Solved Problem attempting to install Windows 8 on a new SSD

TheKDorm

New Member
Messages
5
Hello all,

I've searched the web tirelessly for the past few days to no avail. I own a Lenovo Y580 Ideapad that came with Windows 8 preinstalled, so I was never given a license key or CD, and I am trying to use the SSD as my main drive by doing a clean install of Windows 8 there and then copying over any other files I want from my HDD.

I downloaded a Windows 8 iso file and verified the hash so I know it was a clean file. I burned that iso to a flash drive using Rufus, following all of the instructions in this post: http://www.eightforums.com/tutorials/15458-uefi-bootable-usb-flash-drive-create-windows.html

When I attempted to boot from the flash drive my computer would hang at the Lenovo start up screen (black screen with Lenovo written on it) and then start flashing on/off every 5 seconds for a minute or two and then hang at the start up screen once more indefinitely. It would not let me F2 to BIOS when I turned it on or F12 to Boot device selection. So, I formatted the flash drive and then followed this post: http://www.eightforums.com/tutorials/2227-create-bootable-usb-dvd-windows-8-iso.html

Once again, no dice. Same problem. I tried putting my HDD as the very last boot option, enabling Legacy boot mode, etc etc but still haven't been successful. The iso I used was an x64 Windows 8 (core I believe? Just regular). I am currently downloading the 8.1 iso to see if that will work.

Does anyone have any suggestions? I'm growing extremely tired of this since nothing I have come across seems to work, and I haven't seen anyone else with this specific problem.

Thanks in advance to any and all replies.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8.1

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    WinXP, WinVista, Win7, Win8.1, Win10, Linux Mint 20
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    2 Customs and 12 OEM/Brands
    CPU
    AMD and Intel
The product key is embedded in the BIOS so there is really no need to find it or enter it.

If you're just curious, use this Visual Basic script to do it: View attachment ShowKey v1.2.vbs.zip
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 10 Pro X64
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Lenovo IdeaCenter K450
    CPU
    Intel Quad Core i7-4770 @ 3.4Ghz
    Motherboard
    Lenovo
    Memory
    16.0GB PC3-12800 DDR3 SDRAM 1600 MHz
    Graphics Card(s)
    Intel Integrated HD Graphics
    Sound Card
    Realtek HD Audio
    Monitor(s) Displays
    HP h2207
    Screen Resolution
    1680x1050@59Hz
    Hard Drives
    250GB Samsung EVO SATA-3 SSD;
    2TB Seagate ST2000DM001 SATA-2;
    1.5TB Seagate ST3150041AS SATA
    PSU
    500W
    Keyboard
    Wired USB
    Mouse
    Wired USB
    Internet Speed
    3GB Up, 30GB Down
    Browser
    SeaMonkey
    Antivirus
    Windows Defender; MBAM Pro
    Other Info
    UEFI/GPT
    PLDS DVD-RW DH16AERSH
Where are you downloading it from, and what are you using to create the iso file?

The first file I tried was the Windows 8 x64 iso from here: https://docs.google.com/file/d/0B0W9PBigPy94aVJWSndyTFNFMzg/edit
I used the Rufus tool in the first link I posted in my my original post to make the bootable USB for that one. When it didn't work and yielded the problem I detailed, I reformatted the flash drive and used the tool Windows 7 drive burner tool in the 2nd link I posted.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8.1

I already used that and RW to get the license key in my BIOS. However, since it's an OEM Windows 8 key it doesn't work for the program outlined here: Upgrade Windows with only a product key - Windows Help

What I'm trying to do is create a bootable USB flash drive from the Windows 8.1 iso, boot my PC from that and use it to install Windows 8 on my blank SSD that I have.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8.1
The product key is embedded in the BIOS so there is really no need to find it or enter it.

If you're just curious, use this Visual Basic script to do it: View attachment 48044

See above.

Edit: Seems my other post isn't showing up. I used the Belarc software and RWeverything earlier, and have my license key from my motherboard written down. However, this doesn't help me because the tool here doesn't accept OEM Windows 8 keys: Upgrade Windows with only a product key - Windows Help

What I'm trying to do is create a bootable USB flash drive from the iso files I'm downloading, use it to boot my laptop from, and install Windows 8 on my blank SSD. From what I've gathered, I shouldn't even need the key because it should detect my embedded license key.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8.1
Hello all,

I've searched the web tirelessly for the past few days to no avail. I own a Lenovo Y580 Ideapad that came with Windows 8 preinstalled, so I was never given a license key or CD, and I am trying to use the SSD as my main drive by doing a clean install of Windows 8 there and then copying over any other files I want from my HDD.

I downloaded a Windows 8 iso file and verified the hash so I know it was a clean file. I burned that iso to a flash drive using Rufus, following all of the instructions in this post: http://www.eightforums.com/tutorials/15458-uefi-bootable-usb-flash-drive-create-windows.html

When I attempted to boot from the flash drive my computer would hang at the Lenovo start up screen (black screen with Lenovo written on it) and then start flashing on/off every 5 seconds for a minute or two and then hang at the start up screen once more indefinitely. It would not let me F2 to BIOS when I turned it on or F12 to Boot device selection. So, I formatted the flash drive and then followed this post: http://www.eightforums.com/tutorials/2227-create-bootable-usb-dvd-windows-8-iso.html

Once again, no dice. Same problem. I tried putting my HDD as the very last boot option, enabling Legacy boot mode, etc etc but still haven't been successful. The iso I used was an x64 Windows 8 (core I believe? Just regular). I am currently downloading the 8.1 iso to see if that will work.

Does anyone have any suggestions? I'm growing extremely tired of this since nothing I have come across seems to work, and I haven't seen anyone else with this specific problem.

Thanks in advance to any and all replies.

Here is a little guide I found on another site, it explains how to use Rufus to set up a UEFI USB Install media.
Rufus.png

Insure your ISO is 8.1 64 bit, on boot up you have to insure that your booting the UEFI USB Stick. Use Generic Key to start the install, use your OEM Key to Activate. On boot up use which ever F Key brings up a boot menu that is where you select your UEFI USB If you don't know which key brings up the boot menu find out!

Insure the only hard drive in your computer is the one you are installing Win 8.1 on, multi disk can sometimes cause issues.
 
Last edited:

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8.1 Pro MC
    Computer type
    Laptop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Asus G75VW / Z97 Pro
    CPU
    Intel Core i7-3610QM / I7-4790K
    Motherboard
    Z97 Pro
    Memory
    16 GB Hyundai HTM315156CFR8C-PB PC3-12800
    Graphics Card(s)
    nVIDIA GeForce GTX 670M (GF114M)
    Sound Card
    VIA 6.0.10.1600
    Screen Resolution
    1080
    Hard Drives
    Samsung 850 Pro 256, Samsung 850 Pro 1TB
    Internet Speed
    30 down 3 up
    Browser
    Explorer 11
    Antivirus
    NIS and Malwarebytes
Ok I ended up getting it figured out! After finishing the download for the 8.1 iso file and using Rufus once again to create a bootable flash drive on a different flash drive (16 gig vs the 4 gig I was originally using) I was able to boot up the from the flash drive and install Windows 8 on the new SSD. A lot of people were offering suggestions based on what I had already done: finding the license key using Belarc or another piece of software, suggesting another guide to create a bootable USB drive, etc. These were not the problems I was having.

The Problem: After downloading the Windows 8 iso, verifying the hash, and creating both a UEFI and regular flash drive using the first 2 links I posted, and restarting my computer and attempting to boot from the flash drive, my laptop would hang at the Lenovo startup screen (black screen with Lenovo written in white). This would happen WHENEVER THE FLASH DRIVE WAS PLUGGED IN TO ANY USB PORT (both 3.0 and 2.0). I was not even able to access the BIOS (F2 for my Lenovo Y580) or the boot manager (F12) when it was plugged in. Unplugging the USB allowed me to access the BIOS and change boot orders, but no matter what I tried (enabling Legacy boot, disabling Secure Boot, etc), the USB would still make the system hang at the Lenovo screen.

The Solution: I then downloaded the iso for Windows 8.1 and used the Rufus tool once again to make a bootable USB drive from a different 16 gb flash drive, and this worked for me.

I know this might sound simple for you guys but I'm just outlining this for any other users like myself who aren't incredibly savvy with this stuff and have tried almost everything they can find on a Google search. I long suspected that my HDD was going out, and buying another copy of Windows 8 was out of the question (college student) so this was a stressful process for me. Hopefully this can help anyone else having problems similar to mine.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8.1
Rufus has an option to "Check bad blocks" - it takes forever on large USB's, but can save a lot of troubleshooting later - mostly we assume a bad ISO, firmware settings etc when in fact the install media itself is the problem.

Anyway thanx for reporting the solution.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    PC-DOS v1.0
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    IBM
    CPU
    Intel 8088, 4.77MHz
    Memory
    16K, 640K max
    Graphics Card(s)
    What's that?
    Sound Card
    Not quite
    Screen Resolution
    80 X 24 text
    Hard Drives
    dual 160KB 5.25-inch disk drives
Ok I ended up getting it figured out! After finishing the download for the 8.1 iso file and using Rufus once again to create a bootable flash drive on a different flash drive (16 gig vs the 4 gig I was originally using) I was able to boot up the from the flash drive and install Windows 8 on the new SSD. A lot of people were offering suggestions based on what I had already done: finding the license key using Belarc or another piece of software, suggesting another guide to create a bootable USB drive, etc. These were not the problems I was having.

The Problem: After downloading the Windows 8 iso, verifying the hash, and creating both a UEFI and regular flash drive using the first 2 links I posted, and restarting my computer and attempting to boot from the flash drive, my laptop would hang at the Lenovo startup screen (black screen with Lenovo written in white). This would happen WHENEVER THE FLASH DRIVE WAS PLUGGED IN TO ANY USB PORT (both 3.0 and 2.0). I was not even able to access the BIOS (F2 for my Lenovo Y580) or the boot manager (F12) when it was plugged in. Unplugging the USB allowed me to access the BIOS and change boot orders, but no matter what I tried (enabling Legacy boot, disabling Secure Boot, etc), the USB would still make the system hang at the Lenovo screen.

The Solution: I then downloaded the iso for Windows 8.1 and used the Rufus tool once again to make a bootable USB drive from a different 16 gb flash drive, and this worked for me.

I know this might sound simple for you guys but I'm just outlining this for any other users like myself who aren't incredibly savvy with this stuff and have tried almost everything they can find on a Google search. I long suspected that my HDD was going out, and buying another copy of Windows 8 was out of the question (college student) so this was a stressful process for me. Hopefully this can help anyone else having problems similar to mine.

So then the issue was the thumb drive itself? sorry I didn't bring this up as I did have the issue before myself. its seems that some brand new Thumb drives just won't boot. But I thought that it had to do with SanDisk thumb drives. This issue for me presented itself at the time of creating the bootable Install thumb drive. Rufus would report that it couldn't create the disk! Since you reported that you had created the drives I didn't that was a issue. Since then I found that the encryption files on these thumb drives was the problem. I now use Mini tool partition wizard to delete the partition, then create a new logical Fat 32 partition. Then they will work for Rufus and also for creating boot media for Acronis THI and Macrium Reflect both Imaging and Cloning software and back up software.

Now that you have your system up and running you should create Images of this disk so that next time you'll only have to restore a image Since your on UEFI, I would suggest Macrium Reflect Free. I am still using Acronis but only for my BIOS/MBR machine. As I move them to UEFI I will also move them to MR.Macrium Reflect FREE Edition - Information and download
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8.1 Pro MC
    Computer type
    Laptop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Asus G75VW / Z97 Pro
    CPU
    Intel Core i7-3610QM / I7-4790K
    Motherboard
    Z97 Pro
    Memory
    16 GB Hyundai HTM315156CFR8C-PB PC3-12800
    Graphics Card(s)
    nVIDIA GeForce GTX 670M (GF114M)
    Sound Card
    VIA 6.0.10.1600
    Screen Resolution
    1080
    Hard Drives
    Samsung 850 Pro 256, Samsung 850 Pro 1TB
    Internet Speed
    30 down 3 up
    Browser
    Explorer 11
    Antivirus
    NIS and Malwarebytes
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