Just about had enough... No luck with SSD install..

Inspector3711

New Member
Messages
19
So I have a new system with Windows 8 that I upgraded to 8.1. It came with a 2TB HD. I wanted to give SSD a try. I bought a Corsair 128Gb SSD and have spent 4 evenings now trying to get it set up. Almost ready to break it in half at this point.

One problem is that my system came with Windows 8 pre-loaded so I have no discs. I tried to download the ISO for 8 or 8.1 but neither will accept the key code I found with Produkey. I don't really understand what the problem with my key is but others seem to have the same problem. Since I ran into a wall I decided to try other approaches.

I tried creating a recovery USB so that I could recover to the SSD. Everything went well until I tried to boot to it. I get a message that my windows installation drive is locked. I've searched the web and found other people with this problem, but nobody seems to have a fix.

I tried cloning the drive four times tonight... Twice using a free app (uninstalled now and don't recall the name). It seemed to work but when I booted to the SSD it would go through the first windows screen and then go to a black screen with a mouse pointer that works. The other two attempts were with Easus Todo. With it I get a blue error screen stating that my drive is not bootable.

Man I thought this was supposed to be easy from what people have said online.

I'm at a complete loss. And ideas?

Thanks, Blake
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Win 8.1 64 bit
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    HP Envy H8-1536
    CPU
    AMD FX-8350
    Motherboard
    Gigabyte Angelica 2
    Memory
    10
    Graphics Card(s)
    GTX 770 OC
    Browser
    IE, Firefox
    Antivirus
    Norton
By the way... I should have mentioned, my original drive is partitioned in two places. Those partitions are copied over to the SSD right now. I'm thinking I should remove them but I'm not sure...
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Win 8.1 64 bit
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    HP Envy H8-1536
    CPU
    AMD FX-8350
    Motherboard
    Gigabyte Angelica 2
    Memory
    10
    Graphics Card(s)
    GTX 770 OC
    Browser
    IE, Firefox
    Antivirus
    Norton
Ahh.. The first free app I tried was AOMEI.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Win 8.1 64 bit
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    HP Envy H8-1536
    CPU
    AMD FX-8350
    Motherboard
    Gigabyte Angelica 2
    Memory
    10
    Graphics Card(s)
    GTX 770 OC
    Browser
    IE, Firefox
    Antivirus
    Norton
You need to contact the manufacturer. The iso won't download with a o.e.m. (Dell, HP, Lenove, etc) product key
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8.1 Pro w/Media Center x64
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    self built
    CPU
    AMD FX 8350
    Motherboard
    Asus Sabertooth 990fx r2.0
    Memory
    G-Skill Ripjaws-X DDR3 2400 16 gbs.
    Graphics Card(s)
    MSI N760 TF 2GD5OC
    Sound Card
    on-bord Realtek ALC 889/ALC 892
    Monitor(s) Displays
    ViewSonic VX2250wm-LED
    Screen Resolution
    1920 x 1080
    Hard Drives
    Samsung 840 Pro 256 gb. ssd. & Seagate Barracuda 7200.14 3.o tb.
    PSU
    Corsair HX-850 watt
    Case
    Corsair Carbide 500r White
    Cooling
    Corsair Hydro Series H-100, 3 120mm. & 1 200mm. case fan's
    Keyboard
    Logitech wired
    Mouse
    Logitech wired
    Internet Speed
    30 m.b.p.s.
    Browser
    IE 11 & Firefox 26
    Antivirus
    BitDefender Internet Security 2014
    Other Info
    Iomega Pro Series U.S.B. 2.0/eS.A.T.A. 2.0tb. h.d., Seagate Backup Plus U.S.B. 3.0 3.0tb. h.d., Hauppage WinTV HVR-1850 t.v. tuner, Logitech x530 5.1 speaker's, Logitech c615 webcam, Logitech h150 headset, M.S. Xbox 360 wired gamepad & Xbox 360 as W.M.C. extender
Yeah this is a refurbished HP. I guess I can try contacting the company that did the refurb....
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Win 8.1 64 bit
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    HP Envy H8-1536
    CPU
    AMD FX-8350
    Motherboard
    Gigabyte Angelica 2
    Memory
    10
    Graphics Card(s)
    GTX 770 OC
    Browser
    IE, Firefox
    Antivirus
    Norton
Well... This was an HP to start with. It was refurbished by a company under the name "Heavy Metal" and all HP logos are covered up or painted over. I bought it through Newegg. I found the company a few weeks ago but now I can't locate them....
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Win 8.1 64 bit
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    HP Envy H8-1536
    CPU
    AMD FX-8350
    Motherboard
    Gigabyte Angelica 2
    Memory
    10
    Graphics Card(s)
    GTX 770 OC
    Browser
    IE, Firefox
    Antivirus
    Norton
Last edited:

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 10
    Computer type
    Laptop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Lenovo G580
    CPU
    Intel Core i5-3230M
    Memory
    8 GB
    Graphics Card(s)
    Intel HD Graphics 4000
    Browser
    Microsoft Edge
    Antivirus
    Windows Defender, standard user account
    Other Info
    UEFI firmware (BIOS) embedded Windows 8 product key.
I went though a similar issue when I swapped out my factory drive for an SSD on my laptop. I made the recovery thumb drive but got error messages about a missing partition. Tried a lot of things even imaging software that came with the SSD but eventually just gave up and did a clean install. At that time I wasn't a Microsoft MVP so I had to resort to bit torrent to get an ISO to use. I just made sure the hash code matched what Microsoft listed on TechNet for their ISO. This was my thread on my adventure trying to make the recovery media before the SSD swap. http://www.eightforums.com/installation-setup/21897-new-asus-laptop-has-no-recovery-disk-utlity.html
 

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
You can order the Microsoft official HP/Compaq OEM Recovery disks from the HP/Compaq OEM manufacturer's website.

Yeah.. I think that's for HP computers... Mine was an HP but was refurbished by another company and all HP references are taped or painted over. I'll check it out though... Thanks
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Win 8.1 64 bit
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    HP Envy H8-1536
    CPU
    AMD FX-8350
    Motherboard
    Gigabyte Angelica 2
    Memory
    10
    Graphics Card(s)
    GTX 770 OC
    Browser
    IE, Firefox
    Antivirus
    Norton
I had another thought today. I'm an old gamer.... My main interest is in speed for gaming. If I were to install the games to the SSD and not the OS.... Would the games be super fast still?
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Win 8.1 64 bit
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    HP Envy H8-1536
    CPU
    AMD FX-8350
    Motherboard
    Gigabyte Angelica 2
    Memory
    10
    Graphics Card(s)
    GTX 770 OC
    Browser
    IE, Firefox
    Antivirus
    Norton
Sure 'nough... No HP label to get a serial number from. Newegg lists HP as the warranty company though...

I bet there was a label on the case but I scrapped it and replaced it already.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Win 8.1 64 bit
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    HP Envy H8-1536
    CPU
    AMD FX-8350
    Motherboard
    Gigabyte Angelica 2
    Memory
    10
    Graphics Card(s)
    GTX 770 OC
    Browser
    IE, Firefox
    Antivirus
    Norton
Do you have Windows 8 Single Language version?

MICROSOFT.WINDOWS.8.1.SINGLE.LANGUAGE.RTM.X64.ENGLISH.DVD-WZT
FILE: 9600.16384.130821-1623_x64fre_Client_SingleLanguage_EN-US-IRM_CSLA_DV5.ISO
SIZE: 3,838,724,096 byte
SHA-1: 10F0288681BF56D22D9ADC58E27BEE2D781E6A1D

Windows 8.1 Single Language generic product key = Y9NXP-XT8MV-PT9TG-97CT3-9D6TC

Not at home until later, but I believe I have the OEM version... I tried a few product keys I found online with no luck.

Where do I find this info? System information?
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Win 8.1 64 bit
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    HP Envy H8-1536
    CPU
    AMD FX-8350
    Motherboard
    Gigabyte Angelica 2
    Memory
    10
    Graphics Card(s)
    GTX 770 OC
    Browser
    IE, Firefox
    Antivirus
    Norton
I did just read online that it will be fine to just load games on the SSD. They will be very fast which is my main goal. With this new machine, it boots up fast and windows seems to speed along just fine.

What do you folks think?
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Win 8.1 64 bit
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    HP Envy H8-1536
    CPU
    AMD FX-8350
    Motherboard
    Gigabyte Angelica 2
    Memory
    10
    Graphics Card(s)
    GTX 770 OC
    Browser
    IE, Firefox
    Antivirus
    Norton
Where do I find this info? System information?

18348d1363312584-help-stuck-windows-8-2013-03-15_015449.jpg
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 10
    Computer type
    Laptop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Lenovo G580
    CPU
    Intel Core i5-3230M
    Memory
    8 GB
    Graphics Card(s)
    Intel HD Graphics 4000
    Browser
    Microsoft Edge
    Antivirus
    Windows Defender, standard user account
    Other Info
    UEFI firmware (BIOS) embedded Windows 8 product key.
the cloning method will work, but only if your BIOS already knows to look for a windows instalation over there on your new SSD.

I would recommend the following method, it worked for me on more than one occasion. Get a hold of a windows 7 or 8 ISO, such as by bit torrent for instance, and install it on your SSD, you don't have to go through the final installation stages of setting up any personal stuff etc, you just need a basic installation. and then shut down the computer. (fyi: easiest way to force windows to install on the new SSD is to disconnect your HDD by pulling out one of the connectors, either the power or the SATA. If you don't want to do that, then you should choose custom install option, then you can tell windows where to install.)

Now that you have your basic windows installation on your SSD, your BIOS knows where to look. Now you are in a position to clone your preferred windows installation onto the SSD. Do it and then shut down the computer.

Now, when you start up, you will have to go into the BIOS settings before windows starts, and set the boot order so your SSD comes before the HDD. Otherwise, you will automatically boot to your old HDD despite all your efforts.

Now you got all that done, everything should work, right? well... it still might not succeed in booting to the SSD, because you cloned a new, unfamiliar Windows installation over there. This is where your windows recovery disk comes in handy. It will fix the problem. Or use the EaseUs recovery disk, or whatever. Once you do that, everything should work right.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    windows 8.1 pro
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
Well thank ya shmu. I'm filing this tip in a screenshot. Having a fantastic day at the moment. A rare dry (22%) 26º F here in the current "superb owl" municipality (superbowl spell checked hahaha).

On that note, I have just finished fixing the heck out of my SSD and having a great time. I turned the corner on my frustration (a first time ever maybe... and I'm no youngster). Anyhow... The SSD has had a partition removed and the space added to a clean slate.

I'm a Battlefield franchise player so I'm just going to quit being stubborn and use the SSD for hard core gaming speed only. Windows 8.1 is plenty fast with a overclocked (4.1 Mhz) 6 core AMD with 12 gigs of ram and a killer graphics card, yo? (yo? added for a momentary diversion for the reader. Guess at my background... Really... Try it.)

So I use my OS strictly for utility so I can surf fast or play killer games (literally dude). In this world a guy should practice just in case. I digress... I shall use my E: drive for playing games with a quick snap. Why, I can be piloting a chopper before anyone else practically.

I missed the field for the ear of corn. My life is a dream. Out.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Win 8.1 64 bit
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    HP Envy H8-1536
    CPU
    AMD FX-8350
    Motherboard
    Gigabyte Angelica 2
    Memory
    10
    Graphics Card(s)
    GTX 770 OC
    Browser
    IE, Firefox
    Antivirus
    Norton
Sure 'nough... No HP label to get a serial number from. Newegg lists HP as the warranty company though...

I bet there was a label on the case but I scrapped it and replaced it already.

PC's with windows 8 installed from the factory have their OEM keys embedded in the BIOS. The COA sticker just says Windows 8 and doesn't have a product key on it. Official Microsoft Windows 8.0 Install media will read and use the embedded code automatically. The OEM recovery media will too.
 

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
Do you have Windows 8 Single Language version?

MICROSOFT.WINDOWS.8.1.SINGLE.LANGUAGE.RTM.X64.ENGLISH.DVD-WZT
FILE: 9600.16384.130821-1623_x64fre_Client_SingleLanguage_EN-US-IRM_CSLA_DV5.ISO
SIZE: 3,838,724,096 byte
SHA-1: 10F0288681BF56D22D9ADC58E27BEE2D781E6A1D

Windows 8.1 Single Language generic product key = Y9NXP-XT8MV-PT9TG-97CT3-9D6TC

Not at home until later, but I believe I have the OEM version... I tried a few product keys I found online with no luck.

Where do I find this info? System information?

In Windows 7 the Product ID shown on the System screen would actually have the letters OEM in it for OEM installs. Windows 8 doesn't appear to do that. The Product ID will likely tell you if you actually know how to decode it. I don't. I don't know where you find that info.
 

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
Alphanumeric, it ends up that you are correct. I do have the single language version and it may well be that you have my fix.

For now we'll see how it goes with just using the ssd for game installs. I'll fall back to trying the old idea again if I don't like the results.

Tonight I'm noticing how quick this sucker surfs...
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Win 8.1 64 bit
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    HP Envy H8-1536
    CPU
    AMD FX-8350
    Motherboard
    Gigabyte Angelica 2
    Memory
    10
    Graphics Card(s)
    GTX 770 OC
    Browser
    IE, Firefox
    Antivirus
    Norton
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