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Question

Need Instructions/Help For 8.1 Reinstallation.... Please.

Feb 16, 2015 6:25AM PST

Hello all - my challenge is a system crash. I started with W8 (bought media), then upgraded to 8.1 online. My desktop cannot connect to the internet, so I cannot dl 8.1, but I do have my W8 media and my system will not allow me to downgrade to W8. This is all taking place on my Samsung SSD. The system will boot up in 8.1 but beyond a black screen and PC settings there is nothing which can be done. I click on Update and Recovery and nothing happens. I Am currently at a loss for what to do, before shipping it off to a local shop.

How can this, re-installation of W8, be done given my current challenges? I will then go through and update to W8.1 online once I Am able to. I thought I could do this through command prompt, but Am not that experienced with the code to know if in fact it I can do it?

Previous to the crash, I could not connect to the store and my sound went away and was not able to get any updates before deciding to wipe it clean and start all over. Now it appears that I cannot even start over...

I thought 'ask one of the experts at Cnet'. So here I Am.. again...

TIA - SamuelS

Discussion is locked

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Answer
It's not a secret.
Feb 16, 2015 6:35AM PST

You can download many versions of Windows as noted at http://www.howtogeek.com/186775/how-to-download-windows-7-8-and-8.1-installation-media-legally/

So you can get your 8.1 DVD made up then boot that and try repairs from that DVD. There are tomes on the web about Windows repairs but try it the Microsoft way.

There is no command prompt repair that I would ever do unless I was on the machine and that is not my first choice. I prefer the boot to the Windows DVD and then it's repair options.
Bob

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re: It's not a secret...
Feb 17, 2015 8:26PM PST

Bob - thank you for your response. I did respond earlier to this with some info and it has yet to post so here goes again....

I made a a usb stick with the 8.1 installation media vis-a-vis the geek website. The current issues which appear when trying to boot from the stick include "Unable to reset your PC. A required drive partition is missing" and after researching this issue, and trying several methods to correct, I still cannot reset the SSD drive.

As well, when speaking with MS Tech service, I was told that I needed to take my system apart and test each unit as one of them could be the problem... is this possible for this drive? At a loss here, at least for now.

Thank you and anyone else who can be of service in this quest.

SS

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Re: crash and partition missing
Feb 17, 2015 8:45PM PST

So it seems you either need a new hard disk/SSD or a new motherboard. Then, with nice new hardware, install Windows (if needed) and continue from that.

Kees

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There is a rather bad malware out there that does this.
Feb 17, 2015 9:03PM PST

Kees covered the hardware angle so I'll add a malware one. Some of the real nasties installs a pre-boot drive encryption and repairs do fail. Without the name of the infection we can't research recovery. But if it's not a failed drive or board, one can wipe the drive and restore the OS and files.

There's a reason why folk tell you about backup of your stuff. Now you're living it.
Bob

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Wiping the Drive....
Feb 17, 2015 9:56PM PST

Kees and Bob,

I will try to wipe the drive and start again with the usb stick, I hope that will work. I do have a back up of all files which were on the disk.

I will search for the best program (dl to stick or dvd) to achieve this.

Thanks for your input and assistance.

SS

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I usually don't try the best for this.
Feb 17, 2015 10:25PM PST

I found simply removing the partitions using the Windows 8/8.1 DVD does it well enough and it's clean.

Here's a video on that.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OHiGmWzQ-9w

Around the 90 second mark you see the partitions can be removed for a clean install.
Bob

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Seems I've been hit by the baddie.
Mar 11, 2015 9:00PM PDT

First all the info.

At last did a full back up of my Win 8 Lenovo laptop to a 1Tb Seagate external HDD. The LT is about 2 years old and well treated, no reason for suspecting any hardware issues at all. There were some odd behaviours but nothing serious. The Lenovo one key recovery button did not work, as example. I did some extensive manual file system re-organisation to tidy up My Documents (very weird after two years) and did a restore exercise. The result was that I got the Activate Windows screen.

Ignored this, but kept on getting the reminder, which irritated so I tapped the link. This got me the rolling pebbles and Checking this Key, after which nothing happened. Did this several times with the same result. OK, so now I will have to do a full recovery. Created the Recovery Disc on a cleared Apacer 32 GB USB stick and started. Everything went well, codes tapped in in both directions, Windows Activated and files restored. LT in working order.

Then something very funny.
Previously there were offers of updating my Win 8 (ostensibly from Microsoft) to 8.1. Did some research and found this thing will be some 6 GB to download, so I declined. One, it's a waste of bandwidth and money and Two I am not in any case in the habit of just updating for itself. 8 was working well in any case.

Now I was given a choice of when to do it. 1, 2, 4 hours or Remind me later. Coming from MS, I found this really high-handed. So I fobbed it off to Remind me later. That happened twice. Next time the Remind me later was gone. I cannot remember whether I tapped 4 hrs or it went away on its own, but somewhere there was a reminder that the LT would have be restarted to do this. I was at a loss, but carried on and installed my Glary Utilities Pro 5.20.0.1 update. This and all the other non MS apps I use have been tested to the extent that I eventually lost a Win 98 HDD. After that, I use only stuff that works like wire pliers. Pick it up, use it, put it down. Transparent and does not take control of my computer.

But there was catch. I had to restart to finalize installing Glary. This "Win 8.1 update" took control and I could not budge it. At some, much later, point I could reverse this process. There was some snag so 8.1 could not finish and it started installing "the previous version of the operating system". That finished and then it began "adding just a few other things" or words to that effect. This had a 40% progress tag attached to it. Well now, after four hours of this, I concluded that my LT was caught in a never ending loop or in parlance it hung. Still no control over it with any combination of Key taps.

I pulled the battery. Suppose that was a very stupid thing to do, but nothing else mattered anyway. In this entire process, this was the very first such hard system interference I attempted. Now, the Lenovo boot screen comes up, followed by the Blue Screen with a sideways frowny face telling me it ran into a problem and is getting some info. And guess what? It repeats untill you switch it off. Now you can atually do it.

Conclusion.
Either this is some very high handed action on MS' part (8.1 update) and MS/Lenovo's part (failed recovery) and not very well thought out to cover all eventualities.
Or it is some really bad malware. Luckily the back up is intact to what I can see. File sizes calculate to what is expected.

Question.
Can I safely wipe the HDD and do, say, a full recovery with a Recovery Drive and get my files restored? The back up was the full one under Windows management, not Restore with File History. There is some really important stuff from twenty years back.

Problem.
Only My Documents are restored from the back up. I also need to get the personalized and updated apps back intact. Already did one such manual restore. Glary, above, was part of that process. It's a mission. Alternatively, it seems I need to make an image of the HDD to get everything working within some reasonable time scale.

Irony.
Ignored all the demonic horror stories about Not Backing Up Your Hard Drive since, mark you, 1-9-8-7. 28 years, not a thing. Got my Commodore Amiga A500 then. 4096 colours on the screen AND a mouse. First on the street. Now I do my first officially legal and proper back up and I got a crashed computer! Now, aint that just peachy?

Think I'll go to Linux next. But first I have get my files out of the clutches of the beloved Microsoft.

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Re: Windows 8.1
Mar 11, 2015 9:10PM PDT

Windows 8.1 is considered an automatic security update. So if you just let it go and all will be fine.

If you really don't want it, turn off automatic updates, but realise that you won't get any security patches anymore for Windows 8. Windows 8 is not supported any more by Microsoft. Your choice. Not mine.

Kees

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Thanks for telling me.
Mar 12, 2015 8:50PM PDT

Kees,

Why does it have to come from you and not MS? Did not have the slightest this is the case. What I did see is that 8.1 is a worse pain than 8. Also on the net, nothing from MS. Seems there is nothing like good manners left in this world. Security is no issue with me. My computers have all been running behind firewalls and anti-virus apps before even getting onto the net. I am computer literate, yet do not spend my time with my nose in the thing.

Surely, if I initiate something, it is my duty to let people know the state of affairs. Old fashioned? Heads up friend. The world went to hell the day a simple thing like good manners was tossed out the window.

Anyway, in good spirit still, thank you very much for the note. Funny thing though, if you care to remember the history, it was this kind of thing that created the hatred against Microsoft and gave birth to the very idea of destructive viri.

Yeah, Linux is not entirely free of viri, but at least the atmosphere is clearer there.

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Re: Microsoft telling you
Mar 12, 2015 9:07PM PDT

In http://support2.microsoft.com/gp/lifewinfaq#Microsoft-Windows-81 you can read:

8. Why are you requiring Windows 8 customers move to Windows 8.1 two years after the General Availability?[//b]

Historically, we've had a similar support approach related to Windows service packs; when a Windows service pack is released, Microsoft provides customers 24 months of support for the prior service pack or original RTM version. Unlike service packs that are typically just a collection of fixes, Windows 8.1 has new features and enhancements. We designed Windows 8.1 to give customers an ability to deploy this update in a manner that is similar to how customers deploy service packs, therefore we are applying the existing service pack support policy to Windows 8.1.

And on http://support.microsoft.com/en-us/product/windows you'll not they only have 8.1 in the dropdown box, not only 8.

So they have been telling, but yiu didn't read it. What did you expect? A personal phone call from their support engineer? A mail to the e-mail address linked to your Microsoft account? Maybe they did, but you overlooked it or thought it was just spam.

Kees

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You keep telling me new things.
Mar 13, 2015 7:23PM PDT

I heard about 8.1 about three months ago. Maybe that 's a compliment to MS, since 8 has been working so well that I did not pay much attention to MS' development cycles. This was no general knowledge as was the extinction of XP and the lapse of support for same. I treated the SP's like upgrades, which I still think they were.

Upon recovering the LT to its current status I started working and everything was fine. I forgot to switch of auto updates and it went into that again about two hours after. I Ieft it to see if there is any damage done to the machine. Just got exactly the same behaviour.

Interesting thing though, I did a second Novo Button System Recovery and then got a whole slew of different screens to go through, but maybe that was triggered by me looking at all the menu choices on the recovery blue screen. Now the LT is back to shop counter status.

Oh yes, last night at 20:20 I started another Novo Button Recovery after our last chat. By 21:07 it was just Setting up a few more things . . . 40%. This kept up until about 05:15 this morning as a test against myself and my impatience. Pushed the power button and the LT died as expected. But it went into Restoring the previous version of Windows with the resultant frowny face. Only then did it offer a choice to Customize. Which I did. MS is not the only one to offer internet security of note.

Besides, in the times of Active X vulnerabilities and the like, I set up my PC's to run on as many non-MS apps as possible. Even now I run Peerblock Firewall, Avast Free Anti-virus and the like. My office suite is from Yozosoft at a really reasonable price. It is written in Java and looks identical to MS Office. All three; spread, word and presentation open in one binder with inter-shareable data at the same time. I last saw this in the Amiga's Gold Disk Office Suite from Canada, circa 1997. I will not sing its many other praises. Point. Right now there is software better done than MS. Without putting me into a straight-jacket.

Disclaimer.
These mentions are no advertisements. I have absolutely, emphatically no connection, whatsoever, with these software houses in any way save for being a user. Yozo is the only app I paid for. ZAR 900,00 in 2007 as against the entry level MS Office then about ZAR 2 800,00.

Kees,
Thanks very much for paying attention to my bleat and for taking time out to answer. You gave me several legs up to sort this. Mostly, I am afraid of doing damage to my LT through my own stupid actions.

Come to think of it, I have already long ago made my choices. Maybe that's why I am so p'd off with MS telling me they are my only saviour against the lions, bears and wolves of the Internet.

In all good spirit and friendliness, I consider this discussion now closed.

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Not continuing anything, but these are the facts.
Mar 21, 2015 8:22PM PDT

Refer this link. It is areading I went.

http://answers.microsoft.com/en-us/search/search?SearchTerm=lost+my+files+after+automatic+Windows+8.1+update&IsSuggestedTerm=false&CurrentScope.ForumName=&CurrentScope.Filter=&ContentTypeScope=#////4

Seems there are many more people needing phone calls from Microsoft Systems Support Enghineers. The INvoluntary Win 8.1 "security update" IS NOTHING LESS THAN A DISASTER. It also GETS STUCK in an Automatic repair loop similar to the above.

Then there is the case of "lost files" which WERE BACKED UP! One gent "screamed" one post (two pages long, including good solutions and approaches) just about all in capitals NOT TO WIPE YOUR DRIVE. The files are there (on the external HDD). Apparently it is a Windows security bug in some update that "works so well" that Windows engineers even cannot solve the problem. Windows does not see its own files.

I kid you not. After I closed the discussion above I visited the MS forum and found a thread of 24 pages and 232 replies. There are some really helpful hints. Thanks, that reminds me I searched under Answered Replies after seaching for "restore back.zip files". I was stupid enough not to save the page then.

This morning, trying to get that page again, the MS SERPs have slews of similar complaints. The link above here, opens up a thread of TEN pages.

I think it is important that the wider community outside MS take note of this. Taking into account domestic users doing work for the boss on their home PC's, while they have to contend with these management issues, how many man hours the world over went lost to financing Gates to build Redmond? This started just after Windows 3.1 with the upward compatability issues. Remember the 1970's?, 1980's?

Chris Capossela is quoted in yesterday's local as having told a conference "We're now researching what the new brand, or new name, for our browser should be". That is in an aticle that announces the "demise" of IE. The man could not have made a worse mistake. The vaunted Project Spartan is already tainted with the IE brush. It is known in the software community that you do not redress bad line code, you pitch it and start over. Unless Spartan or else looks and behaves altogether diferently, people will know what to think. Referring to ducks it seems this company is just MIcrosoft.

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Answer
Here's what I'm seeing here.
Mar 21, 2015 8:37PM PDT

Some folk have jumped off the Windows bandwagon and moved to things like the Apple iPad. Not that it's free from upgrade issues.
Bob