Two questions about the Win8 $15 "upgrade" ending today

[AnitaPeterson]

Hi folks,

Seeing that M$ is ending the program which allows you to get Win8 for $15, I have two questions, and I'm hoping some of you might have answers

1) Can you buy it, but not necessarily download and install it today? It seems that the download is a circuitous route - you need to download an "ugrade advisor", then let it connect to Microsoft servers, then leave the program do some more stuff on your machine... which is a terribly helpless feeling. Are there any direct links to .iso (32-bit and 64-bit) images, which you can download and use with your own (paid-for) keys? Something akin to what Digital River used to have for Win7?

2) Is this offer an "upgrade-only" OS? Do you need to have another OS installed on the machine, in order to run the installer? In other words, NOT a full install, which would work on a brand-new PC, if I choose to build one and have Win8 installed from scratch?

Your input is appreciated, as always.

 

[BrightCandle]

The upgrade advisor will either upgrade your computer in place or can create an ISO/USB drive with the OS on, which you can then install where ever and whenever you want.

People have been saying the install works on a completely clean drive with no existing OS on it. This time you don't need a "retail" box to have a good version of Windows 8 like with Windows 7, I think upgrade is just bad naming on Microsofts part, its a copy for a single computer.

 

[davelpg]

From XP, I think you can upgrade from the files stored in the <root drive> hidden directory:

\ESD\Windows

ESD = Electronic Software Delivery

Shortcut appears on desktop as "Install Windows" after downloading the Win 8 payload, which should start the upgrade process.

Please correct me if I'm wrong as I have not yet done the upgrade.

 

[AnitaPeterson]

Another reason why I'm asking about clean .iso files is that I've seen someone else post the following problem:

"I made the mistake of trying to use the Upgrade Assistant to get the 64 bit version when I ran it from a 32 bit XP installation - no such luck - the Upgrade Assistant does NOT give the option of changing bit-width so you get the 32 bit version of Windows 8 - and it doesn't tell you that as you order it. So I had to get a refund after finding that out and headed over to the local retailer and bought the DVD version (both 32 bit and 64 bit DVDs supplied) - about twice the cost, though. "

 

[BrightCandle]

If you currently have a 32 bit Windows OS then you will definitely need to go and do the same, buy the DVD either online or from a shop. The upgrade assistent is a bit limited in what it offers you to download, but it produced a USB stick for me that contains a Windows 8 64 bit installer that worked on a clean machine.

I think 32 bit or not Windows is about the only reason not to use the upgrade assistent, otherwise it gives you what you need which is a working ISO/bootable USB that you can use in a computer (not necessarily the one you downloaded it on).

 

[tomatom]

" buy the DVD either online or from a shop "

DON'T BUT A DVD ! Just Google a download source
for the Win8-64 .iso , also many torrents for
Win8 A.I.O. ( 8 or more versions in 1 ,iso )

! BACKUP EVERYTHING WORTH SAVING !

The new installation will delete everything on your
current OS partition .

Do a little reading , thinking , & planning .

Buenos Suarte ...

 

[NickelPlate]

I bought the $15 upgrade. To answer your questions:

1. No you don't have to install it today. And the downloader upgrade advisor thing does give you the option after purchase to burn a disc or save it as an .iso to burn later which is what I did.

2. It is an upgrade but you can still install it on a clean formatted HD. However it won't allow you to activate it until you do the following registry change:

http://piecesoeight.blogspot.com/2012/11/activating-windows-8-upgrade-after.html

Tomatom's advice and backing up everything before you proceed is a wise one. I and several others have had issues with trying to do dual boot installation on separate hard drives only to have Windows 8 mess with the MBR/BCD and leaving your system in an inoperable unbootable state.

 

[AnitaPeterson]

Thank you for all the input and good advice so far, folks!

 

[AnitaPeterson]

" buy the DVD either online or from a shop "

DON'T BUT A DVD ! Just Google a download source
for the Win8-64 .iso , also many torrents for
Win8 A.I.O. ( 8 or more versions in 1 ,iso )

! BACKUP EVERYTHING WORTH SAVING !

The new installation will delete everything on your
current OS partition .

Do a little reading , thinking , & planning .

Buenos Suarte ...

Good point about the back-up! but I, for one, would most likely be interested to install this in a brand-new build, not an existing machine.

Also... Would something like the "8-in-1" work with a legitimately-purchased key? Or is it just an installation with a corporate/volume licensing key that just made its way into the wild?

 

[BoberFett]

Another reason why I'm asking about clean .iso files is that I've seen someone else post the following problem:

"I made the mistake of trying to use the Upgrade Assistant to get the 64 bit version when I ran it from a 32 bit XP installation - no such luck - the Upgrade Assistant does NOT give the option of changing bit-width so you get the 32 bit version of Windows 8 - and it doesn't tell you that as you order it. So I had to get a refund after finding that out and headed over to the local retailer and bought the DVD version (both 32 bit and 64 bit DVDs supplied) - about twice the cost, though. "

I did an upgrade from XP to 8 last night on my second computer, saw that it was 32bit, was dissapointed in seeing 3.25GB of RAM. Since I plan on putting it on my main computer anyway I ordered the media for $69.99. I figure it's worth $110 to have two legit copies of Windows. I'm going to try a clean install on the second machine after I get the media and use the key from the digital download and see how that goes.

I don't know why, but I never got the "Save to ISO/USB" option, only "Install now" and "Download and install later from Desktop".

Also, if you upgrade from XP you won't get any installed programs, it'll just dump them in another folder and you'll have to reinstall and pull any data you want from the old folder structure.

 

[ViRGE]

2) Is this offer an "upgrade-only" OS? Do you need to have another OS installed on the machine, in order to run the installer? In other words, NOT a full install, which would work on a brand-new PC, if I choose to build one and have Win8 installed from scratch?

As others have noted, it can be made to do a clean install. However you must be properly licensed to use it. You cannot legally use a Win8 upgrade to setup a fresh machine unless you have a license for a full version of Windows that can be legitimately attached to that machine as a base for the upgrade.

Good point about the back-up! but I, for one, would most likely be interested to install this in a brand-new build, not an existing machine.

Also... Would something like the "8-in-1" work with a legitimately-purchased key? Or is it just an installation with a corporate/volume licensing key that just made its way into the wild?

You really should avoid media that is downloaded from an illegitimate source. Modified media at a minimum may be missing features, and at the extreme may be pre-loaded with keyloggers or other malware. Stick to legitimate discs and CD images, which can be validated using MD5/SHA-1 sums.

 

[darkewaffle]

I did an upgrade from XP to 8 last night on my second computer, saw that it was 32bit, was dissapointed in seeing 3.25GB of RAM. Since I plan on putting it on my main computer anyway I ordered the media for $69.99. I figure it's worth $110 to have two legit copies of Windows. I'm going to try a clean install on the second machine after I get the media and use the key from the digital download and see how that goes.

I don't know why, but I never got the "Save to ISO/USB" option, only "Install now" and "Download and install later from Desktop".

Also, if you upgrade from XP you won't get any installed programs, it'll just dump them in another folder and you'll have to reinstall and pull any data you want from the old folder structure.

You create the media by going through the "Install Now" dialog. Then it asks if you want to "keep" stuff, just select "Nothing", let it download the install files and after that it'll prompt you for "Install right this second" or "Create DVD" or "Create USB" or something like that.

 

[davelpg]

You create the media by going through the "Install Now" dialog. Then it asks if you want to "keep" stuff, just select "Nothing", let it download the install files and after that it'll prompt you for "Install right this second" or "Create DVD" or "Create USB" or something like that.

Upgrading from XP you won't get the "Create DVD / USB" option. You will if upgrading from Vista or Win 7.

 

[Carson Dyle]

Looks like Microsoft has extended the offer through February 28th for PCs purchased between June 2, 2012 and January 31, 2013.

http://www.windowsupgradeoffer.com/...#ProgramInformationPage_Headline2Literal.Text