Windows 8 fresh install with OEM product key

alexthecheese · 2 Oct 2014 at 12:01

I'm trying to upgrade my girlfriend's laptop with a new SSD as it's horrifically slow, but when I try and download an ISO from Windows it won't let me do it, so I'm using this Windows 8 install tool. However, it doesn't like the product key.

I used Belarc to get the key, but the tool won't accept it as valid.

I've read a couple of things about changing the registry key MediaBootInstall, but that key doesn't exist. Am I able to do it some other way? Can I get hold of the ISO some other way? Even then I don't think they key will work.

Could I clone the HDD?

russell664 · 2 Oct 2014 at 14:07

You can indeed clone the HDD to an SSD, as far as I know a lot of people already do that.

TrojanWhore · 2 Oct 2014 at 14:20

if you do clone it, you need to make sure you 'align' the drive correctly, and that TRIM is enabled after the upgrade......I'll see if I can find a link!

edit:

http://www.howtogeek.com/97242/how-to-migrate-windows-7-to-a-solid-state-drive/

details everything you'll need to do

alexthecheese · 2 Oct 2014 at 19:47

Cheers, after a bit of faffing I did it by cloning the drive using Macrium. I spotted a bug whilst doing so, as the drive I was cloning was larger than the drive I wanted to replace it with. When adjusting the partitions, such that it would fit on the smaller drive, it wouldn't let me do it when I had the 'copy to new drive' (something similar) checked when you press next. With that on it wouldn't let me do, complaining the drive wasn't big enough. With that off, it let me do it.

I've had to spend 30 minutes removing all kinda of crap off this Lenovo laptop - including Windows Defender, which was running solidly, all the time - but now it runs pretty sweetly.

THanks.