Windows 8 Pro stuck in automatic repair loop / Erase SSD and install Windows 10?

[mostlyghosty]

My PC currently has Windows 8 Pro 32 bit version installed on a Crucial MX100 SSD. I recently bought some software requiring the 64 bit architecture. I still had the Windows 8 installation disks and attempted to use the 64 bit installation disc to re-format the drive and install the 64 bit OS (my system is 64 bit capable). However, something went wrong in the process, and the 64 bit version was not installed.

Now when I boot up, the PC is stuck in an "Automatic Repair Screen" failure loop. It attempts Automatic Repair, which fails, and then I'm shown a blue screen (not BSOD) in which I can choose to "Exit to Windows" (which only starts the automatic repair loop again), shutdown the PC, or "Advanced Options."

The "Advanced Options" include reset and refresh the PC (no refresh points saved and reset starts the loop again), or find a disc image (there are none), or the command prompt. Microsoft support tried to help me access my Windows 8 product key through the command prompt, but the commands they told me to use were unsuccessful (I have a legit copy of Windows 8, but somehow lost the product key card while retaining the installation discs. Go figure.)

Since my end goals are to 1) have a working PC again and 2) have a PC with 64 bit architecture, I thought it might be worthwhile to completely wipe the SSD with PartedMagic and buy Windows 10 64 bit and do a clean install. However, since my IT knowledge has limits, I want to check with the community and see if this is a good solution to the problem I'm facing.

Thanks in advance.

 

[karenjoly]

Windows 10 is a feasible plan. No need to wipe the drive as the Windows 10 install procedure will do it.

Preliminary items are to

download the latest install files from the Win 10 download site, disconnect all drives except the one targeted for the OS,

go into the bios to set the board to UEFI if that is an option and set the SATA controller to AHCI.

Insert the USB created by the MS media tool, with the windows install files, into the board.

On the motherboard boot device menu, select the command that identifies both the firmware mode and the device. For example, select UEFI: USB Drive (Windows Boot Manager manager will also work) and list that device in the first boot slot on the board.

Reboot.

When presented, select the custom install option. If there are partitions, select each one and then "delete".

Select the unallocated space and click Next. Windows detects when the PC was booted into UEFI mode, and formats the drive using the GPT drive format, and begins the installation.