Windows 8 install

[Norman_the_Owl]

I have bought a windows 8 Pro key from G2a (13 bucks!), and now in need to install it.

 

I'm going to be installing it onto the PC i just finished building, IE it has never had windows or any operating system installed on it.

 

Can you guys either link we to a guide or help me out with this? All the guides I've seen appear to be for upgrading from an older windows install, and i'm not sure if that would apply. Correct me if I'm wrong

 

Thanks in advance, guys

[joenewbie]

This link is only part of the story, the hard part for me has always been finding a source to put it on disk or USB stick.   I upgraded from 7 to 8.1 so the process was pretty automatic.  

http://windows.microsoft.com/en-us/windows-8/upgrade-product-key-only
 

[Norman_the_Owl]

http://windows.microsoft.com/en-us/windows-8/upgrade-product-key-only

But isn't that only for upgrading from an older windows? Or am i misreading it?

[Wtalk2]

[Thalandros]

...YOu know how to build a PC but not how to burn an .iso file on a CD/USB?

It's very simple. You download the .iso file windows 8 from microsoft after you enter the key on their website, maybe it's not even needed. I'm not too familiar with this lately but you should be able to get an .iso from Microsoft very easily. You burn that on an empty 4.7GB DVD. Or you mount the .iso, grab the files and put them on a bootable USB stick! Remember to go into the bios of your new PC and set USB/DVD as your first boot hardware and you're good to go, the installer will run.

[Norman_the_Owl]

...YOu know how to build a PC but not how to burn an .iso file on a CD/USB?

It's very simple. You download the .iso file windows 8 from microsoft after you enter the key on their website, maybe it's not even needed. I'm not too familiar with this lately but you should be able to get an .iso from Microsoft very easily. You burn that on an empty 4.7GB DVD. Or you mount the .iso, grab the files and put them on a bootable USB stick! Remember to go into the bios of your new PC and set USB/DVD as your first boot hardware and you're good to go, the installer will run.

I am am man of strange talents

 

For the record, I've booted into bios so i know it works

[joenewbie]

But isn't that only for upgrading from an older windows? Or am i misreading it?

Or from a trial install of Win8.  I just never had to do that because I went from 7 to 8.1.   I can burn the ISO and whatnot, my problem always was knowing where to download it from.  

For instance, supposedly because there are no codes to prebuilt computers it's hardwired to the motherboard, what if a drive fails, how do you then get a new instance of Win8/8.1 on your computer after putting in a new hard drive?   I mean I know people who have Win8/8.1 preinstalled who have no idea what their code is.  Yes, they should make backups, but what about if I need to do a USB stick to reinstall it on another system that wasn't backed up, and the code is tied to the motherboard?  

Yeah, go into the bios and get the code, just seems a bit stupid for the average user to have to do that.   Especially when they do have an enterprise edition available for devs to try it.   I couldn't even tell you where the download for that is, I just know it exists.  Sad but true.