Discussion on:

The complete guide to a Windows 8 clean installation

On my test machines, I have done both and I have not run into any problems. What is your preference? Why?

not bloated

But I chose to install Win 8 in a VM, mostly because I'm more interested in just playing with it for now.

I did a clean install, but kept my existing partitions for Windows 7. I wasn't quite ready to abandon Win 7 and Win 8 created a dual boot automagically. I had a nearly empty partition from my Win 7 install and used that one. On a separate partition, I created a Data partition to keep Documents, pictures, music, videos and downloads. Then added them to both Win 7 and Win 8's libraries to have access to all my data from each operating system.

You stated that 'performing a clean install means blowing away all existing partitions' but this is not correct, is it? In fact, the process of performing a clean install of Windows 8 appears exactly the same as it was for Vista and Windows 7, in that you choose custom and when you are presented with the partition list, you can click Drive Options (advanced) where you can then choose on which paritition you wish to install Win 8. You can also choose to format or delete any of your other partitions - ie: you do not have to delete (blow away) any of your other partitions!

A lot of so-called destructive recovery programs also make incorrect statements (dire warnings) like 'performing this will delete all your data' etc.!' without adding 'on your C: drive' ! And whilst it is never a bad idea to back up all your personal data before performing either a 'Restore to Factory Conditions' recovery or indeed a custom, clean install of the OS, in case YOU accidentally choose the wrong partition on which to perform the process. However, if run correctly, these procedures do NOT affect your other partitions. And dire warnings telling you they do are not helpful!

...that installing to a separate partition could be considered a "Clean Install" in that you are not upgrading over top of an existing version of Windows, but then you are actually setting up a dual-boot configuration. Dual-booting is a perfectly fine solution and you can choose to go that route instead, but it is not what this article is about.

In the case of this article, a "Clean Install" refers to wiping your hard disk "clean" and then installing a new operating system.

This article presents nothing new as far as I can tell. That's just how it worked with Windows 7. The real question is, can you do a clean install on a blank hard drive, or how would one RE-install Windows 8 clean later if needed, using this special "Upgrade" install of Windows 8. Microsoft has said so far that a previous version of Windows 7 must be installed on the PC to install the upgraded. Especially, once you upgrade to Windows 8 and might need to do a clean reinstall of 8 later, does that mean I first have to reinstall 7 (or Vista or XP) and then use the 8 install to wipe that out and reinstall 8? And even with just my initial upgrade to 8, what if I want to use the opportunity to upgrade my hard drive, or maybe switch to an SSD? Do I really have to install Win 7 (or vista or XP), on it and then use the 8 "upgrade" to do the 8 clean install? THOSE are the questions I want to know the answers to and hope somebody tests thoroughly.

I have one. But what if I dont need to enter it what happens so I will not benefit from other features.

I had no problems upgrading from W7 ultimate to W8 pro...went in smooth and run and works great but, hear it comes, and most may never run into this, IE9 and W8 pro have a few issues. IE9 runs fine initially but doesn't like clicking on to other sites...just stops working but will go back to the other site OK...doesn't do this in Foxfire, Chrome, or Opera...works just fine on these...and then ther is one other issue that started immediately after upgrade...Net Flix, using any browser, will go to the site, let you do everything you paid for except it won't let you download a movie to watch, says it's the wrong date, it's not, so go figure (Net Flix tech support doesn't get it either). I can still stream it to my TV via router Wi Fi and everythin still works fine on my wife's machine and my laptop which both are equipped with w7 ultimate (all 3 machines are 64 bit and none have viruses on them, so I did the troubleshooting and it seems to be a compatability issue with W8 pro & IE9...unless there is a fix I'm not aware of.

...performed a Windows 8 upgrade over top of Windows 7, so don't know for sure, but I would have assumed that the upgrade process would have automatically replaced IE9 with IE10.

Were you given the opportunity to keep IE9? Did it also install IE10?

Thank you very much!

I've had experience with an upgrade version of Windows 7 and the requirement for a clean install - upgrade from 32-bit Vista to 64-bit Windows 7. I have not tested this with Windows 8 and hoped Greg would do that for us. Instead he doesn't even show the screen on which the product key is entered! Let alone the validation successful screen.

Windows 8 does not permit installation without entering a product key, Windows 7 did. With Win7 the easiest work-around is to install Win7 without entering a product key. Then before doing anything else, install it again. Right over itself.

So to me the question of the Windows 8 clean install of the upgrade version remains unanswered. My plan, which I did test, is to do a quick Win7 install with no product key entered, then install Windows 8. This does work and only takes an extra 20 or so minutes.

One big caveat follows: Windows 7 drivers are not necessarily replaced when Windows 8 installs and Windows 8 does not necessarily work with Windows 7 drivers. So you will get an upgrade installation that needs some tweaking. As in reinstall the hardware drivers that come with your motherboard after downloading the Windows 8 versions.

For me, a clean installation would be: System&ProgsApps on drive C:, and ALL data (users-directory) on a data-partition (D:). I heard that it would be possible, but not simple.

You need to be more detailed on how to backup your personal data and to advise how to partition a drive if needed, especially in a single hard drive configuration like laptops.

a. Personal Data - have all you date included in My Documents; this should be a disciplined act during normal computer usage. Go to C: drive and open Users. Here select your folder i.e. John or Richard or LivingRm etc. in your folder are a list of folders including My Document. For each of the folders right-click > Properties > Location > change the location to a USB or external drive. All your files are copied and saved away from the C: Drive.

b. Partitioning Hard Drive during a Window 8 Installation - A typical laptop hard drive is always bought with a C: Drive partition and no D: Drive. Place a D: Drive after the process of deleting the partitions during Windows 8 installation. A good size would be between 80 and 120 GB. Do not attempt to format D: Drive during installation because it will place a boot sector. Format the second drive once your in and working with Windows 8 through the Disk Manager program.

c. Personal Files after Installtion - Copy your personal files to D: Drive first. Now go to C: Drive to the User Folder and select your personal folder John or Richard etc. If the folder is named differently from the previous installation, change the old folder to reflect the new name 1st. Then in C: Drive > Users > "John" right-click each of the folders select Properties then Location and change everything to D: Drive.

This method protects you from a corrupt OS where you may freely and tirelessly reinstall without effecting personal data. Having a second partition (D: Drive) allow you to use an imaging program and store the image; this cannot be done on a singe partitioned hard drive unless it is transferred to an external hard drive.

Just wonder if I replace the HD, how I can install Windows 8 Upgrade on it without putting back Windows 7 first. Is it possible?

The problem I am having (and it is a known issue) is that once you install a CLEAN WINDOWS 8, you will lose your CD/DVD drive...meaning, it won't recognize it. YOu will have to go in and do a registry hack and remove some lines....if they are there. On my system they aren't. I am still trying to figure it out.

This only happened if I did a CLEAN install. If I did an "upgrade"....still worked. But, after you install it, DO NOT run the UPDATES...this too will get rid of the DVD/CD.

I bet MS will remedy this problem with SP1

THe reason I read is that Microsoft in their infinite wisdom seems to think that the user only streams video and music content these days and has no need for the use of a DVD/CD. This is something I see happening in about 5 years maybe, but not so drastic from one version of the OS to the next.

Maybe some of you are experiencing this and have a solution. My PC is ancient (in computer years....4 years old)...but ran/runs WIndoes 7 perfectly.

I've done 4 installs. One was an upgrade from Windows 7. I had the strangest problem.

After initial Windows 8 setup, every time I attempted to perform a task that required elevation, the elevation prompt would appear and then disappear. I was cursing, yelling, getting angry etc... Until I discovered that the "elevate prompt" sound file was corrupt! And I was using the stock standard Windows 7 sound theme. Who'd have thought???

Apparently this has been experienced by a few people. Upgrading always brings its share of problems so I guess the odd issue here and there is to be expected.

Oh, and kschlotthauer - I haven't had any issues with the DVD/CD drive going missing. Unlucky maybe?

I had Win8/Win7 dual booting fine without secure boot. Now that you have doen the easy install, why don't you try doing a few different uefi supporing PC rebuilds using Win8. I personally found there to be paltry references to such installs on the Internet. I also experienced many technical roadblocks. It is not a straight forward process. Even current video cards can defeat sucessfull Win8 secure boot installs.

Worked with all 3 preview versions of W8 on a new HP laptop via dual boot with W7.

Can't see any reason to replace W7 with W8 on a PC unless you have touch type hardware.

One might question the wisdom of installing W8, just like one would question the wisdom of jumping out of a perfectly good airplane. People do it.

I have done this.
It updated fine.
from downloaded ISO

It keeps files and folders but attention
On Mine I lost all my preloaded software.
Had to reload it all again.

Just make sure you have all the software and serials if you want to keep them.

Only thing that would not work was a wireless n usb stick (Realtech drivers)
Have got a driver that loaded but it still cannot see the usb stick.
Had a Netgear stick and they had a Win 8 driver (Beta) that worked fine.

I got a free copy of windows 8 through school and installed http://heresjaken.com/install-windows-8/ i am quite happy with it, it did take a bit of getting used to but now i am used to it its not to bad. Every now and then it is a bit glichy but doesnt crash or anything

About as good and clear step by step set of instructions as one can get. Not over-complicated either. Bravo to the writer.

Good article Greg. I agree with dmoriartybe that you've entirely demystified the Windows install.

I haven't installed 8 yet, but I'm pleased to see that, up to "Configuring Windows", the process is exactly the same as Win 7 and Vista. So your description is a great primer for any Windows install.

The idea of setting security, privacy, and preference settings at install time is completely welcome. I'm so tired of going through the whole install process, and then spending hours more scouring the system to make it safe, private, and usable. Most users don't bother -- who can blame them -- and for years suffer frustrations that are easily eliminated.

Kudos to Microsoft for offering a single-click express set that gives every user a secure and private setup that most of us IT Pros have had to work very hard to achieve. Some users will resist the one-size-fits-all Express Set, of course. Presumably the user is then offered a full list of settings in one place, something none of us has ever seen, and can painlessly personalize to their heart's content. Hooray!

I hope that the settings list can be automated with PowerScript. That would be a great boon to standardized deployments.

I've installed Windows 8 as a test on a hard drive and discovered that if you choose to install Windows 8 using your Live ID it quickly becomes very inconvenient if you have a secure password. I have a computer generated hash for a Live ID password so it is completely impracticable. The only way this would work is if you had a very weak password. Imagine trying to log into Windows with a 32 or 64+ character password consisting of a randomly generated sequence of lower and upper case and special characters every time and you will know what I mean. I did create a new local user which worked much better for logging into the install, but then I can't use SkyDrive or any online features by just logging into Windows as a local account. Of course you can log into those features after you log into your local user account. I am just saying that using the Windows Live login to get into your PC is useless if you have a complex password. My Windows 8 test drive crashed and burned so I will install it again but this time I will not be creating a Windows Live login, but will stick to a local user login. I have nothing else to say about Windows 8 because I've only used it for a total of 10 minutes but from what I've seen so far it looks and performs incredibly!

I have been testing Windows 8 for well over a year and the more I use it, the more I dislike it.
The issues I have with it are too numerous for an email (I have blogged about it), but here are two major beefs:
- NEVER use the Express (recommended) settings. These will send Micro$oft personal information about you. Always use CUSTOM and see what they are tracking, it is scary.
- NEVER use a cloud ID to sign in. I've done that, then if you forget the password, the normal tools to reset the account don't work. Always have a local account. I also agree with the security concerns of anything cloud.

Whenever I read/hear about positive Windows 8 reviews, I always ask, 'How much time did you REALLY spend WORKING with it?' I don't mean playing / testing it but actually DOING something. The positive people always say, 'not much'. The more one tries to do real work in Windows 8, the more one will want to go back to Windows 7.

I've been working with Windows since version 3 and I have to know all about it as it will come on new machine. However, I will not recommend it and will be glad to wipe a drive and install Windows 7:

Richard
www.compunetics.ca

My OS is Win XP 32bit but I would need the clean install to get win8 64bit. However, I don't see that option from this guide. Will it pick the 64bit version automatically from the clean install if the pc has a 64bit processor? Thank you

I want to buy windows 8 but dont want to pay $14.99 for a physical disc, how do I download de ISO afet I purchase the license

Hi many thanks for the Win8 installation process in details. I have installed win8 now every time i log in it gives me an option for win 7 or 8 and i want to delete win7 completely to clear some space and memory so how can do it? please help.

Thanks

I was lucky to receive a new laptop for Xmas and my 75 b'day.
I tried to upgrade to Widows 8 Pro, because my computer had already been activated, but with the premier language as Indonesian ??? and then checking the apps discovered that the recommended app of CHARM after many many trys GOT nowhere either direct to MS. However thanks to the forum I did get several suggestions. The final one being a reinstall from the original choices of 3. Great! I was able to reset to satisfaction. BUT! the Charm app NO!
IT is not in my CPU?
Next I attempted to get an upgrade I could not have the 14$ because you had to have had bought with WIN 7 installed. I ws then quoted almost $ 200 cause I was outside the time limit when it was less.
TOTALLY GROSSLY UNFAIR don't 'you agree?
So! I have to stick with what I have got.
WITHOUT CHARM

I did basically this proceedure and windows accepted my key but when I booted up the next day I got an error message that said (eventually) that the key had been blocked. This was a genuine key that was used on this one computer and I get a message to purchase a new key.
Not happy Jan

Prior to doing this, as I did not have the REG.number, I ran Belarc (a superb free info program) this showed very detailed data re the total installation of all software complete with all reg. numbers. Thus very happy: BUT! AS FAR AS HELP FROM MS: I just got a run around suggestions but no actual help to put things right. So I have no Charm on my laptop, and an aside on my desktop attempting to get the Auto update to work again on WIN 7 Enterprise THE SAME RESULT and am still trying

This is all well and good but I want to know after I get windows 8 installed and all my applications installed how do I get all this into that recovery partition that windows install created. Not just the basic boot information, but the complete hd for a full recovery such as restore does. you see I removed Toshiba's HD and Replaced it with bigger, faster one, Now Toshiba has all there crap in there so I know it can be done, I've been asking this question all over the net and all I ever get is how to create a recovery from this partition. I want to put my stuff into that partition so when I create my recovery CD/DVD/USB I have my stuff, not Toshiba's.
I created GPT, EFI/UEFI, I bought Three new HD's and I even created one as MBR, so I have all the partitions in the proper order, I can asign a Drive letter to the recovery drive so I can see what is in it and it contains only basic boot info.
ba2486

Thank you Greg, I had read part of this

http://www.techrepublic.com/blog/window-on-windows/create-a-custom-recovery-image-for-windows-8s-refresh-your-pc-tool/7413

before and had forgotten about it.
reading more clearly this time I think I will be able to make it work for my customers.

Thanks Again
BA

We're two decades into Windows and activation is still so confusing!

I bought two $15 deals, one for me and one for my wife. I used the upgrade assistant on my desktop (W7) downloaded the ISO, burned to DVD, did a fresh install of W8 Pro, and it activated fine.

My wife's hard drive (W7) just died, so I figured it'd be a great time to do her install. Dropped in an SSD, used the exact same DVD I used for my computer, fresh installed W8 (typed in her own product key when asked), installed fine, but hers won't let me activate. Something like "this product key is intended for an update, not for a clean install."

Huh? My key worked fine for a clean install on my desktop.

I have no idea what I've done wrong, and any advice would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks,
--Daniel

...my guess is that the installation recognizes the SSD and a brand new hard disk and thus reports that a clean install is not eligible.

I would give Microsoft Customer Service a call, chances are that they will get you straightened out:

http://support.microsoft.com/gp/esd-support-phone-numbers

If you are reinstalling Windows 8 on a desktop using new SSD technology, when you reach that first Setup screen, you press Shift-F10. That opens Admin command prompt. There you run DISKPART. When you exit back to Setup, and you get to Disk Selection, you see one single, Not Ready partition 0. You also see two links below, "Format" and "New". If you click Format, your installation will crash, as soon as setup completes. Windows uses an old Format (from 1987) that write zeros to the opposite ends of the disk used by the new SSD technology, and your Windows will "blow up". Hit new and let Windows create your partitions. If you are installing with only 1 SSD rigged, you get three partitions. Up to December 04, 2012 that was 2 partitions (worked fine for Windows Vista-7), but Research realized Windows 8 needs 3. Unless you have more than one SSD powered up, then Windows 8 requires 4 parallel Partition 0 drives. "NEW"