Solved Windows 8 to 8 Pro Fails on 2 new Gateway computers

CoastalData

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Location
Savannah, GA
Hello,

I bought two new, cheap, Gateway computers for the office, but I need to get them upgraded to Pro so that I can join them to my domain. The computers are pretty decent, though, both w 4GB memory, and one's a dual core, and the other a quad; the dual rates at a 4.1 WEI, and the quad is a 4.5.

My Win 8 media was created from my MS Action Pack subscription and should be valid for upgrading this computer.

I tried all of the standard install options for Win 8 from that media, but each time the computer goes through the whole process and finally reboots itself back to where it was before and simply says "Windows 8 Upgrade Fails".

I've thought about wacking the partitions, and installing 8 from scratch, but I guess I'd rather not if I didn't have to...

Any thoughts on how I can get this upgrade to go through?

Oh yeah, and where is the setup log? I looked in C:\windows\panther\setuperr.log but that file was empty.

Thanks in advance!

--Jon
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Dell Studio XPS 435T / 9000
    CPU
    Core i7
    Memory
    6GB
    Graphics Card(s)
    ATI Radeon HD 4800 Series (Microsoft Corporation - WDDM v1.1)
If it is refusing to complete an in place upgade - clean install is the other option :(.

I don't suppose it gave any warnings during the compatibility check?
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    7/8/ubuntu/Linux Deepin
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
Nothing, both systems seem super clean. I did also try doing a windows 8 "reset" and that failed, too.. I wonder if I need to create the media discs that come with the computer? I haven't messed with Gateways in a while...
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Dell Studio XPS 435T / 9000
    CPU
    Core i7
    Memory
    6GB
    Graphics Card(s)
    ATI Radeon HD 4800 Series (Microsoft Corporation - WDDM v1.1)
It should have warned you if there was driver problem - still you never know.

Might be worth seeing if that will do it - you could try installing the drivers into the installation image.

Just a wild guess.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    7/8/ubuntu/Linux Deepin
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
Hmm, it doesn't seem to want me to burn discs, but it relies on a recovery partition... there's 4 parts on this disc... It will let me burn a drivers disc though... I'm thinking that the best thing to do is to wipe the disc clean and start fresh, but I've got to make sure that the drivers disc has enough to get me through it.

Oh, I know, I have an empty drive, I'll hook that up and then try installing to that, and then I don't have to risk a non-functioning system!
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Dell Studio XPS 435T / 9000
    CPU
    Core i7
    Memory
    6GB
    Graphics Card(s)
    ATI Radeon HD 4800 Series (Microsoft Corporation - WDDM v1.1)
That sounds like a good plan.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    7/8/ubuntu/Linux Deepin
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
If you're going from Windows 8 to Windows 8 Pro, then have you tried the Add Features route?

If I understand you correctly you have computers which had Windows 8 (not Pro) pre-installed?

My understanding is that if you try to install from media, then unless it's the Windows 8 Pro Pack media, the installer will just read the Product Key from the motherboard and try to reinstall the version of Windows linked to that key.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8.1, 10
Why NO, I hadn't tried that! Thank you very much, reading up now.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Dell Studio XPS 435T / 9000
    CPU
    Core i7
    Memory
    6GB
    Graphics Card(s)
    ATI Radeon HD 4800 Series (Microsoft Corporation - WDDM v1.1)
I just tried that on both computers, remotely, and it looks like it's working! It accepted my key and started working, and then rebooted. Hopefully, in just a few they'll show back up again in my remote software, and we'll be done! Woo Hoo!
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Dell Studio XPS 435T / 9000
    CPU
    Core i7
    Memory
    6GB
    Graphics Card(s)
    ATI Radeon HD 4800 Series (Microsoft Corporation - WDDM v1.1)
Success! Thanks all for your help, and DavidY for the solution!

Much appreciated!
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Dell Studio XPS 435T / 9000
    CPU
    Core i7
    Memory
    6GB
    Graphics Card(s)
    ATI Radeon HD 4800 Series (Microsoft Corporation - WDDM v1.1)
There you go - well spotted David.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    7/8/ubuntu/Linux Deepin
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
Much appreciated!
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Dell Studio XPS 435T / 9000
    CPU
    Core i7
    Memory
    6GB
    Graphics Card(s)
    ATI Radeon HD 4800 Series (Microsoft Corporation - WDDM v1.1)
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