ASUS Refresh/ Reset issue since upgrading from Windows 8.1

WrathOfAsus

New Member
Messages
8
Raging with ASUS. Will post my rant/comms with them further down.

I believe this is a known issue and those tards at ASUS are trying to get me to send my laptop to them for some additional £'s.

Anyway I have a notebook that does not have a cd/dvd drive ..... they sold this as a beneficial feature ..... a-holes lol .... now all I see it as is them increasing the profit margin i.e. same price less hardwire.

So the daughter laptop has been getting a wee bit slow and I thought a wee spring clean would sort it out ... used to do it on my old desktops. Back up personal files, slap in a recovery disc ..... PC back to new. Was sold this on the premise the recovery process was far superior these days and part of the laptops infrastructure:
"you don't need to mess with a disc"
"no need for registrations and remember codes etc"

Seemed like a good idea ..... pafff!

So I use the method in the manual that advises you to "reboot and hit F9" and it kept coming up with an error. I noted in another thread that this feature is crippled when you update your windows version from 8.0 to 8.1.

Can you please help me get this sorted as its bloody frustrating and I feel like they are just flipping me the bird and not exploring some sensible solutions.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    windows 8.1
Patrick,
If you had taken the time consider this properly you would have, at least, read the title and familiarized yourself with the product first rather than a off hand response. The Notebook X501A does not come with a CD/DVD drive. This was actually part of the selling features "no cumbersome drives", "any laptop issues just reset it". In the past I have always had a recovery disc but on the sales pitch from Curry's and assuming ASUS knew what they were doing I proceeded and bought this item.
Now instead of looking to resolve this issue either working with windows for a patch or at least provide a download file to put on a USB stick you hit people with "pay us to fix, otherwise, go speak to someone who gives a s@it". Note this is NOT my fault and is between ASUS and Microsoft.
I am probably not the first that has had to come in here and be met with a total lack of customer care so I would like this to be escalated.

---------- Original Message ----------
From:ASUS TSD
To:
Date:


Dear Mr K,
Thank you for contacting ASUS. There was indeed a bug in the Windows 8.1 software update which can corrupt the recovery partition. This bug has affected more manufacturers.
However, if you did not create your own recovery media when you purchased the notebook as advised, there is also a prompt up message reminding you to create recovery media and taking in consideration your unit is now out of warranty, we can only advise of the following;
1. purchase recovery discs through our Service Shop here;
https://serviceshop.asus.com/GB/EN/index.aspx
2. contact your local IT shop to see what they can do for you.
3. raise an chargeable repair with ASUS.
To raise an RMA repair request with ASUS, make sure that you back up all your data, read the terms and conditions and proceed with the following steps:
1. Go to the following URL: ASUSTek Computer Inc.
2. You will see a page of instructions, as well as terms and conditions.
3. Please ensure you read through all the instructions and are ready to proceed.
4. Fill in the warranty application form with all appropriate information.
For assistance in locating your device's serial number please visit ASUSTeK Computer Inc. -Support- How to find product Serial Number
Please make sure you include all components required for operation such as the battery and charger.
Once you have submitted the online form, you will get a page advising of a response within 48 hours from our repair team with how we will resolve your query and collect the item.
If possible, please take a few photos of your unit prior to shipping as this will aid in case something should happen either during transit or at the repair centre.
The average repair turnaround time for an in-warranty repair is 10 business days from receipt of unit. If parts are required from the manufacturer plant then it can take up to 31 calender days. When the unit remains unrepaired by 31 calender days, someone will contact you regarding alternate solutions.
Please be aware of any potential costs if the unit is out of warranty, has customer damage or if there is no fault found. These costs include logistics & inspection and the cost of labour & parts+VAT. Details can be found in the Terms & Conditions at the bottom of the repair form.
To obtain a quote the device must first be sent off to the repair centre and you will be emailed within five working days for the total cost of the repair.
Once the repair has been paid for, the repair would then be carried out.
If you do not wish to pay the total sum of the repair, you are still liable for the courier fee.
If you have any further questions, please do not hesitate to contact us.
Kind regards,
Patrick K
ASUS UK Support Team
Hotline: 01442-265548
Website: www.asus.com
Email: Runtime Error


---------- Original Message ----------
From :
Sent :
To : "techsupport@asus.com"
Subject : Re:Re:<TSD> Notebook X501A



Your solution to a compatibility issue created by ASUS is for me to pay you for the
privilege to resolve it?
It is widely reported on the internet that the ASUS reset/restore feature was crippled
when upgrading the operating system from windows 8.0 to windows 8.1 even though
your support website advises people to upgrade !!!
I suggest you provide a solution that either i can implement easily or waiver the costs
and provide a more expedited turnaround for resolution.
---------- Original Message ----------
From:ASUS TSD
To:
Date:
Dear Mr K
Thank you for contacting Asus Technical Support. Unfortunately as you have already
tried a full factory reset and this has not solved the problem.
I advise booking the device in for repair at our service centre.
Please follow the instructions below to book the repair.
To raise an RMA repair request with ASUS:
1. Go to the following URL: ASUSTek Computer Inc.
2. You will see a page of instructions, as well as terms and conditions.
3. Please ensure you read through all the instructions and are ready to proceed.
4. Fill in the warranty application form with all appropriate information.
For assistance in locating your device''s serial number please visit
ASUSTeK Computer Inc. -Support- How to find product Serial Number
Please make sure you include all components required for operation such as the
battery and charger.
Once you have submitted the online form, you will get a page advising of a response
within 48 hours from our repair team with how we will resolve your query and collect
the item.
If possible, please take a few photos of your unit prior to shipping as this will aid in
case something should happen either during transit or at the repair centre.
The average repair time is 10 business days from receipt of the unit depending on
spare parts availability.
Please be aware of any potential costs if the unit is out of warranty, has customer
damage or if there is no fault found. These costs include £45+VAT for logistics &
inspection and then the cost of labour & parts+VAT. Details can be found in the Terms
& Conditions at the bottom of the repair form.
Let me know how you get on, and if you have any further technical queries,
please feel free to contact us again offering as much information on the issue as
possible.
Kind regards,
Paul

......

From :
Sent :
To : "techsupport@asus.com"
Subject : Notebook X501A


[Problem Description]
I was looking to restore this pc back to factory settings following your instructions but
it
doesn''t work. Using the restart F9 method it says that an image file is missing. I
have
changed nothing on this pc. After some searches on the internet many have said
there is an issue when you accept the windows update from 8 to 8.1 which appears
to
create issues with the restore/reset feature. Please advise.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    windows 8.1
Oh also was looking to do a back up of the recovery image using their backtracker software but its says you should use a 16gb USB device. I have various HDD but really do not want to be moving all my stuff off them to do this. All the pen drives I have are up to 4gb only but I do have some 32gb micro sd cards ..... could I use them via a card reader/adaptor ?
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    windows 8.1
ASUS sold the PC with Windows 8.0. It seems to me that it is not their fault that the update to 8.1, that you did, brock the recovery feature. Did you make a recovery thumb drive before doing the update? http://www.eightforums.com/tutorials/5132-recovery-drive-create-usb-flash-drive-windows-8-a.html < There is an option to copy the factory recovery partition to the thumb drive. I think you'll find that that option is greyed out now though. If you had done that you likely could have restored your PC back to to factory condition. The recovery media they want you to pay for will do the same thing. For my ASUS laptop it was a 16 GB thumb drive. A SD card may work if you insert it into a USB card reader. My ASUS laptop will not boot from an SD card when it is in the built in card reader. It will though if I put it in my USB card reader.

Another option is to download installation media from here, Create installation media for Windows 8.1 - Windows Help as per this tutorial, http://www.eightforums.com/tutorials/18309-windows-8-windows-8-1-iso-download-create.html. If you download the same version as what was installed on your PC when you got it, it will use your embedded OEM key automatically. If your laptop came with 8.0 (Core), download 8.1. If it came with 8.0 Pro, download 8.1 Pro. This download will install and activate with 8.0 keys and 8.1 keys, even OEM keys. I've done it myself on my ASUS laptop. This will get you a nice clean install of 8.1 with no need to do the 8.0 to 8.1 upgrade. Just backup what files you don't want to lose to external media first.


I will agree with you about ASUS tech support, it sucks. I hope I never have to contact them again.
 

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
ASUS sold the PC with Windows 8.0. It seems to me that it is not their fault that the update to 8.1, that you did, brock the recovery feature. Did you make a recovery thumb drive before doing the update? http://www.eightforums.com/tutorials/5132-recovery-drive-create-usb-flash-drive-windows-8-a.html < There is an option to copy the factory recovery partition to the thumb drive. I think you'll find that that option is greyed out now though. If you had done that you likely could have restored your PC back to to factory condition. The recovery media they want you to pay for will do the same thing. For my ASUS laptop it was a 16 GB thumb drive. A SD card may work if you insert it into a USB card reader. My ASUS laptop will not boot from an SD card when it is in the built in card reader. It will though if I put it in my USB card reader.

Another option is to download installation media from here, Create installation media for Windows 8.1 - Windows Help as per this tutorial, http://www.eightforums.com/tutorials/18309-windows-8-windows-8-1-iso-download-create.html. If you download the same version as what was installed on your PC when you got it, it will use your embedded OEM key automatically. If your laptop came with 8.0 (Core), download 8.1. If it came with 8.0 Pro, download 8.1 Pro. This download will install and activate with 8.0 keys and 8.1 keys, even OEM keys. I've done it myself on my ASUS laptop. This will get you a nice clean install of 8.1 with no need to do the 8.0 to 8.1 upgrade. Just backup what files you don't want to lose to external media first.


I will agree with you about ASUS tech support, it sucks. I hope I never have to contact them again.
I just tried to install W8.1 on a little Asus (that came with 8.1 x86) and it did not recognize the embedded key. Kept asking for a key but did not accept my 25 digit key that I found with Belarc.

Interestingly enough the same .iso installed without any key on my VMware Player that is on a Windows 7 host. I think I have to do some more research why it is blocking on my Asus.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Vista and Win7
    System Manufacturer/Model
    2xHP, 2xGateway, 1xDell, 1xSony
    Hard Drives
    5 SSDs and 12 HDs
Thanks for the reply. On who's fault it is I can say for sure it is not my fault. If ASUS intend providing laptops without media drives purporting to offer an ASUS recovery mechanism then its up to them to ensure there is compatibility with OS. Yes it was supplied with 8.0 but is it fair to assume that any OS stops at a round number ? ..... I highly doubt it. If the OS changes then ASUS must be able to change with it imho and work with Microsoft to create some form of patch. Remember it is ASUS that recommends updating to 8.1 !!!!

I did not make a backup as other than the HDD dying I would always be able to revert to factory settings .... so I thought. It really isn't made clear and when your handing a laptop over to a daughter as xmas present its not really something that jumps out at you.

Its a lesson learned same as everything in life but customer service like this is nothing short of pathetic.

PS I have decided to just buy a thumb drive 32gb ...... £10 ..... didn't realize they were as cheap as that now. Again they should also make you aware of this .... not much £'s I know but still.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    windows 8.1
ASUS sold the PC with Windows 8.0. It seems to me that it is not their fault that the update to 8.1, that you did, brock the recovery feature. Did you make a recovery thumb drive before doing the update? http://www.eightforums.com/tutorials/5132-recovery-drive-create-usb-flash-drive-windows-8-a.html < There is an option to copy the factory recovery partition to the thumb drive. I think you'll find that that option is greyed out now though. If you had done that you likely could have restored your PC back to to factory condition. The recovery media they want you to pay for will do the same thing. For my ASUS laptop it was a 16 GB thumb drive. A SD card may work if you insert it into a USB card reader. My ASUS laptop will not boot from an SD card when it is in the built in card reader. It will though if I put it in my USB card reader.


Another option is to download installation media from here, Create installation media for Windows 8.1 - Windows Help as per this tutorial, http://www.eightforums.com/tutorials/18309-windows-8-windows-8-1-iso-download-create.html. If you download the same version as what was installed on your PC when you got it, it will use your embedded OEM key automatically. If your laptop came with 8.0 (Core), download 8.1. If it came with 8.0 Pro, download 8.1 Pro. This download will install and activate with 8.0 keys and 8.1 keys, even OEM keys. I've done it myself on my ASUS laptop. This will get you a nice clean install of 8.1 with no need to do the 8.0 to 8.1 upgrade. Just backup what files you don't want to lose to external media first.


I will agree with you about ASUS tech support, it sucks. I hope I never have to contact them again.
I just tried to install W8.1 on a little Asus (that came with 8.1 x86) and it did not recognize the embedded key. Kept asking for a key but did not accept my 25 digit key that I found with Belarc.

Interestingly enough the same .iso installed without any key on my VMware Player that is on a Windows 7 host. I think I have to do some more research why it is blocking on my Asus.

Some laptops ship with the Single language version of Core. If you try to install the regular Core or Pro it will reject the embedded key. My ASUS laptop came with 8.0 Core. I had no problem installing 8.1 Core downloaded with the Media Creation Tool. My embedded key was used automatically. Were you using a TechNet/MSDN ISO? I haven't tested the latest ones but the earlier versions of the 8.1 ISO's wouldn't use 8.0 OEM keys. The 8.0 ISO I used read my OEM key and installed 8.0 Core automatically.
 

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
Noted the post of the chap below particuarly:

"Note the following text: Go to the Windows Store to reinstall Windows 8.1 and your apps."

On the option 1. I appear to have this so can i assume that this will work and the particular issue remains specific to the reboot F9 process?

Also on his first "note" does he think we should only use backtracker to do anything ..... i assume so as its ASUS specific.


P.S. Just noted the laptop updated windows again. Ridiculous that i need to fear important updates.













Note: If you have an ASUS computer, then you should use the Asus Backtracker utility.

Note: How to fix the error message: "Could not find the recovery environment", if the ID for the recovery partition type is incorrectly set to OEM. -> link

> OPTION ONE <

If you have an OEM PC that came with Windows 8 preinstalled and you updated to Windows 8.1, then when you refresh or reset Windows, it will reinstall Windows 8 from hard drive recovery partition (recovery image location) or from the recovery USB flash drive. Afterwards, you will need to update to Windows 8.1 via the Store again.

Note: Sometimes it happens that after doing the upgrade to Windows 8.1, refresh and reset does not work anymore. Note: But all should be okay if you receive the following screen (see screenshot below) when you select: PC settings > Update and recovery > Recovery > click on the Get started button under the Refresh your PC without affecting your files section.

Note the following text: Go to the Windows Store to reinstall Windows 8.1 and your apps.

View attachment 40030

> OPTION TWO <

If you don't have an OEM PC that came with Windows 8 preinstalled and you updated Windows 8 to Windows 8.1, then when you refresh or reset Windows, it will reinstall Windows 8.1, but only if you have Windows 8.1 USB/DVD installation media.

Note: You must insert Windows 8.1 USB/DVD installation media. See this link: How to download Windows 8.1 installation media.

If you don't insert any installation media or if you insert Windows 8 USB/DVD installation media, then you receive the following error message: "Insert Media. Some files are missing. Your Windows installation or recovery media will provide these files." (see screenshot below).

View attachment 46257

reagentc /info

Here is info about reagentc /info and the new 350 MB or 450 MB recovery partition, if you have an OEM PC that came with Windows 8 preinstalled and updated to Windows 8.1.

Windows 8 (before Windows 8.1 update)

Partition 1 - Recovery - 1000 MB - Windows RE location
Partition 2 - System - 260 MB
Partition 3 - OEM - 1000 MB - OEM partition does not exist in all OEM computers.
Partition 4 - Reserved - 128 MB - Note: This partition not visible within Disk Management.
Partition 5 - Primary - 908 GB
Partition 6 - Recovery - 20 GB - Recovery image location

reagentc /info
Windows Recovery Environment (Windows RE) and system reset configuration Information:
Windows RE status: Enabled
Windows RE location: GLOBALROOT\device\harddisk0\partition1\Recovery\WindowsRE
Recovery image location: GLOBALROOT\device\harddisk0\partition6\OKRbackup\factory

View attachment 40085

View attachment 40032

View attachment 40086

Windows 8.1 (after Windows 8.1 update from the Windows Store)

Partition 1 - Recovery - 1000 MB
Partition 2 - System - 260 MB
Partition 3 - OEM - 1000 MB - OEM partition does not exist in all OEM computers.
Partition 4 - Reserved - 128 MB - Note: This partition not visible within Disk Management.
Partition 5 - Primary - 908 GB
Partition 6 - Recovery - 350 MB or 450 MB - Windows RE location Note: This is a new partition.
Partition 7 - Recovery - 20 GB - Recovery image location

reagentc /info
Windows Recovery Environment (Windows RE) and system reset configuration Information:
Windows RE status: Enabled
Windows RE location: GLOBALROOT\device\harddisk0\partition6\Recovery\WindowsRE
Recovery image location: GLOBALROOT\device\harddisk0\partition7\OKRbackup\factory

View attachment 40041

View attachment 40039

View attachment 40042

Note: If you have an OEM PC that came with Windows 8 preinstalled, you may not use the third-party partition software (for example, EaseUS Partition Master), because modifying the hard drive partition structure usually break the factory restore feature. But if you use Windows Disk Management to shrink the C: partition (see screenshots below), then refresh and reset should work, even if you have the 350 MB or 450 MB recovery partition after the C: partition.

View attachment 48692

View attachment 48693

View attachment 48694

View attachment 48695

View attachment 48696

Note that reset does not remove your personal files, if you move your personal files off the C: partition to another partition. When the "Your PC has more than one drive. Do you want to remove all files from all drives?" screen appears, select the option "Only the drive where Windows is installed" (see screenshots below).

View attachment 48694

View attachment 48698

View attachment 48699

View attachment 48700

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.

Other instructions.

- Installing using UEFI boot mode or Legacy BIOS boot mode. -> link
- 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
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    windows 8.1
Thanks for the reply. On who's fault it is I can say for sure it is not my fault. If ASUS intend providing laptops without media drives purporting to offer an ASUS recovery mechanism then its up to them to ensure there is compatibility with OS. Yes it was supplied with 8.0 but is it fair to assume that any OS stops at a round number ? ..... I highly doubt it. If the OS changes then ASUS must be able to change with it imho and work with Microsoft to create some form of patch. Remember it is ASUS that recommends updating to 8.1 !!!!

I did not make a backup as other than the HDD dying I would always be able to revert to factory settings .... so I thought. It really isn't made clear and when your handing a laptop over to a daughter as xmas present its not really something that jumps out at you.

Its a lesson learned same as everything in life but customer service like this is nothing short of pathetic.

PS I have decided to just buy a thumb drive 32gb ...... £10 ..... didn't realize they were as cheap as that now. Again they should also make you aware of this .... not much £'s I know but still.

Your not the only one to fall into this situation, and its not only ASUS that got caught out by the 8.0 to 8.1 upgrade. Good or bad, it's your responsibility to make the recovery media as a backup to the onboard recovery feature. Windows 8.1 is a new OS compared to Windows 8.0. And as near as I can remember this is the first time Windows "X" went to Windows X.1. I don't think any manufacturer patches the recovery utility to work with a newly installed OS. Anyway, post back with how you make out and I'll help you try and sort it out if I can.
 

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
ASUS sold the PC with Windows 8.0. It seems to me that it is not their fault that the update to 8.1, that you did, brock the recovery feature. Did you make a recovery thumb drive before doing the update? http://www.eightforums.com/tutorials/5132-recovery-drive-create-usb-flash-drive-windows-8-a.html < There is an option to copy the factory recovery partition to the thumb drive. I think you'll find that that option is greyed out now though. If you had done that you likely could have restored your PC back to to factory condition. The recovery media they want you to pay for will do the same thing. For my ASUS laptop it was a 16 GB thumb drive. A SD card may work if you insert it into a USB card reader. My ASUS laptop will not boot from an SD card when it is in the built in card reader. It will though if I put it in my USB card reader.

Another option is to download installation media from here, Create installation media for Windows 8.1 - Windows Help as per this tutorial, http://www.eightforums.com/tutorials/18309-windows-8-windows-8-1-iso-download-create.html. If you download the same version as what was installed on your PC when you got it, it will use your embedded OEM key automatically. If your laptop came with 8.0 (Core), download 8.1. If it came with 8.0 Pro, download 8.1 Pro. This download will install and activate with 8.0 keys and 8.1 keys, even OEM keys. I've done it myself on my ASUS laptop. This will get you a nice clean install of 8.1 with no need to do the 8.0 to 8.1 upgrade. Just backup what files you don't want to lose to external media first.


I will agree with you about ASUS tech support, it sucks. I hope I never have to contact them again.
I just tried to install W8.1 on a little Asus (that came with 8.1 x86) and it did not recognize the embedded key. Kept asking for a key but did not accept my 25 digit key that I found with Belarc.

Interestingly enough the same .iso installed without any key on my VMware Player that is on a Windows 7 host. I think I have to do some more research why it is blocking on my Asus.

When did you run Belarc? I do believe that reads the key out of the registry. Depending on when you ran it that may not be the key stored in the BIOS.
 

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
Some laptops ship with the Single language version of Core.
I tried the single language version too. Still no cigar.

When did you run Belarc? I do believe that reads the key out of the registry. Depending on when you ran it that may not be the key stored in the BIOS.
I ran Belarc right before this experiment. It gave me the 20 digit ID and a 25 digit product key which I tried..

The strange thing is that it installed without problems on my VMware Player running on a Windows 7 host. It even gave me my settings from the MS account from my previous 8.1 system. And it's running great.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Vista and Win7
    System Manufacturer/Model
    2xHP, 2xGateway, 1xDell, 1xSony
    Hard Drives
    5 SSDs and 12 HDs
Some laptops ship with the Single language version of Core.
I tried the single language version too. Still no cigar.

When did you run Belarc? I do believe that reads the key out of the registry. Depending on when you ran it that may not be the key stored in the BIOS.
I ran Belarc right before this experiment. It gave me the 20 digit ID and a 25 digit product key which I tried..

The strange thing is that it installed without problems on my VMware Player running on a Windows 7 host. It even gave me my settings from the MS account from my previous 8.1 system. And it's running great.

That's a head scratcher? It's not 8.0 Pro is it? My laptops both came with Core but I guess some do come with Pro. There are utilities (PID checker) that will tell you what version a key is for. I googled PID checker and got a bunch of online ones. Not something I would use, but I'm pretty sure somebody here linked to a downloadable offline version. I just can't remember who it was or what thread it was in. Wish I could be of more help.

EDIT: option 5 here, http://www.eightforums.com/tutorials/27129-product-key-find-windows-8-a.html, should give you your OEM embedded key, if you want to double check that you have the correct key.

Second EDIT: This has been posted a couple of times, The Ultimate PID Checker. I usually don't like to link to that site but others here posted it, and i'll let you decide if you want to use it.
 

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
Nah, it's not Pro. That was a $99 laptop of 11.6". The reason I wanted to reinstall 8.1 was because the one they put on there does not support RECIMG (which in itself is strange). It is also impossible to boot from USB - a really retarded BIOS. So I am a bit stuck for images.

But it is only a toy that weighs 2 lbs. Since my wife has 'monopolized' my Asus T100 Transformer, that was supposed to be the replacement for travel.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Vista and Win7
    System Manufacturer/Model
    2xHP, 2xGateway, 1xDell, 1xSony
    Hard Drives
    5 SSDs and 12 HDs
whs, windows 8 RT oem only software..
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 3.1 > Windows 10
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Dell XPS 8700
    CPU
    I7
    Memory
    24 GB
and to the OP

There are ways to recover the factory image, after the link to the recovery was broken by the 8.1 update..

One method is to re-register the oem recovery partition which got bumped one partition back from 5 to 6

or you can use the ASUS Tool > ASUSTeK Computer Inc. -Support-
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 3.1 > Windows 10
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Dell XPS 8700
    CPU
    I7
    Memory
    24 GB
whs, windows 8 RT oem only software..

:ditto: Sounds like it might be Windows RT. That's a special image, I can't even get that on MSDN.
 

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
Nah, it's not Pro. That was a $99 laptop of 11.6". The reason I wanted to reinstall 8.1 was because the one they put on there does not support RECIMG (which in itself is strange). It is also impossible to boot from USB - a really retarded BIOS. So I am a bit stuck for images.

But it is only a toy that weighs 2 lbs. Since my wife has 'monopolized' my Asus T100 Transformer, that was supposed to be the replacement for travel.

ARM Processor maybe? If yes its Windows RT
 

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
whs, windows 8 RT oem only software..

I don't think so. It's an X86 CPU.

1.33 gigahertz Intel Atom Z3735F
224 kilobyte primary memory cache
1024 kilobyte secondary memory cache
64-bit ready
Multi-core (4 total)
Not hyper-threaded
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Vista and Win7
    System Manufacturer/Model
    2xHP, 2xGateway, 1xDell, 1xSony
    Hard Drives
    5 SSDs and 12 HDs
Nah, it's not Pro. That was a $99 laptop of 11.6". The reason I wanted to reinstall 8.1 was because the one they put on there does not support RECIMG (which in itself is strange). It is also impossible to boot from USB - a really retarded BIOS. So I am a bit stuck for images.

But it is only a toy that weighs 2 lbs. Since my wife has 'monopolized' my Asus T100 Transformer, that was supposed to be the replacement for travel.

ARM Processor maybe? If yes its Windows RT

Nah, this is the OS:

Windows 8.1 (build 9600)
Install Language: English (United States)
System Locale: English (United States)
Boot Mode: UEFI with successful Secure Boot
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Vista and Win7
    System Manufacturer/Model
    2xHP, 2xGateway, 1xDell, 1xSony
    Hard Drives
    5 SSDs and 12 HDs
Back
Top