Windows 8 clean install on SSD in Asus Laptop

Liam ONeill

Estimable
Feb 8, 2015
2
0
4,510
I recently bought a Samsung 840EVO 250gb SSD with the intention of installing it in my Asus Laptop (Aspire V5). I then intend to do a clean install of my OS on this. In order to do this I have been led to believe that I need either a USB drive or a CD with the OS on it from which to boot during the clean install. I have already noted down my product key for windows 8 and know that I have to deactivate it before I re-install. Originally Windows 8 (64 bit) came with the laptop but I'm currently running Windows 8.1 (64 bit) on it. I don't need to copy any files over as I barely keep any on my Laptop; the few files that I do intend to keep are small enough to fit into my dropbox.
I've got a few questions about this process:
Where can I buy a disc/USB drive with the OS on it?
I've seen HP and Dell re-install discs on e-bay, will these suffice or do I need an Asus version?
Should I get a disc/USB drive with windows 8 or windows 8.1?
I have little experience with this kind of experience (I'm a little bit of a technophobe truth be told). Because of this I'm unsure of how to burn a CD to use in this process and so would just prefer to buy one.

Cheers in advance