Creating a Windows install disk?

[dedanna1029]

Hypothetically, this being the only real way to explain my question, let's say I have a Windows 10 installation running (a legitimate one), BUT, they didn't give me a hard copy of a Win 10 install disk with the purchase of this system.

Is there a way I can make a hard copy of an installation disk from the installation I have of it, and put it onto cd or dvd?

TIA.

[viking60]

Probably not!

Windows 10 is a "free" cloud service "so you can download it from the cloud any time".

The one you can make install disks of is Windows 8 which you need to install Windows 10.

[dedanna1029]

So one would have to upgrade to Win 10 to make a Win 8 install disk?

[viking60]

No - on the contrary!

You need to make install disks from Windows 8 before you update to Windows 10.

If I have got this right Windows 10 is "Free" and can be downloaded and installed all the time - but only if you have a licensed Win 8 (or 7) install.

Without Windows 7 or Windows 8; Windows 10 will maybe not work (Maybe it will work with the Windows 8 product key - I am not sure but I have heard something to that effect).
On Updates/upgrades from Win 8 to Win 8.1 UEFI will take care of the key - but upgrading to Windows 10 is different.

Just to find that info is almost impossible these days so you need to download a third party software to see your Windows 8 (or 8,1) product key:

This one should do it:

http://www.nirsoft.net/utils/product_cd_key_viewer.html

Or one of these:

http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/3-portable ... c-windows/


Write down the product key - but that is not enough

That key will only work with your Win 8 install so you need to generate the install disks from it.
With any other Win 8 disk - it will not work

To make Install media from Windows 8.1
Have a look here

To make install media from Win 8
Check out here

--- It is as easy as that - Microsoft is your friend

After that you can upgrade to Windows 10.

And then it is time to install Linux Manjaro (Arch based) is supposed to have a pretty good installer these days that deals with Uefi.
Mint, Debian Zorin, Mageia or even Centos make good desktops too.

[viking60]

What I did when I had a Win 8 laptop?

Well I found the product key and wrote it down but that giga big install disk stuff took too much time so I got impatient and dropped it - turned of Uefi and installed Linux on the entire enchilada

(Win 8 is crap anyway ).

Maybe I can still install Win 10 on it if I get in the mood - but I doubt it.

[dedanna1029]

Yeah, I'm eligible for the Win 10 upgrade but haven't been able to get there yet.

Thank you so much for the product key information above! It's a lifesaver! I've been wondering wtf my product key is lol, for several reasons.

I'm also finding as you say, Win 8 & 8.1 indeed are crap. The scarey part to me though about upgrading to 10 is automatic updates. On Windows in particular I don't like that at all! So, decisions, decisions... I think I will try to create the install disks for 8.1, but beyond that I dunno what I'll do. I want my Linux back... but I have to keep a minimal Windows install at least as well. Win 10 may handle the hardware on the new lappy better, who knows, but I won't do Win 10 without ability to go back to 8.1 (although I hear that once one upgrades their version of Windows, they can't go back anyway; if I tried to I'd probably zero out the drive first) if it's necessary to.

Arch. Yes. Definitely will be the first stop after finishing up this stuff with Windows. I've turned off UEFI boot completely already, but it appears to not like not having the PXE-ROM on boot.

[dedanna1029]

This one should do it:

http://www.nirsoft.net/utils/product_cd_key_viewer.html

This one did it.

Write down the product key - but that is not enough

That key will only work with your Win 8 install so you need to generate the install disks from it.
With any other Win 8 disk - it will not work

Yup, figured so.

To make Install media from Windows 8.1
Have a look here

Yup again. 39.something GBs. I think I'll use a 64-GB flash stick. It's probably lying about the 39.something GBs... so, plenty of room.

After that you can upgrade to Windows 10.

Oh. Joy.

And then it is time to install Linux Manjaro (Arch based) is supposed to have a pretty good installer these days that deals with Uefi.
Mint, Debian Zorin, Mageia or even Centos make good desktops too.

Wish I could triple boot. I'd do Arch and Mageia. I don't dare it though. As I mentioned in another thread, I'm also going to make a Windows boot disk before I dare the dual-boot.

You know me. I gotta try this. If I fubar Windows, I fubar it. Oh well. I'll blow my warranty and install Linux all the way. Screw 'em. I have a three-year accident protection policy on this thing. If I install Linux all the way, I can accidentally on purpose drop the hell out of it and get a new one ( ) (of course, if the Linux installation gets screwed, that is, from the UEFI)

[dedanna1029]

I think however, upon second thought, not upgrade online.
There's a media creation tool wherein one can create a Windows 10 .iso.

Just a thought. Maybe this thread should be moved to Linux Education. Er, Windows Education. Er, wait.

[viking60]

Maybe Tips and Tricks - depending on the result.

I would dualboot with only one to start with: I put Mageia on my mothers box. Mageia is Ok and known to you, Centos makes a good desktop too. Manjaro would be my choice or even Arch if I had a lot of time....Mint is fine and it is all Linux.
The good thing about Manjaro is that the Arch documentation applies - and that is a biggie And it is rolling so you only have to do it once.

And that Windows iso creation tool should make the Win 8 to 10 upgrade problem free sinnce you can use that to install Windows 10 (Just keep that Win 8 key to be sure)

[dedanna1029]

Oh yeah, no worries.
That's what I figured on the Win10 upgrade, that it would make it more painless.
It will be Arch here - I'm dying to get back to it and I don't want anything to dumb it down. It will be a relearning process. Mageia it will be IF I fail with Win10 out of it and go full Linux - in that case I will triple boot: Arch, Fedora, and Mageia. Mageia became too easy for me, so that would be the smallest of the space on the drive.
I hate easy, especially right now. I need to relearn the hard stuff, and am dying for geekiness.

[dedanna1029]

Look out world. She's downloading the Win 10 .iso now, then it's off to create installation media from Win 8.1.

I'll let you know how it goes.

[viking60]