I am going to be restoring a Windows 8 computer to factory original, then upgrading it to 8.1. Would it be better, after the restore, to let Windows Update do all the original Windows 8 updates, then go to the Windows Store and upgrade to 8.1, or should I go to the Store right after the restoration, get 8.1, and then do Windows updates?
View 7 RepliesMy brother installed an update on his windows 8 laptop this morning. After doing so, all his apps/programs and everything were gone. It was just a blank start up page and blank desktop (except google chrome for some reason.) I tried a system restore twice, and a scan to see if that would fix it. Nothing worked, so I decided to just reset his laptop to factory settings as a last resort. However, pressing shift + F8 upon start up or space bar F8 did not bring up the windows restore option page (whatever it is called, bear with me!) The only other way to get to it would be "change pc settings" on the desktop. I clicked that and that isn't working either. Nothing comes up.
Edit: forgot to add that he does not have Windows 8 discs!
I have been getting the BSOD every time I try to update my computer. The updates that I am trying to apply are mandatory updates, so this happens every week when my computer requires me to update.
The updates being applied are 3
Security for IE, KB 2964444
Security Update for Windows x64 based systems, KB2964757
Update Windows 8.1 for x64 based systems, KB2919355
I have attached the SF file.
I only had one account on my Windows 8.1 Pro Update 1 x64 computer. Then I messed it up when I changed rights. Now the computer boots up and I can log in but as a user.
Most of the suggestions I read require admin rights which I no longer have. I can't create a new account or edit the built-in admin account but I keep getting the error 5.
So Should I try to boot in safe mode with DOS prompt and hopefully admin rights?
Would a system restore work? I do have recent restore points but will I be able to restore if I am not the administrator?
I am asking all of this because I am not in front of my computer at this moment... I had to leave on a business trip so I will attempt repairs when I get back home.
Worst case scenario will require me to start from scratch, which I am trying to avoid.
I ran into a minor problem with Acronis True Image 2014 after letting Microsoft install Update 1 on my system. For some reason the desktop Icons go blank for ~15 seconds when I boot. As soon as I uninstall TI the problem goes away. The problem also seems to go away if I "turn off" Auto Logon to my Microsoft Account. Base on all my Acronis Forum discussions I must be the only person in the world with this problem! The stand alone version of TI 2014 works OK. I will continue to use the standalone version of TI 2014 to backup the system (Boot Partition) periodically since I know it works and has saved me from disaster numerous times.
So...I'm ready to let Windows 8.1 handle my data backups using the File History function. Dumb question - if I do a system restore because of a virus or whatever will Windows 8.1 be able to use the file history maintained by the version of Windows 8.1 that was wiped out by the restore? The file history will be on a separate disk drive.
I have solved this issue by not leaving my laptop plugged into my television through HDMI while it restarts to install updates. If you run into this issue, make sure you try leaving all ports open on your computer.
A few weeks ago my PC ran into a Blue screen of death error. I'm not sure why or exactly when it happened, but I think it may have led to the issues I have now. About 3 weeks ago (I think) I was playing a game and the forced restart to install updates thing popped up. It said I had 15 minutes before my system would restart and install updates. I was a bit cranky at the time, so I got mad and decided to look up on the internet how to disable forced restarts for windows 8. I came across a thread on a site much like this that explained how to open your system registry and delete the forced restart file or something similar.
I opened my registry and couldn't find it, so I ended up not deleting anything, but I did keep my registry open on accident and my computer restarted while it was open. It crashed during the update install and gave me a BSOD error. I restarted my computer and it began installing updates yet again. It got to 30% and then went black. A few seconds later, the Asus logo popped up with the loading circle below it. It said attempting to repair or something similar to that. It eventually failed to repair, so it asked if I would like to proceed with a system restore. Seeing no other options, I clicked yes. The screen went black again and the Asus logo showed up with the loading circle below it. It failed to system restore and took me to a blue screen that isn't the BSOD. It said there were other options like refreshing my system, and it assured me that I would not lose my files (but it said nothing about apps).
I decided to do that over the manufacturer restore. It worked, but I lost all of my apps that I had installed. After redownloading and installing all the apps, I thought it would be over. About a week later another windows update popped up. I thought it would work fine this time, so I let it go. The same thing happened, and I ended up having to system refresh again. This happens every time my computer restarts, and it is very aggravating. I'm not sure what to do about it, although I haven't tried to manufacturer restore yet.
TL/DR; My computer has to system refresh every time it restarts, causing me to lose all of my apps and have to reinstall them each time. I think it has something to do with my computer restarting to install updates while my system registry was open.
I wasn't sure what to provide for specs, so I'll just add in the usual Ram and stuff:
Processor: Intel(R) Core(TM) i7-4500U CPU @ 1.80GHz 2.40 GHz
Installed memory (RAM): 8.00GB (7.89 GB usable)
System type: 64-bit Operating System, x64-based processor
Pen and Touch: Full Windows Touch Support with 10 Touch Points
I added the SF_19-11-2013.rar file to the post because I just saw the requirements >.>
I am attempting to repair a Dell Inspiron 5520 Laptop for a friend of mine.
He's been having issues updating it for sometime and when he called me he was having a "Windows update hasn't been able to check for new updates for 30 days" pop-up appearing every few seconds that was rendering the laptop almost unusable.
I managed to stop that by disabling automatic updates. When I attempted a manual update I got the message :
Windows could not search for new updates: Error Found Code 80070BC9
Other times it would say it needed to be restarted and would go into a restart loop that was generally
Restart one - no message
Restart two - configuring updates - 33%, 67%, 100%
Restart three - failed to configure updates - reverting - restarting
Then would go to the normal login screen
I tried SFC /Scannow which seemed to work and say a restart is needed to implement changes but then fails on restart
DISM didn't work when attempting to run it from the machine but got to 100% when I ran it from my own Windows 8 install disk but then failed and needed a restart to undo the changes.
I also tried a repair and a restore of the current Windows installation but got : Error Code: 80070490 both times
The laptop didn't come with an install disk or serial so it seems restoring it from external media may be out of the question?
My computer has been running fairly slow lately, and I want to do a full system restore. I've done this on my old Windows 7 computer with no problems, but I can't seem to do it with Windows 8.1.
My laptop didn't come with an installation disk, Windows 8 was already installed when I got it. And I can't seem to make a recover partition drive.
I would like to automatically create a restore point everytime I shut my computer down. I have had no success with TASK SCHEDULER (which could easily mean I'm doing something wrong). Heard of/ Use any 3rd party software for this?
View 3 Replies View RelatedWhile updating my computer i accidentally left the charger out. So it shut down towards the end of the update and now when i restart my computer i'll only the see the HP start-up/loading screen and then the screen just turns black and all i see is my cursor. I didn't get any Windows installation cd with my computer and now what to do.
View 9 Replies View RelatedAfter upgrading a Dell XPS One using both Intel HD 4000 and nVidia 640M graphics, the computer takes 5 minutes to restart. The restart screen immediately shows up after hitting the restart button. Then the screen goes black for 5 minutes. Afterwards the Dell logo shows up and everything starts fine from there. I don't understand why the monitor stays black for 5 minutes before restarting.
View 4 Replies View RelatedI want to upgrade a computer from Windows 8 to 8.1 but I have a very low download allocation (2GB/month) at that computer. I would like to download the upgrade on another computer (a Mac) that has a much higher download allowance and then transfer that to the computer I need to update. Is this at all possible?
View 1 Replies View RelatedI have a laptop that's only about 5 months old and runs Windows 8. When I had to pack it up to go, I went to shut it down, and it started doing the windows update. I closed the laptop, packed it up, and left. When I start it back up, I see a screen with two options: Troubleshoot and Power off your PC. When I click trouble shoot, this is what I see:
Refresh your PC, and Reset your PC, Advanced options.
When I click refresh my PC, it says "The drive where Windows is installed is locked. Unlock the drive and try again.
When I click reset, it says, "Unable to reset PC. A required drive partition is missing."
When I click advanced options, this is the screen : [URL] ......
The four options are: System Restore System Image Recovery Automatic Repair Command Prompt
When I click System restore, it says I need to restart the PC, and select an OS and then select system restore, but I have no clue how to do that.
SIR says "The system cannot find the file specified (0x80070002)
Auto Repair says that it cannot fix my PC. No reason why.
I got my new comp yesterday and it was working fine but during critical updates the power cord came unplugged and since then my computer won't work. When I press the power button it turns on for a second or two, then immediately turns off, then just continues doing this in an endless loop restart cycle. I cannot access bios and my monitor does not turn on during the few seconds that the computer has power. My power cord does not work in my current old desktop and the power cord from my old desktop does not work in my new pc..
I have tried inserting the windows 8 disc, but computer doesn't stay on long enough to do anything. I've also pressed f2, f8, f10, f12 all of those and nothing works or causes the computer to respond.
I just purchased this Laptop yesterday, was installing programs and updates. The updates finished installing, asked me to restart the PC which I didn't do right away because I was installing programs. One of the programs asked me to reboot into safe mode so I did. When the PC rebooted, it said the updates were installed 100% but then says SOMETHING ALONG THE LINES OF "Updates failed...reverting changes". This loop as been going on for hours now.
I have had success in getting into the BIOS by pressing F12 upon startup. I tried changing the boot order to boot from my bootable startup repair DVD but it didn't work!
I am trying to update my system to the new Windows 8. I am already operating on the old one, so the update should be free. My computer will not load the store to allow me to update my software.
View 2 Replies View RelatedAutomatic Restore Points is not working in System Restore. Task Scheduler is empty during last 30 days.
View 9 Replies View RelatedI have a Lenovo G585 laptop that I installed with Linux (tried dual boot) and accidentally wiped out the Windows 8.1 restore partition. Now I want to restore it to Windows. I also have a Dell desktop Windows 8.1 that I can use to to create a USB restore image, can I use a restore image from a desktop to fix a laptop?
View 2 Replies View RelatedI am tired of having to repair Windows updates then get to install one or two then have to go through the whole process again.
Is there a site where updates can be downloaded according to their KB numbers then installed manually?
I was wondering if it's possible to take windows 7 from my first computer and install it to my new one that has windows 8 on it (windows 8 has problems with its wifi where windows 7 worked perfectly).
View 6 Replies View RelatedAlmost 3 months ago, I have freshly installed Win 8.1 Pro for my Asus Laptop which has been using Win 7 Home Premium x64. However, I want to go back to Win 7 Home premium, and i tried pressing F9 key in start, but it doesn't work. When i am installing Win 8, there were Windows.OLD folder, and i had deleted it. So, i guess i also deleted win 7 recovery. Also, in disk management, I cant see a partition "Recovery", which i have never seen even in Win 7.
View 3 Replies View RelatedResources:
Win 8.1 USB Recovery Drive
Win 8.1 Full Install Retail 64 bit DVD
Legacy BIOS that does not offer USB in Boot Priority
Internal DVD
USB ports
Question: What would be a secure plan to be able to restore a new disk to a near-current state?
I'm thinking a second HDD and something like Acronis and bypass the MS backup tools. Or perhaps boot from the install DVD and use Macrium Reflect.
So this is what happened:
I was using ccleaner to uninstall some software that I thought I didn't need. Apparently, I accidentally uninstalled one of the system files I believe. Now, when I rebooted it, there is no taskbar (just blue and the place where you have a clock is white and blank) and the desktop has no apps in it. Also, when I use alt+tab, the format looks entirely different. I remember the file I uninstalled was around 20 mbs. Afterwards, I tried using a system restore.
I have bitdefender, and as a result, it caused the system restore to fail. I decided to temporarily uninstall bitdefender (planning to uninstall it again later). However, when I tried to do system restore again, the icon had disappeared! (It says that there is no restore point) How do I redo the system restore?
I have a USB HDD for my laptop (About 1TB). If worse comes to worse, is it possible to restore from System Image that I create on that USB HDD, or does it have to be a USB flash drive?
View 8 Replies View Related Win8 Control Panel Empty-My Docs-Library problem
A system restore did not work. PC "refresh" did not work. I've done a number of checks/scans (CHKDSK/ ScanDisk , sfc /scannow, Windows Defender, TDSSKILLER, and Malwarebytes Anti-Rootkit) without any threats/errors occurring (I know it's not an exhaustive list.). I'm at my wits' end.
Simply, I understand that "reset" (Reset Windows 8) supposedly (and I'll get to why I say that) removes everything and reinstalls.
Assuming this is a copy of the Windows 8 that was originally activated the first day I used my computer, I should be by the above definition be able to go back and rebuild what had been a system without this problem for about five months (length of time since purchased, approx.). I also have burned recovery DVDs from the first day of use.
There must have been a reason that "Refresh" didn't work. Is this Reset as good as the old reinstallation from discs that I'd done, for example, on XP in the past? Do I need to wipe everything or can I just do the quick (just remove files, not fully clean) reset?
I can't imagine anything outside of the OS causing my situation. Is there any way with "Reset" (assuming not an OS issue alone) that the problem can migrate to the new "installation?" I've never updated the BIOS or any such thing.
Why Recycle Bin is grayed out in Desktop Icon Settings?
View 4 Replies View RelatedBefore upgrading to Windows 8 from XP, I backed up all my files through NTBackup utility on hard drive. Now I need to open or restore the .bkf file with windows 8.
View 1 Replies View RelatedWhenever I purchase a new computer or a new operating system, it was suggested that I create a repair disc and a set of System Recovery DVD's. I always felt secure with a Hard Copy of the image tucked away in case I got in trouble and needed to be rescued.
The new Windows 8 doesn't offer this option. Do you think it's wise to rely solely on external drives or flash drives as they're open to malfunctions also?
i have windows 8 when trying to use system restore it gets to the screen that says system restore is restoring files, but that's as far as it gets, I let it run today for 4 hrs. what can i do?
View 3 Replies View RelatedI'm using StrokeIt software (which executes actions on mouse gestures), and I'm so used to it that when a Windows 8 app is open (let's say the 'Reader') I often minimize it with a mouse stroke hoping to return to the desktop but the app is simply minimized and an empty blue screen replaces it. How can the app be restored? Win+Up button don't work in this case. Can I set it somewhere that focus is switched to the desktop screen automatically after a Windows 8 app is minimized to which I can later return with let's say an Alt-Tab command ?
View 5 Replies View RelatedI am having problems with windows 8 restore,I download Ares music file and I think it brought error 0x81000204 with it.
At first I tried to uninstall the Ares download,with no results ,it kept telling me to close it ,it was running in another program,this is when i tried to restore system but was unable to restore.I eventually went into programs and checked for everything that download on that date and was able to get rid of the Ares file.I did a malware check and it showed several threats like pup,optional.somoto.etc.I did get rid of those.But it still won't restore.Is there safe download fix to get rid of this error or do I have to uninstall windows 8 and re-install it.