Windows 8. Upgrade or standalone?

N

Neo

New member
Hi guys,

For those of you running Windows 8. How did you reach the OS level? Did you install from scratch, or did you take the upgrade route from a previous Windows version.

I have a retail copy of Windows 7 at home, but I'd like to upgrade to Windows 8. Specifically Windows 8.1.

The cheap option appears to upgrade from Windows 7 to Windows 8, but I've never had the best experiences upgrading one OS version to another. I've always believed that installing the correct OS version from scratch is the best and cleanest approach for any system. That said, there's no way I'm paying another R2800 for an operating system.

Any ideas or suggestions?
 
I will always advise to install from a fresh instance. Reasons being obvious, you carrying over the same shit and troubles from the old install. That being said, I got to Win8 by upgrading, from Win7 but simply because I had to. My Win7 install went pear shape and I needed access to the info/data. Not the best scenario, but try and install clean if you can.
 
The problem with installing "clean" to Windows 8 or even 8.1 means having to re-purchase the entire OS. From what I've been scouting around, that's not going to be cheap at all. Prophecy Shop sells a Windows 8 "upgrade" for less than R700. That might seem viable at this stage. I've also been pointed to a thread on the Carbonite forums from a reputable seller that appears to be selling full versions of Windows 8 at "fallen off the truck" prices.

Sceptical person is sceptical.
 
Neo said:
The problem with installing "clean" to Windows 8 or even 8.1 means having to re-purchase the entire OS. From what I've been scouting around, that's not going to be cheap at all. Prophecy Shop sells a Windows 8 "upgrade" for less than R700. That might seem viable at this stage. I've also been pointed to a thread on the Carbonite forums from a reputable seller that appears to be selling full versions of Windows 8 at "fallen off the truck" prices.

Sceptical person is sceptical.
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Well unless you want your OS to be capable of running in languages other than English, Takealot has a "single language" Windows 8.1 (64 bit) for R 1,062, which isn't much more than the R700 Prophecy asks for the upgrade. I'm also planning to upgrade to 8 soon and that's the best "new" price I've come across.
 
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I bought the Windows 8.1 from Takealot that brendanvb is referring to. However, you may want to hit google before you buy. Apparently you can upgrade from 7 to 8 and create an ISO in the process that will allow you to clean install 8 in future. From 8 to 8.1 is an upgrade unless you buy the 8.1 single language from Takealot.

I don't recall where exactly I saw the guide on how to use an upgrade for a clean install but I know I saw it, and it seemed legit enough at the time. Do some searching.

Edit: The reason I bought a new version of 8.1 is because I'm still going to use my copy 7 on a second PC, something you can't do if you upgrade, afaik.
 
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I bought an upgrade key for $15 back when Win8 dropped, installed Windows 8 on the trial and activated the upgrade key. Works fine and is genuine
 
brendanvb said:
Well unless you want your OS to be capable of running in languages other than English, Takealot has a "single language" Windows 8.1 (64 bit) for R 1,062, which isn't much more than the R700 Prophecy asks for the upgrade. I'm also planning to upgrade to 8 soon and that's the best "new" price I've come across.
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Dude, thanks a boat load for the link. I didn't notice this version before. That's actually a pretty good price. I'll wait until the end of the day for a reply from some other folks. If they don't come through, I'm going with this Takealot offer.
 
Neo said:
Dude, thanks a boat load for the link. I didn't notice this version before. That's actually a pretty good price. I'll wait until the end of the day for a reply from some other folks. If they don't come through, I'm going with this Takealot offer.
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I doubt you'll find it cheaper unless you have contacts. I did some major searching for my new PC and once you keep in mind that shipping is free from Takealot and you have to pay a fee with most other shops, the choice gets pretty simple.

Oh, and just for the record, the single language you are locked to is thankfully "English, UK", not "English US" (for the disk I received, at least).
 
Surely when you do the upgrade they give you a new windows Key?

If I was you i would email them and ask about a fresh install and if you get a new Key or if it just updates your windows 7 key... They normally come back to you quite quickly...
 
Tom said:
Surely when you do the upgrade they give you a new windows Key?

If I was you i would email them and ask about a fresh install and if you get a new Key or if it just updates your windows 7 key... They normally come back to you quite quickly...
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The way I understand it, and I may be wrong about this, is that when you upgrade your win 8 and win 7 keys get linked. This is to make sure that you don't reuse the Win 7 key. Otherwise you could install win 7 and upgrade to win 8 for a few bucks and then just install that same win 7 on a buddy's machine, upgrade, pass win 7 along to the next guy etc etc.

However, afaik, when you upgrade from 7 to 8 you can write an ISO that you can use for a clean install. So you can upgrade, save the ISO, and then do a clean install directly after that. Your win 7 disks will be useless, though.
 
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Also you link your windows account to an email address with windows 8, so im sure that once you have done the upgrade you could simply do a format re install and log in via the email account you linked... Not 100% sure but logic dictates...
 
Check out the Carbonite forums. BitFuture / Senshei (reseller) selling Win 8 / 7 / Office at great prices. Grabbed my copy of Win 8 from him.
 
roskii said:
Check out the Carbonite forums. BitFuture / Senshei (reseller) selling Win 8 / 7 / Office at great prices. Grabbed my copy of Win 8 from him.
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Yeah that's what I thought. But almost 2 days later and he hasn't replied to a PM or post in the thread. I don't part with my money that easily.

Update:

Finally got a reply. I paid the man immediately and now I'm waiting for my key. R650 for a Windows 8.1 Pro retail key is absolutely awesome. I'm going to format my PC this weekend :)
 
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