Windows 8 Upgrade question

Larrs888 · 10 Jan 2013 at 14:51

Hi guys,

Just a quick on really, I want to upgrade to Windows 8 Pro for the £24.99 offer MS are doing directly. I have an old XP Pro License that I would like to upgrade, leaving my Windows 7 retail installation intact and license free for me to keep and perhaps even sell my boxed copy at some point.

Am I able to do what I want to do, would I actually need to install the XP copy and upgrade it from its own install?

Thanks

demonix · 10 Jan 2013 at 15:09

If you use XP to do the upgrade, then you'll only get the 32-bit version.

You can purchase, download and create the required media (you won't get the media option on XP after downloading) using windows 7, and you can use it to install on a clean system (you'll have to do a few things to get it to activate).

Larrs888 · 11 Jan 2013 at 21:28

OK cool thanks for the info, so basically to get Win 8 Pro x64 I need to use my Win7 License? My current install needs a re-fresh the network adapter is taking ages to detect on start-up and I'm fed up of waiting ten minutes for my PC to be ready to use from power up. I've given up on trying to fix it

dasyad · 12 Jan 2013 at 14:48

If you upgrade your XP install then I believe you can still use the license key to install the x64 version of Windows 8. You just would just need to get your hands on legitimate Windows 8 install media.

NELLY64 · 13 Jan 2013 at 16:46

Hello All,
I have Windows 7 x64 on trial and son changed his mind in favour of Windows 8. I used Windows 8 assistant and created a bootable iso image and I'm using this for a clean install on the PC. I can't see why I would not be able to use the disc and key on any machine, I don't believe it's tied to the PC I used to create it.
Hope that helps.

kidloco · 13 Jan 2013 at 16:55

I have recently built a new system for me and gave my q6600 to my lad. Bought 2 windows 8 upgrade keys. I did try using the disk I burned of the windows 8 files to try and install on a clean drive but it just wouldn't let me. Had to install windows 7 then upgrade to 8. Bit of a pain.

On the system I gave my son that was strange as well, was already running my windows 8 upgrade. Tried to change the serial but wouldn't accept it. Didn't want to use his windows 7 licence so used his old vista basic he had. Installed vista, upgraded to 64 bit windows 8 with no issues.

Larrs888 · 13 Jan 2013 at 23:52

hhmm so a clean install is proving an issue then? I kinda need to do one, one of the reasons I'm considering the upgrade. I'll be getting a 120GB Samsung 840 SSD so I'll be able to keep my current Win 7 in case anything goes a miss.

Scougar · 13 Jan 2013 at 23:59

thenewoc · 14 Jan 2013 at 06:44

I came from xp pro 32bit to w8 pro 64bit upgrade on a new system and fresh install, absolutely fine, activated and upgraded with the media center add on key too. You need to run the upgrade assistant and buy on a 64bit os though for it to give you the 64bit download and create the install media on the 64bit os system. I only had my new machine when I did mine so I installed the release preview version for the 64bit os to do the buying and creating media. Then wiped release preview off, installed and activated xp, then booted from my created w8 install media and chose not to keep user documents etc to get a fresh install.

Get the latest drivers for w8 64bit from your mobo makers website and Intel. Also some of the mobo makers utilities and the latest bios.

The following sequence is based on my experience doing an MSI Z77A-GD65 build but for other mobo makers it should also broadly translate.

BIOS:
Update the bios if a newer one is available (also check mobo makers website for an even newer beta version if release notes are significant to W8 issues). If the newest bios still supports XP then reflash the bios prior to upgrading to W8, following mobo makers bios flash instructions. This may also update the option ROM's for LAN, RAID and the Intel Management Engine.

Drivers:
Intel Chipset (9.3.0.1021) - this I believe updated the support for USB3 without needing to update USB3 separately
Intel Management Engine (8.1.20.1337)
LAN driver
Intel VGA (9.17.10.2867) - optional, not required if using a discreet graphics card unless you want to use Virtu MVP but I found with Intel VGA 9.17.10.2817 that if I did this it would prevent Afterburner from unlocking voltage oc options.
Asmedia SATA driver (1.3.4.000)
Intel Rapid Storage - even though you may have supplied the driver during install for RAID, the larger Intel Rapid Storage package installs the utility, there's a package for if you're using RAID and one for AHCI.
Realtek High Definition Audio (6.0.1.6782)
Intel Rapid Start (2.1.0.1002) - optional, if you want to use a small partition on an SSD to enable fast hibernate, if so, you need to create a small partition equal to the size of system ram (8GB = 8192) and give the partition an id=84.
Intel Smart Connect (3.0.41.1571) - optional, if you want your computer to wake and fetch latest info such as your social network updates and emails.
Discreet Graphics Card - perhaps the latest beta drivers here
MSI Afterburner (2.3.0) - optional
Lucid Virtu MVP (2.1.115) - optional, if wanting to use both the iGPU and dGPU, this may stop MSI AB from giving unlocked voltage control

Utilities:
Fast Boot (1.0.0.8) - enables user to request next boot enters bios
OTP Service (1.0.004) - Over Thermal Protection (OTP)
Click Bios II (1.0.104)
Control Center (2.5.045) - this also enables the use of smart phone app to monitor system temps / oc
THX TruStudio Pro (1.04.03)
Super Charger (1.2.016)
Keyboard & mouse
Network Genie - optional, not appropriate for my board as it relates to the Realtek LAN chip and mine is Intel LAN but your board may have something similar

MSI Suite - optional, personally not keen so have left this off
MSI Live Update 5 - optional, personally not keen so have also left this off

Others:
Printer - HP have a new install wizard from their website which checks what it needs including software for OCR

At this point I'd re-enable windows auto update and run it to start applying all the important & critical patches.
If adding Windows Media Center I'd do it here and then rerun Windows Update to capture more important & critical patches.
Check Sean's SSD/HDD optimisation guide over on overclock.net and take / apply relevant tips
Tweak Start Screen, remove unwanted metro apps, bring metro apps up to date, choose most popular desktop applications to pin to start screen, possibly group into named groups.

At this point I'd create a drive image.

More installs:
Internet Security
Microsoft SkyDrive
Steam
GameSave Manager
Cloud backup
Office Suite
...

You may have a prob installing xp to modern hardware though unless you have xp with sp3 and may need the drive controller set to IDE, not AHCI in the bios. If your xp disc doesn't have sp3 on it you can use a free program called nlite to make a new one.

If you want to install w8 to raid 0 then it's best to get the intel rapid storage driver (floppy driver) before starting the w8 install and putting this driver onto a usb stick as you can provide this driver at the beginning of the w8 install process when you choose the drive / partition to install to.

Otherwise, you want to install using AHCI for the drive controller, this needs to be set in bios before commencing with w8 install, likewise for the RAID 0 option above you'd need to set it to RAID though.

I'd use a Microsoft account when asked and disable windows auto updates initially until after installing the latest drivers that you've sourced then I'd re-enable it.

Install drivers for chipset, lan, sound etc, run windows update a few times, do whatever tweaks such as some of whats in Sean's SSD/HDD optimisation guide over on overclock.net, when satisfied make a drive image.

Larrs888 · 14 Jan 2013 at 12:47

Ok my final question I guess, if I buy the Windows 8 upgrade via the utility on my Windows 7 install, then install my copy of Xp Pro to another partition on the same HDD then install my new SSD and then do a fresh install of Win 8 pro to the new SSD using the xp license from my HDD partition?

Man this is getting complicated, are the OEM versions of Windows 8 limited to one system configuration like with Windows 7? I always tend to buy the full retail versions of OSs so if I upgrade my system entirely I don't have to buy the OS again.

ubersonic · 14 Jan 2013 at 13:50

Here's the thing, "legally" under the terms of the EULA upgrading Windows to Windows 8 renders the old Windows unusable. However (and I'm just saying this for information sake, not advocating it) your only really giving them your word you won't reuse the old one, they don't record the serial or anything.

The reason for this is rumored to be in order to let people with pirate copies of XP/Vista/7 buy an upgrade to 8 cheap so they will be less inclined to pirate it (thus increasing sales revenue, in theory).

thenewoc · 14 Jan 2013 at 13:59

Larrs888 said:
Ok my final question I guess, if I buy the Windows 8 upgrade via the utility on my Windows 7 install, then install my copy of Xp Pro to another partition on the same HDD then install my new SSD and then do a fresh install of Win 8 pro to the new SSD using the xp license from my HDD partition?

Man this is getting complicated, are the OEM versions of Windows 8 limited to one system configuration like with Windows 7? I always tend to buy the full retail versions of OSs so if I upgrade my system entirely I don't have to buy the OS again.

Personally I'd install XP to the SSD and disconnect the HDD until after installing W8. This way windows has no choice other than to put the small boot partition on the SSD.

Scougar · 14 Jan 2013 at 14:36

If I install Vista/7.. do I have to verify/activate it first before I do a windows 8 pro upgrade? (Yes, they are legitimate copies with valid keys... just wondering)

thenewoc · 14 Jan 2013 at 14:50

Scougar said:
If I install Vista/7.. do I have to verify/activate it first before I do a windows 8 pro upgrade? (Yes, they are legitimate copies with valid keys... just wondering)

I believe this to be the case yes. You don't have to bring the old OS up to date via Windows Update but you may have to allow it to install Windows Genuine Advantage before it will activate.

ubersonic · 14 Jan 2013 at 14:59

Scougar said:
If I install Vista/7.. do I have to verify/activate it first before I do a windows 8 pro upgrade? (Yes, they are legitimate copies with valid keys... just wondering)

You don't have to install them you can just do a fresh install from the Windows 8 disc (this is the only way to upgrade from XP).

thenewoc · 14 Jan 2013 at 15:10

ubersonic said:
You don't have to install them you can just do a fresh install from the Windows 8 disc (this is the only way to upgrade from XP).

I think that will result in an error when trying to activate, as others have discovered.

http://pcsupport.about.com/od/windows-8/a/windows-8-install-faq.htm

As long as you've made your w8 64bit media first (if necessary on a different PC) then you install it with an active XP install in place. The w8 upgrade process gives you the option of not keeping user files so it handles getting rid of the old OS and thus provides a clean install.