Fresh 8.1 install on laptop - issue?

chivs688

chivs688

chivs688

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27 Nov 2010
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I had an issue with the hard drive on my laptop and it ended up wiped clean, including the OS.

The laptop (Acer V5-573) came with Windows 8.1 pre-installed, but no recovery disk or anything.
Luckily I used a program to find the product key in the registry before the hard drive got wiped, so I've got my 8.1 key, but it also says something about it linking to a cd key on there, and I'm seeing that there can be an issue installing from scratch as it needs to be the exact installation that's linked with this key?

So I can't just download 8.1 using the Microsoft tool and put in my key and it work.?

Any help much appreciated, thanks.
 
Not tooo sure why I'm getting laughed at, but okay..

Yeah I'm going to chat to Acer tomorrow, just wanted to ask here first to see if I am right in thinking all this.

Internet is awful so didn't want to spend a whole day downloading something that wouldn't work.
 
chivs688 said:
Not tooo sure why I'm getting laughed at, but okay..

Yeah I'm going to chat to Acer tomorrow, just wanted to ask here first to see if I am right in thinking all this.

Internet is awful so didn't want to spend a whole day downloading something that wouldn't work.
Click to expand...

Don't worry, he's not laughing at you but rather at me.
 
The 8.1 installer might just detect the key from the BIOS. Worth trying before you waste time talking to Acer.

I think you can download 8.1 from digital river.
 
Depends on which version of Windows you had, but in theory it should detect the key and use it.

If it was Windows 8.1 / 8.1 N / 8.1 Pro / 8.1 N Pro then you can use the tool from Microsoft to create a bootable USB stick and off you go.

If its 8.1 Single Language, or 8.1 with Bing then the ISOs are not publicly available so you will need to acquire it through other means...
 
I've just downloaded 8.1 using the Microsoft Media Creation tool, and just downloaded the .ISO. I just quickly mounted it and ran it to check, and it accepts what MagicalJellyBeanFinder refers to as the "CD Key" when it asked for the product key, and seems to allow me to continue with the installation..

(Although obviously I'm not going to continue with it without running it from a booted USB)

So is this not okay to go through with? Am I going to face an issue?

And what then is this "Product ID" that JellyBean shows, as I thought it was that that I'd need not the "CD Key"?
 
chivs688 said:
I've just downloaded 8.1 using the Microsoft Media Creation tool, and just downloaded the .ISO. I just quickly mounted it and ran it to check, and it accepts what MagicalJellyBeanFinder refers to as the "CD Key" when it asked for the product key, and seems to allow me to continue with the installation..

(Although obviously I'm not going to continue with it without running it from a booted USB)

So is this not okay to go through with? Am I going to face an issue?

And what then is this "Product ID" that JellyBean shows, as I thought it was that that I'd need not the "CD Key"?
Click to expand...

As far as I know the Product ID is generated from the CD key, but what I definitely know is that it is the CD Key that you want, not the Product ID.
 
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