Howto – Installing Windows 8 Upgrade without installing a previous OS before.

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You were one of the lucky one’s that also used the introduction offer from MS to buy Windows 8 Pro for a much cheaper upgrade price? But you’re also not wanting to install another previous OS first, but do a clean install of Windows 8.

Here’s the point: installation will work. however you may not be able to activate and use the Windows 8 Pro installation, unless you follow the instructions of this guide.

with the Download Version you’ve gotten a Installation assistant offering you to take care of the upgrade. the assistant will install Windows 8 over the existing OS. you better like the idea of a fresh clean install as I do, then you have at the end of the assistant to choose the „create DVD“ or „create USB stick“ option.

You can burn the ISO image to DVD and use it for the installation straight away. if you more like the USB stick option, you’re to have a USB stick with 4 GB of space.

Booting your computer from this DVD or USB stick will allow you to install Windows 8. While the setup, different to Windows 7 you must put in the UpgradeKey you acquired with your purchase, which the setup will accept with no complaints.

But after the installation has finished and you like to activate your Windows 8, it’ll decline the activation. So you’d only be able to use your install for the grace period of 30 days. Sure, after this you could rearm your Windows 8 grace period, but only up until 180 days. You really want to install Windows 8 then again?

Here’s the tweak: you have to create a registry key, that’ll allow you the activation.

  1. open „regedit“.
  2. browse to the key „HKLM\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Setup\OOBE\MediaBootInstall“ and double click it.
  3. change the value from „1“ to „0“. Accept the change by clicking „OK“
  4. now goto „Control Panel – System and Security – System“ an.
  5. you’re now able to successfully activate your Windows 8 version.

one last thing: to be license compliant Phone Number Trace , you still have to have the earlier Windows version at hand!

Software piracy kills jobs in companies, like I work at.

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