Recovery disc required

£15 · 23 Mar 2014 at 16:09

My Dell laptop has been through Windows Vista (oem), then 7 (upgrade media), then 8 (upgrade download) and now 8.1 Pro with Media Centre (free key off MS).

I recently changed the BIOS battery, after which it keeps, sort of, freezing. (The mouse cursor moves around, but nothing else can be done.) It could be the cause, or entirely coincidental, I don't know. I have tried looking through the event logs, but cannot find anything to explain it.

Clutching at straws, I thought I'd have a go at refreshing the OS, but if tells me files are missing and I need recovery media. I'm pretty sure I created a recovery disc, but after a house move I cannot find it.

I tried to download an 8.1 ISO from MS, but it tells me my key is an upgrade key and it doesn't qualify. Am I going to have to go all the way back to Vista and go through the upgrade process again? :eek:

marc2003 · 23 Mar 2014 at 16:52

http://forums.overclockers.co.uk/showpost.php?p=26014351&postcount=10

£15 · 23 Mar 2014 at 17:09

Thanks. I assume it's safe.

KIA · 23 Mar 2014 at 20:11

BadMojo said:
Thanks. I assume it's safe.

http://msdn.microsoft.com/subscript...ensions=.iso&PageSize=10&PageIndex=2&FileId=0

Windows 8.1 (multiple editions) (x86) - DVD (English)
Windows 8.1 (multiple editions) (x64) - DVD (English)

You can compare the SHA-1 hash.

£15 · 24 Mar 2014 at 07:13

Thank you very much.

postmanfw · 17 Apr 2014 at 15:59

Thanks from me too i hope

silly question...step 2..Use placeholder key to install ??
please clarify?

Thanks

Also will same method work with an OEM key?

KIA · 17 Apr 2014 at 17:29

postmanfw said:
Thanks from me too i hope

silly question...step 2..Use placeholder key to install ??
please clarify?

Thanks

Also will same method work with an OEM key?

Code:

Core: 334NH-RXG76-64THK-C7CKG-D3VPT
Pro: XHQ8N-C3MCJ-RQXB6-WCHYG-C9WKB

You might not need to use the placeholder key if you have an embedded OEM key.

postmanfw · 18 Apr 2014 at 14:57

Cheers

Couldnt download via that link as it gave error right at end though i think its a browser problem.

Found a 8.1 iso via a torrent site that wasnt a cracked one but came with a crack (which of course i didnt use or need)

Use the iso to create mem pen then installed using the core placeholder key then activated using the genuine windows 8 oem key i extracted from the bios and it activated

All this came about due to a dying hard drive and the recovery media made via 8.1 refusing to work due to a missing partition on new blank hard drive. Common problem it seems.

Had done the same job previously on a windows 8 machine that hadn't been upgraded to 8.1 and worked fine so they broke something with the 8.1 upgrade.

Why they cant just make the legit iso available like with windows 7 i dont know.

Code in bios is handy in some ways as it cant be lost or damaged as i had in the past...just need the right software to extract it (rweverything) which incidently i used via a windows 7 install on said latop as i was trying to get it to download via the ms route but it wouldnt accept the code as it was oem not retail.

Problem sorted and lessons learnt.