NOTE: How to download and clean install Windows 8.1 if you have an OEM computer with UEFI firmware (BIOS) embedded Windows 8/8.1 product key. ->
link
NOTE: Here is info about
reagentc /info ->
link
How to install Windows 8 to a blank hard drive from the Windows 8 recovery USB flash drive.
If you have created a Windows 8
recovery USB flash drive by selecting the option "
Copy the recovery partition from the PC to the recovery drive" (see screenshot below).
Normally, you do not need to change the UEFI firmware (BIOS) settings. For example, you do not need to change the boot order of drives, or disable Secure Boot, or enable Legacy BIOS (aka CSM) boot mode. But on some computers, you may need to enable the boot menu before you can access it.
- Connect your Windows 8 recovery USB flash drive.
- Restart the computer.
- Press the correct key to enter the boot menu (
see this link for help). Or, if you have a Lenovo computer, you can also press the NOVO button when the computer is turned off and then select "Boot Menu".
- Select your USB flash drive from the boot menu.
- Select your language and keyboard layout (if displayed).
- Select the "Troubleshoot" option.
- Select the
Reset your PC option.
When you see the question "
Do you want to repartition the drives on your PC? All your files will be removed." (see screenshot below), click on "
Yes, repartition the drives".
But if you receive the following error message: "
Unable to reset your PC. A required drive partition is missing." or "
Unable to reset your PC. The system drive cannot be found.", then the Windows 8 recovery USB flash drive is not able to automatically install Windows 8 to a blank hard drive.
What should I do if the Reset your PC option not work?
You can manually create the required partitions (special GPT attributes are required beyond just the empty partitions) and manually restore using your Windows 8 recovery USB flash drive.
View at the link below "5.1 Create a DiskPart script" and "5.2 Create the deployment script".
Step-by-Step: Windows 8 Deployment for IT Professionals
This tutorial is only for Windows 8
64-bit (not for 32-bit).
NOTE: For some reason, the
ApplyImage.bat (a batch file line:
dism /Apply-Image...) is not working as it should on all Windows 8 OEM computers and that's when the installation fails.
Open the
sources folder on the Windows 8 recovery USB flash drive, and you can see either the
install.wim image file or the split image files:
Install.swm,
Install2.swm,
Install3.swm, etc.
Why the Windows 8 recovery USB flash drive does not always contains the
install.wim image file?
- With GPT partitions only FAT32 can be used on the USB boot media.
- With FAT32 you can't put a file larger than ~4GB on the drive.
1.
The Windows RE tools partition size is 1000 MB. Do not decrease the Windows RE tools partition size or you will receive the error message "There is not enough space on the disk", when you run the ApplyImage.bat batch file.
The recovery image partition size is 20480 MB (20 GB).
NOTE: You can decrease the recovery image partition size. For example, you can use 4000 instead of 20480 for the recovery image partition, if your Windows 8 recovery USB flash drive contains the install.wim image file.
Save the following code as
CreatePartitions.txt
Code:
rem == CreatePartitions.txt ==
rem == These commands are used with DiskPart to
rem create five partitions
rem for a UEFI/GPT-based PC.
rem == Usage: diskpart /s ScriptFileName
rem == Example: diskpart /s D:\CreatePartitions.txt
rem ================================================
select disk 0
clean
convert gpt
rem == 1. Windows RE tools partition ===============
create partition primary size=1000
format quick fs=ntfs label="Windows RE tools"
assign letter="T"
set id="de94bba4-06d1-4d40-a16a-bfd50179d6ac"
gpt attributes=0x8000000000000001
rem == 2. System partition =========================
create partition efi size=260
format quick fs=fat32 label="System"
assign letter="S"
rem == 3. Microsoft Reserved (MSR) partition =======
create partition msr size=128
rem == 4. Windows partition ========================
rem == a. Create the Windows partition ==========
create partition primary
rem == b. Create space for the recovery image ===
shrink minimum=20480
rem ** NOTE: Update this size to match the size
rem of the recovery image **
rem == c. Prepare the Windows partition =========
format quick fs=ntfs label="Windows"
assign letter="W"
rem === 5. Recovery image partition ================
create partition primary
format quick fs=ntfs label="Recovery image"
assign letter="R"
set id="de94bba4-06d1-4d40-a16a-bfd50179d6ac"
gpt attributes=0x8000000000000001
rem ================================================
list volume
exit
2.
> OPTION ONE <
The
sources folder contains the split image files:
Install.swm,
Install2.swm,
Install3.swm, etc.
Save the following code as
ApplyImage.bat
Code:
@echo off
rem == ApplyImage.bat ==
rem == These commands copy the selected image file to
rem predefined hard disk partitions on a UEFI-based computer.
rem == Usage: ApplyImage.bat WimFileName
rem == Example: D:\ApplyImage D:\sources\*.swm
rem == Example: D:\ApplyImage D:\sources\install.wim
rem == Copy the image to the recovery image partition =======================
md R:\RecoveryImage
xcopy %1 R:\RecoveryImage\
rem == Apply the image to the Windows partition =============================
rem == OPTION 1. The split image files: Install.swm, Install2.swm, Install3.swm, etc.
dism /Apply-Image /ImageFile:R:\RecoveryImage\install.swm /SWMFile:R:\RecoveryImage\install*.swm /Index:1 /ApplyDir:W:\
rem == OPTION 2. The install.wim image file.
rem == dism /Apply-Image /ImageFile:R:\RecoveryImage\install.wim /Index:1 /ApplyDir:W:\
rem == Copy the Windows RE Tools to the Windows RE Tools partition ==========
md T:\Recovery\WindowsRE
xcopy /h W:\Windows\System32\Recovery\Winre.wim T:\Recovery\WindowsRE\
rem == Copy boot files from the Windows partition to the System partition ===
bcdboot W:\Windows
rem == Register the location of the recovery tools ==========================
W:\Windows\System32\reagentc /setreimage /path T:\Recovery\WindowsRE /target W:\Windows
rem == Register the location of the push-button reset recovery image ========
W:\Windows\System32\reagentc /setosimage /path R:\RecoveryImage /target W:\Windows /index 1
> OPTION TWO <
The
sources folder contains the
install.wim image file.
Save the following code as
ApplyImage.bat
Code:
@echo off
rem == ApplyImage.bat ==
rem == These commands copy the selected image file to
rem predefined hard disk partitions on a UEFI-based computer.
rem == Usage: ApplyImage.bat WimFileName
rem == Example: D:\ApplyImage D:\sources\*.swm
rem == Example: D:\ApplyImage D:\sources\install.wim
rem == Copy the image to the recovery image partition =======================
md R:\RecoveryImage
xcopy %1 R:\RecoveryImage\
rem == Apply the image to the Windows partition =============================
rem == OPTION 1. The split image files: Install.swm, Install2.swm, Install3.swm, etc.
rem == dism /Apply-Image /ImageFile:R:\RecoveryImage\install.swm /SWMFile:R:\RecoveryImage\install*.swm /Index:1 /ApplyDir:W:\
rem == OPTION 2. The install.wim image file.
dism /Apply-Image /ImageFile:R:\RecoveryImage\install.wim /Index:1 /ApplyDir:W:\
rem == Copy the Windows RE Tools to the Windows RE Tools partition ==========
md T:\Recovery\WindowsRE
xcopy /h W:\Windows\System32\Recovery\Winre.wim T:\Recovery\WindowsRE\
rem == Copy boot files from the Windows partition to the System partition ===
bcdboot W:\Windows
rem == Register the location of the recovery tools ==========================
W:\Windows\System32\reagentc /setreimage /path T:\Recovery\WindowsRE /target W:\Windows
rem == Register the location of the push-button reset recovery image ========
W:\Windows\System32\reagentc /setosimage /path R:\RecoveryImage /target W:\Windows /index 1
3.
Copy
CreatePartitions.txt and
ApplyImage.bat to the root directory of your recovery USB flash drive (see screenshot below).
4.
Start the computer from the Windows 8 recovery USB flash drive and select
Troubleshoot >
Advanced options >
Command Prompt (see screenshot below).
5.
Warning: This will completely deletes all data contained on the primary hard drive.
Run the Diskpart script.
diskpart /s D:\CreatePartitions.txt
Where D is a drive letter of your recovery USB flash drive.
You can use this at the command prompt to see what drive letters are in use:
diskpart >
list volume >
exit
6.
Run the ApplyImage.bat batch file.
NOTE: If you receive the error message "
File not found - Winre.wim" when you run the ApplyImage.bat batch file, then you should be able to install Windows 8, but
refresh and
reset does not work.
> OPTION ONE <
If the
sources folder contains the split image files with a
.swm extension, then run the following command.
D:\ApplyImage D:\sources\*.swm
Where D is a drive letter of your recovery USB flash drive.
> OPTION TWO <
If the
sources folder contains the
install.wim image file, then run the following command.
D:\ApplyImage D:\sources\install.wim
Where D is a drive letter of your recovery USB flash drive.
7.
Once everything is done, remove your recovery USB flash drive, close the Command Prompt window and select
Continue - Exit and continue to Windows 8 (see screenshot below). The installation of Windows 8 will begin.
8.
Once you finished the Windows installation, you can verify the Windows RE information (see screenshot below).
In the elevated command prompt, type:
reagentc /info
You can also type commands:
diskpart >
select disk 0 >
list partition (see screenshot below).
Partition 1: Recovery
1000 MB - Windows recovery environment (Windows RE) tools
Partition 2: System
260 MB - EFI system. Boot loader program, drivers used by firmware at boot time, etc.
Partition 3: Reserved
128 MB - Microsoft Reserved (MSR)
Partition 4: Primary - Windows 8 installation partition. The partition size will depend on the size of your hard drive.
Partition 5: Recovery
20 GB - Recovery image
NOTE: The MSR (Reserved) 128 MB partition is not visible within Disk Management utility, but it is listed with command line utility (diskpart).
NOTE: Before upgrade to Windows 8.1 from the Windows Store, you do not need to install all Windows 8 updates from Windows Update. You only need to install
KB2871389 update, then you’ll be able to install the Windows 8.1 update via the Windows Store. Download and install KB2871389 update from link
or from Windows Update.
KB2871389 (direct download link)
- All supported x86-based versions of Windows 8:
http://download.microsoft.com/downl...5E-794177982162/Windows8-RT-KB2871389-x86.msu
- All supported x64-based versions of Windows 8:
http://download.microsoft.com/downl...49-140AB1CF7B5F/Windows8-RT-KB2871389-x64.msu
But if you've opened the Windows Store and you don't see the Windows 8.1 update, then you will need to also install
KB2917499 update.