How to reinstall Windows 8 update after hard disk failure

eddyc · 27 Apr 2014 at 20:44

Hi all,

Hoping someone can help.

My OCZ Vertex 2 just broke. No longer detected at boot and not detected by other machines (via usb). I fugure it's totally dead.

It was the boot drive for my PC. No data lost, just the OS.

So I've ordered a new SSD but I'm not sure how I'll go about getting Windows 8.1 back onto the machine. I started with Windows 7 and then paid the early bird upgrade price for Windows 8 when it first came out. I then did the upgrade to 8.1.

I've got the email from Microsoft with the Windows 8 upgrade licence key but that's it. No recovery disk.

Does anyone know where I can get a copy of Windows 8 to download and whether my upgrade licence key will activate correctly when I try to install it on the new disk from scratch?

Any help would be great. Thanks in advance.

postmanfw · 27 Apr 2014 at 20:55

Had same problem and found this thread

http://forums.overclockers.co.uk/showthread.php?t=18588754&highlight=windows+recovery

For some reason though the download linked to me failed at the end 4 times

So i got a torrent with a crack that i didnt need to use obviously and used the legit key to activate the windows 8.1

eddyc · 28 Apr 2014 at 12:36

Thanks! So if I can get hold of an ISO then the key I have should work even though it is only an upgrade key?

Also do you know if I can install 8.1 directly or should I install and activate 8.0 and then do the 8.1 upgrade?

Nikumba · 28 Apr 2014 at 13:27

You need to install the version of 8 that your product code matches.

postmanfw · 28 Apr 2014 at 13:55

The laptop i had came with windows 8.0 and i installed the windows 8.1 using the placeholder key then activated after installation with code i had extracted from the bios.

Different situation from you so might not work.

Have you tried here

http://windows.microsoft.com/en-US/windows-8/upgrade-product-key-only

I did but it didnt work for me as its an OEM key i have.

KIA · 28 Apr 2014 at 16:44

eddyc said:
Thanks! So if I can get hold of an ISO then the key I have should work even though it is only an upgrade key?

Also do you know if I can install 8.1 directly or should I install and activate 8.0 and then do the 8.1 upgrade?

You can activate 8.1 using your upgrade key.

Code:

1) Grab ISO (https://drive.google.com/folderview?id=0B_Kve4pfELkvcWluWmJTQ2RNY0k&usp=sharing)
2) Use placeholder key to install 
3) Activate using your key