" does that restore it to a point prior to installing drivers? As for the Acronis image I agree that the initial backup becomes outdated very quickly so I intend to only do incremental backups for up to a week or maybe two at the most then have Acronis delete prior chains. I have found as long as I have a few days I can recover from any catastrophes.

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Windows restores to fresh install status, With or without your files. 

OK, I am just concerned with drivers. I want to restore as if I just installed Windows and no additional drivers.

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OK, I am just concerned with drivers. I want to restore as if I just installed Windows and no additional drivers.

 

Restore shouldn't restore any drivers. it's basically like a reinstall. 

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