How To Fresh Install Windows 8.1

Windows viii.one Reached End of Mainstream Support in January 2022. Extended Support lasts until January 2023. For more details run into Finish of Back up.

Microsoft are neat for you to Upgrade to Windows ten. The Upgrade is Free and you may straight Clean Install Windows 10 Version 1809 or perform an Upgrade Install of Windows 10 Version 1809. Come across Windows OEM FAQs and Downloads for more details.

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Note this guide cannot be used with the "Windows 8.1 with Bing" or "Windows 8.1 Single Language with Bing" editions due to lack of installation media.

Part 1: Windows and Role Licensing and Obtaining Installation Media

This section talks nigh obtaining Windows and Office installation media and their product keys. If you already have all the media and product keys the bulk of this section can be skipped. You lot will still need to download the standalone updates and system drivers however.

i.1 Information nearly your Windows License and Obtaining Installation Media

Caption of the Windows OEM and Retail License – How to Download Installation Media and Activate

Its of import to know whether your license is OEM or Retail and hence where you should request media, support and how to activate.

i.2 Information about your Office License and Obtaining Installation Media

[OEM] The MPI Bill of fare

Its important to know whether your license is OEM or Retail and hence where you lot should asking media and support. The retail license volition take boxed media with a production cardinal or a product key sent via email, the OEM license will exist on the MPI carte du jour. If you lot have lost your product primal you can call back it with Belarc Advisor even so Belarc Advisor won't retrieve an Role 2022 key.

[Office 2007/2010 OEM/Retail] Finding Information Almost Your Arrangement Hardware and OS Licenses Using Belarc Advisor

In society to install Role you demand installation media. I adopt this as a download.

[Office 2007 OEM/Retail] Microsoft Function 2007
[Office 2022 OEM/Retail] Microsoft Office 2022
[Function 2022 OEM/Retail] Microsoft Office 2022

If you lot are looking for the gratis Microsoft Office 2022 Starter, its obsolete and in that location are no official download links. Use the free Microsoft Office 2022 WebApps instead which have all the functionality of Office 2022 Starter and much more than.

Microsoft Mathematics [Gratuitous]

Download the Microsoft Office installers and save to an external difficult bulldoze. Its useful to save your product key in a text file abreast the installer.

1.3 Downloading Windows Updates [Part ane Downloading]

This step is optional, Windows 8.1 with Update 1 Media is relatively up to date so performing this additional stride doesn't relieve too much fourth dimension.

Downloading Windows Updates with WSUS Offline Update [Part 1]

At this phase you should download the Standalone Windows Updates or most of the Windows Updates using WSUS Offline Update for Windows viii.1 and copy the folder to a USB external hard drive.

1.4 Organisation Drivers Download and Installation [Part 1 Downloading]

SATA drivers generally merely demand to be loaded if the installation cannot detect any hard drives or reports later during the setup that it can't configure your hardware.

Downloading, Preparing and Loading Preinstallation SATA Drivers
Checking Hardware IDs
Driver Installation Lodge
Downloading Drivers from Dell and Unofficial Driver Sets

At this stage yous should download the Organisation Drivers and copy them in a folder to a USB external hard drive.

Part ii: Bankroll Upwards Information

This section talks almost backing up data, if yous have no data to backup and so this section can be skipped.

two.1 Bankroll up Data

Backing upwards your files
Data Recovery using Fedora

Follow Backing Up your Files unless your installation can't kick in this example follow Data Recovery Using Fedora.

You lot may also desire to backup your sometime Windows installation in some cases:

Backing Up your Old Windows Installation as a Disc Prototype using Acronis

Part 3: Updating the BIOS and Hardware and Preparing the System for Windows Installation

This department takes you through upgrading some hardware which will optimise your systems operation. It also takes y'all through updating the BIOS and making some changes which may or may not be necessary depending on your hardware configuration. Finally it takes you through preparing the hard drive before Windows installation i.due east. securely wiping it.

3.1 BIOS Updates

The BIOS Update

The latest BIOS Update is recommended to be installed before upgrading to Windows 7 or 8.1 however requires a working Windows installation. If yous cannot update the BIOS from the old Windows installation or your previous installation is infested past Virus or Malware then update it afterward installing Windows.

3.two Hardware Upgrades

Solid Country Bulldoze and Hard Drive Upgrades for your System
Memory Upgrades for your System
Video Carte du jour Upgrade for your System – Ask on Desktop Video Forum [Desktops only]

Ensure that you refer to your Service Manual (older systems) or Owner'southward Transmission when adding/removing hardware. DDR2 RAM is quite expensive now and the best functioning from former systems will be from a SSD.

3.iii SATA Operation, UEFI and Secure Boot and other BIOS Settings

BIOS Settings

SATA drivers more often than not only demand to be loaded if the installation cannot detect any hard drives or reports later on during the setup that it tin't configure your hardware.

3.4 Preparing your Hard Drive

Cleaning your Drive (optional/recommended)
Preparing your Difficult Drive: Setting Up Media Straight [A Pocket-size Subset of Dell Systems Merely] [Part one Making System partitions and Function 3 downloading a Media Direct .iso]

Part 4: Windows Installation and Driver Installation

This function takes y'all through the actual Windows installation aswell as updating it and installing the system drivers.

4.1 Windows Installation

Its recommended to carry out directly Windows 8.1 installation if your system came with Windows XP, Vista or 7 or installation on a new or deeply wiped hard drive or for those who desire to alter partitions etc.

The Windows 8.1 Reset on the other mitt may be more appropriate for users reinstalling the same Windows 8.0/8.1 license.

Windows 8.one Installation
Windows 8.ane Reset

four.2 Office Installation

Office installation is pretty simplistic, simply launch the .exes and input your product key, I recommend installing Microsoft Office immediately after Microsoft Windows.

4.3 Standalone Updates [Part 2 Installing]

Installing Windows Updates Offline [Part 2]

This updates Windows using the standalone updates downloaded with WSUS Offline Update. WSUS Offline Update tin can exist set up to update Microsoft Office as well as Microsoft Windows. This should only be done later on Windows 8.1 and update ane is installed, I recommend installing these manually.

4.4 System Drivers Download and Installation [Role two Installing]

Downloading, Preparing and Loading SATA Drivers
Checking Hardware IDs
Commuter Installation Order
Downloading Drivers from Dell and Unofficial Commuter Sets

At this stage you should install the drivers in the right guild.

4.5 Product Activation

Explanation of the Windows OEM and Retail License – How to Download Installation Media and Activate

4.6 Windows Update

Windows Update

If you disabled the Windows Update settings on in order to forbid Windows viii.ane and Windows eight.1 Update ane installation problems ensure to enable them at this stage:

Plough Automatic Updating On
Plough Find PCs, Devices and Content on your Network On

four.seven Boosted Microsoft Services

Microsoft .Internet Framework
Windows Media Center (Optional Paid Upgrade – Recheck Product Activation later on Upgrading)

4.eight Power Settings

Power Settings

Its recommended to optimise your power settings to your preferences.

4.nine Customisation and Desktop Enhancements

Customisation and Desktop Enhancements

Some quick notes on Desktop Enhancements.

4.x Recovering Files

Obtaining your Files from the Windows.old Folder and Deleting it (Update with Disc Cleanup)

This will only be present if you haven't securely wiped or formatted your organization.

Part 5: SSD/HDD Optimisation

This gives some hints about optimising a SSD/HDD configuration. If you lot aren't using both a SSD and HDD this section doesn't apply.

5.i SSD (not-cache) and HDD configuration – Recommended

Use for >120 GB SSDs and >ane TB HDDs.

Moving user-files and OneDrive to a new location

5.ii mSATA Cache Drives – Not Recommended

Use for 32-64 GB SSDs and >1 TB HDDs.

Notation: If your system has a mSATA Solid State State Cache Drive you should review this document for configuring the Intel Rapid Responsiveness software here.

Note: If your system has a mSATA Solid Country State Cache Bulldoze yous should review this document for configuring the Intel Rapid Responsiveness software here.

Intel Rapid Responsiveness software

Office half-dozen: Creating a New Restore Segmentation, New Factory Settings and New Recovery Media

These steps are highly recommended every bit it gives yous a ways to quickly restore your clean Windows installation if something goes wrong. I recommend making one before any boosted software is installed.

6.ane Dell Backup and Recovery

The free version of the Dell Backup and Recovery plan (Dell Systems only) will make a hidden recovery partition on the aforementioned HDD/SSD you installed the Operating System on upon installation. Y'all can and so make a Recovery USB (Recommended for MBR <2010 systems) or Recovery External Hard Drive (Recommended for UEFI BIOS >2010 systems) of this image and revert to it at any time.

A Refresh Image tin can be created on any Windows 8.i system and the user can select where to locate the refresh epitome; for instance on a separate drive.

Dell Fill-in and Recovery/Alienware Respawn (Dell Systems Only)

6.2 Windows eight.1 Refresh Epitome

Creating a Windows viii.1 Refresh Image

Annotation for Dell Systems the Dell Backup and Recovery image volition supersede the Refresh Paradigm.

Role 7: 3rd Party Software

This gives some notes virtually backing up your working Windows installation and then installation of boosted Dell software and other Tertiary Party software.

7.ane Dell Preinstalled Software (Dell Systems Only)

Dell Digital Delivery*
My Dell Downloads (Use 32 Bit Cyberspace Explorer)*
My Dell formly Dell Back up Eye
Installing Media Direct [A Small Subset of Dell Systems Simply] [Part 2: Installing the Media Directly Application, requires the Media Direct Partitions to be setup earlier]

* My Dell Downloads came with about Dell systems which came with Windows 7 (2009-2012). Dell Digital Delivery supersedes information technology for Windows 8.1 systems (2014). For systems which came out with Windows viii.0 (2013) endeavor using Dell Digital Delivery and if it fails so employ my Dell Downloads.

7.2 Security