CAUTION: You May Lose Reset/Refresh if You Upgrade to Windows 8.1

By Nazmus Shakib Khandaker,
in Windows

 Share Followers 0

Recommended Posts

ishamm
Posted

my 8.1 REALLY messed up, and as a result i can only boot into safe mode (i dont know why). I upgraded from the store, so dont have the refresh option. is there a way to use the enterprise evaluation as a recovery media for refresh? i can do the 'cmd prompt magic', but since i cant refresh from safe mode it doesnt seem to help. thanks.

Link to post
Share on other sites
Nazmus Shakib Khandaker
  • Author
Posted

my 8.1 REALLY messed up, and as a result i can only boot into safe mode (i dont know why). I upgraded from the store, so dont have the refresh option. is there a way to use the enterprise evaluation as a recovery media for refresh? i can do the 'cmd prompt magic', but since i cant refresh from safe mode it doesnt seem to help. thanks.

 

No, don't use the enterprise method. There is a better way we figured out. We can now download Windows 8.1 ISO using our Windows 8 Key. Check out this forum post and follow the instructions. Once you burn your Windows 8.1 ISO to DVD or make an USB, you can use that to refresh your PC.

http://www.neowin.net/forum/topic/1183149-hazzaaa-download-windows-81-iso-using-windows-80-product-key/

Link to post
Share on other sites
ishamm
Posted

thanks, i have tried that, but get errors saying its unable to connect to the internet, i have been trying various methods all day to no avail. 

is it possible for anyone to share an 8.1 iso they have succesfuly downloaded? many thanks

Link to post
Share on other sites
  • 2 weeks later...
WickedGirl
Posted

Hello! Like a fool, I upgraded to Windows 8.1 last week, and I have been having nothing but trouble. I decided to perform a refresh of the installation, in an attempt to keep my personal files for the moment, while hopefully fixing any problem issues with the 8.1 upgrade installation. Imagine my surprise when I went to the Recovery area in control panel and selected "Refresh", only to be told that "some files are missing" so the refresh cannot continue. Well crapola! Now what do I do. Anyone else experience this?

Link to post
Share on other sites
zoharzenica
Posted

Best solution is to turn off system restore, install Acronis True Image and life is good. Microsoft should remove all these backup options from Windows because none of them work right or they are incomplete. If they can't provide what Acronis True Image does, they shouldn't bother having anything in OS but let 3rd party to provide solutions.

Link to post
Share on other sites
Gotenks98
Posted

Best solution is to turn off system restore, install Acronis True Image and life is good. Microsoft should remove all these backup options from Windows because none of them work right or they are incomplete. If they can't provide what Acronis True Image does, they shouldn't bother having anything in OS but let 3rd party to provide solutions.

They do work if your not doing it wrong. They just need to make this documentation more available or put a better interface on it. I have a refresh/reset image that works just fine. I even worked on getting the compression down even more.  

Link to post
Share on other sites
  • 3 weeks later...
psychok9
Posted

Guys tonight I've tried "enterprise evaluation" method... and it doesn't work!

I've got broken Enterprise evaluation OS!

Now I don't know how to restore my Windows 8.1 Pro  :s

  • Like 1
Link to post
Share on other sites
  • 3 weeks later...
JohnnyGuitar
Posted

I wanted to reset an older computer that had been running Windows 8.1 and had this exact issue. I used the method described above and everything worked as described EXCEPT that once it went through the reset process the license agreement told me that I was installing a trial edition of 8.1 Enterprise. At that point I was so far along that I could not back out of the reset process. I now have a reset computer but it has a watermark in the lower right-hand corner that says "Windows 8.1 Enterprise Evaluation. Windows License is expired. Build 9600."

 

What does this mean exactly? I purchased the $40 upgrade to Windows 8 and then installed the upgrade to 8.1...do I now have some kind of version that will expire at some point in the future? Any advice is appreciated, thanks!

Link to post
Share on other sites
zhangm
  • Supervisor
Posted

What does this mean exactly? I purchased the $40 upgrade to Windows 8 and then installed the upgrade to 8.1...do I now have some kind of version that will expire at some point in the future? Any advice is appreciated, thanks!

I believe that technically, the license is already expired for the eval that you have.

Anyway, I'm not aware of a conversion process from Enterprise Eval. to upgraded 8.1 (pro?). Just stabbing in the dark, try making a new refresh/restore partition using a retail image file for the version that you have, and then run the refresh process again. I can't guarantee that it won't go all taco-shaped though. :(

This is old info, but see if it works.

http://www.neowin.net/news/here-is-how-to-get-the-windows-81-iso-and-create-a-usb-install-stick

Link to post
Share on other sites
primexx
Posted

Microsoft really dropped the ball on this one by refusing to provide clean ISOs for Win8.1. So many totally avoidable problems and bad user experiences simply because their stubborness. I tried the Store upgrade install on my laptop and it bluescreened immediately upon booting into Win8.1 the 1st time. It then suffered frequent BSODs seemingly randomly. I ended up getting a copy of the ISO from a friend and did a clean install, which worked fine. I'm going to do the same with my desktop during the break.

 

If you do get a copy of the ISO, simply use the Win8.1 generic key during the install process, and once booted in put in your actual Win8 key to activate. It doesn't matter if it's an upgrade key it'll take it directly. Don't need to mess with the registry or command prompt at all (As opposed to Win8 which needed a registry edit to activate an upgrade key on a clean install). Very simple and straight forward.

Link to post
Share on other sites
+warwagon
  • Subscriber²
Posted

This

 

Microsoft really dropped the ball on this one by refusing to provide clean ISOs for Win8.1. So many totally avoidable problems and bad user experiences simply because their stubborness. I tried the Store upgrade install on my laptop and it bluescreened immediately upon booting into Win8.1 the 1st time. It then suffered frequent BSODs seemingly randomly. I ended up getting a copy of the ISO from a friend and did a clean install, which worked fine. I'm going to do the same with my desktop during the break.

 

If you do get a copy of the ISO, simply use the Win8.1 generic key during the install process, and once booted in put in your actual Win8 key to activate. It doesn't matter if it's an upgrade key it'll take it directly. Don't need to mess with the registry or command prompt at all (As opposed to Win8 which needed a registry edit to activate an upgrade key on a clean install). Very simple and straight forward.

 

Correct this shows a recently Microsoft trend, where they are trying to make things more simple for the consumer but more of a hasel for computer assistance. F8 being turned into Shift + F8 is a great example. Half the consumers we talk with over the phone can screw up F8 on a slow posting bios, let a lone holding down 2 keys on a bios which boots instantly. This is just 1 example.

Link to post
Share on other sites
JohnnyGuitar
Posted

I believe that technically, the license is already expired for the eval that you have.

Anyway, I'm not aware of a conversion process from Enterprise Eval. to upgraded 8.1 (pro?). Just stabbing in the dark, try making a new refresh/restore partition using a retail image file for the version that you have, and then run the refresh process again. I can't guarantee that it won't go all taco-shaped though. :(

This is old info, but see if it works.

http://www.neowin.net/news/here-is-how-to-get-the-windows-81-iso-and-create-a-usb-install-stick

I will try this later and let you know what happens. I have no idea what I did with the original 8 and 8.1 install files for that computer. It is a few years old and shipped with windows 7. 

What happens if I do nothing? Will the computer cease working at some point?

Link to post
Share on other sites
zhangm
  • Supervisor
Posted

I will try this later and let you know what happens. I have no idea what I did with the original 8 and 8.1 install files for that computer. It is a few years old and shipped with windows 7. 

What happens if I do nothing? Will the computer cease working at some point?

I'm honestly not sure how the evaluation version is interacting with your upgrade key upon restoring. I'm guessing that it simply won't be activated, so you have the entire 10 day grace period for activation. After that, expect the computer to shut down every hour.

http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/evalcenter/jj552442.aspx

Link to post
Share on other sites
JohnnyGuitar
Posted

Just a quick update. I have no idea what happened to my product key for my original windows 8 install and the refresh now shows the newly installed enterprise edition as "not activated" where my key should have been. Fortunately I was preparing this computer for a secondary life so none of this was too crucial to me. However, I am not willing to spend additional money for an operating system I'd already paid for and finally just decided to use the manufacturer's restore disk to take the OS all the way back to Windows 7.

 

To others that happen upon this topic and the enterprise edition solution that is outlined below the second post, please know that this will not reset or refresh your computer, but install what is essentially a new trial edition windows OS. 

 

Thanks for those who followed up and gave me advice after the install. It is very much appreciated!

Link to post
Share on other sites
Praetor
Posted

Refresh is the biggest crap on windows 8, IMHO. Why? because it takes a awful lot of hours to complete; did it a few weeks ago (just for trying and to know the method involved) and after 4 hours it was still in 7%... i wonder what was going on, only to find several people that had the same displeasure on the Internet.

Link to post
Share on other sites
zhangm
  • Supervisor
Posted

Just a quick update. I have no idea what happened to my product key for my original windows 8 install and the refresh now shows the newly installed enterprise edition as "not activated" where my key should have been. Fortunately I was preparing this computer for a secondary life so none of this was too crucial to me. However, I am not willing to spend additional money for an operating system I'd already paid for and finally just decided to use the manufacturer's restore disk to take the OS all the way back to Windows 7.

 

To others that happen upon this topic and the enterprise edition solution that is outlined below the second post, please know that this will not reset or refresh your computer, but install what is essentially a new trial edition windows OS. 

 

Thanks for those who followed up and gave me advice after the install. It is very much appreciated!

Thanks for the feedback. I'm sorry that we weren't able to provide much help getting your installation repaired properly. As a note, after reading your initial post, I edited the second post in this thread to include a warning about this issue - I know it is too little too late for you, but maybe it will stop others from unknowingly performing a reset.

Link to post
Share on other sites
JohnnyGuitar
Posted

No worries. I just bought a new laptop and just wanted to clear out the old one for storage, etc. Thanks for being so friendly!

Link to post
Share on other sites
Gotenks98
Posted

Refresh is the biggest crap on windows 8, IMHO. Why? because it takes a awful lot of hours to complete; did it a few weeks ago (just for trying and to know the method involved) and after 4 hours it was still in 7%... i wonder what was going on, only to find several people that had the same displeasure on the Internet.

You sure you didn't pick reset my pc with a full drive clean? That wipes the drive completely which is why it takes so long. A standard refresh should not take no more than 20 minutes unless you are having hardware issues or something.

Link to post
Share on other sites
Praetor
Posted

You sure you didn't pick reset my pc with a full drive clean? That wipes the drive completely which is why it takes so long. A standard refresh should not take no more than 20 minutes unless you are having hardware issues or something.

 

now that u say that, i think it was reset...yep, reset it was. but it didn't give me the option (at least it wasn't visible) of a full drive wipe, i just thought it will quick format and reinstall from a image, sysprep like.

Link to post
Share on other sites
  • 4 weeks later...
c0rnm3al
Posted

Guys tonight I've tried "enterprise evaluation" method... and it doesn't work!

I've got broken Enterprise evaluation OS!

Now I don't know how to restore my Windows 8.1 Pro  :s

This is exactly what happened to me.  I accidentally installed windows 8.1 Enterprise, but am unable to activate it with a valid product key because I don't have one.  As a result, my computer shuts down on its own after about an hour.  Is there any way I can go back to windows 8.1, or even 8?  I really need help with this.

Link to post
Share on other sites
The Evil Overlord
Posted

This is exactly what happened to me.  I accidentally installed windows 8.1 Enterprise, but am unable to activate it with a valid product key because I don't have one.  As a result, my computer shuts down on its own after about an hour.  Is there any way I can go back to windows 8.1, or even 8?  I really need help with this.

My advise, read the posts by Nazmus Shakib Khandaker

Read carefully, most everyone who took the time to go through it found a solution

Link to post
Share on other sites
c0rnm3al
Posted

My advise, read the posts by Nazmus Shakib Khandaker

Read carefully, most everyone who took the time to go through it found a solution

I read everything and attempted to install both windows 8.1 and 8 using a product key I got from a keyfinder.  Neither of them worked; it told me that "this product key cannot be used to install a retail version of windows 8.1."  I assume it's because the key was for Windows 8.1 Enterprise.  I don't have my old key from 8 or 8.1, and I don't know what else to do.

Link to post
Share on other sites
primexx
Posted

I read everything and attempted to install both windows 8.1 and 8 using a product key I got from a keyfinder.  Neither of them worked; it told me that "this product key cannot be used to install a retail version of windows 8.1."  I assume it's because the key was for Windows 8.1 Enterprise.  I don't have my old key from 8 or 8.1, and I don't know what else to do.

 

uh, what? earlier you had a win8 key and now you only have an enterprise key?? just install 8.1 with the generic key and put your win8 key in to activate.

Link to post
Share on other sites
c0rnm3al
Posted

uh, what? earlier you had a win8 key and now you only have an enterprise key?? just install 8.1 with the generic key and put your win8 key in to activate.

Unfortunately I got the win8 key from a keyfinder.  I didn't write it down because I didn't exactly plan on changing OS.  I can't get that key back now because the keyfinder detects my Enterprise key, because that's the OS i'm on now.  Also, what do you mean by "generic key?"

Link to post
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
 Share
Followers 0
Go to topic listing

  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    No registered users viewing this page.

  • Similar Content

    • Windows Update Problem
      By Richard C.
      Windows Update essentially just says "checking for updates" forever even overnight and never finds any. While doing so the Windows Update Service is constantly eating 15-20% of my cpu resources.
       
      I am concerned I will no longer get updates as a result of this
       
      Things I have tried
      1. Malware / AV Scan (nothing found)
      2. Using Microsoft's Windows Update Troubleshooter
      3. Using System Restore to a time it last worked
      4. Re-installing the Windows Update Client
      5. Re-registering the DLL files for the BITS service
      6. Clearing out the Windows Update cache
       
      none of these solutions seem to have helped, can anyone think of anything else that might work?
       
      OS: x64 8.1 Pro
       
      Note: Upgrading the machine to Windows 10 is not an option, or I would of done so.
    • help me please to block all the optional and update that push w7 and w8 to upgrade to w10
      By drugo
      hi
      on my laptop i have w8.1 pro 64bit and on my desktop i have w7 64bit pro
      i don't want to upgrade them to w10
       
      i know GWX Control Panel ,i know the option in policy 
      Turn off the upgrade to the latest version of Windows through Windows Update &
      [HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\Windows\WindowsUpdate] "DisableOSUpgrade"=dword:00000001  
      but is there a list of update important and optionals (mosty optional ) to hide ?
       
      i don't want to have nasty surprice
      i looking for a list of these updates to hide
      can you help me please?
       
      thanks
       
    • Microsoft keeps pushing Silverlight optional updates! (Rant-ish)
      By DavidM
      I decided to move to from Windows 7 to 8.1 today on my laptop, and cannot figure out how to stop the Silverlight Update Express that keeps rolling in! There are 9 optional updates for Silverlight, and I keep hiding them, and hiding them, but they won't stop. Why do they have nine separate optional updates for the same damn thing? Are they trying to drive me crazy? I thought Microsoft was killing off Silverlight anyway?
       
      Oh, and you don't even want to know how many Office updates that keep showing up for the parts that didn't even get installed... well, ok since you asked nicely, 32 updates for the parts that didn't even get installed.
       
      On the plus side, wow, compared to the Windows 7 updates, this thing flew! So it wasn't all bad!
       
      Thanks for listening!
       
       
    • Do you use Libraries and / or Saved Searches?
      By Ian W
      Do you use the Libraries feature introduced in Windows 7 and / or the Saved Search (otherwise known as Virtual Folder) feature introduced in Windows Vista? If so, do you have a preference for either feature?

      While I like both features I, as you probably expected, prefer the Saved Search feature. Both Libraries and Saved Searches consolidate content from multiple locations in a single view, and both allow users to customize their viewing experience based on the content displayed. Libraries, however, only allow users to display content based on folder locations (e.g., they cannot reference content based solely on dates, file attributes, et cetera), and users must manually add folders to a library before their content will appear.

      In contrast, Saved Searches can reference multiple locations simultaneously—or an individual folder(s) if that is what a user desires—based on a user's criteria such as specific names, dates, metadata, types, and words or phrases within files themselves. Also unlike Libraries, users can refine their Saved Search results with Boolean operators, natural language search (in Windows Vista and Windows 7), query composition, and / or the options offered by the column headers in File Explorer.
    • Windows 10 keys are all the same after updating several computers.
      By Gungel
      This week I updated a small business with 3 Windows 8.1 installations to Windows 10. Each of the Windows 8.1 systems had its own key, but all systems had the exact same hardware. After updating to Windows 10 pro the license keys for all 3 systems are now the same. All systems say that they are activated and have a valid license. Will I have a problem in the future with this client? and has anyone else seen this problem and if so how did you fix this?