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<blockquote data-quote="Dave_W" data-source="post: 300204" data-attributes="member: 9521">My computer has been acting a bit funny lately so I would like to reformat my HD and would ideally like to put a clean installation of Windows 8.1 but I have a couple of problems. To being with, my computer (Dell 8500) came with Windows 7 loaded on it, so my partition has a copy of Windows 7 as well as a thumb drive they sent me. I've read several web pages that describe how to load a clean copy of W-8 but they all start with a bootable CD and/or thumb drive with Windows 8, something I do not have. I legally own Windows 8 having purchased the upgrade directly from MS (bought my computer close enough to the Windows 8 debut so it only cost me $14) but I did it all electronically and do not have a disk or thumb drive. So my question is this - is there a way (easy or hard?) to create a bootable disk/thumb drive that would allow me to install a clean version of 8?&nbsp; Or should I go ahead and do the step-wise install of Windows 7 to 8 to 8.1? I've read a lot of people are big on doing a &quot;clean install&quot; of Windows 8 but I've yet to hear what, if any, is the advantage of such an install. Is a clean install really that much better than a step-wise installation?Gracias amgos y' amigas.</blockquote>

[QUOTE="Dave_W, post: 300204, member: 9521"] My computer has been acting a bit funny lately so I would like to reformat my HD and would ideally like to put a clean installation of Windows 8.1 but I have a couple of problems. To being with, my computer (Dell 8500) came with Windows 7 loaded on it, so my partition has a copy of Windows 7 as well as a thumb drive they sent me. I've read several web pages that describe how to load a clean copy of W-8 but they all start with a bootable CD and/or thumb drive with Windows 8, something I do not have. I legally own Windows 8 having purchased the upgrade directly from MS (bought my computer close enough to the Windows 8 debut so it only cost me $14) but I did it all electronically and do not have a disk or thumb drive. So my question is this - is there a way (easy or hard?) to create a bootable disk/thumb drive that would allow me to install a clean version of 8? Or should I go ahead and do the step-wise install of Windows 7 to 8 to 8.1? I've read a lot of people are big on doing a "clean install" of Windows 8 but I've yet to hear what, if any, is the advantage of such an install. Is a clean install really that much better than a step-wise installation? Gracias amgos y' amigas. [/QUOTE]

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