Solved Windows 8.1 - Can't restore back to Windows 8

sotong

Closed by request
Messages
9
After upgrading to Windows 8.1 (from Windows 8), I've got a few drivers/hardware/software issues. I didn't like Windows 8.1 so I tried to restore back to Windows 8 with a Win 8 system image that I've created prior to upgrade.

But I can't restore & got the following error (see image).

Please help.

IMG_20131028_062436.jpg
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8.1
If you have a recovery partition you can restore it to factory settings.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8.1.1 Pro with Media Center
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Gateway
    CPU
    AMD K140 Cores 2 Threads 2 Name AMD K140 Package Socket FT1 BGA Technology 40nm
    Motherboard
    Manufacturer Gateway Model SX2110G (P0)
    Memory
    Type DDR3 Size 8192 MBytes DRAM Frequency 532.3 MHz
    Graphics Card(s)
    ATI AMD Radeon HD 7310 Graphics
    Sound Card
    AMD High Definition Audio Device Realtek High Definition Audio USB Audio Device
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Name 1950W on AMD Radeon HD 7310 Graphics Current Resolution 1366x768 pixels Work Resolution 1366x76
    Screen Resolution
    Current Resolution 1366x768 pixels Work Resolution 1366x768 pixels
    Hard Drives
    AMD K140
    Cores 2
    Threads 2
    Name AMD K140
    Package Socket FT1 BGA
    Technology 40nm
    Specification AMD E1-1200 APU with Radeon HD Graphics
    Family F
    Extended Family 14
    Model 2
    Extended Model 2
    Stepping 0
    Revision ON-C0
    Instruction
    Browser
    Opera 24.0
    Antivirus
    Avast Internet Security

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8.1.1 Pro with Media Center
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Gateway
    CPU
    AMD K140 Cores 2 Threads 2 Name AMD K140 Package Socket FT1 BGA Technology 40nm
    Motherboard
    Manufacturer Gateway Model SX2110G (P0)
    Memory
    Type DDR3 Size 8192 MBytes DRAM Frequency 532.3 MHz
    Graphics Card(s)
    ATI AMD Radeon HD 7310 Graphics
    Sound Card
    AMD High Definition Audio Device Realtek High Definition Audio USB Audio Device
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Name 1950W on AMD Radeon HD 7310 Graphics Current Resolution 1366x768 pixels Work Resolution 1366x76
    Screen Resolution
    Current Resolution 1366x768 pixels Work Resolution 1366x768 pixels
    Hard Drives
    AMD K140
    Cores 2
    Threads 2
    Name AMD K140
    Package Socket FT1 BGA
    Technology 40nm
    Specification AMD E1-1200 APU with Radeon HD Graphics
    Family F
    Extended Family 14
    Model 2
    Extended Model 2
    Stepping 0
    Revision ON-C0
    Instruction
    Browser
    Opera 24.0
    Antivirus
    Avast Internet Security
You need to find your 8.0 winre.wim.

You have not given us any info as to where to find it. It will depend how 8 was installed.
 

My Computer

System One

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

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8.1.1 Pro with Media Center
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Gateway
    CPU
    AMD K140 Cores 2 Threads 2 Name AMD K140 Package Socket FT1 BGA Technology 40nm
    Motherboard
    Manufacturer Gateway Model SX2110G (P0)
    Memory
    Type DDR3 Size 8192 MBytes DRAM Frequency 532.3 MHz
    Graphics Card(s)
    ATI AMD Radeon HD 7310 Graphics
    Sound Card
    AMD High Definition Audio Device Realtek High Definition Audio USB Audio Device
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Name 1950W on AMD Radeon HD 7310 Graphics Current Resolution 1366x768 pixels Work Resolution 1366x76
    Screen Resolution
    Current Resolution 1366x768 pixels Work Resolution 1366x768 pixels
    Hard Drives
    AMD K140
    Cores 2
    Threads 2
    Name AMD K140
    Package Socket FT1 BGA
    Technology 40nm
    Specification AMD E1-1200 APU with Radeon HD Graphics
    Family F
    Extended Family 14
    Model 2
    Extended Model 2
    Stepping 0
    Revision ON-C0
    Instruction
    Browser
    Opera 24.0
    Antivirus
    Avast Internet Security

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    7/8/ubuntu/Linux Deepin
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
You need to find your 8.0 winre.wim.

You have not given us any info as to where to find it. It will depend how 8 was installed.

OK let me clarify the state of my computer.

It was preloaded with Windows 7. No DVD media because I bought it from a refurbished store & it was sold to me as it is.

When Win 8 was released, I purchased online & did the online upgrade. So, no DVD media either. To avoid such situation, I made copies of Win 8 system images so that if any problems, I can use the system image restore to recover my computer.

Win 8.1 released few weeks ago. Update was found in the Windows Store & I proceeded to update. So again, there is no DVD media. After updating, the problems came. Did Windows Update but all drivers up to date. Went to computer manufacturer for new drivers but none. Updated all softwares to current versions. But problems continued.

Hated Win 8.1 so wanted to restore back to Win 8 but the error appears (as shown on original post). Unable to restore.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8.1
If you purchased it from Microsoft, just contact them & get a copy.
They will probably charge you something for it.Maybe not.

You will need your Product Key.

EDIT-- When I upgraded from 8 Pro to 8.1 Pro My product key stayed the same.

EDIT #2-- Run this vbs script to get your Product ID & Product Key.

View attachment ShowKey.vbs
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8.1.1 Pro with Media Center
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Gateway
    CPU
    AMD K140 Cores 2 Threads 2 Name AMD K140 Package Socket FT1 BGA Technology 40nm
    Motherboard
    Manufacturer Gateway Model SX2110G (P0)
    Memory
    Type DDR3 Size 8192 MBytes DRAM Frequency 532.3 MHz
    Graphics Card(s)
    ATI AMD Radeon HD 7310 Graphics
    Sound Card
    AMD High Definition Audio Device Realtek High Definition Audio USB Audio Device
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Name 1950W on AMD Radeon HD 7310 Graphics Current Resolution 1366x768 pixels Work Resolution 1366x76
    Screen Resolution
    Current Resolution 1366x768 pixels Work Resolution 1366x768 pixels
    Hard Drives
    AMD K140
    Cores 2
    Threads 2
    Name AMD K140
    Package Socket FT1 BGA
    Technology 40nm
    Specification AMD E1-1200 APU with Radeon HD Graphics
    Family F
    Extended Family 14
    Model 2
    Extended Model 2
    Stepping 0
    Revision ON-C0
    Instruction
    Browser
    Opera 24.0
    Antivirus
    Avast Internet Security
Hi thanks for tips. But I want to restore system image only. NOT do a fresh install of Windows. I don't have DVD media & not paying AGAIN to Microsoft for all their cock ups so far. I'm not going to fresh install Windows 7, then upgrade to Windows 8 & have to do all the tedious updates & the rest. There's obviously a reason why they have the restore system image function in there, otherwise why even bother having it in the first place.

I'm a beginner-intermediate user & prefer straight forward solutions. The mounting thingy suggestion sounds way too complex for me.

Anybody who are in exactly same situation as me, and are successful in restoring system image, please provide workable solution. Again please do not suggest fresh install or requesting DVD media because these are not the best options for me. Thanks.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8.1
If you read my previous post you would have sorted it out days ago.

#8
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    7/8/ubuntu/Linux Deepin
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
In order to restore an image, you need to boot to some media. What are you using?

Errors like the one you are seeing might be caused by using a different version of the recovery media (8 or 8.1), or trying to install to a drive with a different OS version. I would suggest first, using a different version of the recovery media. If that does not work, during the install, if you get this far, remove the old partitions and restore the image directly to the almost clean drive. If you can't get to the Partitions dialog, use Shift+F10 to open a command prompt and the Diskpart clean command to clean the drive, then continue with the image restoration. But beware, doing this might cause you to loose an install needed for an upgrade to work.

If you had another hard drive laying around you could test with, we both would feel better about you maintaining your system.

Other things might be involved overall, but make sure you have a way to get back to where you were, such as a System Image of the 8.1 install. And do not create that image in the same partition as the 8.0 image, or it might overwrite it.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8.1 x64
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Home Grown
    CPU
    i7 3770K
    Motherboard
    ASUS P8Z77 -v Pro, Z87-Expert
    Memory
    16 G
    Graphics Card(s)
    EVGA GTX 680 Classified (2)
    Hard Drives
    Kingston SSD 240 GB
I've managed to reinstall with Windows 8 media. Have also done a system image restore & computer is back to Windows 8 without anymore problems.

Query closed. Thanks to all for your assistance.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8.1
Did you try siw's recs above ?

What are your system specs ? (type of computer, etc) May want to visit the manufacturer support forum where more info will be available.


Have you tried to Refresh or Reset Win 8.1 ? (PC Settings/General) or does it tell you to use recovery media ? or

Go into your BIOS where there may be a recovery option.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Win 8.1 64bit
    Computer type
    Laptop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Toshiba
    CPU
    Intel i3, 2348
    Memory
    4GB
    Graphics Card(s)
    Intel HD3000
I don't think so. The op seemed to think it too complicated. However it now seems he had the 8 installation media and reinstalled first - then restored his windows system image. That is lot more complicated and time consuming - but it does the job.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    7/8/ubuntu/Linux Deepin
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
Did you try siw's recs above ?

What are your system specs ? (type of computer, etc) May want to visit the manufacturer support forum where more info will be available.


Have you tried to Refresh or Reset Win 8.1 ? (PC Settings/General) or does it tell you to use recovery media ? or

Go into your BIOS where there may be a recovery option.

Done & dusted. Don't care about Windows 8.1. I wouldn't go near it with a 10 foot pole.

Query closed. Thanks to all for your contribution.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8.1
help

I've managed to reinstall with Windows 8 media. Have also done a system image restore & computer is back to Windows 8 without anymore problems.

Query closed. Thanks to all for your assistance.

RE. hi I was wondering how you had managed to image restore your windows from windows 8.1 back to windows 8 I would very much appreciate you help because I hate windows 8.1 and was hoping that you could show me the ropes on how to do so like a tutorial if possible please let me know asp. thank you
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    8.1
    Computer type
    Laptop
I've managed to reinstall with Windows 8 media. Have also done a system image restore & computer is back to Windows 8 without anymore problems.

Query closed. Thanks to all for your assistance.

RE. hi I was wondering how you had managed to image restore your windows from windows 8.1 back to windows 8 I would very much appreciate you help because I hate windows 8.1 and was hoping that you could show me the ropes on how to do so like a tutorial if possible please let me know asp. thank you

OK I try to be as brief as possible. You will need these:

A) Copy of Windows 8 DVD disc. If you have previously downloaded a copy from Microsoft, it is best to place all the setup files in an external hard drive to install. If you have none, you may want to consider downloading from torrents. They will have the exact same setup files. Just don't use the pirated keys. (Reason being you need to install into a Windows 8 environment in order to do the Windows 8 system image restore).

B) Original key code when you purchased Windows 8.

C) You already have made a system image of Windows 8 (stored in an external hard drive) before you updated to Windows 8.1. If you don't have, sorry can't help any further because my knowledge is limited.

Steps:

1) In Windows 8.1, load your Win 8 DVD or the setup files located in your external drive.

2) Installation starts & windows will ask you to key in the valid key code.

3) Continue to install Windows 8 & wait for it to reboot & let it do its setup stuff until you finally boot into Windows 8. At this stage, Windows 8.1 has been overwritten. DO NOT do Windows update at this point.

4) To restore using system image, you need to get into Advance Set-up boot screen. You need to boot into picture 3 so follow the steps in Option 1 in this link because it has 3 pictures to guide you: http://www.eightforums.com/tutorials/4924-advanced-startup-settings-boot-windows-8-a.html

5) Stop at picture 3 which has the title Advanced Options. Then follow this link to recover: http://www.eightforums.com/tutorial...overy-restore-image-computer-windows-8-a.html

6) Depending how big your system image is, just wait patiently for the recovery to complete. Once it is restarted, you computer should be back to its formal state. Then do Windows Update to update all the drivers/security patches. Be patient.

Good luck.

P.S. My system image was last made in August 2013 & windows update took a long time to complete because there were many new security patches & Office updates accumulated since.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8.1
thank you

thank you so much man it took a while like you said but it worked im so happy now so just a quick question im not allowed to update my computer anymore at all? if so that will be ok I was just curious
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    8.1
    Computer type
    Laptop
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