How to Perform a Clean Installation of Windows 8.1

Once you've made a bootable USB drive, follow these instructions for a fresh installation:

1. Power on your computer to start Windows normally; insert the Windows 8.1 DVD or USB and then restart your computer.
2. Your system will boot from the Windows 8.1 USB drive. When prompted with Press any key to boot from CD or DVD, press any key.

Note: If your PC restarts and loads the current version of Windows, you may need to change the boot sequence in the BIOS settings to boot from the DVD.
3. Restart your computer, and when the manufacturer's logo appears, press the BOOT menu key, which is usually F2, F10, F11, F12 or Del, to access the menu.

4. Set the boot order to USB.
5. In the setup programme, choose your language, time format, currency, and input method, and click Next.

6. Click Install now to begin the installation.

7. Enter the product key to activate Windows 8.1 and click Next.

8. Agree to the licence terms and click Next.

9. On the next screen, choose Custom: Install Windows only (advanced).

10. In the next window, choose the hard drive where you want to install Windows 8.1.
Note: To identify the correct hard drive, check the Total size column and select the drive with the largest size in GB.
11. Click Next and Windows will begin installing on your PC.

12. After a few restarts, customise your PC by selecting your preferred colour and naming your PC. Click Next.

13. Then, select Use express settings.

14. In the next screen, sign in to your Microsoft account with an email address (Hotmail / Outlook / Live).
Note: If you don't have one of these email accounts, click to create a new one.
15. Click Next.

16. Add security info to help recover your account in case of issues, then click Next.
Note: If you prefer, click Skip this for now to bypass this step.

After completing this setup, wait a few moments and you'll have Windows 8.1 installed on your computer.