Windows could not install windows 8. We have returned

heliosue

New Member
Messages
8
There are so many good tutorials on the eightforums site that I was sure I was going to finally find an answer. ...But, I seem to be stuck in a loop without a solution. I have a Dell Inspiron R15 S purchased in early 2013 with a Windows upgrade to WIndows 8 Pro. Since that time I have received both the Windows 8.1 upgrade as well as an 8.1.1? upgrade. My OS worked fine up until the second 8.1 upgrade. At that time Miracast totally disappeared from 8.1 as if it had never been there. No more option to add a wireless display from the Charms>Devices>Project menu. Now, I hardly care any more about Miracast but it is driving me crazy that that I cannot reformat my Windows OS to factory, or revert to WIndows 8, or uninstall 8 or 8.1, or do a clean install of any kind. Everything looks like the clean install or the format is working fine and at the end of the process I get a message saying "Windows could not install Windows 8. We have returned your computer to its previous settings. Same thing happens with Windows 8.1

Does any of this make sense? Any help? Thanks.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    8.1
    Computer type
    Laptop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Dell Inspron 15R SE
    CPU
    core 7i
    Graphics Card(s)
    Intel 4000
    Browser
    Firefox
    Antivirus
    Webroot
Click on Settings in charms bar (cog)....At bottom click on Change Pc Settings....Click on Recovery....You now have three choices.
To save yourself a lot of agro suggest you try "Refresh your PC without affecting your files"....this should take you to W8.1....If that fails you can then restore to "Factory Settings".. but if you do this you will have to download an awful lot of updates before reinstalling W8.1 again.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8 Pro
Thanks so much for trying to help. Unfortunately, I have done all of your suggestions (and more) many times, but even though the process looks like it is going to work, at the end of all of the various processing times, my computer restarts and the message says that Windows was unable to install/restore/refresh and it is returning me to my previous settings (the settings I was on when I tried to make my changes.) I have even considered putting in a new Hard Drive, but it looks to me like Windows would just reinstall whatever I have right now.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    8.1
    Computer type
    Laptop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Dell Inspron 15R SE
    CPU
    core 7i
    Graphics Card(s)
    Intel 4000
    Browser
    Firefox
    Antivirus
    Webroot
Did you create or have the Dell Recovery Disks when you first got the computer? You could use them to restore to Factory Conditions. Back up your data before doing anything.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    windows 8.1 Update 1 Pro 64bit
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Pavillion H8-1202
    CPU
    I7-2600 @ 3.4 GHz
    Motherboard
    PEGATRON
    Memory
    8 GB
    Graphics Card(s)
    NIVDIA GeForce GT 520
    Sound Card
    Realtek ALC656GR CODEC
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Samsung SyncMaster S22B350
    Screen Resolution
    1920X1080 32 bit color
    Hard Drives
    Samsung 850 EVO SSD 500GB
    Keyboard
    Razer Blackwidow Ultimate 2013
    Mouse
    Logitech M510
Thanks. I did make recovery disks, but I keep getting a message that some media is missing. I have a recovery on a DVD and on a thumb drive. I have tried inserting the Windows 8 pro disk that came with my computer, and when I use that, the process does start, but I still end up right back where I started. I would happily start over with a clean install of Windows 8 Pro but I can't even do that. I think my computer may have had a lobotomy.!

It would seem that Windows would at least let me go to the extreme and totally reformat, but that doesn' work either.
 
Last edited:

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    8.1
    Computer type
    Laptop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Dell Inspron 15R SE
    CPU
    core 7i
    Graphics Card(s)
    Intel 4000
    Browser
    Firefox
    Antivirus
    Webroot
Does it boot from the Windows 8 pro disk you had. If not change the boot order in the BIOS

Make sure you have your key.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    windows 8.1 Update 1 Pro 64bit
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Pavillion H8-1202
    CPU
    I7-2600 @ 3.4 GHz
    Motherboard
    PEGATRON
    Memory
    8 GB
    Graphics Card(s)
    NIVDIA GeForce GT 520
    Sound Card
    Realtek ALC656GR CODEC
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Samsung SyncMaster S22B350
    Screen Resolution
    1920X1080 32 bit color
    Hard Drives
    Samsung 850 EVO SSD 500GB
    Keyboard
    Razer Blackwidow Ultimate 2013
    Mouse
    Logitech M510
Thanks, Nuccii. Okay, I tried booting from the Installation disk and it looked like it was working, but ended up with a message saying that : couldn't find drivers, and finally: Cannot reset your PC. A required partition is missing. I honestly don't know how I could have lost a partition, but I have been trying for several weeks to figure this all out and who knows what damage I may have inflicted. My 8.1 OS basically works, but I have become somewhat (a lot?) obsessed with trying to figure out why I cannot format, refresh, or reset, no matter what I try.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    8.1
    Computer type
    Laptop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Dell Inspron 15R SE
    CPU
    core 7i
    Graphics Card(s)
    Intel 4000
    Browser
    Firefox
    Antivirus
    Webroot

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    windows 8.1 Update 1 Pro 64bit
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Pavillion H8-1202
    CPU
    I7-2600 @ 3.4 GHz
    Motherboard
    PEGATRON
    Memory
    8 GB
    Graphics Card(s)
    NIVDIA GeForce GT 520
    Sound Card
    Realtek ALC656GR CODEC
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Samsung SyncMaster S22B350
    Screen Resolution
    1920X1080 32 bit color
    Hard Drives
    Samsung 850 EVO SSD 500GB
    Keyboard
    Razer Blackwidow Ultimate 2013
    Mouse
    Logitech M510
Looks like it is an upgrade version. Is this what you're looking for/ Computer management.jpg
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    8.1
    Computer type
    Laptop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Dell Inspron 15R SE
    CPU
    core 7i
    Graphics Card(s)
    Intel 4000
    Browser
    Firefox
    Antivirus
    Webroot

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    windows 8.1 Update 1 Pro 64bit
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Pavillion H8-1202
    CPU
    I7-2600 @ 3.4 GHz
    Motherboard
    PEGATRON
    Memory
    8 GB
    Graphics Card(s)
    NIVDIA GeForce GT 520
    Sound Card
    Realtek ALC656GR CODEC
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Samsung SyncMaster S22B350
    Screen Resolution
    1920X1080 32 bit color
    Hard Drives
    Samsung 850 EVO SSD 500GB
    Keyboard
    Razer Blackwidow Ultimate 2013
    Mouse
    Logitech M510
Of course my warranty is over. I'm going to try to talk to someone at Dell (I hope) and see if they'll let me buy the recovery disks. Microsoft wants to charge me $99 to try to solve my problem, but they don't say what happens if they can't solve the problem and I'm not willing to give them that much money, anyway. Other than that, I guess I'll throw in the towel for the time being.
Thanks so much for trying to help me figure this out.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    8.1
    Computer type
    Laptop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Dell Inspron 15R SE
    CPU
    core 7i
    Graphics Card(s)
    Intel 4000
    Browser
    Firefox
    Antivirus
    Webroot
Darn, I can't let it go. In my disk management. It shows that I have three recovery partitions. Is that normal?
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    8.1
    Computer type
    Laptop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Dell Inspron 15R SE
    CPU
    core 7i
    Graphics Card(s)
    Intel 4000
    Browser
    Firefox
    Antivirus
    Webroot
Try this....Start up computer....Then hold down Shift Key and click on Restart.....This will bring up Troubleshooting options.
Including restore to factory settings....It might be useful to uninstall your anti-virus before attempting, but check that Windows Defender is working.....you can always reinstall your anti-virus after if successful.
Good Luck
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8 Pro
Thanks for the advice. Tried this and was unable to bring up troubleshooting options. My 8.1 os sometimes acts like it knows what it supposed to do and other times it hasn't a clue. Dell is sending me the recovery disks for my laptop, so hopefully I can do a clean install without screwing it up and start over with a healthy operating system. Thanks again.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    8.1
    Computer type
    Laptop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Dell Inspron 15R SE
    CPU
    core 7i
    Graphics Card(s)
    Intel 4000
    Browser
    Firefox
    Antivirus
    Webroot
Your welcome and good luck
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    windows 8.1 Update 1 Pro 64bit
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Pavillion H8-1202
    CPU
    I7-2600 @ 3.4 GHz
    Motherboard
    PEGATRON
    Memory
    8 GB
    Graphics Card(s)
    NIVDIA GeForce GT 520
    Sound Card
    Realtek ALC656GR CODEC
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Samsung SyncMaster S22B350
    Screen Resolution
    1920X1080 32 bit color
    Hard Drives
    Samsung 850 EVO SSD 500GB
    Keyboard
    Razer Blackwidow Ultimate 2013
    Mouse
    Logitech M510
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