How to download the Windows 8.1 ISO

[mahanddeem]

For 8.1 pro, what ISO size you finally get? Mine is 3.05GB. Is that what you get too?

 

[mosharino]

I've been thinking about the OEM upgrade.

It's not a direct clean install but it should work and thus give a fresh install.

Upgrade via the store and then download the iso using the method I described in the first post. Burn to to dvd/usb.

Restart and boot Windows 8.1 setup, but instead of selecting install choose 'repair'. Follow the the onscreen prompts for doing a reset.

A reset does not.prompt you for a key so should work to do a round about clean install.

Just a thought.

IGNORE THIS.

 

[SIW2]

Upgrade via the store and then download the iso using the method I described in the first post. Burn to to dvd/usb

.

How can they download the iso if they only have oem key?

That method only works with a retail key as far as I can tell.

 

[mosharino]

Yeah. Sorry. My bad.

I was the one that said it only works with a retail key too! :|

It's late here, so I guess my brain I shutting down. ;-)

 

[SIW2]

Not at all. It is good you are trying to think of workarounds.

 

[mahanddeem]

OP what is the size of the 8.1 pro iso you get finally ?

 

[alphanumeric]

This is very poor.

Consumers with an oem 8.0 machine get this half assed upgrade. They will not feel disposed to buy any more MS stuff, their next tablet/phone will be something else.

It doesn't encourage anyone to buy a preinstalled machine with any kind of windows on it.

Yea, I don't know why OEM folks would be thrown under the bus especially when MS has decided to move on to 8.1 and leave 8 in the rear-view mirror.

Your suggestion to make an image after the upgrade is the best suggestion I suppose as long as the upgrade goes OK. Still means us OEM trash have no way to do a direct 8.1 clean install.

Again, not cool.

P.S. You'd think MS would have even less of an issue with OEM software now with the key being burnt into the ROM. Go figure.

Add to that, that The TechNet 8.1 ISO won't use the Windows 8 embedded code. It may very well read it but it won't use it. I was prompted to enter a product code when doing a clean install on my laptop that has a Windows 8 embedded code. Its not printed on the COA sticker either so most users aren't going to even know what it is. Even if you know what it is you can't use it to do the install. You have to enter a Windows 8.1 code to do the install. That means knowing the leaked install key. And then another step to enter and activate with your 8 OEM key. Dropped under the bus? Lets just put that in reverse and back up just to make sure. They seem to be going out of their way to force you to use the store to update. Then leave you hanging when it goes wrong.

 

[brummyfan]

Any SF/EF regulars having trouble getting it?

I have downloaded and burning now.

 

[SIW2]

I have a gigantic winre.wim now.

Anybody else got this ?

 

[popeye]

Yeah. Sorry. My bad.

I was the one that said it only works with a retail key too! :|

It's late here, so I guess my brain I shutting down. ;-)

Not at all. It is good you are trying to think of workarounds.

Hey, I for one appreciate you guys brainstorming this. I'm fishing as much as I can before doing the upgrade. Still would seem us OEM folks with burnt-in 8 keys would have even more of a direct clean install route than XP, Vista, 7, 8 retail up-graders. Life ain't fair once again.

 

[SIW2]

<WIM>
  <TOTALBYTES>335122233</TOTALBYTES>
  <IMAGE INDEX="1">
    <DIRCOUNT>3140</DIRCOUNT>
    <FILECOUNT>15257</FILECOUNT>
    <TOTALBYTES>1636830545</TOTALBYTES>
    <HARDLINKBYTES>539633038</HARDLINKBYTES>
    <CREATIONTIME>
      <HIGHPART>0x01CE9F41</HIGHPART>
      <LOWPART>0x51BB3376</LOWPART>
    </CREATIONTIME>
    <LASTMODIFICATIONTIME>
      <HIGHPART>0x01CECB60</HIGHPART>
      <LOWPART>0xD33A89AC</LOWPART>
    </LASTMODIFICATIONTIME>
    <WINDOWS>
      <ARCH>9</ARCH>
      <PRODUCTNAME>Microsoft® Windows® Operating System</PRODUCTNAME>
      <EDITIONID>WindowsPE</EDITIONID>
      <INSTALLATIONTYPE>WindowsPE</INSTALLATIONTYPE>
      <PRODUCTTYPE>WinNT</PRODUCTTYPE>
      <PRODUCTSUITE></PRODUCTSUITE>
      <LANGUAGES>
        <LANGUAGE>en-US</LANGUAGE>
        <DEFAULT>en-US</DEFAULT>
      </LANGUAGES>
      <VERSION>
        <MAJOR>6</MAJOR>
        <MINOR>3</MINOR>
        <BUILD>9600</BUILD>
        <SPBUILD>16384</SPBUILD>
        <SPLEVEL>0</SPLEVEL>
      </VERSION>
      <SYSTEMROOT>WINDOWS</SYSTEMROOT>
    </WINDOWS>
    <NAME>Microsoft Windows Recovery Environment (x64)</NAME>
    <DESCRIPTION>Microsoft Windows Recovery Environment (x64)</DESCRIPTION>
  </IMAGE>
</WIM>

 

[popeye]

This is very poor.

Consumers with an oem 8.0 machine get this half assed upgrade. They will not feel disposed to buy any more MS stuff, their next tablet/phone will be something else.

It doesn't encourage anyone to buy a preinstalled machine with any kind of windows on it.

Yea, I don't know why OEM folks would be thrown under the bus especially when MS has decided to move on to 8.1 and leave 8 in the rear-view mirror.

Your suggestion to make an image after the upgrade is the best suggestion I suppose as long as the upgrade goes OK. Still means us OEM trash have no way to do a direct 8.1 clean install.

Again, not cool.

P.S. You'd think MS would have even less of an issue with OEM software now with the key being burnt into the ROM. Go figure.

Add to that, that The TechNet 8.1 ISO won't use the Windows 8 embedded code. It may very well read it but it won't use it. I was prompted to enter a product code when doing a clean install on my laptop that has a Windows 8 embedded code. Its not printed on the COA sticker either so most users aren't going to even know what it is. Even if you know what it is you can't use it to do the install. You have to enter a Windows 8.1 code to do the install. That means knowing the leaked install key. And then another step to enter and activate with your 8 OEM key. Dropped under the bus? Lets just put that in reverse and back just to make sure. They seem to be going out of their way to force you to use the store to update. Then leave you hanging when it goes wrong.

I made sure to extract my OEM key from the ROM shortly after getting my laptop thanks to guidance on this forum.

 

[brummyfan]

When I tried to reset with the DVD, I get a message "Insert the correct media, disc is invalid"

 

[SIW2]

Really?

Haven't tried it yet.

 

[Dave44]

I get it saying cant connect at moment even though my net is connected

 

[SIW2]

Are you trying the download method, using a retail key?

I get it saying cant connect at moment even though my net is connected

 

[Dave44]

Are you trying the download method, using a retail key?

I get it saying cant connect at moment even though my net is connected

yes it accepted the key

 

[brummyfan]

Really?

Haven't tried it yet.

It was my mistake, I should have moved to 8.1 through Store then I should have used the disc for "Reset"

 

[SIW2]

@Dave,

You could try deleting whatever is in "C:\Users\yourusername\AppData\Local\Microsoft\WebSetup"

Then try again

 

[MrBui]

it worked perfectly. thanks a lot man!!!