Solved Questions about iso's

David Bailey

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Harrisonburg, Va.
If you use one don't you need to buy a product key to use it ?

I always bought upgrades like the 8 Pro Pack WMC.{$40}
Then upgraded to 8.1 Pro from the Store.{free}

Everything installed nicely.
No problems.

I had no use for an iso.

Why people need iso's confuses me. :(

Pardon my appalling ignorance. :eek:
 

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
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    Manufacturer Gateway Model SX2110G (P0)
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David in my case I used an ISO with generic key to install 8.1.1 I also used an $40 8 pro upgrade to Activate.
To avoid upgrading from Win 7 to 8 pro then to 8.1 Por and then update 1
I have a nice clean install of 8.1.1 and then reinstall only the currently used software. lots of crap gone in one fell swoop that had accumulated over the years from Win 7 I actual skipped Win 8 altogether.

I do suppose that the ISO was not really legal however I think the results are legal! And a lot cleaner system that had I gone the legal route and completed all of those upgrade/updates.
 

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
I do suppose that the ISO was not really legal however I think the results are legal! And a lot cleaner system that had I gone the legal route and completed all of those upgrade/updates.
It's nothing illegal about it. ISO is just another format used to combine files/folders into a single compressed file to make it easier for download, store to HD's etc.. just like Winzip and Winrar. In addition, you can mount it as a virtual CD/DVD or to create bootable CD/DVD/USB if needed.
For example, if you have an Audio/Movie CD/DVD and you want to save it as one single ISO file, you can do so using some third party programs such as Power ISO, Ultra ISO. Windows also came with utility to deal with ISO but I never use it since I am using Ultra ISO.

BTW, you can also use Winzip or Winrar to extract files/folders from an ISO file format.

Another example: Microsoft recently release the Windows 10 TP in a single ISO file so that we can download it. After download, we can use a free utility such as: Rufus - Create bootable USB to create a bootable DVD/USB and the files/folders structure would look like as if it's from a DVD so we can install Windows 10 TP from it.
 

My Computer

System One

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    8.1x64PWMC Ubuntu14.04x64 MintMate17x64
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Home Brewed
    CPU
    I7 4970K OC'ed @4.7 GHz
    Motherboard
    MSI-Z97
    Memory
    16 GB G-Skill Trident X @2400MHZ
    Graphics Card(s)
    NVIDIA GeForce GTS 450
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    X-Fi Titanium Fatal1ty Professional Series
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Dual HP-W2408
    Screen Resolution
    1920X1200
    Hard Drives
    256 GB M2 sm951, (2) 500GB 850EVO, 5TB, 2 TB Seagate
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    Antec 850W
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    Antec 1200
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    Danger Den H20
    Keyboard
    Logitech
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    Logitech Performance Mouse MX
    Internet Speed
    35/12mbps
    Browser
    Firefox
I suppose I was just curious about why people just don't go to a store like Staples & buy what they need.
My Pro Pack had its' own product key.
Simple to install.
 

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
I suppose I was just curious about why people just don't go to a store like Staples & buy what they need.
My Pro Pack had its' own product key.
Simple to install.

I hear ya David and I like OS DVDs myself but I think any hard copy at purchase time is going to slowly go the way of floppy disks. With the internet speeds now and the "cloud" evrything seems to be going the way of just a data transfer, up to the user to make hard copies. Things change quickly nowadays. :rolleyes:
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8.1 Pro 64-bit
    Computer type
    Laptop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Acer V3 771G-6443
    CPU
    i5-3230m
    Motherboard
    Acer VA70_HC (U3E1)
    Memory
    8GB DDR3 PC3-12800 (800 MHz)
    Graphics Card(s)
    HD4000 + GeForce GT 730M
    Sound Card
    Realtek High Definition Audio
    Monitor(s) Displays
    17" Generic PnP Display on Intel HD Graphics 4000
    Screen Resolution
    1600x900 pixels
    Hard Drives
    Samsung SSD 850 EVO 250 GB
    ADATA SSD SP900 128GB
    PSU
    90 watt brick
    Mouse
    Bluetooth
    Antivirus
    Comodo
    Other Info
    Asus RT-AC56R dual-band WRT router (Merlin firmware). Intel 7260.HMWWB.R dual-band ac wireless adapter.
I suppose I was just curious about why people just don't go to a store like Staples & buy what they need.
My Pro Pack had its' own product key.
Simple to install.

David, that means you'll get the installation disc in your hand. For those who don't want that, the ISO download is a good alternative. Have to pay for the Product key nevertheless.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Win 8.1 Update x64
    Computer type
    Laptop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    HP Pavilion 15
    CPU
    Haswell Core i5 4200U
    Memory
    8GB Dual-Channel DDR3L @1600
    Graphics Card(s)
    Intel HD 4400 Integrated; 2GB Dedicated NVIDIA GT 740M
    Hard Drives
    500GB Samsung 840 EVO Internal SSD ;
    2TB WD MyPassport Ultra EHDD ;
    1TB TOSHIBA HDD
    Cooling
    Deepcool X6
    Mouse
    Logitech B175 Wireless Mouse
    Internet Speed
    10 Mbps
    Browser
    Opera v25.0
    Antivirus
    KIS 2014
    Other Info
    Microsoft Wired Xbox 360 Controller
I suppose I was just curious about why people just don't go to a store like Staples & buy what they need.
My Pro Pack had its' own product key.
Simple to install.
That's part of cost reduction. Software vendors put their software in the server and once you bought the Product Key then you can download it and install. However, some do come with a CD/DVD but you would have to pay extra for the cost of it. The same thing when you buy a new Laptop, it does not come with a DVD disk anymore but they put it in a recovery partition. If, you have a need for a DVD, you can buy it from them but it'll cost you extra.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    8.1x64PWMC Ubuntu14.04x64 MintMate17x64
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Home Brewed
    CPU
    I7 4970K OC'ed @4.7 GHz
    Motherboard
    MSI-Z97
    Memory
    16 GB G-Skill Trident X @2400MHZ
    Graphics Card(s)
    NVIDIA GeForce GTS 450
    Sound Card
    X-Fi Titanium Fatal1ty Professional Series
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Dual HP-W2408
    Screen Resolution
    1920X1200
    Hard Drives
    256 GB M2 sm951, (2) 500GB 850EVO, 5TB, 2 TB Seagate
    PSU
    Antec 850W
    Case
    Antec 1200
    Cooling
    Danger Den H20
    Keyboard
    Logitech
    Mouse
    Logitech Performance Mouse MX
    Internet Speed
    35/12mbps
    Browser
    Firefox
If you use one don't you need to buy a product key to use it ?

I always bought upgrades like the 8 Pro Pack WMC.{$40}
Then upgraded to 8.1 Pro from the Store.{free}

Everything installed nicely.
No problems.

I had no use for an iso.

Why people need iso's confuses me. :(

Pardon my appalling ignorance. :eek:

What if you scratch your disc? What if you want to burn a "disposable" copy to fix things while your traveling? What if your computer doesn't have an optical drive and can only install from a USB drive? What if you want to install it to a Virtual Machine (ISO's are easier to process by the VM software)? You can't do some of that with the physical disc purchase b/c presumably, there is a copy protection mechanism in place...
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 7
Yes, you still need your product key(s). As the above poster said, people who upgraded from earlier versions of Windows can just use the Windows 8.1 ISO then use their product key to activate it. So every time they wipe everything and start afresh, they don't have to install the previous OS first, then the upgrades, etc. and they also don't need to download anything if they already have the ISO saved on a harddrive.

Also, if you have multiple machines (and other family members machines to look after), you only need one ISO that you can put on a USB stick and use on all machines, you don't need to download 4GB every single time. Just activate using the product keys for the different machines.

For me personally, I haven't used any software or drivers from CD's or DVD's for years, all my software is stored on an external harddrive and installed directly from there. Windows being the only exception, which is installed from a USB stick.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Win 8 64-bit
I have actually bought Windows 8 as ISO from Microsoft. I have my DVD drive disabled in BIOS, I hardly use it, only to copy original DVDs to mkv for backup and to remove all the junk. I only use USB for setups, even after using Windows 8.1.1, it had to install tons of updates, I can not imagine using original 8 and then upgrading it pretty much forever, not to mention, that it always failed. Shame on MS, that you have to "steal" 8.1.1 iso. :confused:
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Win 8.1.1 Pro x64
    Computer type
    Laptop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Lenovo E525
    CPU
    AMD A4-3300M @ 2,0GHz
    Memory
    6GB DDR3 1333MHz
    Graphics Card(s)
    AMD Radeon HD 6480G 512MB shared
    Sound Card
    Creative Sound Blaster X-Fi Surround 5.1
    Screen Resolution
    1366x768
    Hard Drives
    WD 465GB
    Cooling
    Fusion Tweaker
    Keyboard
    Logitech K360
    Mouse
    Logitech M705
    Internet Speed
    50/50 MBps
    Browser
    Yandex
    Antivirus
    No AV & No Firewall
    Other Info
    Headphones: Sennheiser RS170
If you buy a PC with a factory installed OEM version of Windows you don't get any install media. You can create recovery media but that media won't let you do a clean install. The recovery media just refreshes the factory image back onto the hard drive. Also some will wait until its too late to create the recovery media. Failed hard drive or corrupted file system. You have a key in the BIOS but no install media to use it. Those are the ones looking hard for an ISO.

Another scenario is if your PC came with Windows 8.0. That product key can be used to activate windows 8.1. Some would rather do a clean install of 8.1 than install 8.0 and have to upgrade though the store. They need an 8.1 ISO/DVD to do that

Or they want an 8.1 with update 1 ISO versus one without it.

My laptop came with Windows 8.0 Core. I swapped out the factory hard drive with a smaller SSD. Once I did that my recovery thumb drive would not work to put the factory install on the new drive. Cloning didn't work either. I was not an MVP at that time so I had to resort to bit torrent to get an 8.0 ISO to clean install 8.0 Core on my SSD. It used the original embedded OEM key.

There are some that have valid legal keys but no disk to use them with. Having to pay full price again just to get the DVD is a PITA.

EDIT: ISO's are also handy for making bootable install thumb drives. That is my preferred method as its considerably faster than using optical media for the install. Thumb drives don't get scratched or smudged either. ;)
 

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

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
Although I haven't tried it yet as I won't need it until the new year, so I'm not sure whether or not you still have to use the generic 8.1 product key first, then activate with your 8.0 product key.

You no longer need to use a generic key. This Windows 8.1 installation media accepts Windows 8/8.1 product keys (both retail and OEM).
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 10
    Computer type
    Laptop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Lenovo G580
    CPU
    Intel Core i5-3230M
    Memory
    8 GB
    Graphics Card(s)
    Intel HD Graphics 4000
    Browser
    Microsoft Edge
    Antivirus
    Windows Defender, standard user account
    Other Info
    UEFI firmware (BIOS) embedded Windows 8 product key.
I do not think so. :sarc:
 

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My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Win 8.1.1 Pro x64
    Computer type
    Laptop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Lenovo E525
    CPU
    AMD A4-3300M @ 2,0GHz
    Memory
    6GB DDR3 1333MHz
    Graphics Card(s)
    AMD Radeon HD 6480G 512MB shared
    Sound Card
    Creative Sound Blaster X-Fi Surround 5.1
    Screen Resolution
    1366x768
    Hard Drives
    WD 465GB
    Cooling
    Fusion Tweaker
    Keyboard
    Logitech K360
    Mouse
    Logitech M705
    Internet Speed
    50/50 MBps
    Browser
    Yandex
    Antivirus
    No AV & No Firewall
    Other Info
    Headphones: Sennheiser RS170

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 10
    Computer type
    Laptop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Lenovo G580
    CPU
    Intel Core i5-3230M
    Memory
    8 GB
    Graphics Card(s)
    Intel HD Graphics 4000
    Browser
    Microsoft Edge
    Antivirus
    Windows Defender, standard user account
    Other Info
    UEFI firmware (BIOS) embedded Windows 8 product key.
Thanks to all who responded. :)

My knowledge has increased. :):geek:
 

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
It is Windows 8.1 Update 1. Has been since shortly after Update 1 was released.
 

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
I just have 1 computer.

I keep 2 Macrium images at a time on USB drives.
I've never had use for an ISO.
Hence my asking about them.

I bought factory recovery disks from Gateway.
Before using Macrium I used the disks twice.
A Macrium image is so much easier.
Installing maybe a hundred updates is tedious.
Plus all the programs & other personal data.

I have all the crapware removed from the OEM install.
If my computer gets fried, hopefully I could use the Macrium image to set things up on a new computer.
I think that can be done.
Anybody know for sure ?
 

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
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