Windows 8.1 installation and download

[m1s1ymrm3nm03o]

I have an asus drw 24b1st optical drive and was wondering if it is easier to install windows using the disc or if I need to buy the usb version because i would rather be able to use the optical drive to do it.

 

[basroil]

Just follow the instructions at http://windows.microsoft.com/en-us/windows-8/create-reset-refresh-media if you want to make a USB installer (MUCH faster ). If the DVD drive is USB, it might have issues on some machines.

 

[USAFRet]

I have an asus drw 24b1st optical drive and was wondering if it is easier to install windows using the disc or if I need to buy the usb version because i would rather be able to use the optical drive to do it.

If you have the DVD and a DVD drive, it is easier to just use that.
Faster doesn't really matter, because you're not doing this all the time.

 

[basroil]

Faster doesn't really matter, because you're not doing this all the time.

In this case though installing from USB is much faster because there are fewer updates to deal with. Retail disks might need >1GB in downloads and over a hundred updates and could take hours more than a USB stick or DVD made with the media creation tool (and only that method) even considering the time to download the OS

 

[USAFRet]

Faster doesn't really matter, because you're not doing this all the time.

In this case though installing from USB is much faster because there are fewer updates to deal with. Retail disks might need >1GB in downloads and over a hundred updates and could take hours more than a USB stick or DVD made with the media creation tool (and only that method) even considering the time to download the OS

Yeah, maybe.
Or...install with the DVD, start the updates, wake up in the AM...poof, it's done.
Whichever.

 

[medab1]

You could test your download speed here-

http://www.speedtest.net/

The media creation tool download is 3 or 4 GBs for the iso.

You will need Windows Updates too.
Even with a fast connection, THEY take a long time to download.
Longer than the iso file I think.

Why Microsoft is so slow is beyond me. 🙁

I have a pretty fast connection, but getting Windows Updates is tedious.

A picture -

 

[basroil]

You will need Windows Updates too.
Even with a fast connection, THEY take a long time to download.
Longer than the iso file I think.

Updates generally download quite fast, several mb/s for large ones like the 8.1 Update and 1511. The issue is what they do to check the integrity of the download before installing it. Unfortunately that's another fairly long pass that can take ages if you have a ton of smaller updates. When installing from retail media, it sure as hell will take a long time, and if the retail media is older than 8.1 Update, that update also needs to be downloaded separately and will not be an overnight thing. It might take a day and a half to install everything if you wait overnight .