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Author Topic: Cheapest way to get W8  (Read 12679 times)

sevenlayermuddle

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Cheapest way to get W8
« on: July 15, 2013, 11:28:04 AM »

Hi Folks,

I have a need for a W8 system.

Now, I have recently inherited Dad's 4 year old DELL, with XP Pro installed, but which also has Vista & XP installation media.   The only hardware change I plan is a bigger disk.  So what I'd like to do is put in new HDD, then install either XP or Vista as supplied by Dell, and then  install W8 Upgrade, probably from amazon....

http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B008GRKGXK

Can anybody confirm or deny whether that plan will work, and will be 100% legal...  specifically:

1) Is there any reason to doubt that the XP/Vista media that came with the Dell will  install OK on a new HDD?

2) The amazon price seems cheap... will it turn out to be OEM licence of dubious validity? 

3) Any other technical issues I might live to regret (I don't care about system performance, as long as it runs at all).

Any comments appreciated,

7LM
« Last Edit: July 15, 2013, 11:31:49 AM by sevenlayermuddle »
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c6em

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Re: Cheapest way to get W8
« Reply #1 on: July 15, 2013, 11:46:02 AM »

The only comment I can make is on item (1) in yr list: and that 'IF' it is an original dell installation then the dell factory restore partition should still be there.
So......
Clone the old disk to a new disk
install new disk
Do a factory restore - need to press a paricular key during the boot up sequence
This will give you.......one "as new" XP pro installation
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sevenlayermuddle

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Re: Cheapest way to get W8
« Reply #2 on: July 15, 2013, 12:13:57 PM »

The only comment I can make is on item (1) in yr list: and that 'IF' it is an original dell installation then the dell factory restore partition should still be there.
So......
Clone the old disk to a new disk
install new disk
Do a factory restore - need to press a paricular key during the boot up sequence
This will give you.......one "as new" XP pro installation

Thank you, C6EM.  But is there any reason I need to do a restore, rather than just re-install?  I do have original discs, as supplied by Dell with the machine, that claim to be Operating System 'Reinstallation DVDs', one for XP and one for Vista?

That said, if this is the only uncertainty, I probably have a spare Sata disc lying around that I could try it on first.  I took it out of service because the bad block count was increasing at an alarming rate, but it may struggle along well enough for proof of concept before spending any cash.   :graduate:
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c6em

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Re: Cheapest way to get W8
« Reply #3 on: July 15, 2013, 06:24:11 PM »

Merely convienence/time

I've done a factory restore on my dell which had become unstable and clogged up and it was a few minutes job.
Boot up, press the secret F key at bios stage
Computer enters special program/partition
Screens carefully warns you several times that this will wipe everything forever and to remove all your data to another storage medium.
Asks you several times to confirm you really really want to do this.
Wait so far as I can recall a few minutes while computer unpacks the compressed image of the installation stored on the recovery partition (its basically like an Acronis/macrium type disc image backup being restored) - and that's it job done.
Computer re-boots just as the day I bought it some 5 years earlier at first boot.

Then you have to start re-installing all the updates, programs, bug fixes, patches, workarounds, personal settings ................ which then took the computer (and me) the rest of the day plus.

This seemed to me far easier than getting the original disks out and doing it the hard way - later anyway I think dell (like other manufacurers) stopped providing the disks at all and just relied on providing the user with the recovery partition to re-install windows.  Which is fine until the disk fails of course, so the wise make their own complete disk images to safetly keep as well.

This all may be mute if your disk has had a total re-install done which has wiped the original Dell recovery partition or even if the partition is there, someone has overwritten the special Dell MBR which enables the bios to transfer control to the recovery partition/program rather than boot as normal.
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sevenlayermuddle

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Re: Cheapest way to get W8
« Reply #4 on: July 15, 2013, 08:43:20 PM »

Thanks again.

I think I'll stick with my original plan though (fresh install on virgin HDD), as it serves two purposes...

1) It preserves Dad's system on the old disc, just in case I've overlooked any reason I might want to boot it up again some time in the future.

2) It allows me to make the only hardware upgrade I want, which is a bigger HDD.

Although it was my father's machine I can vouch for everything that happened to it, as every  change involved a long and arduous phone call to the family helpdesk (muddle-desk?).   I'm certain he'd not mind me saying so, would probably even raise a smile.  :D

I was concerned that I may hit licencing issues reinstalling on a different HDD as some licensing software uses the drive serial number (among other things) to identify the licensed system, but I guess not in this case.

As for that Amazon Windows 8 Pro upgrade at under £50...   no catches, then?
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sevenlayermuddle

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Re: Cheapest way to get W8
« Reply #5 on: July 16, 2013, 11:39:10 PM »

Bits now on order, new HDD and W8 upgrade from Amazon.   

We'll see how it goes.  :)
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Chrysalis

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Re: Cheapest way to get W8
« Reply #6 on: August 13, 2013, 04:21:59 PM »

I think you have missed the cheapest way which was the time limited offer for pro upgrade.  I believe that expired very early 2013.

The next cheapest way if wanting 5+ copies is technet and microsoft is about to close down technet.

Buying the upgrade of win8 give upgrade only install media tho which requires a bit of hacking on the registry to allow a clean install.
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sevenlayermuddle

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Re: Cheapest way to get W8
« Reply #7 on: November 05, 2013, 10:00:59 AM »

Content edited, content deleted that may accidentally describe violation of licensing terms.

Have to say I'm a bit poleaxed by Windows 8.  Doing anything at all (like even just opening a browser) involves shifting over to the Mac and googling for how to do it.  Did nobody tell them that whilst making it look like a big tablet may look cute, the interface really had to remain intuitive?
« Last Edit: November 05, 2013, 11:58:26 AM by sevenlayermuddle »
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sevenlayermuddle

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Re: Cheapest way to get W8
« Reply #8 on: November 05, 2013, 10:20:38 AM »

PS:   Thinking more on that, I wonder if I am properly licensed?   :o

Edit: Content edited, content deleted that may accidentally describe violation of licensing terms.


« Last Edit: November 05, 2013, 11:59:21 AM by sevenlayermuddle »
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Ronski

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Re: Cheapest way to get W8
« Reply #9 on: November 05, 2013, 10:25:46 AM »

Install start8, and the normal start menu will be back. Costs $5, or I think there is one called classic start which is free.

One trick with upgrade media, is to do a completely fresh install with it, but don't enter the licence number, then do an in place upgrade, this time entering the licence number. It's worked  on all  Windows versions for as long  as I can remember. As long as you still have a valid media license to upgrade from then you are fine on that side of things. 

If you have used either of the other licences for the upgrades, then by rights they should no longer be installed.
« Last Edit: November 05, 2013, 03:40:41 PM by Ronski »
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Formerly restrained by ECI and ali,  now surfing along at 390/36  ;D

sevenlayermuddle

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Re: Cheapest way to get W8
« Reply #10 on: November 05, 2013, 10:39:33 AM »

If you have used either of the other licences for the upgrades, then by rights they should no longer be installed, but that's your choice and not likely to cause a problem.

I have edited my earlier posts as I think they may have described a licence violation which was not my intent, I will be ensuring the new system runs just W8. 

I still have my 'old' XP box (separate purchase from Dell) that obviously remains valid. 
« Last Edit: November 05, 2013, 12:01:16 PM by sevenlayermuddle »
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HPsauce

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Re: Cheapest way to get W8
« Reply #11 on: November 05, 2013, 01:46:24 PM »

I think there is one called classic start which is free.
Classic Shell. Free and excellent.  :graduate:
See: http://forum.kitz.co.uk/index.php?topic=11931.0
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