Just got Samsung Series 7 Slate, how do I install Windows 8?

skallal

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I just got a Samsung Series 7 Slate off of Craigslist. I have already booted from a USB flash drive with Windows 8 64 bit. But I realize I don't want to just go ahead and install it without some advice from some others who have already been.

First of all, do I do a full install of Windows 8, or do a dual boot with Windows 7? I've already managed to dual-boot my desktop PC with a Windows 8 64 bit on a VHD partition. I used Easy BSD to set up the boot menu.

I found a page on the Samsung site, that describes using a USB-based keyboard when doing the installation.

So as much as I'd like to fire up the gadget on Windows 8, I'd rather hear from someone who's already been there.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8 Pro
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Sony Vaio Duo 11
    CPU
    i7
    Memory
    8 GB
    Graphics Card(s)
    Intel 4000
    Sound Card
    Realtek High Definition Audio
    Monitor(s) Displays
    11.6" touch screen w/ digitizer & Asus 27" external monitor
    Screen Resolution
    1920x1080
    Hard Drives
    256 GB SSD
    Cooling
    Internal fan
    Keyboard
    Slider keyboard
    Mouse
    Logitech T650 Touchpad & Microsoft Touch Mouse
I would burn a set of the factory restore disks for Windows 7 before I do anything. There is a good chance the hidden recovery partition could get messed up and end up not being usable.
 
Last edited:

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
Having a keyboard when doing the install would be useful if you're not familiar with doing things by the volume rockers, the rotation key, and the "Windows" button on the front, and you'll likely be faster if you have a USB keyboard attached for this part, that much is true. This is also how I'd recommend navigating the BIOS (push the "Windows" button on the front a few times right after you see the blue power light when you power on to enter the BIOS) until you're familiar with doing it with just the slate's keys.

Other than that, though, my main advice (as I've had one of these since October of last year) is to visit the Win8 site for this from Samsung:
Windows 8 Consumer Preview

You will want to download and review the installation guide, download and install the Touch firmware update, and also download and install the latest BIOS update tool within Windows 7 if you can (these last two work under Windows 8 on the slate, but they need some hackery to do so - if you have Win7 already on the device, you can simply download the touch and bios updates and run them without issue).

Once you've done that, you can either make a backup (Samsung did provide reinstall CDs, so if you purchased the device and have the CDs, you'll be good to go without a backup) or just get to installing. Unless you have the dock and are installing via PXE over the network from a boot server hosting Windows 8, it's easiest just to put Win8 Release Preview and the latest Intel chipset drivers (the Win7 drivers from the "drivers" tab install fine under Win8, so grab the x86 or x64 variant of those depending on which variant of Win8 you're installing) onto a USB key, and boot/install from there. All other drivers for the device are either on the Win8 installation media or will download/install from WU except those Intel chipset drivers, so having those handy beforehand will save you some time). If you've already updated the BIOS and Touch firmware as previously recommended, you'll be good to go at this point - just run Windows update, get the latest updates, and start using Win8 on the SS7 ;).

Windows 7 on the tablet is OK, but it's nowhere near as good as Windows 8 on the device. I've dual-booted in the past, but I found after a short time that going back to Win7 after experiencing 8 on the device was too much, and I wiped and reinstalled with just 8 afterwards. I've been using it since the Dev Preview build, and the RP build on it is pretty slick. The only small issue you need to watch for is that the video hardware sometimes boots with a "wave" of light and dark at the bottom, and putting it to sleep and re-awakening it when it happens will fix it. Supposedly Samsung is aware of the issue, but the workaround for now is pretty simple (you'll know it when you see it - it's obvioius).
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8.1 x64
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Custom
    CPU
    Intel Core i7 4790K @ 4.5GHz
    Motherboard
    Asus Maximus Hero VII
    Memory
    32GB DDR3
    Graphics Card(s)
    Nvidia GeForce GTX970
    Sound Card
    Realtek HD Audio
    Hard Drives
    1x Samsung 250GB SSD
    4x WD RE 2TB (RAIDZ)
    PSU
    Corsair AX760i
    Case
    Fractal Design Define R4
    Cooling
    Noctua NH-D15
Any tests on the bluetooth? Ive been struggling with that
apart from that everything else works like a "Charm" . Pardon the Pun..
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    WIN8 RP
Bluetooth is working fine for me with a Microsoft Bluetooth mouse and keyboard (Keyboard 5000 and Mouse 5000, to be exact).
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8.1 x64
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Custom
    CPU
    Intel Core i7 4790K @ 4.5GHz
    Motherboard
    Asus Maximus Hero VII
    Memory
    32GB DDR3
    Graphics Card(s)
    Nvidia GeForce GTX970
    Sound Card
    Realtek HD Audio
    Hard Drives
    1x Samsung 250GB SSD
    4x WD RE 2TB (RAIDZ)
    PSU
    Corsair AX760i
    Case
    Fractal Design Define R4
    Cooling
    Noctua NH-D15
cluberti, In your earlier post you mentioned "download and install the Touch firmware update, and also download and install the latest BIOS update tool" Where would I find and download these?

I am planning on installing the technet win8 release asap on my Samsung Series 7 tablet.

Thanks in advance for your reply.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Win 7
    System Manufacturer/Model
    custom
    CPU
    intel i7-3770
    Motherboard
    ASUS
    Memory
    16gb
    Graphics Card(s)
    Diamond Radeon HD 6950

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8.1 x64
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Custom
    CPU
    Intel Core i7 4790K @ 4.5GHz
    Motherboard
    Asus Maximus Hero VII
    Memory
    32GB DDR3
    Graphics Card(s)
    Nvidia GeForce GTX970
    Sound Card
    Realtek HD Audio
    Hard Drives
    1x Samsung 250GB SSD
    4x WD RE 2TB (RAIDZ)
    PSU
    Corsair AX760i
    Case
    Fractal Design Define R4
    Cooling
    Noctua NH-D15
cluberti,

Thanks for the direction
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Win 7
    System Manufacturer/Model
    custom
    CPU
    intel i7-3770
    Motherboard
    ASUS
    Memory
    16gb
    Graphics Card(s)
    Diamond Radeon HD 6950
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