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Laptop has Win8 key, can I install using an 8.1 dvd?

C

cubby1223

Lifer
I was given a laptop straight out of hell to see if I can make it work. Pretty much brand new. Windows Update refuses to work, several of the updates fail, reverting everything.

Did a system restore. No difference. Windows Update still refuses to work. 8.1 update will not work until Windows Update first runs through.

Got a hold of a Windows 8 iso, burned it to dvd, wiped the hard drive clean, fresh install... Windows Update still refuses.

Search google at it seems the HP Pavilion G6 laptop has serious problems with Windows Update, a lot of people are create threads about it failing, and no one really responding back they found a solution.


Next thing for me is to find a Windows 8.1 iso to burn. But I'd just like to find out if it'll pick up on the key in this laptop just fine, every little step in finding something that works just takes massive amounts of time to run. The process to search, download, install, fail out, revert the updates, alone is over 5 hours time consumed on this infernal thing!

No hard drive problems, no memory problems, absolutely no indication of any hardware faults.
 
cubby1223 said:
... Search google at it seems the HP Pavilion G6 laptop has serious problems with Windows Update, a lot of people are create threads about it failing, and no one really responding back they found a solution....
Click to expand...

Funny, I did a similar search and found some responses with proposed fixes in the first couple Google hits. There are likely to be more, but I just looked at this one:

http://h30434.www3.hp.com/t5/Notebo...-2230sa-Windows-8-Update-problem/td-p/2190349
when references this:
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/2771431
and this:
http://h10025.www1.hp.com/ewfrf/wc/...jumpid=reg_r1002_usen_c-001_title_r0001&lc=en

The suggestions provided in this thread seemed to have worked for this user:
http://h30434.www3.hp.com/t5/Notebo...n-g6-won-t-update-to-Windows-8-1/td-p/3868364

Good luck!

Just thinking it might be better to fix the current problem than to upgrade and possibly running into the same issue.

You said that Windows Update refuses to work. Probably a silly question, but did you verify Internet access before running Windows update?
 
Thanks

My fulltime job for the past 20 years has been computer repair. Just before I headed off to sleep last night, I instructed the laptop to update the first 10 updates only. It did so, and on reboot it began installing all 100+ other updates. I don't know why, but this time it worked. And this morning the 8.1 update installed no probled.

I've done a lot of repair work on other systems, and I know most forum responses like those linked are generic suggestions and rarely work. Sure I found suggestions, but none were specific and there weren't success responses.

But regardless it'll be good for me to get a Win8.1 dvd finally and know how I can use it. There was some info out there that 8 & 8.1 use different keys, and an 8 key might not work on an 8.1 dvd
 
cubby1223 said:
Thanks

My fulltime job for the past 20 years has been computer repair. Just before I headed off to sleep last night, I instructed the laptop to update the first 10 updates only. It did so, and on reboot it began installing all 100+ other updates. I don't know why, but this time it worked. And this morning the 8.1 update installed no probled.

I've done a lot of repair work on other systems, and I know most forum responses like those linked are generic suggestions and rarely work. Sure I found suggestions, but none were specific and there weren't success responses.

But regardless it'll be good for me to get a Win8.1 dvd finally and know how I can use it. There was some info out there that 8 & 8.1 use different keys, and an 8 key might not work on an 8.1 dvd
Click to expand...

Good deal. Thanks for telling me (us) this cubby1223. I did not know your background.
 
you can use a Windows 8.1 DVD certainly, that's what I do for any laptop, clean install is best not an upgrade.

Now if your laptop originally shipped with Windows 8 not 8.1 you need to:

1) Find your current product key and use this site so it will help you decode what version it is exactly, as in Windows 8 Core, or Windows 8 Single Language or Windows 8 Pro: Windows PID checker

2) Once you know the product key is for which edition exactly, you need to download the ISO for that, you cannot download an ISO for core and then install Single Language for example, you have to get the right ISO

3) When you are starting the setup and it asks you for a Windows Product key, DO NOT enter your real product key because that won't work in setup since that's a Windows 8 key, instead, Microsoft has several default installation keys, these are just product keys that can be used during installation but you cannot actually use them to activate Windows. So google "Windows 8.1 default product keys" and when at the setup, enter the appropriate default installation key of the edition you are attempting to install.

4) Once you are in Windows, right click on Computer (ie. ThisPC) then look at the end and click on ACTIVATE WINDOWS, this is where you need to enter your REAL product key and it will activate right away over the internet.
 
And actually I put togetheter an 8.1 VM the other day to look at a couple things and it would not install the first round all at once, nor would it tell me to reboot to continue the process.

I know Microsoft wants to make WU more unobtrisive, but doing so with 100+ security updates on hold does not seem like the smartest move here.
 
ketchup79 said:
And actually I put togetheter an 8.1 VM the other day to look at a couple things and it would not install the first round all at once, nor would it tell me to reboot to continue the process.

I know Microsoft wants to make WU more unobtrisive, but doing so with 100+ security updates on hold does not seem like the smartest move here.
Click to expand...
a key embedded in your computer's BIOS won't work if you want to install it in a VM
 
ketchup79 said:
Um, Windows 8.1 will operate on any machine that meets Microsoft specs, so I really don't know what you are trying to say here.
Click to expand...
What I mean is, if you install Windows 8 normally, it would be able to read the key from your BIOS and thus activate. I am almost certain it wouldn't be able to do so when installed in a VM (correct me if I'm wrong)
 
berryracer said:
What I mean is, if you install Windows 8 normally, it would be able to read the key from your BIOS and thus activate. I am almost certain it wouldn't be able to do so when installed in a VM (correct me if I'm wrong)
Click to expand...

Is this April fool's day in UAE or something?
 
ketchup79 said:
Is this April fool's day in UAE or something?
Click to expand...

Why do you say that? The BIOS that VM software uses, is custom-built for that VM software. It doesn't use the host system's BIOS. If the host system's BIOS contains a Windows product key, the VM's BIOS will not contain the same key. Thus an install of Windows that would have auto-activated on the host hardware, will not when it's in a VM.
 
VirtualLarry said:
Why do you say that? The BIOS that VM software uses, is custom-built for that VM software. It doesn't use the host system's BIOS. If the host system's BIOS contains a Windows product key, the VM's BIOS will not contain the same key. Thus an install of Windows that would have auto-activated on the host hardware, will not when it's in a VM.
Click to expand...

Yes, this is how it works in my eyes. I just don't know what berryracer is trying to say. Is he trying to say someone might expect a client OS to work without a key because the host had one?
 
I don't think he meant anything of the sort. I think he meant that you would only need to enter the key manually in a VM as it would not be installed automatically.
 
Underclocked said:
I don't think he meant anything of the sort. I think he meant that you would only need to enter the key manually in a VM as it would not be installed automatically.
Click to expand...

Again, yes, this is how it works. I just don't know why he felt the need to point it out in the first place

a key embedded in your computer's BIOS won't work if you want to install it in a VM
Click to expand...

as I was simply responding to the upgrade process of Win8.
 
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