I just bought a new Gateway laptop that's come pre-installed with Windows 8.
I've just gone through the initial setup and before I use it, need to make the initial Windows 8 and system backup incase I need to restore the system should something go wrong.
I want to do this BEFORE anything (I've not even installed any anti-virus yet)...
I've bought a new laptop , it's an Asus K95 series. (K95VB)
Since it has an open slot for a second drive i also bought an SSD for it , a Crucial M500 240Gb if that should matter.
So the laptop comes preinstalled with windows 8. There are no discs (recovery,repair,...) with the system. (a google search learned that this is normal)
Offcourse i want my laptop to run the Windows 8 from the SSD instead of the 1TB HDD (wich is actually a 3.5" , first time i see that in a laptop ).
1) What is the best way to do this ? Clone , fresh install , recover to SSD ? (alltough it seems the last one isn't possible)
I know a clean install is always the best way but since i don't have any Windows 8 disk to install from , i don't know how ... (read as : can you do a fresh install with a recovery disk ?)
2) How do i do it ? (a nice step by step if possible)
3) If i manage to do it , what do i do with the original HDD ?
Because it has 5 partitions now : 100MB (EFI-systempartition) - 900MB (recoverypartition) - 20,01GB (recoverypartition) - and a C and D (OS and Data).
Can/may they be deleted ? (want to use this just for data , all progams/games/apps will go to the SSD offcourse)
Haven't installed anything yet , just turned it on and did the basic installation stuff Windows 8 asks for the first time.
Not a noob to pc/laptop installs , but new to Windows 8 and it looks like it changed a bit since W7 and everything before that.
I have a Lenovo Z710 laptop(see spec's)and want to make a recovery USB and also setup a backup system. This is a new machine and I don't want to make a mess of it.
I have a 32GB USB drive to make the Recovery on.Lenovo refers me to this method to make a Recovery USB :Methodology to create Recovery Media and reload a Lenovo Think system with Microsoft Windows 8 preload
Is this a good way to do this or is there a better way ?
I also need to setup a backup system, what is the best program to use for this, paid or not ?
I have a 1TB HDD in an external enclosure with 3.0 USB cable to use for the backup's.
I bought my wife a new VAIO Sony laptop. It came with Windows 8 installed. She has been using a Toshiba laptop with Win7. She wants no part of Windows 8. (She is 84 years old) & spends a lot of time on her laptop.
I want to put Win7 on the Sony VAIO. I don't want to save anything on it. I want to make a Clean install by reformatting the HD. However, I know you can not completely reformat the HD because of the "System Reserved" partition. How to do a factory reformat?
I will soon be purchasing an Alienware X51, but I am choosing to separately buy a Crucial SSD to install the OS on. I can find videos on YouTube detailing how to physically install the SSD, but exactly how to install the OS on the Crucial SSD upon the initial booting of the computer (without having to first install it on the HDD.)
View 4 Replies View RelatedI bought a new laptop with Windows 8, and I was told at the shop to charge it at least 6 hours before the first boot.
Is it really necessary? And if yes, why?
I recently got a new laptop, first thing I did was delete most bloatware and such, and there really isn't a whole lot remaining other then OS and drivers. However, when checking the taskmanager recently I noticed it using 80-90% of the RAM. While being under very little use. Only thing was chrome taking up 200-300MB.
The laptop is a samsung 9 series, with 8 GB RAM, so I can't see how it should be having so much troubles when just running on lowgear. I checked and it does have 8GB RAM registered, and the performance view shows it using 6GB of 7,6. Considering there are plenty of windows 8s laptops with just 4GB I couldn't imagine this being normal?
Adding together what is shown by the task manager wont get me higher then 1 GB at most as far as RAM usage, is there any tool giving better information about what is all used? Could it be the quickboot system of samsung that eats up some or some sort of reserve that will let go of some RAM if other programs demand it?
I have a brand new Windows 8 Dell Inspirion laptop, and it has a horrible internet connection. I have not downloaded any new programs and I don't visit shady websites so I don't think it's a virus. Sometimes the internet is just moderately slow, and sometimes it just completely won't move, I will type in a web address and it will "think" about loading the page for 20 minutes before finally telling me it can't.
The problem is not with my wifi, I have another laptop that runs Windows 7 and have no issues with that one, or any other device on the network. It's just the windows 8 laptop.
I have Intel(R) Dual Band Wireless-AC 3160.
I tried updating the driver, but it tells me the driver is already up to date.
I bought an HP laptop brand new from Best Buy. It had a 750gb hard drive, Intel Core i3-3130M processor, 4GB RAM, and Windows 8.1. I made restore discs of the hard drive that came with the computer, and then disassembled the entire laptop to access the hard drive and swapped it out for a 128gb SSD. I reassembled everything once I successfully used the restore discs to boot using the SSD.
The good news is: my SSD works great. My computer takes about 3 seconds to load up!
The bad news is: I cannot get the Wireless Internet to work for the life of me. I have gotten it to connect wirelessly a few times. I even got it to connect uninterrupted for a few hours, long enough to download my usual virus protection and whatnot. Now, it will not connect at all.
Details: Airplane mode is off. Wi-Fi is on. I am on a college campus with campus-wide Wi-Fi. Many people around me are actively connected. It is not a problem with the router. However, my Networks show "No Networks Found." Maybe 1 out of 20 times I check for wireless networks, it will show the school's networks. If I try to connect to it, it says "Can not connect to this network."
I don't think that anything I did inside of the laptop physically altered the network adapter. The only thing I touched anywhere near there was a motherboard plug for the keyboard, which I removed and replaced. The problem is, I do not know for sure if the WiFi worked flawlessly before I switched out the hard drives because I never intended to use the hard drive that came with the computer. I turned on the computer long enough to make restore discs before I took it apart. I vaguely remembered seeing a limited connectivity alert but I didn't think anything of it because I was in the midst of making restore discs and had no reason to use the Internet. I suspect that it is not an internal issue because I have gotten it to connect successfully since I switched drives. Also, plugging the laptop in with an Ethernet cord allows me to access the Internet. However, this is not feasible for when I need to use the laptop away from home.
I have read multiple threads stating issues with Windows 8.1 having major Wi-Fi connection issues, including those I am describing. However, all of the things I have done do not seem to be working. I've tried allowing HP Support Assistant to recommend a driver, I've manually downloaded drivers, I've altered the settings to keep my computer from putting my adapter in "sleep" mode. None of these things have worked.
I bought a HP notebook with windows 8.1 installed , but no installation DVD . In order to create one I downloaded from Microsoft , ( from windows.microsoft.com/en-us/windows-8/create-reset-refresh-media ) the Windows 8.1 Setup ( file OSGS14-WindowsSetupBox-32bitand64bit-English-4141408.exe ) and ran it but always receiving the message : we can't connect right now . I have tried more than 20 times and failed.
View 2 Replies View RelatedMy friend put his Lenovo desktop to sleep, and when he woke it up, it was at one of the initial setup screens that you see when you first turn on a new computer, or first install Windows 8 - the screen that asks you to accept the Express Settings or to customize the setup.
We could not get out of it, and restarting the computer brought it right back there. So I accepted the Express Settings, then it asked me to enter the Microsoft account info, or to create one. He had a local account only, so I kept denying that screen and finally somehow I ended up at a screen that said something like "use my existing account" although it showed no indication that there was any account.
It then said it was installing my Apps (there are no Metro Apps in use on this computer, other than what comes with Win 8). This took about 3 or 4 minutes, then it did some more setup, and when it was done it was (surprisingly) back at his desktop screen, with all his files and desktop icons just like they were before.
I purchased an Asus x501a laptop with Windows 8 preinstalled at the beginning of the month. They sold me Nortons 360 which I installed. The laptop keeps freezing and if I look in the task manager the disk useage keeps reaching 100% every few seconds and lots of things aren't working properly; the internet connection keeps falling off, when using apps such as facebook it keeps freezing; internet pages are taking seconds to load instead of miliseconds. I can't believe this should be happening to a brand new laptop. Before I take it back I want to check whether it is actually a windows 8 problem (I suspect it is) as it uploaded 46 or more new updates to Windows 8 when I switched it on and these could potentially mean something else on the ASUS kit is outdated.
It is not a touch screen laptop (why would I buy one of those windows when I can successfully use my ipad and phone for this). The reason I bought a laptop is that I don't want touchscreen and just want an old fashioned computer to do use for work/other simple tasks. I will keep my ipad for social media use etc as the facebook app on windows 8 is designed for a touchscreen which I don't have! Maybe I should have bought something with Windows 7 on it??
I used to use Windows Easy Transfer to backup my settings and files before reinstalling/reimaging...etc - now that doesn't exist, and File History really doesn't cut it when it comes to apps and settings.
A system image really won't work either, as I need to reinstall windows 8.1 on a new system with different partitioning...etc.
Are there any Windows 8.1 native tools that will do it? If not, are there any freeware apps that perform the equivalent?
I have checked out Paragon Backup and Recovery (more all-or-nothing) and D7 (freeware version doesn't have automated restore - but it does create registry dumps...hmmm) but neither seems to work as simply/well as WET used to.
I have tried just saving the User profile folder, but unfortunately, that doesn't save anything that's in the registry (outlook profiles, app settings...etc).
i have created a custom install.wim of win 8.1 pro using windows pe usb drive and sysprep generalise option. when i run my new setup and enter key it says "this key doesn't work with this edition of windows. try a different key". But i have tried all edition generic keys but none work. I also tried creating a ei.cfg file, but then it says "setup has failed to validate the product key".
View 4 Replies View RelatedMy Asus laptop does not give me an option to make recovery CD's it only shows USB as the only option. The laptop has no built in CD-DVD but I have external drive..... Can I make recovery CD's.... I did make a recovery USB but would like CD'S also,
View 9 Replies View RelatedI purchased a Dell Inspiron 15 pre-installed with Windows 8, then after I upgraded to 8.1. How do I make sure I have bootable disks or a backup copy of Windows in case there was a system failure since the PC didn't come with a copy of Windows in CD format?
View 2 Replies View RelatedI bought a new PC the other day, and it has Windows 8. It advised me to make recovery disks, so I started the Setup Wizard. However, when it tried to actually burn the first disk there was an error, and it didn't complete.
Now, when I try to do the recovery disks again, right after it has prepared the files, the following error comes up: "Unhandled Exception: cannot create a file when that file already exists.".
So i'm a bit stuck. Is there a way to get my recovery disks done?
I tried the sys command which used to work under older operating systems.
View 9 Replies View RelatedOne of the first things I did when I had my new PC last year was to make a set of recovery discs. Now having used the free upgrade to Windows 8.1 I would like to make a set of backup discs for this version, however, my pc say that a set has already been made and I can only make the one set.
If things stay like this, when I want to do a recovery using either the hdd partition or the discs I made, it installs Windows 8 and then I have to install what seems like a million updates before I then have to go back to the store and do the upgrade to 8.1.
Is there a way I can make a recovery dvd's for the 8.1 version ?
I originally had windows 8 prowmc licensed (I have the iso image for that in case I need to reinstall); I upgraded /updated from store free update; now I have a valid licensed 8.1 running; but I don't have an iso; and if I have to re-install, I have to install 8, activate it and again do a 3.5 gb download to update;
I read from DISM that I can make a install.wim image from the existing hdd OS partition; so is it possible to create an image for the existing 8.1 OS?
Have just purchased this; HP Pavilion g6-2210sa 15.6" Laptop - Red Deals | Pcworld Upon hearing that I was up for the challenge of setting it up myself, the sales assistant pointed out that the very first thing I must do is back up the OS (windows 8).
I asked, 'oh, is the OS on a hidden partition?' .. and he said no, its in the BIOS. And I only have one chance to make a back-up copy, as soon as I switch on. Also; if I have software issues after that point, but haven't backed up the OS, I can't claim it under the manufacturer's warranty as an issue.
I believe that the .. key? .. is in the bios now, so I never have to worry about losing it, but apart from that .. egad.
Is there an auto-prompt, or do I need to do a regular ol' back-up .. and where do I back it up to, a separate hard drive/dvd etc?
So. I have this shiny, new, laptop. In it's shiny, new, unopened box, right now. And am starting to wonder if I should have coughed up the £50 to get 'em to set it up for me..!
I purchased a new dell vostro 5470 computer. During the initial setup is Stuck on the screen of define new wireless network connection and did not respond to anything including attempts to shutdown (from button), I waited until the battery is empty and turned on again, the moment he came directly to Dell's Auto Repair.
It does not allow any system recovery.
I have a brand new ASUS G750JX running Win 8. The OS is on a 750 GB HDD and I would like to install a 256 GB SSD and move the OS and a few programs to the SSD. Can I clone the drives than use 750 GB HDD for storage? Or is the a better way of moving all the stuff to my SSD?
View 8 Replies View RelatedHaving used Windows 8 satisfactorially for a while now on a VM I'm trying to install it on a real PHYSICAL machine.
To save the hassle of burning DVD's I decided I would like to install from a USB drive however when trying to create a bootable USB stick using the usb tool from the tutorial it always fail with "Cannot copy the files".
I've tried on 3 different USB sticks from different manufacturers so it's almost outside the possibility that all 3 USB sticks are defective. I'm trying to run this on W7 X64.
Screenshot enc
Any links to an alternative tool that will do this ...
I know that by using recimg, you can make a custom refresh image. And I hear that you cannot use it to reset Windows to factory state. is that so? if so, how do I do that?
Also, is it possible to store the recovery image in a hidden partition. hidden in the sense, the drive letter is not automatically assigned when you refresh/reset Windows, nor can you do it from Disk Management. only from diskpart. however, if i can still use reset while keeping the recovery image in a hidden folder in C: drive, that is still fine i guess.
The thing is, the recovery partition of my Dell Latitude 10 tablet is destroyed (it's Dell's fault though) and even though i can easily recover Windows as I have an iso image and can use the USB to reinstall windows like we normally do on our desktops, i want to sell the tablet and i want to make it recoverable via the recovery features in Windows 8. without the ability to recover, the value of the tablet will be pretty low. if all else fails, i will have to buy a cheap USB flash drive, make it a recovery drive and give it with the tablet. sucks!
It is fine if i have to update to Windows 8.1, if it makes it possible in Windows 8.1 even though it was not in Windows 8.
I have over 600 GB on my HDD from games, media, and files. I bought a 250GB SSD to boot my OS off of and put some selected programs on. Even after deselecting all my media files, there is still too much on my HDD for the included Samsung clone client to proceed. I just want to use my new SSD as a boot drive for the OS and for several programs while retaining all my other files on my existing HDD.
View 4 Replies View RelatedI will be receiving a new laptop shortly, namely the Yoga 13, whose SSD is partitioned into no less than 8 partitions from the factory. I suppose the first thing I'd like to do is backup the entire drive with all its original partitions before I start messing with it. I've heard good things about the free version of Paragon, so I think I will use that with their USB boot key. Questions:
1. Would I indeed be able to restore the factory SSD *exactly* the way it was prior to backing up the entire disk, partitions and all, from an external USB drive?
2. How is a backup/restore related to the GPT table of the GPT disk? In other words, if I plan to wipe the disk and re-install Windows 8 from media, doesn't this Windows 8 install write to the GPT table? And if so, would a restore of the factory disk also restore that GPT table?
Some time ago Installed Windows 7 on one of my Windows 8 computers. But during the install i had to delete all partitions and that was the recovery partition that had he recovery software on it. Well now I want to go back to Windows 8 and I don't really want to send my PC to Samsung for re imaging. But I have the image i made with the software before I installed Windows 8. All I need is to get the recover partition back with the software on it. I have 2 other Samsung computers that have the same software on it but I need to find a way to make a image of the recover partition so i can use my backup image for the computer.
View 2 Replies View RelatedI need to figure out a back-up strategy for 6 TB of data. Docs/Media/Work.
Currently, I'm back-up up to external hard drives but this only covers me for onsite backup, plus, is a real pain to figure out what is on each disc.
Ideally, I'd live to have the data in the cloud as well backed up on premise.
Cloud backup of this size is practical? I was looking at CrashPlan, loading this much to them?
Also, is there a better way I can backup on site? Software/Media wise.
I purchased a new laptop with windows 8 and used the options in windows 8 to create recovery media and chose the usb drive option. I was wondering if I would be able to copy the files in the usb drive onto my external HD; then if I ever need them I could put them back onto a usb drive and reinstall windows 8. I took a screenshot of the files on the usb drive.
View 5 Replies View RelatedI was wondering what is the best way to backup my system.
Should I use 'File History' or should I use 'Windows 7 File recover'.
What are the benefits of each and are there any difference??
I've googled but have most found articles on how to use windows 7 file recovery