WIN 8 install help

[Doom5003]

Okay so I recently bought WIN 8 and would like to know does anyone have any tips on what to enable or disable and what settings should be change to get the best out of my ssd. When I first installed my ssd I had a what to do and what not to do to get the most out of my ssd and ensure a long life, I would just like some help with that as well. And on another note, I have my steam and origin and uplay all installed on a separate hdd, what do I need to do to get all my games to work, do I need to reinstall steam etc. or just run them and all will be well?

Another question.
Which is better, to update WIN8 to 8.1 or to do a clean install of 8.1 with 8 key?

 

[Demon10000]

Win8/8.1 should take care of your SSD automatically and you shouldn't have to do anything with it. Just install. If you're going to go to Win8.1, don't waste your time going 8, then 8.1 -- go directly to 8.1. Thats kind of a no-brainer, unless I'm missing something.

In regards to your games:
Steam:
If you install Steam to the same folder, and/or point the libraries at the same folder, it should just pick up your games and you should be good to go.

Origin:
This is hit or miss, but mostly miss with the few games I have. You usually have to re-install Origin, then reinstall all of the games.

Uplay:
I have no experience with this.

 

[Doom5003]

Win8/8.1 should take care of your SSD automatically and you shouldn't have to do anything with it. Just install. If you're going to go to Win8.1, don't waste your time going 8, then 8.1 -- go directly to 8.1. Thats kind of a no-brainer, unless I'm missing something.

In regards to your games:
Steam:
If you install Steam to the same folder, and/or point the libraries at the same folder, it should just pick up your games and you should be good to go.

Origin:
This is hit or miss, but mostly miss with the few games I have. You usually have to re-install Origin, then reinstall all of the games.

Uplay:
I have no experience with this.

Hell no, i would rather just finish Mass Effect 3 and Crysis 3 before going over to Win 8. Steam I read somewhere that it will be fine to just run it as it is, it should detect all my games, the games themselfs will just run those directX install ect before playing. Uplay, well i dont see myself starting AC3 from scrach.
Thanks for the replay/
Hope someone else has some more info for me.

 

[Demon10000]

Hell no, i would rather just finish Mass Effect 3 and Crysis 3 before going over to Win 8

I don't understand this response. Maybe some compatibility problems with these games? What you're saying is exactly what I said regarding Steam (I usually re-install the Stream client to the same folder - it didn't work running it directly the last time I tried which was a LONG time ago).

And yes, each came will re-install the requirements as it will look to the game that it is the first time you've ever launched it.

 

[Liger88]

Windows 8.1 is literally just Windows 8 SP1. You can upgrade from Windows 8 to 8.1 just fine, no big deal. If you have the opportunity then you should go straight to 8.1 though.

Since Windows 7 there is nothing you need to do special to get an SSD to function 100% properly on a clean install. Only issues are if you go from a HDD cloned to an SSD.

 

[Doom5003]

I don't understand this response. Maybe some compatibility problems with these games? What you're saying is exactly what I said regarding Steam (I usually re-install the Stream client to the same folder - it didn't work running it directly the last time I tried which was a LONG time ago).

And yes, each came will re-install the requirements as it will look to the game that it is the first time you've ever launched it.

I would rather just finish these 2 games since i am almost done, that way i dont have to worry too much with any problems with origin or having to redownload those games ect. But in any case, i have found a way that origin games should run just fine so that seems to be okay. But in the past i have learned that reading how things should work and how the really work doesnt always go hand in hand.

 

[Doom5003]

Windows 8.1 is literally just Windows 8 SP1. You can upgrade from Windows 8 to 8.1 just fine, no big deal. If you have the opportunity then you should go straight to 8.1 though.

Since Windows 7 there is nothing you need to do special to get an SSD to function 100% properly on a clean install. Only issues are if you go from a HDD cloned to an SSD.

Sice i only have a Win 8 key, will it work on a 8.1 clean install?

 

[Liger88]

Sice i only have a Win 8 key, will it work on a 8.1 clean install?

That would be a problem. From what I've seen, no it will not and that was done intentionally because they wanted to originally sell it (still do I think it has a free period). But there are some hacks out there that can make it work. Such a discussion would not be allowed though. It wont be too much of a PITA to install 8 and then upgrade to 8.1. It really is just a Service Pack despite what Microsoft is trying to sell it as to confuse customers.

 

[Demon10000]

I would rather just finish these 2 games since i am almost done, that way i dont have to worry too much with any problems with origin or having to redownload those games ect. But in any case, i have found a way that origin games should run just fine so that seems to be okay. But in the past i have learned that reading how things should work and how the really work doesnt always go hand in hand.

Gotcha, and I totally agree.

I don't have many games from Origin, but I can tell you that I've never had a single game that I could get to work after reinstalling the OS. The ones off the top of my head are the Dragon Age games...

I've actually started saving the origin installers (you can set the option to keep them and where to put them). Yeah, it takes up more space, but space is cheap these days. And when I want to play a game, I quickly get out of the mood to play it if I have to spend time downloading and installing it again Origin style. With Steams method, I can at least start the install and it'll be there the next time I feel like playing it. I think gaming gave me ADD... I have no patience for waiting anymore!

 

[bigdogchris]

Okay so I recently bought WIN 8 and would like to know does anyone have any tips on what to enable or disable and what settings should be change to get the best out of my ssd. When I first installed my ssd I had a what to do and what not to do to get the most out of my ssd and ensure a long life, I would just like some help with that as well. And on another note, I have my steam and origin and uplay all installed on a separate hdd, what do I need to do to get all my games to work, do I need to reinstall steam etc. or just run them and all will be well?

Another question.
Which is better, to update WIN8 to 8.1 or to do a clean install of 8.1 with 8 key?

The primary SSD tweaks you should make:

1. Ensure you are installing in AHCI mode
2. Considering setting page file to min/max method, to lower the initial size of the PF
3. Resize the Hibernation file to 50% to save space.

 

[Doom5003]

Thanks for all the replays. Since 8.1 is more of a service pack, I don’t think anything will go wrong or will be “broken” after the update so going from 8 to 8.1 seems to be the way. But I can always just try the clean 8.1 install and if it doesn’t work take the long way around. I think the end product should be the same. Even if I lose my Dragon Age saves it won’t be the end of the world as I have completed them both 2X. And Battlefield 3 I only play MP so no lose there. Uplay is my only concern so far, so will do some more reading regarding it.

One last question, something I should have asked before buying Win 8. Is it worth updating? Or let me ask, if you had the chance to upgrade from Win7 to Win8 for free (as my girl bought me Win8 it didn’t cost me anything) would you do it?