I go the notice I can upgrade to windows 10 but I want to do it on a fresh drive. Is there an ISO file out there I can use to install it? Will the Win 8.1 key I have work during install or will I have to install 8.1 first and then upgrade?
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Except when you're on an HDD and it installs 10 into the inner (slower) part of your drive.But an upgrade is basically a clean install anyway.
Except when you're on an HDD and it installs 10 into the inner (slower) part of your drive.
You can choose to upgrade without saving data to save a step.
As far as network issues, One machine eventually had problems with it's Ethernet network card not seeing the LAN until you disabled and reenabled it but a clean reinstall fixed that. otherwise zero problems.
The upgrade process - actually if you reserved a copy of Windows 10 in the recent past before it was released - created the hardware hash aka installation ID which is stored on Microsoft's servers so the Product Key is no longer necessary. Only a retail full purchase of Windows 10 requires a Product Key (and one comes in the package with it) - the Enterprise edition does as well but it uses MAKs so they're not even something you can buy as a consumer anyway since they have to be purchased in mass quantities and not single licenses.
Anyway, once you do the upgrade - which is what Microsoft is offering: a free upgrade to Windows 10 - the hardware hash is then used to handle the activation for clean installs afterward on the same hardware.