Re-Install Windows 8.1 On Another Drive?...

[Volvith]

Hey guys,

 

I've got a few questions about Windows 8.1, and a couple of odd ones, so bear with me for a second while i'm explaining the scenario.

 

I own a 2013 laptop with an installation of windows 8.1, which i use for everything from school to gaming to photoshop-bumblefuckery.

It's not especially powerful, but it suffices in most cases... Or at least it did.

The SSHD i've got in my laptop is a 750gb, 5400rpm 2.5" drive, and it's sucking.

Hard.

I'm fairly certain my drive is going to die somewhere in the next 2 weeks, and i'm looking to re-install my version of Windows 8.1 on a new hard drive, a 1TB SSD.

 

When i say "re-install", i mean a complete re-install of windows 8.1, no file transfers, no old caches that have to be copied, a fresh, new installation.

I've backed up everything aside from the OS itself, just in case my HDD dies quicker than expected.

 

The questions:

- How do i install and activate a new version of windows 8.1 on a new drive, without cloning the old one, presumably using my existing licence?

- Are there still any windows-10-upgrade items active on the latest version of windows 8.1? (I'm running a 2014 version of windows 8.1... I despise updates. -_-)

 

I'm not really expecting a full guide running me through the process, but anything from a link to a pre-existing guide, a youtube video, or even just a shove in the general direction of what i'm looking for would be much-appreciated!

 

Cheers guys, and thanks in advance!

[JakeNTech]

15 minutes ago, Volvith said:

How do i install and activate a new version of windows 8.1 on a new drive, without cloning the old one, presumably using my existing licence

If its the same laptop and version of windows you will have no issues, the SSHD wont be activated anymore though. 

16 minutes ago, Volvith said:

Are there still any windows-10-upgrade items active on the latest version of windows 8.1? (I'm running a 2014 version of windows 8.1... I despise updates. -_-)

I don't know, I would just skip the updates when you install windows. 

[Volvith]

3 hours ago, fixitnow said:

If its the same laptop and version of windows you will have no issues, the SSHD wont be activated anymore though. 

I don't know, I would just skip the updates when you install windows. 

Thanks, sorry for the late reply.

Are there any consequences to my old SSHD drive not being activated anymore, like programs or files being inaccessible?

[JakeNTech]

35 minutes ago, Volvith said:

Thanks, sorry for the late reply.

Are there any consequences to my old SSHD drive not being activated anymore, like programs or files being inaccessible?

Once it's inactivated the copy of windows can't be used it will just ask for a key or turn off. Unless you where planning on using that copy of windows then everything will be fine. 

[InertiaSelling]

If you want to keep an activated version of Windows, you should clone your old drive to your new one, and then restore your laptop to its factory settings, which is a fresh install of windows 8 (with some bloatware, presumably). Then you'll be able to upgrade to windows 10 without entering your key again, thanks to the microsoft accessibility site. Why would you not want to do this ?