Windows 8 ISO?

Energize · 21 Dec 2013 at 11:29

I bought a new laptop which came with windows 8 installed on it, naturally I want to do a reformat and reinstall to get rid of the bloatware etc, however when trying to download the ISO via the Microsoft website it says I can't use my oem key (which I had to use a 3rd party program to find :rolleyes:

).

So where can I download a clean Windows 8 ISO?

Or am I better off just switching to Windows 7?

Energize · 21 Dec 2013 at 11:46

How on earth are people supposed to reformat their computer then? :confused:

It seems every day Microsoft take a step backwards with Windows, as if the "start" screen wasn't bad enough...

Energize · 21 Dec 2013 at 16:12

nade said:
Depending on the manufacturer you would normally have an option to create recovery DVD's or something, have a look through your machine for such things.

My laptop doesn't have a DVD drive.

Looks like I'll have to resort to cracking a version of Windows I legally own. :rolleyes:

ic1male said:
I think with Windows 8, they are trying to make everything easier for Joe Public and more difficult for power users. Ideally, MS would say you never reformat again - you just use the refresh to factory default setting which takes everything back to how it was when you first started. Bloatware included on an OEM setup, presumably.

Which is absurd because if the hard drive becomes corrupt due to a hardware error or virus etc then the computer is useless as the user can't restore from an iso.

Energize · 21 Dec 2013 at 16:56

UnworthyBean said:
With windows 8, The key is stored in the bios. So if you do ever have to do a format it will just work and activate*

*99.9% of the time.

The problem is there is no ISO...

Energize · 22 Dec 2013 at 09:43

Glaucus said:
Its not ms going backwards, its you not knowing what's what.

Have you been reading a different thread to everyone else?

The problem I am having is that Microsoft do not provide an ISO file to allow oem users to reinstall windows from a USB/DVD.

If they had not moronically decided to split off the retail ISO from the oem one this would not be a problem I would be able to download the Windows 8 ISO with my oem key.

the1gooner said:
Just get rid of any bloatware you dont want and then do a windows backup image to usb stick or external hard drive.

Also you can pick up usb external dvd drives for little money to create recovery discs.

Very easy.

Not easy, you cannot uninstall the bloatware via the control panel, it is much more tightly integrated into the OS installation than that.

This whole oem situation with windows is farcical in the first place, I've never known any other software providers to make licenses non-transferable, highly unethical and creates a pain for users of any technical level. And Microsoft wonder why software piracy is so rife? It's because millions of customers are trying to get their legitimately owned software to work as intended...

Energize · 22 Dec 2013 at 09:52

pepp77 said:
The problem is that you bought a PC with a "free" copy of windows installed but do not want to use that copy.

I do want to use that copy, I want to reinstall it.

Energize · 22 Dec 2013 at 09:59

*Sigh* Microsoft are such an unethical software provider, they add cost to your product but then don't give you the ISO to perform a clean installation of the software you paid for.

Off to the torrent sites then I suppose, it's the moral thing to do, lol.

Energize · 22 Dec 2013 at 11:16

Glaucus, saying that it has nothing to do with Microsoft is absurd, they are the ones who have sanctioned the whole thing by creating the OEM licence concept, they are the worst offenders in the chain, in their position of power they can refuse the whole operation and say "if you want to install windows on your products you need a standard retail licence", rather than allowing users to be subjected to this half-licence bs.

In any case I have solved the problem myself by obtaining a windows 8 oem ISO from a grey source.

For future reference guys, the laptop recovery partitions contain the bloat I am trying to avoid and are as such useless. As is using the reinstall option because as well as bloat, one cannot even format the disk properly.

The most hassle free way is an ISO from USB. However even then Windows is a pain in the arse because it offers no partition type options and will format the boot partition using the horrid GPT mode (which a lot of software does not support) instead of the industry standard MBR mode unless you specifically boot the installation media in legacy (BIOS) mode.

Energize · 22 Dec 2013 at 15:55

KIA said:
You should share the MD5 and file name.

File name: HRM_CCSA_X64FRE_EN-US_DV5.iso

MD5: 7a4db5576f7f77a3cbd3b76570467245

mrbell1984 said:
There is you have to make it. I already posted the answer.

No you did not, you posted a link to a ms iso download program that only accepts retail cd keys...

Glaucus said:
You can install windows, you have the media to do exactly that. How on earth is it a half license?

Aside from stating the obvious fact that it is non-transferable, (which is unique amongst all software packages in the world) it comes bundled with bloat/spyware, thus can only be considered a half version of Windows.

And no ms is not the worse offender, they've done nothing except give the option of a license at about 1/10th the cost of retail, but with that they don't offer any support for it, support is down to the manufacturer.

They have given the false impression of giving customers a true copy of windows that they know will be used for ad ware purposes and drive the customers insane to no end. That alone merits pirating the full retail version as far as morality is concerned.

Energize · 23 Dec 2013 at 19:44

Glaucus said:
How is it not a true copy of windows, you started this thread in the wrong and once pointed you started out making wrong assumptions in this thread and when pointed out wont change your position.

Not really, the crux of what I've said has been affirmed by the responses in this thread, you seem intent on ignoring the key issues and focusing on semantics as you always do Mr Gates.

Energize · 23 Dec 2013 at 19:51

It seems that what ever I say I am not going to be able to the facts through to you, I am sure many others reading the thread are equally astonished as to the fact that you think a software licence issued by Microsoft has nothing to do with Microsoft.

Energize · 23 Dec 2013 at 20:55

mark2410 said:
or you can just download an iso from a well known sailing ship site and use your perfectly legit key.

That's what I've resorted to, that's what this whole thread is about really. Microsoft denying their customers access to their legitimately licensed software by creating an arbitrary oem/retail key divide for no valid reason, I'm not asking for MS to provide technical support, just allow me to download the same ISO that they offer anyway.