Windows 8 and Windows 8.1 ISO - Download or Create

Brink · Jan 20, 2015

SaggyMaggyPoo said:
Thank you for such a clear and concise explanation. Just what I needed.

I've just run through the tutorial - there's a lot there! Fortunately I will be able to have it on one laptop to refer to while I'm working on the other.

I plan to try and replicate my current system as regards the User accounts and computer name. Am I correct in assuming I will be able to use the same names and passwords again on the new hard drive, or am I going to have to come up with some new ones?

Yes, you can setup your user accounts with the same names and such if you like.

alphanumeric · Jan 20, 2015

Brink said:
SaggyMaggyPoo said:

Thank you for such a clear and concise explanation. Just what I needed.

I've just run through the tutorial - there's a lot there! Fortunately I will be able to have it on one laptop to refer to while I'm working on the other.

I plan to try and replicate my current system as regards the User accounts and computer name. Am I correct in assuming I will be able to use the same names and passwords again on the new hard drive, or am I going to have to come up with some new ones?

Click to expand...

Yes, you can setup your user accounts with the same names and such if you like.

I use the same Live ID on 4 different PC's. It may actually make things simpler for you. Depending on how your One Drive sync settings are configured. Your personalization settings can be synced from one PC to another and backed up online. Stuff like your Account Picture, Lock screen, your current theme and colors, IE favorites and web site login info. It will set it all back up the way you have it now. Assuming the appropriate sync settings are enabled. Charms Bar > Settings > Change PC Settings > OneDrive > Sync.

EDIT: Even if you don't use a live ID, you can use the same username and password again and again.

SaggyMaggyPoo · Jan 20, 2015

Brink said:
Yes, you can setup your user accounts with the same names and such if you like.

alphanumeric said:
EDIT: Even if you don't use a live ID, you can use the same username and password again and again.

Thanks to both of you. I don't use a live ID so there will be a bit of work involved in setting things up but I don't mind that. I can try and get things 'right first time' this time.

I'm just downloading a new copy of the iso, and actually starting to get impatient to get going

. Fortunately it will be a few days until the HDD arrives (ordered from Amazon UK and has to get to Greece) so I will have time to make sure I have done all the necessary prep and got in enough bottles of red wine to calm my nerves!

alphanumeric · Jan 20, 2015

Having the second PC will be a bonus. If you get stuck or unsure you can go online and sort it out. I keep my user folders a separate drive/partition. Then when I do clean install I delete all the partitions except the one with my Data on it. Windows recreates all the needed system partitions and the windows partition and then installs. Once that's done I just change the location of my user folders from the default to where I have stored. I don't lose anything or have to copy to external and copy back again. saves a lot of time and effort. In my desktop I use an SSD for Windows and a conventional hard drive for Data. You could likely do the same thing if you wanted. I think a lot of forum members went this route.

SaggyMaggyPoo · Jan 21, 2015

alphanumeric said:
I keep my user folders a separate drive/partition. Then when I do clean install I delete all the partitions except the one with my Data on it. Windows recreates all the needed system partitions and the windows partition and then installs. Once that's done I just change the location of my user folders from the default to where I have stored. I don't lose anything or have to copy to external and copy back again. saves a lot of time and effort. In my desktop I use an SSD for Windows and a conventional hard drive for Data. You could likely do the same thing if you wanted. I think a lot of forum members went this route.

Some things to think about, thank you.

Right now I have everything together on C, but once I get the new drive installed I'm considering splitting the OS and data into different partitions. I've been browsing threads where people talk about backing up their OS and their data separately and, though it's taken a while to filter through my brain, I can see the benefits in this.

For now I have all my data on a System Image on an external HDD and plan to move things over once I have the new drive up and running. Well that's the theory, and everything I've read here suggests it should work smoothly in practice

.

alphanumeric · Jan 21, 2015

For me, and I'm sure a lot of other people too, its a required space issue. I have about 300 GB worth of files on my DATA drive. That means I would need a 500 GB SSD to get it all on the one drive. When I bought my SSD a 500 GB SSD would have been very expensive. They still aren't cheap at that size. The easy solution was to buy a smaller drive for the OS and then use the hard drive it's replacing for my DATA. I got lucky with my laptop, it has two drive bays. I put a 128 GB SSD in for the OS and a 256 GB SSD in for my DATA. That was what my budget could afford at the time. Then I put the original 750 GB spinner drive that came in it in an external enclosure for further file storage and backup. I keep that drive in my laptop bag. The benefit to having your Data on a separate partition of drive is when you have a crash and Windows won't boot up. Reinstalls are easier to do without worrying about losing your files. You can erase the Windows partition without losing anything other than installed programs. And no having to copy it all back from an external drive to your internal hard drive. It's a win win in my books.

SaggyMaggyPoo · Jan 22, 2015

alphanumeric said:
The benefit to having your Data on a separate partition of drive is when you have a crash and Windows won't boot up. Reinstalls are easier to do without worrying about losing your files. You can erase the Windows partition without losing anything other than installed programs. And no having to copy it all back from an external drive to your internal hard drive. It's a win win in my books.

Win win sounds good to me, especially as I've been learning the hard way up till now.

DavidY · Feb 1, 2015

Hi Shawn,

I thought I'd try Option 1 with my new tablet, which is advertised as coming with Windows 8.1 with Bing, having taken a full backup image. Doing "slmgr.vbs /dlv" it says it is a CoreConnected edition, and a couple of other product key readers say it is "Windows 8.1 Connected".

I tried downloading the 'Windows 8.1' (32 bit) edition using the Media Creation tool, but when I run it, it asks for a Product Key (not a good sign as I was hoping it would read the key in the BIOS) and when I typed the key in, got the error :
"The product key entered does not match any of the Windows images available for installation. Enter a different product key."

Any idea if I can get past this? Would downloading the Pro edition help? Or is my edition simply not available via the Media Creation tool, do you think?

Thanks,
David

Brink · Feb 1, 2015

Hey David,

I'm not sure unless the OEM used some other version What does it say for "Description" when using "slmgr.vbs /dlv"?

DavidY · Feb 1, 2015

Brink said:
Hey David,

I'm not sure unless the OEM used some other version What does it say for "Description" when using "slmgr.vbs /dlv"?

Hello Shawn,

Thanks for replying. It says:
"Description: Windows(R) Operating System, OEM_DM channel"

Brink · Feb 1, 2015

Normally, an ISO file downloaded from Option One shouldn't have an issue with an OEM key.

It appears that the key for the "Windows 8.1 with Bing" edition used by some OEMs just will not activate a standard Windows 8.1 (core) edition for some reason.

Windows 8.1 with Bing appears to pay for Windows... with Bing | PCWorld

alphanumeric · Feb 1, 2015

Windows 8.1 with Bing is a separate edition with its own keys. It's akin to Windows 7 Starter. It's a low cost version that ships with small screen low cost devices. That ISO may be hard to find, it looks like only the OEM's get it. It's not listed on MSDN or TechNet, not for me anyway.

DavidY · Feb 2, 2015

alphanumeric said:
Windows 8.1 with Bing is a separate edition with its own keys. It's akin to Windows 7 Starter. It's a low cost version that ships with small screen low cost devices. That ISO may be hard to find, it looks like only the OEM's get it. It's not listed on MSDN or TechNet, not for me anyway.

Thanks for that. I think I've seen 'with Bing' on larger screens, and even on some desktops, but as you say it's at the cheap end of the market.

I wonder what Windows 10 upgrade options I'll have when it gets released... (Another factor is that my tablet seems to be using WIMBoot technology to save space, which a normal clean install from an ISO probably wouldn't put back in place.)

alphanumeric · Feb 2, 2015

DavidY said:
alphanumeric said:

Windows 8.1 with Bing is a separate edition with its own keys. It's akin to Windows 7 Starter. It's a low cost version that ships with small screen low cost devices. That ISO may be hard to find, it looks like only the OEM's get it. It's not listed on MSDN or TechNet, not for me anyway.

Click to expand...

Thanks for that. I think I've seen 'with Bing' on larger screens, and even on some desktops, but as you say it's at the cheap end of the market.

I wonder what Windows 10 upgrade options I'll have when it gets released... (Another factor is that my tablet seems to be using WIMBoot technology to save space, which a normal clean install from an ISO probably wouldn't put back in place.)

I only had a quick look at what Google had to say about it. It's basically for low cost devices. The OEM's can get ti for next to nothing as long as they only install it on inexpensive devices. As near as I can tell it hasn't been out there as long as your normal versions of Windows 8 have. I know as much about it as I do about WIMBoot. I've seen one or two posts on WIMBoot. I think there was a post on it in the News section a while ago too. Basically you boot from an image file. It saves hard drive space when its at a premium. You've likely researched it more than I have. There must be way to update the image? That PC does Windows updates doesn't it?

DavidY · Feb 2, 2015

alphanumeric said:
I know as much about it as I do about WIMBoot. I've seen one or two posts on WIMBoot. I think there was a post on it in the News section a while ago too. Basically you boot from an image file. It saves hard drive space when its at a premium. You've likely researched it more than I have. There must be way to update the image? That PC does Windows updates doesn't it?

Thanks for that - I don't want to clutter up this tutorial thread any more, but have put an image of Disk Management over on another thread here.

SaggyMaggyPoo · Feb 5, 2015

I finally took delivery of my new hard drive and was able to do a fresh install of W 8.1 using the ISO created by following this tutorial.

It went so easily I was stunned :what:

The only glitch was when I got a message telling me to remove the external drive C: and it took me a little while to realize this meant the usb. Oh, and as the laptop was originally from the US I chose the US time and date option, and then had to find a way to make the date non-US. And until I get round to downloading an English-UK pack, I'm writing American (lots of z's

).

I've just spent a few hours installing drivers, reinstalling programs, and smiling at the absence of bloatware and unnecessary start-up programs etc. Now I just need to work out how to restore all those little customizing things I'd done.

In fact the hardest part about the whole process (so far) was getting the cover back on the base of the laptop.

So thank you Shawn, another extremely satisfied User.

And fired up by the experience, I'm looking at partitioning the hard drive and installing Win 10 on a VM next. There's just no stopping me now

Brink · Feb 5, 2015

That's great news Maggi. :party:

Please feel free to create new threads for anything else that you may need help with.

SaggyMaggyPoo · Feb 7, 2015

Thanks Shawn,

Can you tell me what's in the 300mb Recovery Partition that got created when I did the fresh install? Is it a copy of the OS to use for a Refresh or Reset? (I plan to create a Custom Recovery Image now but it would be good to know what I've got already

).

Brink · Feb 7, 2015

Maggi,

It's basically for the Windows recovery environment so that you don't have to boot from installation media to use it instead.

http://www.eightforums.com/tutorials/4935-startup-options-menu-boot-windows-8-a.html

This is not the same as a custom recovery image or OEM factory recovery partition though.

alphanumeric · Feb 7, 2015

SaggyMaggyPoo said:
Thanks Shawn,

Can you tell me what's in the 300mb Recovery Partition that got created when I did the fresh install? Is it a copy of the OS to use for a Refresh or Reset? (I plan to create a Custom Recovery Image now but it would be good to know what I've got already ).

It's not a full copy of the OS, that partition is too small for that. It's recovery tools to help you diagnose and fix boot issues etc. I would say it launches Windows PE (Preinstallation Environment). If you try to do a Refresh or Reset you'll be prompted to insert your original install media.

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