Windows 8.1 preview to 8.1 retail.

hargibi

New Member
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2
Hi.
So ive updated my windows 8 to 8.1 preview.
and now i would like to update it to 8.1 retail version.

Is there any way to do this without reinstalling my computer?

Regards Hargibi
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    windows 8
Hopefully there will be (I'm hoping it will be possible via the Windows Store Upgrade to 8.1)... but we'll need to wait just a few more hours to find out!

Microsoft have said you'll need to reinstall all your software though.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8.1, 10
Hopefully there will be (I'm hoping it will be possible via the Windows Store Upgrade to 8.1)... but we'll need to wait just a few more hours to find out!

Microsoft have said you'll need to reinstall all your software though.

i hope so :) Any idea how long untill we get the update? :)
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    windows 8

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8.1 Pro x64
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Black Shadow
    CPU
    i7-4790K
    Motherboard
    Gigabyte Z97X-UD5H
    Memory
    8GB Trident X 2400mhz cas9
    Graphics Card(s)
    Asus GTX 970 Strix
    Sound Card
    X-FI Extreme Music
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Dell U2412M
    Screen Resolution
    1920 x 1200
    Hard Drives
    850 Pro 256GB / Vector 150 240GB / Evo 250GB
    PSU
    Seasonic SS-660XP2
    Case
    Fractal Design R4
    Cooling
    Noctua NH-U14S
Microsoft have said you'll need to reinstall all your software though.

In support of what DavidY stated, I have excerpted this comment from a Paul Thurrott article here:

If you previously upgraded from Windows 8 to the Windows 8.1 Preview, bad news: You can upgrade to the final version of Windows 8.1 for free, of course. But you will have to reinstall all of your desktop applications and Metro-style apps (the ones that don't ship as part of Windows). Otherwise, this upgrade will work the same as updating from the original version of Windows 8.

Read full article here:

http://winsupersite.com/windows-8/here-comes-windows-81
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8.1
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    CPU
    Intel G2020
    Motherboard
    ASRock B75M-DGS R2.0
    Memory
    8GBs @ 1333 MHz
    Hard Drives
    Samsung 840 EVO
    PSU
    400w
    Internet Speed
    57/11
You can go from Preview to final. Windows 8.1 Preview FAQ - Microsoft Windows Look under "Do I need a Product key to install Windows 8.1 Preview".
> Additionally, you'll also need your Windows 8 product key when you update to the final edition of Windows 8.1 from the preview.<
I have no idea what stays and what gets lost in the process though.
 

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
well, in my opinion, one needs to reinstall Windows 8.1 from scratch, all installed programs, again.


Jeff
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    WINDOWS 8.1 x64
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    CPU
    INTEL CORE I--3770K LGA1155
    Motherboard
    ASUS P8Z77-V
    Memory
    KINGSTON 2400 MHZ KHX24C11K4 16GB
    Graphics Card(s)
    INTEL HD GRAFICS 4000
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Philip BDL3245€ 32 inch
    Screen Resolution
    1920 x 1080
    Hard Drives
    2 SAMSUNG 840 PRO RAID 0 ON BOARD 2 x 128 GB
    Keyboard
    LOGITEC MX™ 5500
    Mouse
    LOGITEC MX 5500
    Internet Speed
    120 Mbps
If running Windows 8.1 Pro Preview, it is not updateable.Reinstall Windows 8 than update.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    ME, XP,Vista,Win7,Win8,Win8.1
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Other Info
    Notebooks x 3

    Desktops x 5

    Towers x 4
If running Windows 8.1 Pro Preview, it is not updateable.Reinstall Windows 8 than update.
Hi theog,

The 8.1 Preview page (which seems to have been updated today) suggests you should be able to update from the Preview via the Windows Store... do you have reason to believe it won't work?

Updating from Windows 8.1 Preview to Windows 8.1 - Microsoft Windows Help
Updating to Windows 8.1 or Windows RT 8.1

Your options for updating to Windows 8.1 depend on how you installed Windows 8.1 Preview or Windows RT 8.1 Preview.

[h=2]I installed the preview from the Windows Store or I installed the preview using media while Windows 8 was running[/h]

You can download the update free of charge from the Windows Store. You'll be able to keep your personal files, but you'll need to reinstall your applications. Make sure you have any original installation media that might be required for applications that were not installed from the Windows Store.
Note

Before updating, make sure you have installed all available updates to your PC. You can do this by running Windows Update and installing all updates. To find out more about using Windows Update, see Windows automatic updating: Frequently asked questions.

To find out more about updating to Windows 8.1, see Updating to Windows 8.1: FAQ.

[h=2]I installed the preview by booting from ISO media[/h]

If you installed Windows 8.1 Preview by booting from ISO media, you can update to the final version of Windows 8.1 Pro using the Windows Store, but your system won't be activated until you buy a Windows 8.1 licence and Product Key. You can do this by following the instructions when you activate your system, or by purchasing a DVD of Windows 8.1 Pro.

If you don't want to buy a copy of the Pro edition of Windows 8.1, you should return your PC to its previous operating system before installing Windows 8.1.

It doesn't seem like it will be smart enough to find embedded keys on PCs which came with OEM Windows 8 though.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8.1, 10
Try with test rig first install with ISO 8.1 Preview. No update in store.

Updating from Windows 8.1 Preview to Windows 8.1 - Microsoft Windows Help
Microsoft said:
I installed the preview from the Windows Store or I installed the preview using media while Windows 8 was running



You can download the update free of charge from the Windows Store. You'll be able to keep your personal files, but you'll need to reinstall your applications. Make sure you have any original installation media that might be required for applications that were not installed from the Windows Store.

I installed the preview by booting from ISO media



If you installed Windows 8.1 Preview by booting from ISO media, you can update to the final version of Windows 8.1 Pro using the Windows Store, but your system won't be activated until you buy a Windows 8.1 licence and Product Key. You can do this by following the instructions when you activate your system, or by purchasing a DVD of Windows 8.1 Pro.

If you don't want to buy a copy of the Pro edition of Windows 8.1, you should return your PC to its previous operating system before installing Windows 8.1.

May retry later, doing OEM for now.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    ME, XP,Vista,Win7,Win8,Win8.1
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Other Info
    Notebooks x 3

    Desktops x 5

    Towers x 4
Try with test rig first install with ISO 8.1 Preview. No update in store.

May retry later, doing OEM for now.
Hmm I have a VM with the 8.1 Pro Preview and that doesn't have the update in the Store either, so I'm getting the same results as you.

I have a theory... in the Tutorial, it says this:

2. If you have not already, be sure that you have installed the KB2871389 update in Windows Update.
NOTE: Microsoft has a typo on their site below. It should be KB2871389 and not KB2871839.

See: Why can't I find the update in the Store? - Microsoft Windows
But that Update doesn't seem to be installed on my 8.1 Pro Preview VM. Nor does it show up when I manually check for updates. Could that be why...?
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8.1, 10
Just done a clean of Windows 8.1 Pro Preview with all updates, NO update in store.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    ME, XP,Vista,Win7,Win8,Win8.1
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Other Info
    Notebooks x 3

    Desktops x 5

    Towers x 4
KB2871389 is only for Windows 8.


Update:

Update is available that prepares Windows 8 and Windows RT-based computers for the update to Windows 8.1 and Windows 8.1 RT

Capture8-1 update.PNG

Update will NOT install on 8.1 Preview.
 
Last edited:

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    ME, XP,Vista,Win7,Win8,Win8.1
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Other Info
    Notebooks x 3

    Desktops x 5

    Towers x 4
The 8.1 Preview page (which seems to have been updated today) suggests you should be able to update from the Preview via the Windows Store... do you have reason to believe it won't work?

Updating from Windows 8.1 Preview to Windows 8.1 - Microsoft Windows Help

This really ticked me off because I checked this site and others over and over before I installed the preview because I wanted to be sure I would be able to upgrade to the final version when it came out. According to that site and others you would have to reinstall your apps. I figured "No big deal, I'll just take a screenshot of the Start page before updating and use that to download the apps from the store again after the update".

Now it appears that it's not just apps, it's all of your full programs, of which I must have hundreds installed. The other question is- if I have to reinstall all of my 3D software and such that I use for work, what happens to all the settings files for those programs?
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Win 8.1
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    CPU
    Core 2 Quad 2.4GHz
    Motherboard
    Gigabyte
    Memory
    8GB
    Graphics Card(s)
    GeForce GTX 470
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Asus
    Screen Resolution
    1920x1080
    Hard Drives
    Win8 Pro x64, Core 2 Quad 2.4 GHz, , 8GB RAM
    PSU
    Antec
    Cooling
    4 80mm fans
what happens to all the settings files for those programs?

I can only assume they will be gone along with the actual programs.

Excerpted from this article by Paut Thurott:

If you previously upgraded from Windows 8 to the Windows 8.1 Preview, bad news: You can upgrade to the final version of Windows 8.1 for free, of course. But you will have to reinstall all of your desktop applications and Metro-style apps (the ones that don't ship as part of Windows).

Read full article here:

http://winsupersite.com/windows-8/here-comes-windows-81
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8.1
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    CPU
    Intel G2020
    Motherboard
    ASRock B75M-DGS R2.0
    Memory
    8GBs @ 1333 MHz
    Hard Drives
    Samsung 840 EVO
    PSU
    400w
    Internet Speed
    57/11
Update post 14.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    ME, XP,Vista,Win7,Win8,Win8.1
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Other Info
    Notebooks x 3

    Desktops x 5

    Towers x 4
I won't have time to try it before tomorrow evening, but I saw elsewhere on the web that someone suggested opening this address in the Metro version of Internet Explorer:

ms-windows-store:WindowsUpgrade
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8.1, 10
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