New
#11
get someone to post you a dvd with the ISO file on it.
Isn't the ISO the same as the usb and as long as I don't boot it should work the same? That's what I'm going to try but want to be sure it will update not overwrite.
If you wish to do something as major as an OS upgrade, it'd be nice to have an image of your current installation, and a bootable device that would allow you to restore it if something goes too wrong. (Which is unlikely, but not impossible.)
I use Acronis True Image. Works fine, with the only complication that I needed to create a WinPE restore disk. (Their Linux-based default install disk didn't like my X99 motherboard at the time.)
Macrium Reflect Free is popular, and free for home use:
Macrium Reflect Free
You'd still have to come up with a second drive to store the image, internal or external. (I got a 128 GB USB3 flash drive on sale at Best Buy a couple of weekends ago for $30US. My primary backup is an external 4TB Seagate drive, about $130 a few months ago.)
For the desktop just boot into Windows 8.1>plug the USB in and double click setup.exe(near bottom), it will mount the USB drive in file explore >. Note you should be connected to the internet though so it can search for updates and to automatically Activate Windows 10.
Well I hope being connected to the internet will not mean any data usage, the whole reason I'm doing this by USB is because I have limited data allotment per month. I was planning on telling it my connection is metered so I can do the updates myself every so often (that's working well with my laptop).
As far as making an image, yes, that would be a smart thing to do but I DO back up all my documents, pics, etc to an external drive and in one drive so if I were to lose all my settings it wouldn't be a complete disaster. And I do have a reinstall disc for win 8.1 and also a recovery usb that I made shortly after I got the computer in December. I may try tonight, wish me luck!
Ut oh, speaking of one drive, I have my settings for that so that they are available on my computer AND online, I hope that doesn't disappear and one drive try to upload (or download) all my pics again?
No, if you run setup.exe from desktop while it's booted to 8.1, it will upgrade.
Day late and a dollar short