win8 Can you install Windows 8 upgrade on a totally empty (ie new) drive?

[Frank Cervantes]

If you downloaded the Windows 8 upgrade version from the Microsoft store, you are required to have a XP through Win7. Otherwise, you will NOT be allowed to activate. I know this for a fact because I have tried it and the last error message I received after installing to a brand new hard drive went something along the lines of "this activation code is not valid for a clean intall"

[Frank Cervantes]

okay so... i am not elligible for the upgrade if i use a new hard disk drive and i have to purchase the OEM copy ...?

If you have your previous OS disks do a minimal install and don't even activate it. Then you can install Windows 8 upgrade without a problem. The upgrade activation code given with the upgrade does not allow for a clean install and does not ask for the disk of the previous eligible OS... go figure.

[Shane Nokes]

If you have your previous OS disks do a minimal install and don't even activate it. Then you can install Windows 8 upgrade without a problem. The upgrade activation code given with the upgrade does not allow for a clean install and does not ask for the disk of the previous eligible OS... go figure.

Actually it does allow for a clean install. You can boot the machine (as long as there is a prior valid OS) and then using the disc completely wipe the drive and install 8, and it will activate just fine.

What you can't do is have a completely new system without anything on it and install the upgrade and have it activate.

I've went over this several times in prior posts. I would say at least 20-30 times now...minimum. ;)

[Harrison H.]

I'm not going to read through 17 pages here, but doing a clean install with the upgrade disc is entirely possible, in fact I've already done it 3 times. I originally bought the upgrades and did in place upgrades, but decided to do a fresh install. What you have to do is to install Windows fresh like you normally would. When Windows boots up after the install, it will be unactivated and won't be able to activate. You need to use regedit to browse to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Setup\OOBE

and change MediaBootInstall to 0.

[Shane Nokes]

I'm not going to read through 17 pages here, but doing a clean install with the upgrade disc is entirely possible, in fact I've already done it 3 times. I originally bought the upgrades and did in place upgrades, but decided to do a fresh install. What you have to do is to install Windows fresh like you normally would. When Windows boots up after the install, it will be unactivated and won't be able to activate. You need to use regedit to browse to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Setup\OOBE

and change MediaBootInstall to 0.

Been discussed, and that's a workaround that involves violating the End User License Agreement.

If you don't have a valid license that you have used to upgrade from then essentially you're committing fraud in order to get a good price. :p

[+DDG3595 Subscriber²]

I have been digging through all the posts here and can't find a solid, 100% confirmation on the following:

Can you install the Windows 8 Upgrade on a totally blank (ie new) hard drive? I keep seeing people post that they booted off the disc and were able to do a clean install, but they don't always indicate if there was an existing OS installed, which the upgrade disc would obviously see. Has anyone taken a totally empty/new drive with absolutely nothing on it prior to booting off the upgrade disc, no other drives with an OS that might be seen, and installed Windows 8 and have it activate properly? Microsoft supposedly has said a previous OS has to be installed/seen.

I've done it. I used the keys provided by Microsoft thru my Technet subscription and booted off a Windows 8 disc I burned. If you purchase an upgrade then you will need a an OS such as Windows 7 or Vista to install Win8; the full version will allow you to boot from the disc and perform a clean installation. Hope this helps.

[Harrison H.]

Been discussed, and that's a workaround that involves violating the End User License Agreement.

If you don't have a valid license that you have used to upgrade from then essentially you're committing fraud in order to get a good price. :p

I'm not advocating doing it for the price. I was simply stating it's an option instead of having to do an in place upgrade. I prefer clean installs. If I build a new computer, I'd buy the system builder license though. The times I've used this trick was simply to do a clean install instead of an in place upgrade from Win7.

[fix-this!]

no you cannot as i tried. you need to install w7 first then do a fresh install of w8.

[Shane Nokes]

I'm not advocating doing it for the price. I was simply stating it's an option instead of having to do an in place upgrade. I prefer clean installs. If I build a new computer, I'd buy the system builder license though. The times I've used this trick was simply to do a clean install instead of an in place upgrade from Win7.

In that case then the trick isn't needed. You boot, it picks up 7 on the disk, you wipe the disk and install 8.

Clean install that activates due to detection of prior valid OS.

[Xenomorph]

no you cannot as i tried. you need to install w7 first then do a fresh install of w8.

I purchased the $14.99 Upgrade key. Using that, I did a FRESH/CLEAN instal (formatted hard drive, NO previous OS) with the following media:

- Windows 8 Pro Retail

- Windows 8 Pro Volume License

With the Retail media, you must enter a key during install. It accepts the Upgrade key.

With the Volume License media, you do not need to enter a key during install.

With the Retail media install, you must change the registry key from 1 to 0, do "slmgr -rearm", then reboot. It will activate.

With the Volume License media install, you must change your key using "slmgr.vbs -ipk", then change the registry key from 1 to 0, do "slmgr -rearm", then reboot. It will activate.

I do not recommend using the Volume License media, as it does not support the "Add features to Windows" function, and so cannot install Media Center.

[xWhiplash]

I think people are getting confused about the different usage of the word Clean Install.

When I had Windows 7 installed, I used my OS X partition to delete the drive. In this case, I installed Windows 8 on the clean drive BEFORE the upgrade process began. It would not activate.

If you have Windows 7 installed and perform a clean install WITH the Windows 8 media, it will work.

So yes, I think the upgrade media/process needs to be aware of a previous OS. It would not work for me on a clean drive BEFORE the process began, I needed Windows 7 installed, then with the Windows 8 media I performed a clean install by formatting the drive, but I did it with the Windows 8 media.

Is that the case, or was it a fluke my key did not activate at the same time I use OS X to delete Windows 7 and try it?

I was also using the $40 upgrade ISO it downloaded, so the rules might be different with the retail version?

[stockwiz]

just tried reinstalling windows 8 on a brand new intel 180GB solid state drive purchased Thanksgiving day and got the error using the upgrade key without upgrading. . A quick google search provided the registry fix and the rearm and restart method which worked immediately and it activated automatically upon reboot. The only hardware change was this boot drive.

The solid state drive I had I put in my bedroom computer and reinstalled windows 8. That one activated itself automatically with the product key I used for that computer with no errors. Windows appeared to recognize the previous installation of windows 8 on the drive. The only hardware change was again, this boot drive.

[dhaslam67]

Wow Shane seems like you don't believe there are honest people in the world. Personally I have at least 10 XPpro valid license keys that I paid a total of over a thousand dollars for and countless Win7 honest to goodness real licenses. Seems that I should be able to call MS and give them one of my legitimate keys and do a clean install. Seems to me that if you call and they are intelligent enough to accept a person like me as a credible key holder they are obligated to take care of my needs, and correct me if I'm wrong, if MS agrees that I am credible and have valid keys with which to upgrade from it is not a violation at all. The only violation here seeems to me to be the violation of my intelligence by someone who clearly has no idea that the world harbors not only the dis-honest people but the honest too. And after forking over a thousand dollars I am not only in perfect harmony with the license agreement but I am 100% entitled to not be treated like a two bit criminal just because I'd like to put my new version of windows on a, wait for it...NEW hard drive that has no existing OpSys on it. Thanks for your opinion, but perhaps you're not as smart as you think you are, if you look real close you might find out your just a...well that wouldn't be nice now would it? Bottom line if MS agrees you deserve a working OS it's not a violation, get it?

[ingramator]

Wow Shane seems like you don't believe there are honest people in the world. Personally I have at least 10 XPpro valid license keys that I paid a total of over a thousand dollars for and countless Win7 honest to goodness real licenses. Seems that I should be able to call MS and give them one of my legitimate keys and do a clean install. Seems to me that if you call and they are intelligent enough to accept a person like me as a credible key holder they are obligated to take care of my needs, and correct me if I'm wrong, if MS agrees that I am credible and have valid keys with which to upgrade from it is not a violation at all. The only violation here seeems to me to be the violation of my intelligence by someone who clearly has no idea that the world harbors not only the dis-honest people but the honest too. And after forking over a thousand dollars I am not only in perfect harmony with the license agreement but I am 100% entitled to not be treated like a two bit criminal just because I'd like to put my new version of windows on a, wait for it...NEW hard drive that has no existing OpSys on it. Thanks for your opinion, but perhaps you're not as smart as you think you are, if you look real close you might find out your just a...well that wouldn't be nice now would it? Bottom line if MS agrees you deserve a working OS it's not a violation, get it?

If you buy a new drive then you are not doing an upgrade to the OS are you? If you buy an upgrade license you are upgrading over a Windows OS you have bought previously. That is the fact of the matter, everything Shane has said is correct, no need to try and knock him. If you want to violate the EULA then cool bro that's your decision. Otherwise install Windows 7 and just upgrade over the top of it and format the disk to clean install.

[jesseinsf]

I have been digging through all the posts here and can't find a solid, 100% confirmation on the following:

OK, Here is the deal. When you buy the upgrade, you have to have a supported OS in order be able to purchase. After you buy the upgrade, you will be able to download it. You will have the options to "Install Now" or "Install Later". Choose later so you can have it make an ISO, DVD or USB flash Drive install. Now if you made a DVD or USB Flash Drive install you can then delete all partitions on the HDD and install Windows 8 as if it were not an upgrade as many times as you want. Just make sure that the hardware you installed it on is Identical at the time you purchased the upgrade. Now once you change any major hardware like "HDD, Video card, Motherboard, Ext. Then you have to re-activate with just one call. When you Activate via phone after a hardware change you then won't need to activate via phone again unless you change the hardware again. So, to answer you question.... you are changing your hardware, so yes you have to use the phone to re-activate your PCs (But just once). The good thing is, you don't need to activate via phone again on every reformat after. This applies to all retail versions of Windows (Upgrade or full Version). Just remember that once to change major hardware you will need to phone activate either after reformatting or right after you change your hardware. But only one time on every hardware change. :-) ...Re-Activating rebinds your new hardware to the serial key.

[KingCracker]

I wondered this myself, I knew in past upgrades you had to have a previous windows OS. Just sucks if you have to install windows fresh. How much is the full version anyway?

[xWhiplash]

I wondered this myself, I knew in past upgrades you had to have a previous windows OS. Just sucks if you have to install windows fresh. How much is the full version anyway?

That is the thing. Last I checked there are no more full versions (other than OEM ones, but that has other issues legally speaking). So what happens if your hard drive dies?

[HawkMan]

In that case then the trick isn't needed. You boot, it picks up 7 on the disk, you wipe the disk and install 8.

Clean install that activates due to detection of prior valid OS.

The trick is however needed if I decide the replace the main HDD on my upgraded computer

[ViperAFK]

I just did this the other day. I had been previously been running windows 8 properly upgraded from windows 7 on my old drive. I got a new samsung 250 gb ssd. Installed windows 8 pro upgrade on it. of course wouldn't activate, so I just used the old "mediabootinstall" registry tweak, ran slmgr -rearm, ran windows update and everything is activated fine.

[AJerman]

So, in a somewhat related question, I signed up for the new PC offer to get Windows 8 for $15. I have no interest at the moment of using Windows 8, and I don't know if I ever will, but for $15 I'd like to redeem the offer just in case. Here's the thing, it asks me to run the upgrade assistant on the computer I want to upgrade, but it does print a key on screen after you have completed your order (saw a screenshot from someone else). They don't have any way of locking this down to that one specific system do they? Will that key be good for an upgrade down the line on any system I have? I ask because I'm at work, so I don't want to upgrade here, and at home, I don't know that I'd upgrade my only system, though it may be getting an upgrade itself soon, as well as me getting a laptop soon, and I may want to use it on any of these systems in the future, so I don't want it tied to specific hardware or else I'll just pass on the offer. If an when I do ever use the upgrade, I'd have no problem upgrading from a legal copy of Windows 7 to use my "upgrade key".

Any ideas?

Update: Found the answer to my own question here: http://www.windowsupgradeoffer.com/en-US/Home/Faq#FAQPage_Category2Literal.Text

Do I have to install the Windows 8 upgrade on the eligible PC, or can I install it on another PC?

The upgrade offer is tied to a Windows 7 PC purchased from June 2nd, 2012 through January 31, 2013, but you can choose to redeem the offer and install the upgrade on any compatible Windows-based PC with a qualifying base operating system.

So I'm not sure how exactly it's "tied to a Windows 7 PC purchased from June 2 through January 31", but you can still install it on any computer eligible for an upgrade. :laugh: Regardless, it should work on any upgrade. I'll stash this key away in case I ever feel the need to use Windows 8.