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Question

Windows 8 to 8.1 Upgrade Issue

Oct 30, 2013 12:45AM PDT

Over the past two weeks I have been trying to install the Windows 8.1 upgrade using the Windows Store. The download proceeds to between 50% and 60% and then restarts or hangs for hours. I have performed the pre-8.1 upgrades to my Toshiba C855D laptop as directed before the download.

Any suggestions.

Discussion is locked

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Answer
Wait for it.
Oct 30, 2013 1:11AM PDT

I recall reading there was some work being done to fix issues with this. There are also issues with some laptops where you must update the laptop before doing the 8.1. The office has a Tosh l855 that I just saw yesterday and frankly I think the average person would be very confused about Toshiba's update utility that notes to update some Tosh apps but then updates just one and it's not intuitive how to get back and get the other handful.

My advice is to ignore 8.1 for a little longer.
Bob

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Answer
I updated my L855-10W without any problem
Oct 31, 2013 3:08AM PDT

I was unaware of any need to pre-install any Toshiba software so simply performed the update and then went to the Toshiba driver downloads page to get what was there for the 8.1 update and then installed them.

Perhaps you should think about uninstalling/removing whatever "pre-8.1 upgrades" you did and try the update again - if successful you can then go to the Toshiba site and find the page for drivers for the 8.1 update for your model and download and install them individually.

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Answer
CNET had a great article on this.
Nov 1, 2013 2:21PM PDT

On October 21st Ed Rhee posted an article in CNET entitled "Microsoft Windows 8.1 ISO", Windows 8 users who want to upgrade to Windows 8.1 without having to go through the Windows Store can use this trick to download the ISO with the Windows 8 Product key.

I won't re-type the entire article (you can download it), but it gave you step-by-step instructions on how to download, and create a Windows 8.1 ISO. Once you have the ISO, you can burn it on to a DVD, and install it at your leisure.
Two things thought;

1. You have to have your Windows 8 Product Key, before you start,
2. You have to be running Windows 8 when you run the ISO. It's an upgrade only, no clean installs.

I followed his instructions, and had a Windows 8.1 Upgrade DVD in about twenty minutes, and that includes the time it took to burn the ISO onto a DVD. So look up his article, and follow his instructions. It's sure to save you a ton of grief at the Windows Store.

Regards,
Mr. Windows

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Actually...
Nov 1, 2013 10:02PM PDT

You didn't really need the extra step of burning the .iso to DVD. You can upgrade directly from the unmodified .iso file on your drive. It goes faster that way, and then you can dump the .iso to DVD later at your leisure.

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That's true, but....
Nov 2, 2013 7:43AM PDT

If you burn the ISO onto a DVD, you will have it if you ever need to re-install, or you just want to help one of your friends out with an upgrade. As I always say, it's better to have it, and not need it, rather than need it, and not have it. Besides, what does a blank DVD R really cost anyway?

Regards,
Mr. Windows

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ISO
Nov 2, 2013 2:00AM PDT

Could someone explain what an "ISO" is?

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Re: ISO
Nov 2, 2013 2:10AM PDT

A file with an extension (the part behind the last dot) of iso is commonly called an iso. Like a file with extension mp3 is called an mp3; same for a pdf (I assume you know what a mp3 or a pdf are).

It's an "image" of a CD or DVD. If you burn it to an empty disk (using a program like IMGBURN, for example) you've got a working disk.

Kees

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Thanks
Nov 2, 2013 5:22AM PDT

I have never heard of the file type. Now it makes sense.

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Re: iso
Nov 2, 2013 6:45AM PDT
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I tried Ed Rhee's approach, but got 8.0, not 8.1 :-(
Nov 2, 2013 2:27AM PDT

When I tried Ed Rhee's article (see it at this link:
http://howto.cnet.com/8301-11310_39-57608376-285/how-to-download-the-official-microsoft-windows-8.1-iso/ ), I got 8.0, not 8.1.
`
I did discover that if you follow the procedure via the store, after the long download, it appears that everything you need for the upgrade is in the folder $Windows.~BT. If you save it before it does the install, you'll have what appears to be all the install files, SETUP.EXE and all. The folder is a hidden one, so unless you set Windows Explorer to see hidden files and folders, you won't see it. Also note that after the upgrade, most of the files in this folder are removed, so you have to copy it after the download and before the actual update.
I had a need for this because while I get 30 Mbps downloads at home, I do volunteer work at places where the download speed is only 1.5 Mbps. Why MS in it's great wisdom wants to make such a big secret of this is a mystery to me, but then I find the whole concept of Windows 8 for notebooks and desktops is a very strange one too!
Bear in mind that I haven't actually installed the update using this folder yet because I just found it two days ago after upgrading a PC that took several days to get through due to the slow download speed. I do plan on checking it out next week at another location, so stay tuned. Happy I'd be interested in hearing anyone else's experience in this regard.

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As I said before,
Nov 2, 2013 9:08AM PDT

I followed the article step-by-step, and it worked perfectly for me first time. I haven't used it on my own computer yet, as I'm only running Windows 8 in a virtual machine, on my Windows 7 desktop. However, I have used it on client's computers who use Windows 8, and can't tie up their computers all day on the Windows Store.

Regards,
Mr. Windows

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Answer
I had this problem... TWICE
Nov 1, 2013 10:00PM PDT

I have updated three of my five home computers to 8.1 now, my main (this) computer (a homebuilt screamer), my own older (c. 2010) HP laptop, and my wife's newer and hotter HP laptop. On my older laptop, because I seldom use it for "production" work, I first updated it to Windows 8.1 Demo, which also exhibited a similar symptom (hanging at 42%) but they permitted you download the .iso for the demo version, which installed fine. I was able to install 8.1 from the store on that computer without a hitch, but it hosed all my apps (as Microsoft had duly warned me would happen).

But on my wife's laptop, where Windows 8 had come preinstalled by HP, and on mine on which Windows 8 was installed over Windows 7 without a hiccup from a store-bought disk on the first day of public release, both exhibited this same symptom. Both systems were fully up-to-dat in the O/S, all drivers, and BIOS, completely clean of malware of any kind, and I had previously REMOVED (not deactivated) my third-party anti-malware and firewall apps, and for the installation deactivated even Windows Defender. I am on a very fast and reliable Internet connection (FiOS Quantum)

At this time Microsoft was not offering an .iso file for download. I am pleased to see that they have relented on this point. They had forced their end users to rely exclusively on the Store for this update.

My solution was to deal with this "the old fashioned way." I called Microsoft Technical Support on the phone. After literally hours at two different times on each machine, where their tech was using remote access to tromp around all over my computers, and with both cases involving an escalation to a higher-level tech who called me back the next day, FINALLY it got installed, on my home-built through the store and on my wife's HP laptop via download of the .iso file and installing from that.

The good news is that all has been well ever since, with the only cleanup work being the need to reinstall my HP AIO full-featured printer drivers (the basic printer driver still worked after the update).

Good product. BAD delivery. Surprisingly prompt technical support under what must've been trying circumstances.

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Answer
Two out of three worked OK for me.
Nov 1, 2013 10:36PM PDT

Once all updates were installed, the upgrade worked fine for me on two newer systems. On my oldest, three years old, the upgrade to Windows 8.1 crashed and burned. I had to reformat the hard drive and re-install Windows 8, go through 66 updates and then finally do the upgrade on a fresh install. Perhaps the update gets bogged down on two many programs on the system. I would not advise updating with anything on the system you are not willing to lose forever, best back it up ahead of the update.