Windows 8 Pro.

Going to try to download Windows 8 on the Windows 7 laptop and see if that makes a difference.

Great.....now maybe we can get back to GirlFriendTess's problem?    

EDIT:

Nevermind....just saw this.......guess it got buried.....or I just missed it.

Windows 8 Pro.  Looks pretty clear that the closest you can get to a 'clean install' is to run the upgrade, either coincident with the download or later from a DVD, on a machine with XP, Vista or Win7 and choose 'Nothing' when it asks you 'What to Keep'.

All of which will be moot if I can never connect for the download, which is what's been happening for the last couple of hours.

EDIT -

Wrote that before seeing RND's last reply.  Makes sense.  So the initial upgrade should be run from within an eligible OS and then reformat & install from the DVD?  Or once you have the burned DVD & a valid key, you can install on a formatted drive?  Sorry if I'm being thick, but how does MS know you've had an OS eligible for the upgrade key once it's wiped clean?  Is it coded in the key?  If so, why would people be getting error codes & not be able to activate on formatted drives - see this:

Well that sounds a lot different than actually having an 'upgrade version' of the OS.

What I mean is for example a few years back some US MS Partners were having issues with some of their licensed software in that the media they had received was 'upgrade-only' media and it actually required the ability to upgrade an existing OS.  For this media (if no OS was on the drive) it was actually required to install an older OS, and then upgrade to the newer one.

Other than that I probably shouldn't post about this anymore considering I know so little about the licensing scheme in question.

@ RND

Well like I said, that sounds a lot different to me than actually having (what used to be referred to as) an upgrade(only) version.  I'm glad your license is working out for you.

If you purchased the same kind of license some others in this thread did, could you not login again and re-download it again as well?

I installed clean from the upgrade disc.  Yes, it verifies the OS is on the drive, but then you can format it at leisure.

But if it 'verifies' the OS is on the drive how can it 'verify' the OS being there on a fresh (never before used) HD?   Is this maybe a case where MS expects the OS to live/die by a single HD/system (as is the case with OEM)?

Hmm.......gotta love the million MS licensing schemes........

Yeah it wouldn't be MS if the licensing were straightforward now would it?  hehe

Is this a trick question?  How would an OS be on the drive if it's never been used?

It's an upgrade copy, not a full copy.

There seems to be some disagreement about that.  Info on MS's 'Upgrade to Windows 8' page indicates that you can install from media (which you an create after the upgrade download) by launching it on a rig with an 'upgradable' OS; it verifies eligibility and will then allow you to reformat from within the installation routine, for a 'clean' 'full' OS install.

If you have an OEM version of Windows and your HD dies. You simply get a new HDD, install Windows on it, and use the OEM key on the sticker on your case.

You will activate it as usual.   I can't say it enough, guys, it all hinges on the key. Not the disc. All that matters is that the key you have matches the version you're installing.

Daiwa, you are doing it right.