Solved New Win 8 PC - Recovery options

kingrollo

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Brought a new PC (yes a tower thingy with a monitor !!!!!) - its doesn't come with a certificate of authenticity - a quick Google showed this is by design (ahem)

Now should my hard drive pop - I am pretty much screwed - I have no media - and no key, if I even get my hands on some win 8 media.

I have a deep mistrust of recovery disks - especially as I have been using the pc for almost a week ..any ideas ? - am I best to bite the bullet and buy the entire win 8.1 dvd when it comes out later this week ?
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    windows 8
Hi kingrollo,

Did you buy a pre-built with win8 installed? If so, I would save my money for now and try one of these options to save you in a pinch:

Create a full System Image of you entire hard drive (now) using the inherent Windows 7 Recovery (current). Once you upgrade to Win 8.1 via the store, the name of the same function will be changed to System Image.

Or, you can also do the same via a free 3rd-party backup program. I use Macrium Reflect Free; however, there are many other good ones available as well.

Macrium Reflect FREE Edition - Information and download

Good luck with you decision.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8.1
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    CPU
    Intel G2020
    Motherboard
    ASRock B75M-DGS R2.0
    Memory
    8GBs @ 1333 MHz
    Hard Drives
    Samsung 840 EVO
    PSU
    400w
    Internet Speed
    57/11
One option is to create a recovery thumb drive and check mark the "Copy contents from factory recovery partition to the recovery drive".
http://www.eightforums.com/tutorial...create-usb-flash-drive-windows-8-a.html?ltr=R
That is supposed to let you boot from that thumb drive and do the Windows 8 Reset to restore your factory install. It may not work if you swap hard drives, it didn't for me when I tried to restore back to an SSD drive that was smaller in size than the original drive. I needed a 16 Gb drive for mine.

If you reinstall with unmodified official Microsoft Windows 8 install media your embedded key will be read automatically and the matching version installed automatically. When I use my Windows 8 TechNet ISO to install to my laptop I am not prompted to enter a product code and Windows 8 core is installed automatically. That's what it shipped with. It then activates online automatically. There is a COA sticker, it just doesn't have a product code on it. There is one on mine, it just says Windows 8 and has the logo on it.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 10 Education 64 Bit
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Asus
    CPU
    AMD Phenom II X4 980 Black Edition Deneb 3.7GHz
    Motherboard
    ASUS M4N68T-M V2 µATX Motherboard
    Memory
    8GB 4GBx2 Kingston PC10600 DDR3 1333 Memory
    Graphics Card(s)
    NVIDIA Geforce GT640 2 Gig DDR3 PCIe
    Sound Card
    VIA VT1708s High Definition Audio 8-channel Onboard
    Monitor(s) Displays
    22" LG E2242 1080p and 2 19" I-INC AG191D
    Screen Resolution
    1280x1024 - 1920x1080 - 1280x1024
    Hard Drives
    Crucial MX100 256 GB SSD and 500 GB WD Blue SATA
    PSU
    Thermaltake TR 620
    Case
    Power Up Black ATX Mid-Tower Case
    Cooling
    Stock heatsink fan
    Keyboard
    Logitech Wireless K350 Wave
    Mouse
    Logitech M570 Trackball and T650 TouchPad
    Internet Speed
    80 Mbps Down 30 Mbps Up
    Browser
    Internet Explorer 11
    Antivirus
    Windows Defender
    Other Info
    HP DVD1040e Lightscribe - External USB2
information   Information

We always assume you have made your Recovery Disks using the OEM manufacturer's Recovery Media Creator app the first day you had your new PC.
& made the Startup Repair CD.
http://www.eightforums.com/tutorials/5132-recovery-drive-create-usb-flash-drive-windows-8-a.html
http://www.eightforums.com/tutorials/2855-system-repair-disc-create-windows-8-a.html




You can make a Microsoft Recovery USB Drive
http://www.eightforums.com/tutorials/5132-recovery-drive-create-usb-flash-drive-windows-8-a.html
warning   Warning
Deleting the Recovery Partition is NOT RECOMMENDED



warning   Warning
I personally DO NOT RECOMMEND using this METHOD above, as of the ERRORS you may receive below with the Microsoft Recovery USB Drive.You would be best off using the OEM manufacturer's Recovery DVD's or Recovery USB drive.





I would recommend you making the OEM manufacturer's Recovery DVD's or USB drive.
or
You can order the Microsoft official OEM Recovery disks from the OEM manufacturer's website.





The Windows Recovery USB drive & Recovery Partition can be very problematic, I recommend you also make a Windows System Image.

http://www.eightforums.com/tutorials/8956-system-image-create-windows-8-a.html

http://www.eightforums.com/tutorials/5132-recovery-drive-create-usb-flash-drive-windows-8-a.html

http://www.eightforums.com/tutorials/2855-system-repair-disc-create-windows-8-a.html

http://www.eightforums.com/tutorial...overy-restore-image-computer-windows-8-a.html

or
look for a 3rd party ,Backup software, which fully supports Windows 8, uEFI, GPT & Secure Boot.
Which is signed by Microsoft.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    ME, XP,Vista,Win7,Win8,Win8.1
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Other Info
    Notebooks x 3

    Desktops x 5

    Towers x 4
OK - On older pc's people bring them to me - provided they have a COA - I can re install XP, Vista, 7 etc. I find this more productive than running reg scans etc [I am a trainer not a techy]
So a few months down the line - if someone brings me a win 8 PC - running slowly and generally needing a refresh what do I do ? (lets assume to recovery from the HDD fails and user has no recovery disks)

If a purchased win 8.1 DVD - would it grab the key from the bios - install + activate on its own ?
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    windows 8
OK - On older pc's people bring them to me - provided they have a COA - I can re install XP, Vista, 7 etc. I find this more productive than running reg scans etc [I am a trainer not a techy]
So a few months down the line - if someone brings me a win 8 PC - running slowly and generally needing a refresh what do I do ? (lets assume to recovery from the HDD fails and user has no recovery disks)

If a purchased win 8.1 DVD - would it grab the key from the bios - install + activate on its own ?

The TechNet RTM 8.1 ISO won't use my embedded 8 key. I don't know if it reads it or not. With the current release you can't install with a Windows 8 key, you have to use an 8.1 key to install. You can activate with a Windows 8 key though. You have to install with one of the leaked install keys that won't activate, then enter you 8 key and activate.
The TechNet 8.0 ISO does read and use the embedded key just fine though.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 10 Education 64 Bit
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Asus
    CPU
    AMD Phenom II X4 980 Black Edition Deneb 3.7GHz
    Motherboard
    ASUS M4N68T-M V2 µATX Motherboard
    Memory
    8GB 4GBx2 Kingston PC10600 DDR3 1333 Memory
    Graphics Card(s)
    NVIDIA Geforce GT640 2 Gig DDR3 PCIe
    Sound Card
    VIA VT1708s High Definition Audio 8-channel Onboard
    Monitor(s) Displays
    22" LG E2242 1080p and 2 19" I-INC AG191D
    Screen Resolution
    1280x1024 - 1920x1080 - 1280x1024
    Hard Drives
    Crucial MX100 256 GB SSD and 500 GB WD Blue SATA
    PSU
    Thermaltake TR 620
    Case
    Power Up Black ATX Mid-Tower Case
    Cooling
    Stock heatsink fan
    Keyboard
    Logitech Wireless K350 Wave
    Mouse
    Logitech M570 Trackball and T650 TouchPad
    Internet Speed
    80 Mbps Down 30 Mbps Up
    Browser
    Internet Explorer 11
    Antivirus
    Windows Defender
    Other Info
    HP DVD1040e Lightscribe - External USB2
OK - On older pc's people bring them to me - provided they have a COA - I can re install XP, Vista, 7 etc. I find this more productive than running reg scans etc [I am a trainer not a techy]
So a few months down the line - if someone brings me a win 8 PC - running slowly and generally needing a refresh what do I do ? (lets assume to recovery from the HDD fails and user has no recovery disks)

If a purchased win 8.1 DVD - would it grab the key from the bios - install + activate on its own ?

The TechNet RTM 8.1 ISO won't use my embedded 8 key. I don't know if it reads it or not. With the current release you can't install with a Windows 8 key, you have to use an 8.1 key to install. You can activate with a Windows 8 key though. You have to install with one of the leaked install keys that won't activate, then enter you 8 key and activate.
The TechNet 8.0 ISO does read and use the embedded key just fine though.

I am getting mightly confused here. If my HDD popped tonight and buy I new HDD - and a brought and 8.1 DVD - would it install using the embedded 8.0 key - or would my 8.1 dvd included a key - as they do now ?
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    windows 8
OK - On older pc's people bring them to me - provided they have a COA - I can re install XP, Vista, 7 etc. I find this more productive than running reg scans etc [I am a trainer not a techy]
So a few months down the line - if someone brings me a win 8 PC - running slowly and generally needing a refresh what do I do ? (lets assume to recovery from the HDD fails and user has no recovery disks)

If a purchased win 8.1 DVD - would it grab the key from the bios - install + activate on its own ?

The TechNet RTM 8.1 ISO won't use my embedded 8 key. I don't know if it reads it or not. With the current release you can't install with a Windows 8 key, you have to use an 8.1 key to install. You can activate with a Windows 8 key though. You have to install with one of the leaked install keys that won't activate, then enter you 8 key and activate.
The TechNet 8.0 ISO does read and use the embedded key just fine though.

I am getting mightly confused here. If my HDD popped tonight and buy I new HDD - and a brought and 8.1 DVD - would it install using the embedded 8.0 key - or would my 8.1 dvd included a key - as they do now ?

If you went out and bought a Windows 8.1 DVD it would come with a key. Core or Pro depending on which version you buy. I don't know if it would use the embedded key? The TechNet RTM ISO wouldn't use my embedded 8.0 key. Microsoft may or may not change that when it goes final. If you bought a Windows 8 DVD it would read and use the code, you would also get a product code with that DVD that you could use on another PC.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 10 Education 64 Bit
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Asus
    CPU
    AMD Phenom II X4 980 Black Edition Deneb 3.7GHz
    Motherboard
    ASUS M4N68T-M V2 µATX Motherboard
    Memory
    8GB 4GBx2 Kingston PC10600 DDR3 1333 Memory
    Graphics Card(s)
    NVIDIA Geforce GT640 2 Gig DDR3 PCIe
    Sound Card
    VIA VT1708s High Definition Audio 8-channel Onboard
    Monitor(s) Displays
    22" LG E2242 1080p and 2 19" I-INC AG191D
    Screen Resolution
    1280x1024 - 1920x1080 - 1280x1024
    Hard Drives
    Crucial MX100 256 GB SSD and 500 GB WD Blue SATA
    PSU
    Thermaltake TR 620
    Case
    Power Up Black ATX Mid-Tower Case
    Cooling
    Stock heatsink fan
    Keyboard
    Logitech Wireless K350 Wave
    Mouse
    Logitech M570 Trackball and T650 TouchPad
    Internet Speed
    80 Mbps Down 30 Mbps Up
    Browser
    Internet Explorer 11
    Antivirus
    Windows Defender
    Other Info
    HP DVD1040e Lightscribe - External USB2
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