Is it possible to upgrade and download it to a separate hard drive?

[ywagmoth]

Tomorrow is the last day I can upgrade to windows 10 for free. I just wanted to know if its possible to download it to a separate hard drive for a clean install.

If so, anyone have any tips on how to make this a smooth transition?

Thanks!

 

[dexxterlab97]

Yes you can. When installing win10 you can choose where you want to install it to.

 

[ywagmoth]

Currently windows 8 is on my C drive so if I install windows 10 to my D drive both will be functional? Will my windows 8 still work after I have installed windows 10?

 

[Colif]

Currently windows 8 is on my C drive so if I install windows 10 to my D drive both will be functional? Will my windows 8 still work after I have installed windows 10?

you cannot do this, win 10 upgrade replaces your current install or its not an upgrade. You cannot use both at same time and the win 8 licence will become a win 10 one in a month anyway.

You can however fresh install win 10 using the win 10 media creation tool to create an installer tomorrow and fresh install win 10 using your current win 8 licence when asked for a key during the install. Use one of the drives for storage, if you choose to use a new drive take the old one out during the install process or win 10 may decide to put files on it.

follow this: http://www.tenforums.com/tutorials/1950-windows-10-clean-install.html

 

[dexxterlab97]

Currently windows 8 is on my C drive so if I install windows 10 to my D drive both will be functional? Will my windows 8 still work after I have installed windows 10?

you cannot do this, win 10 upgrade replaces your current install or its not an upgrade. You cannot use both at same time and the win 8 licence will become a win 10 one in a month anyway.

You can however fresh install win 10 using the win 10 media creation tool to create an installer tomorrow and fresh install win 10 using your current win 8 licence when asked for a key during the install. Use one of the drives for storage, if you choose to use a new drive take the old one out during the install process or win 10 may decide to put files on it.

follow this: http://www.tenforums.com/tutorials/1950-windows-10-clean-install.html

You can go to win10 to get activated, do a clean reset (not the rollback) to win8 and then you can have win10 and 8. That's what I did

 

[Colif]

I prefer to give people advice that may not come back and bite them later. Just because Microsoft are lenient in the usage of both win 8 and 10 being used on one licence key now, doesn't mean they will stay that way. They may have only been doing that during free period. Only time will tell I guess. They have never been generous like that before though.

 

[ywagmoth]

Thanks you everyone for the great advise! I get replies so fast on this forum its unreal.

I'm not looking to use both OS at the same time. I just want to make sure after I install windows 10 everything works perfectly, if not I have the option to switch back to windows 8. I was just afraid that once I installed windows 10 my windows 8 would be disabled and I wouldn't be able to revert back if I had a program/hardware issue.

 

[Colif]

You get a one month trial period to test win 10 before your win 8 licence becomes a win 10 licence and you cannot go back without buying a new licence.