win7 to 8.1 upgrade and ssd

[zigzag03]

i have 7 pro on my main machine, and want to take it to 8.1 pro. the current os is on the mechanical boot drive, but i have added an ssd to the machine, and would like 8.1 to establish itself there. during the upgrade will i have an option to install it to the new, blank, formatted ssd, or must i forego the upgrade path and do a full install to the ssd? thanks, zz03

 

[gizbug]

First disconnect all HD's in your system except your new SSD.
Once you put in you windows 8.1 upgrade cd, it will install to that new SSD.

Installing Windows 8.1

- You have your BIOS setup with EFI and Secure Boot. Make sure it's setup correctly.
- Boot into USB and choose to install.
- Use generic key to install. XHQ8N-C3MCJ-RQXB6-WCHYG-C9WKB
- Please note, you cannot activate Windows with this key. This is just to install Windows 8.1. It's a generic key. That's it.

Activating Windows 8.1

- Go into elevated Command Prompt. Windows Key + X. Then A.
- slmgr -ipk XXXXX-XXXXX-XXXXX-XXXXX-XXXXX (XXXXX is your Upgrade Key!)
- Check in System Overview. Right click Windows Start button and choose system.
- If it is not activated just follow the instructions to activate over the phone. Reboot after doing phone method and it will work! Don't sweat it if the command above didn't work.
- Also note, once you activate once with the phone, you won't have to do it again. Usually the phone method is needed if you change a HDD or a SSD. Windows thinks you are installing your single key on multiple machines. As said, don't sweat it.

Disable annoying UAC!
RegEdit

Location: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\System
Key: EbableLUA
Value data: 0

 

[zigzag03]

that's super helpful thank you very much. only thing that comes to mind is, when using the update vs the full install, how will it detect the old system, or will it just ask for the key to the old install? thanks again, i'm going to get this done today!

 

[postmortemIA]

there's no upgrade edition of windows 8.1. you do not need old system... in facgt you can probably use windows 7 in dual boot mode


edit. i AM MISTAKEN. there is upgrade edition

 

[zigzag03]

i guess i'm confused (a state i find myself in often) but i thought the best way to go from 7 to 8 was via the upgrade, which can be had marginally cheaper than the full version. once installed then from there you take it up to 8.1. do i have it right or am i misinformed? perhaps i wasn't stating it properly in my initial question.

 

[postmortemIA]

yep, you are right, there is upgrade edition, and it is not any cheaper than OEM. And it is "old version", no 8.1 upgrade edition.

anyway best way to install it is really get 8.1 and not do any upgrading, as many have had problems getting everything work just right. plus it will be cleaner in the end. oyhrwise you have 7 -> 8 -> 8.1 -> 8.1 update 1

 

[zigzag03]

that sounds like good advice, and that's just what i'll do... thank you both again very much

 

[zigzag03]

one more thing to Gizbug's post, my older mobo, listed in my signature, is award bios V6.0 PG, and i see nothing in it about secure boot or efi or uefi, but i can certainly boot from usb, if that is where the concern is?

 

[RampantAndroid]

one more thing to Gizbug's post, my older mobo, listed in my signature, is award bios V6.0 PG, and i see nothing in it about secure boot or efi or uefi, but i can certainly boot from usb, if that is where the concern is?

If you don't have EFI you're fine...you just don't get a couple extra security features.

IIRC, to do an upgrade install you must begin the install from WITHIN Windows. If you boot to the install media, you can only do a FRESH install.

Edit: I don't know why people keep saying to disable UAC. Don't, there should be no reason to disable UAC anymore...Vista is long gone.

You don't need to use the slmgr command to register the machine, you can also use the UI for that.

 

[zigzag03]

thank you RA i believe you do rc re upgrade v full.

a Bean fan?, or a Rowan Atkinson fan? i'm for Blackadder and TBL, never quite caught the Bean bug tho.