Reinstalling windows 8 on a laptop. Reinstalling Windows without a disk or flash drive. Reinstalling earlier versions of the OS

This article will talk about reinstalling Windows 8, which were purchased bundled with the OS. Previously, the serial key was indicated on the bottom cover of the laptop case.

The key to the new version is stitched into the BIOS of a specific device.

From this it follows:

Reinstalling OS of other versions is not possible. That is, the new system will be the same version as the old one;
It becomes possible to receive automatic system version updates;
The operating system activation process occurs online, that is, when reinstalling, a network connection is required.

It turns out that there are two options for reinstalling Windows 8: to a version identical to the pre-installed one, and reinstalling to an OS of a different version, which will be discussed further.

Important:On the hard drive of laptops with a pre-installed OS there is a special hidden partition with system files. It allows you to quickly return the device to the state in which it left the assembly line. If this partition is damaged or deleted, you will have to use the second method.

Reinstalling earlier versions of the OS

If it happens that the laptop does not work correctly and you need to reinstall the operating system, then you will need to buy a disk with it or download the image for free on the official Microsoft website and create an installation flash media.

Important:Maintain version compliance. The new OS version must be identical to the previous one. Otherwise, the reinstallation process will be much more difficult.

Step 1: Adjusting BIOS settings

With the installation media ready, you can begin the installation process.

First you need to slightly adjust the BIOS settings. To open it, you need to turn on the laptop and, before the OS starts loading, press F2.

In it you will need to go to the “Security” section. The string “Secure boot”, which needs to be set to .

There is no need to make any other settings. You just need to make sure that the “Boot mode” line (section “System configuration”) has the value .

Step 2. Installing the OS from media

One caveat: if the laptop previously had Windows 7 or another OS, then installing Windows 8 on the laptop will require reformatting the file system to GPT.

To do this, in the installation manager (stage “Where do you want to install Windows?”), you need to delete all logical partitions of the disk and install the system in unpartitioned space.

If you complete all the steps correctly, you won't even need to enter your product serial key. The successful completion of the installation is indicated by a message with the OS version in the lower right corner of the screen.

Step 3. OS activation

Now it’s a matter of small things – activation. First of all, you will need to install the network card driver and configure your network connection.

Then you will need the “Computer Properties” window, or rather the link at the bottom of it, “More information about activating Windows.”

In the window that opens, click “Activate”.

After a short wait the result will be:

Actually, this completes the reinstallation process, the system is activated and ready for use.

Reinstalling to another version of Windows 8

When reinstalling Windows 8 of a different modification, there is a possibility of getting the following “surprise”:

Why is this happening? Because the type of preinstalled OS in the key to it is rigidly fixed in the device BIOS.

The first thing the installer does is read the software version and key information that is stored on the installation media.

If they are not specified, then information about the modification and key is read from the BIOS.

The process is given as an example of reinstalling from Windows 8 Single Language to another version, more precisely, Windows 8 Professional 64-bit Rus (OEM).

On the installation media, this data is stored in the EI.cfg files, which contains information about the software version and PID.txt, which contains the key.

Simple adjustments will make the installation process possible. To do this, you will need a bootable Windows 8 USB flash drive.

– //EditorialOS, MaybebeCore orProfessional//

- //Distribution method//

The second PID.txt file is even easier to create. The form to fill out is as follows:

Value=XXXXX-XXXXX-XXXXX-XXXXX-

Where the X's are the modification key for Windows 8 that will be installed. You just need to save it in “txt” format.

The finished files must be placed on a bootable USB flash drive in the “sources” folder.

To do this, you need to open the BIOS (using the method specified in the previous section) and, in the “Boot option menu”, determine the priority of devices to boot.

In this case, “USB HDD” must be moved to the very top line of the list.

After exiting the BIOS and saving the settings, the normal installation process will begin, which can be completed by following the installer's instructions.

Once the installation process is complete, you will need to activate the operating system. The process is no different from that described in the previous section.

It may only require you to enter your product key.

Once activation is complete, the system is completely ready for use.

With the above information, the process of installing and reinstalling Windows 8 will no longer be a hassle.

Installing Windows 8 from a USB flash drive to a computer or laptop

Reinstalling Windows 8 on a laptop: where to start?

When you work on your computer for a long time, you download a lot of files and different programs, and over time, your computer slows down significantly. No means help speed up the computer on the operating system, and you have to reinstall Windows 8 . It differs in its interface , and many do not know how to reinstall windows 8 on their computer. We will help you figure it out and explain how to do it correctly.

Now almost all new laptops are sold with Windows 8 pre-installed, and accordingly, you will not find a key on the back wall, as was the case with other versions of the OS. It is located in the BIOS, and you can only reinstall this version of the product, and it only supports one language, that is, it will only work in Russian.

Method one: reinstall Windows 8 while saving user data.

This feature can be accessed from the options by clicking on the right corner of the screen. Find the value “change settings” and the Windows 8 operating system recovery window will open. There are two types of reinstallation, and if you do not want to lose your important files, then use the first option. In this case, in a separate “recovery” folder, you can restore them after reinstalling the system.

But everything you downloaded from other resources will be destroyed, but you can download them again later if necessary.

In the window, click the action you want to perform and follow the advice that will appear on the screen when reinstalling Windows 8. In some cases, the recovery is launched only from the system installation distribution, but there is nothing to worry about, just insert the disk if this is indicated message is shown.

Well, if you want to reinstall the system to factory settings, this is necessary if a virus has taken hold and the system has become glitchy, or if the device is sold. Run the second option, in this case all your personal files will be cleared, the disk will be formatted, and Windows 8 will start from scratch.

You just need to follow the instructions and the system will be reinstalled.

It also happens that all factory settings files are deleted, and for the average computer user the question arises, what to do?

Try to find your version of Windows 8 on the Internet, but as practice shows, this is usually the Windows 8 Single Language version; it can be downloaded in test mode and from the Microsoft website. but before you start installing the system, go to the BIOS by pressing F2. Find the Security option, and there set the value to Disabled, this will disable the system’s recognition of the file. We won’t change anything else and reboot the computer.

Then open the download file, and the usual Windows 8 installation will proceed.

The system will prompt you to select the location where you want to boot the system, and you won't even need to enter an activation key.

At the end of the process, the computer will reboot and the Windows 8 welcome window will open in front of you.

The installed version of the operating system needs to be activated, go to the “system” folder and click on the product activation option. Now the reinstallation of Windows 8 will be successful and your system will be activated.

Let's look at another option for reinstalling the system, and you will learn how to reinstall Windows 8 of a completely different edition, for example, Windows 8 Professional 64-bit.

But when installing this operating system, the message “product key is incorrect” will definitely pop up. This happens because the key is located in the BIOS and saved in the UEFI file system. But there is a way out of this situation: create your own system key recognition files.

For example, you downloaded a system image to removable media, but then in the BIOS you need to set it to first place, and the boot will start from it.

Now we need to create 2 text files, where our system configuration will be located: the EI.cfg file and the PID.txt file, which we will then add to the Windows 8 sources folder.

Open notepad and enter these entries. And save it in the ei.cfg format: Professional OEM 0

The second picture tells how to create a file with a system key, write down the data in a notepad.

The new Windows 8 recognition files created in this way are transferred to the sources file of the installation media.

Now you know how to reinstall Windows 8, there is nothing complicated about it, and we hope that everything will work out for you.

Software from Microsoft Corporation is the most widely used in our country. So it will be difficult to find a person who has not heard of Microsoft and the Windows operating system. Many people know that Microsoft recently officially stopped supporting the operating system (hereinafter OS) Windows XP, so now for personal computer (PC) users there are two main options for a high-quality OS from Microsoft: Windows 7 and Windows 8 (8.1) . There is also the Vista OS, but it is considered less successful, although with careful work it copes with the assigned tasks perfectly.

What the article is about

This article is intended to help users figure out how to reinstall Windows 8 on a laptop, since this version of the OS is the latest development from Microsoft and many want to try it. To begin with, a brief introduction will be given to both versions of Windows and options installing systems on a laptop. Both systems work well on both desktop PCs and laptops. But we will talk about the intricacies of reinstalling on laptops, since they are now gaining more popularity and distribution. If for some reason Windows 8 is not for you. liked it and you want to replace it, then the article will also tell you how to reinstall Windows 8 to Windows 7 on a laptop.

About Windows 7

Windows 7 was released in 2009 and is currently the most used system. According to research, 55% of all operating systems installed on PCs and laptops are Windows 7. Each new version of Microsoft's OS features minor innovations and improvements, but overall the interface design remains recognizable. Compared to Vista, compatibility and application support problems have been fixed. It is worth noting that this version of the OS has six editions for different specific applications:

All editions, except Starter, are developed in 32-bit and 64-bit versions. For the 32-bit version, the RAM limit is limited to 4 GB, and the 64-bit version supports up to 192 GB of RAM. This system is equally suitable for all computers and laptops.

About Windows 8

"Windows 8" and its update "Windows 8.1" is a relatively young version of the OS from Microsoft. It was released in 2012 and its distribution accounts for about 12% of all operating systems in use. The main innovation of the system is the Metro interface: it appears immediately after the system starts and looks like a set of various tiles with applications, folders or files. Metro can act as a desktop, but there is also an icon that leads to the classic desktop. This OS is designed for touch control, so it is better to install Windows 8 on a laptop or computer with a touch screen, but this does not exclude normal use of the OS.

Among the new products that also attract attention:

Microsoft account and the ability to sync settings.
Windows Store App Store.
Ability to restore and reset.
Many other updates and new features.

Windows 8 also has editions, four of them:

Windows 8 (Core).
Professional or Windows 8 Pro.
Corporate or Windows 8 Enterprise.
Windows 8 RT.

Windows 8 faced criticism of the new control method, but many quickly got used to the changed interface. It is very convenient due to its expanded range of capabilities, but it is not easy for everyone to relearn. Therefore, the system has both fans and opponents. But you need to form an opinion about it personally. Therefore, it's time to figure out what 8 is on the laptop.

How to install Windows 8 on a clean computer?

The easiest option for installing the system is to install it on a computer with clean memory. In this case, you just need to purchase a license disk with a key. And if the laptop does not have a disk drive, then you will need to additionally create a bootable flash drive with a system image. There are many programs for this, for example, WinSetupFromUSB and others. When you have the system media in your hands, you need to connect it to your laptop and start your machine. Windows 8 will start downloading automatically on your laptop. During the installation process, you will need to select the necessary parameters, enter and specify the disk partition on which the system will be booted. During the installation process, the hard drive will need to be formatted and divided into several partitions - the future Drive C and Drive D. For drive C, it is enough to allocate 80 GB and place the OS there. You can optionally leave the remaining memory as one partition or split it into several. This may be necessary if you want to install another system on the same laptop. After selecting the disk, the immediate installation of the system begins. Immediately after this, the computer prompts you to personalize it, sign in to your Microsoft account, if you have one, or create one and configure it. When the Metro start screen appears in front of you, you're done - Windows 8 is installed. If you don't know how to create bootable flash drives, the following will provide some general information on the subject.

How to replace another system with Windows 8?

Let's figure out how to reinstall Windows 8 on a laptop if there is already another system there. First, you need to go to the official Microsoft website and register or log into your account. There you should check whether the current system can be upgraded to Windows 8 on your laptop model. Then you can purchase it directly on the site and run the downloaded file. If such an update is not available, you will have to use another method. Before performing any operations, it is important to save all necessary data, as there is a possibility that the hard drive will have to be completely erased. When you have transferred all the necessary information to external media (for example, an external hard drive or flash drive), you can turn off the laptop and connect the media with the system to it. Reinstalling Windows 8 on a laptop will be no more difficult than a clean installation. During the boot process, after selecting a language and indicating your country of residence, you will again find yourself in the window for setting up hard disk partitions (hereinafter also referred to as hard drive). If you don’t need the old system, you can safely select drive C and format it, and then load the new system there. If you want to keep your old system, you will have to work with the remaining space on the hard drive. All information not related to the system is usually located on drive D, and it is this drive that occupies all of the hard drive’s memory, except for the partition with the system.

What to do with partitions on your hard drive?

To install a second system, you need to format drive D. For this, all the necessary data was saved. And also divide it into another disk for the 80 GB system and the remaining space for an empty disk. We select the disk allocated for the system, and the reinstallation of Windows 8 continues. The subsequent steps will be similar to the usual Windows installation and will not take much time. If you installed Windows 8 as the second system, then when you start the laptop, a short period of time will be allocated to select the desired system using the arrows, otherwise the version that will be first in the list will load.

How to reinstall Windows 8 on a laptop if the system was preinstalled?

It happens that you bought a laptop with Windows 8 pre-installed, but for some reason you deleted it, or it was damaged, or the hard drive itself was damaged. In any case, if it’s no longer possible, and you don’t want to buy a new license when you’ve paid for the old one, there is a way out. The specific thing is that new laptops are now sold without a license key for the system; previously it was glued to the back of the computer, now there is only a sticker with the name Windows 8. The key itself is hardwired into the BIOS and activates the system automatically. Installing any downloaded Windows 8 image from the Internet is not an option. The system is not activated. To solve this problem, you need to know exactly which version of Windows was preinstalled. Most often this is Windows 8 Core Single Language. There is also Core Country Specific, but it is less common here.

8 on a laptop, if you don’t know exactly what system was originally installed? Download both original images, create a bootable flash drive with them and try to install them on your laptop one by one. The “correct” version will interact with the key, install and activate. After all the settings and launch, the system will offer you to download a free update to Windows 8.1 in the “Store”. If you want to immediately install Windows 8.1 on your laptop, then the following information is for you.

How to reinstall Windows 8 so that you don’t have to additionally download the update to 8.1?

The apparent difficulty of such a task is that the key voluntarily activates only the preinstalled version. If you install any other version of Windows 8 or 8.1 on your laptop, the key will not work. Finding and installing the first version, and then updating it to version 8.1 takes a lot of time. Then how to reinstall Windows 8 on a laptop and save time? You need to find version 8.1, but the same edition as your preinstalled system. Again, for us this will most likely turn out to be Windows 8.1 Single Language. When installing this version, the key will not be automatically connected, so you will have to enter it yourself.

Where can I get the key for installation and activation?

It is not necessary to know the license key right away. You can find an installation key on the Internet that will skip the system boot further, but will not activate the system. Then you can get the key from the BIOS, for example, using the PKeyUI utility. To do this, you need to download it, install it and run it by checking the MSDM box. If this field does not appear after starting the utility, it means that the key in the firmware is either missing or cannot be read. Then you will have to contact a professional. When the key appears in the field below, you need to copy or rewrite it, and then go to the system settings in the control panel and enter the key instead of the one that was used for installation. If the system is activated, it means that the reinstallation of Windows 8 was successful.

How to create a bootable flash drive?

There are many programs designed to burn operating system images to external media. Most often, flash drives and disks are used for such purposes. It could also be an external hard drive, but it is mainly used by professionals, since they load not one or two systems, but also other useful programs onto such a large storage medium.

So, to create a flash drive with an operating system, you will need:

Download and install one of the programs that writes an OS image to media.
A clean, formatted flash drive.
The required system image with the .iso extension.

Typically, all recording parameters are set by default, and you only need to indicate the flash drive and the location of the image itself in the appropriate fields. If you have problems with this, there is usually a short guide on the site from which you download the program.

Replacing Windows 8 with Windows 7 on a laptop

If you still didn’t like the Windows 8 system, or using Windows 7 turned out to be simply more convenient, you can replace Windows 8 with Windows 7. If you installed the system yourself, then replacing it will not be difficult. It is enough to repeat the same steps as when installing Windows 8: buy a licensed disk or create a bootable flash drive with the Windows 7 system, save all the necessary data to a separate medium and start the download. In this case, reinstalling Windows 8 on the laptop will be without problems. If the system was preinstalled, then before loading Windows 7 you will need to separately remove the Windows 8 system. Otherwise, an error and failure may occur during the replacement process.

A few final words

Regardless of which system you decide to use constantly, it makes sense to familiarize yourself with both the seventh and eighth Windows. Moreover, now you know how to reinstall Windows 8 on a laptop in various situations, and are warned about possible difficulties. The better you get to know your computer, the easier and more enjoyable it will be to work with it. And, of course, don’t forget about the pleasure of a job well done and the pride of having done it yourself.

Hello, dear readers of my blog!

Yesterday I decided to update the OS, and I wondered how to reinstall Windows 8 on a laptop. Previously, I always installed “seven” and there were no problems, but this operating system is a little more complicated to install. This is exactly what I wanted to tell you about in this article!

Preparatory actions

First you need to stock up on a clean blank or flash drive. It doesn’t matter what kind of laptop you have, even if it’s acep, what matters is what system capacity you choose. For simplicity, I can advise you to proceed from the following parameters. If your PC has 2 or more gigabytes of RAM, then you need Windows 8 64 bit. You can download it by torrent from here.

Next, you need to burn the downloaded image to storage media. If you install the OS from a flash drive, then you will need the Windows 7 USB DVD Download Tool, download from here and install.

I already wrote above that without a disk or flash drive you will not be able to install. Therefore, you need to decide on the type of media.

So, let's say you choose to install from disk. Insert it into the drive and open the program. You will see the following window.

Next, press the button “ Browse" and select your downloaded image. Then click on the button Next and the second stage interface will open in front of you, where you need to select the media. For example, you will install Windows from a flash drive. Then you select it in the program. It is better to format it in advance.

Then you should see a window like this.

Once the process is completed, then everything is ready.

Whatever laptop you have, Lenovo or HP, any Microsoft operating system arranges files on the hard drive the same way. If you still have the necessary pictures, photos, music, you need to copy it all to some medium. All files from drive C will be deleted. Now you can start installation. On my own behalf, I would also advise you to rewrite passwords for the Internet and social networks. This is the only way to complete the installation without losing data.

Installation

So, now I will describe to you the installation process itself. It will go through the BIOS, or rather, with its settings. You can enter it by pressing certain keys or combinations. All laptops, Asus or any other company, have their own buttons for this. I will give you a table of these combinations.

Restart your laptop and immediately press the necessary buttons. If you did everything correctly, you will see a picture like this.

Don’t be afraid, BIOS is, of course, an important thing, but if you follow my instructions, it’s quite safe. Now you need to go to the tab Boot and in the first line select boot from a flash drive or disk, depending on what you have. Next press F10 and the laptop will reboot.

If a black screen appears asking you to press any key, which is what you need to do, then everything is going as it should. Then the boot starts from the media with the Windows image. A window like this will appear.

In the picture below you will see two installation options. Update and complete installation. You need to choose the bottom option. I read about the difference in these concepts, and professionals say that it is better to install the operating system from scratch.

I can advise you to drink tea during this time, the process is quite long. Once it is completed, you can move on to the next stage.

Personalization and customization

Now is the easiest step. The system will prompt you to select an interface color, enter a user name, set a password and connect to the network. That's it, the installation is actually complete. Now you need to install all the drivers. To do this, you will need a software called Driver Booster Free. I provide you with a link to the site where you can download.

It works with all laptops, even those with MSI SSD hard drives. You just install it, launch it, and it will do everything you need on its own. All you have to do is restart your computer.

By the way, I suggest you watch the video first. In it, the author explains each step in detail and shows with his example how to install the operating system.

In the future, you will need to check for system updates. She will download the necessary service packs and patches herself. This is done to ensure that your OS does not slow down, and also to increase the level of security.

Conclusion

That's all, my dear readers. Now you can install the operating system yourself. Remember that you need working flash drives and disks. Completely serviceable! Otherwise, it may happen that the installation starts and then stops abruptly. You will be without your old system and without the new one. And it will no longer be possible to restore the files back. Therefore, you will have to look for either an already recorded image, or run to your friends and record it yourself.

By the way, always read the comments before downloading operating system images. If the files are broken, then users will immediately write about it. Also keep an eye on the bit depth. Remember, if you have more than 2 gigs of RAM in your laptop, then you need a 64-bit OS. Otherwise, you simply will not use all the RAM strips. As well as processor cores, if there are more than two of them.

Also don't forget to make checkpoints. The system will offer to do them itself, especially after installing any large programs.

With this I say goodbye to you, my dear readers! Share the link to the article with your friends and acquaintances on your social networks! Subscribe to blog updates! See you again in my useful articles!

Any operating system can be subject to virus attacks, or various problems caused by inept user actions: when installing drivers and utilities, when removing some Windows components, intentionally or accidentally. In some cases, it is not possible to correct the situation using conventional methods, such as treating the computer for viruses or using system recovery functions. And you have to resort to methods such as reinstalling Windows 8 on your computer or laptop.

There are several options for reinstalling Windows 8 on a laptop. The first and probably more correct is a clean installation of the system with full formatting, from bootable media. Or, as it is also called, installing Windows via BIOS, although this is not a very correct name.

And the second option is to reinstall Windows 8 using the built-in “Recovery” function. Where is it possible to Restore Windows to its original state, deleting all files and applications. And also save all user files, but reinstall Windows to the state at the time of the first launch. This option will work if Windows boots, but for some reason you need to reinstall it.

Reinstalling Windows 8 without a boot disk

So let's get started.

We go to the system parameters menu; to do this, you need to move the mouse cursor to the lower right corner of the monitor so that the toolbar appears. Click on the settings icon. Here we are interested in the point “ Change computer settings».

Next, switch to the tab “ Update and recovery».
And the next point is “ Recovery».
Here we can see several categories - “Recovering a computer while saving all personal files” - (all programs, utilities and applications installed by the user for the entire period of using the computer will be deleted). And the option is to delete all information and return the computer to its original state at the time of installation.
Select the second item and click the button “ Begin" Why the second one? Because in this way we will perform a full reset and restore the system to its original state.

Next, a warning will appear that all files and applications will be deleted - confirm.

Next you need to select the option, completely clean the disk or reinstall Windows, select the first option.

Click " Continue", then the computer will restart and the process of returning Windows 8 to its original state will begin. This may take about half an hour or a little more.

At the final stages, as in a regular Windows 8 installation, you need to make settings, language and regional settings, security settings, and others.

Further, the final stages of installation will be accompanied by messages about the installation progress on a background that changes brightness. (The pleasure, let’s say, is not quick, even though the messages say that everything is about to happen soon). Until the desktop loads.

Clean reinstallation of Windows

The more preferable method, of course, is to reinstall Windows 8 on a laptop or computer using installation media. In this case, you can format the system disk and install a completely clean OS. But for this method, you need to burn the Windows 8 image onto bootable media. For owners of the licensed Windows 8 operating system, you can use the MediaCreationTool utility, which can be downloaded from the official Microsoft website

You can find out more about how to create it here. And also, here you can read how to do it on a computer or laptop. Try it, experiment, in fact, everything is much simpler than it seems.
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