Cost effective way to upgrade from 7 Ultimate to 8.1?

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nzkiwiman

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#134045 12-Nov-2013 17:46

(sorry in advance if covered somewhere, I checked back a few pages but did not see)

Just brought myself a new Intel NUC and plan to install Windows 8.1 onto it.
However the cost of getting 8.1 seems rather expensive after using Technet for so many years to install XP/Vista/7 on any machine I needed to.

Can anyone advise the cheapest option to get 8.1 (I don't think I need 8.1 Pro) short of 'finding a friend with a Technet sub'?

Otherwise, Windows 7 it is again for me

EDIT: Terrible Spelling

nathan

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#931656 12-Nov-2013 17:49

best (cheapest) way would've been to buy an OEM copy with the new hardware when you purchased it, is that still an option?

nzkiwiman

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#931661 12-Nov-2013 17:56

Sadly not nathan
As no one in New Zealand could tell me when the 2nd Gen Intel NUC was going to be released here, as soon as I saw it was in stock on Amazon I ordered it. It is in transit to Portland as I type.

Yabanize

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#931665 12-Nov-2013 18:18

nzkiwiman: Sadly not nathan
As no one in New Zealand could tell me when the 2nd Gen Intel NUC was going to be released here, as soon as I saw it was in stock on Amazon I ordered it. It is in transit to Portland as I type.

Cant you just buy an OEM copy now? or do you HAVE to buy it when you're buying the parts

Adamww

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#933062 13-Nov-2013 13:05

About $70USD on ebay for win8 pro.

boby55

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#933072 13-Nov-2013 13:17

I know it's against the T's & C's of OEM license but most of the online shops will sell you just an OEM version of 8.1, They're going for $160 IIRC

nzkiwiman

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#933186 13-Nov-2013 14:59

Have just received a message from a user who has 8 Pro for sale, retail version.
I believe that unless the 'System Builder' version was purchased that all retail copies of 8/8 Pro are upgrades only and cannot be installed on a system that does not have a OS already installed.

Is anyone able to enlighten me?
I am getting more and more confused the more I read online regarding versions and install paths.

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nzkiwiman

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#936709 18-Nov-2013 15:29

After doing a bit of searching I found that I can use a 8 Pro key to download the 8.1 ISO from Microsoft and install it on a clean HDD (or SSD) and then activate

So I went with the copy I was offered on the forum here