Restoring a Windows 8 license on a laptop. Creating a control point. Performing the procedure using a flash drive

Alternative methods Windows activation 8:

Activating Windows 8 by phone

If you cannot activate Windows 8 online, activate the product by calling Microsoft.

Note.
When contacting Microsoft, do not ask for a “new” activation code. Otherwise, Microsoft will recommend that you purchase a new operating system. If the operating system does not require replacement, simply activate or reactivate the installed OS instance.

Reactivating Windows 8 by phone:

Activating Windows 8 using HP System Recovery

If you purchased a computer with Windows 8 pre-installed and did not change system board, then as alternative way You can use the HP activation tool online or over the phone. System Recovery. HP System Recovery restores the original factory settings Windows settings 8 and reinstalls the original operating system. After an HP system restore, Windows 8 is automatically activated the first time you connect to the Internet.

Activating Windows 8 after using HP System Recovery

After restoring your system using HP System Recovery or Windows reinstallation 8 reactivation not required. However, during recovery the following situations may arise:

If your computer came with Windows 8 and HP Recovery Manager works properly, then use it to restore your computer to its factory image state. Windows 8 activates automatically when you connect to the Internet.

If your computer came with Windows 8, but HP Recovery Manager does not work, use recovery discs to restore the operating system to its original factory image. Windows 8 activates automatically when you connect to the Internet.

If your computer came with more than early version Windows, but HP included an upgrade disc to Windows 8, restore your computer's operating system to its factory image, and then upgrade to Windows 8. Windows 8 will be activated automatically.

If your computer came with an earlier version of Windows but has since been upgraded or custom installation full retail Windows versions 8, you will need the Microsoft DVD to reinstall Windows 8. Windows 8 will be activated automatically when you connect to the Internet.

If your computer was shipped with Windows 8 and Recovery program Manager is not working and no recovery discs have been created, please order a DVD for Windows recovery 8. You may need to contact Microsoft to activate Windows 8.

Windows 8 is different high reliability and stability of work, however, even in the most modern system situations may arise that require immediate recovery: a malicious attack software, loss system files, incorrect actions of the user himself. In general, everything that somehow led to refusal.

Restoring Windows 8

Many users believe that the only thing the right decision if a critical error occurs on the laptop, there will be a complete reinstallation of the operating system, but they are wrong. OS recovery can also solve almost all problems, having a number of advantages:

Restoring the system is much faster than reinstalling it;
If reinstalling Windows requires specific knowledge (for example, how to set up the BIOS), then such skills are not needed for recovery;
When you roll back the OS on a laptop, the data will not be affected (those files that are deleted can be easily restored by clicking on the link in the report provided);
You won't have to look for external media that contains Windows licenses for reinstallation (although in most cases the distribution kit is still needed, but you can use an image instead).

There are four ways that you can roll back Windows 8 on a laptop:

With help special key(it is different for each brand of device), which will launch the system recovery environment;
Launch an integrated program that will perform automatic recovery;
Rollback the OS to a previously created checkpoint;
Using files for installation from external media (disk, flash drive).

The first method involves rolling back the system even if it does not boot.

The second method is a specially integrated utility provided by the device developers.

The program should come with the OS by default, but if it is missing, it can be found on the installation disk/flash drive.

The third method is to roll back the system on the laptop to a specific point. It can be created either automatically or manually.

The fourth option is to use media with licensing system to launch Windows Recovery Environment. The screenshot shows its main elements:

System rollback using a special key

The presented rollback method is used in the case when Windows completely refuses to start due to malware or loss of system files.

The first thing you need to do is find out which button on your device model is responsible for calling the recovery environment. On a laptop these could be the keys:

Comment. Similar information can be found in the manufacturer's instructions. If it’s not there, then we just poke and look for it experimentally.

As soon as the button is found, the following window will launch:

Refresh Your PC Tool

This function is used when the OS starts but is unstable. However, rolling back to the point did not change the situation.

The method involves a complete reinstallation of Windows 8, but without affecting the user’s files. To do this, we need a system distribution package located on a flash drive or disk.

The changes will not affect:

Absolutely all owner documents (photos, music, videos, etc.);
Files on the desktop will also not be affected in their places;
Utilities Windows store will be saved;
Reinstalling using this method will not affect the network settings.

The only thing that will be deleted are files installed in the system Program folder Files. Apart from this everything personal settings owner will be reset to basic.

The recovery algorithm is as follows:

Launch the Refresh Your PC application while the system is running. To do this, go to the parameters section and then change their value:
Go to the general section and select the second option: restore your computer without deleting user files:
A warning window appears, which describes all changes that take effect after starting the procedure. Special attention should be given to the last point of the memo, where it is noted that the list remote applications will be placed on the desktop. This will allow the user, if necessary, to quickly restore what was lost:
Before clicking next, insert the device with Windows distribution 8:
Once the device with the system has been detected, the laptop will reboot to prepare the system for the recovery process:
Click restore. Further, no secondary actions from the user are needed, the procedure is completely automatic. Approximate rollback time to basic settings is 20-40 minutes depending on the power of the laptop:

Restoring a Windows system without a distribution kit

Using the Refresh Your PC function allows you to roll back the system even in the most hopeless situations. But often the user simply does not have external media with installation files.

...or how to create a problem for yourself and then heroically overcome it.

In total, we have an ultrabook with Windows 8, a working recovery partition and the absence of any disks in the package (this point is important). Beech has UEFI as startup software, which in principle is logical for use with Windows 8, and would even be convenient, if not for one thing - the key for installing the system is hardwired into the ACPI data table, in the MSDM sub-table. At that time, I didn’t know this yet, and I didn’t think that I would need it.

In general, I reboot it, go into the launch settings (if anyone doesn’t know how to do this on beeches with UEFI fresh episodes- press ESC right from the very beginning of startup) and turning off Secure Boot(this is necessary to start the recovery system), I launch the native System Recovery system. As it turned out, I was in vain in turning off Secure Boot and switching the system to Legacy Mode - it was these actions that caused such strange behavior native recovery system, about which further. I instruct you to restore the system to the initial state with the deletion of all user data (the data was copied in advance). And this is where the adventure begins. The recovery process, having started, displays the first stage of execution - formatting the partition for Windows. The stage reaches the end, after which the recovery process stops, giving an incomprehensible error with digital code , and the ultrabook reboots, only to give me a message that no system was found on the disk. It’s logical, I think, we’ve just cleared its partition, and I press the System Recovery key again to try to continue the recovery process. And here the first surprise awaited me: I received the same message about the absence of the system. As it turned out, system System Recovery self-destructed along with the cleaned system

. Now I had an ultrabook in my hands without a system, without a recovery image on the hard drive and without recovery disks. There was only one option left - to reinstall the system from scratch. It would seem that what is the problem? We reinstall and that's it. However, do not rush, not everything is as simple as it seems. In order not to waste extra time later on upgrading the system to 8.1, I decided to immediately install a clean 8.1. No sooner said than done, I download the latest Windows 8.1 image from MSDN and do it Using Windows 7 USB - DVD tool, I start the installation. The first problem is that I don’t know the key yet, but as luck would have it, it is required to continue the installation. It’s not clear to me why this was done; Windows 7 allowed you to skip the key entry step. A short search on the Internet gives the answer - you need to use generic keys opened by Microsoft itself - they allow you to install the system, but not activate it; to activate it, you need to replace this key with a working full-fledged one after installation. I enter the generic key and continue the installation. I should have stopped and thought at this moment (the key request), but I missed this moment. The fact is that if the system key hardwired into UEFI is suitable for installing a given version of Windows, then the system should not ask for it during installation. At all . In this case, she uses it automatically. If you are asked for a key, this is a sign that either the key from UEFI cannot be read, or you are using the wrong one. given key distribution version. However, I didn’t know about it at that time, so it didn’t raise any questions for me. So, the system was installed and started. Now it was necessary to activate it, and to do this, somehow remove the key from the UEFI. As it turned out, this is not at all difficult task. To do this, you can use the PKeyUI utility - you just need to run it and check the “MSDM” box - the utility will display the key saved in UEFI. If the “MSDM” field does not appear when you start the utility, then either the key is not in the firmware or it is not readable. So, I received the key. Next, I tried to activate the system with it, and then a problem awaited me too - the activation system stated that the key was not working. Recalling the OEM Windows distribution methods, I decided that apparently I needed a system image intended for OEM assemblers. Well, no problem. After some searching, the distribution of the original system image for OEM suppliers of version 8.1 was found on torrent trackers. I downloaded it, created the installation flash drive again, tried to install and activate again. However, I got the same error again. A search for information on the topic yielded a method (as it later turned out, not working) - it was necessary to delete using the slmgr script old key, install a new one and then activate the system normally. I tried it, but when I tried to install the native system key I always received an error:

0xC004F069

Which, normally, is associated with time desynchronization between the target PC and the key server. After struggling a little and spending another half hour searching for methods to fix this problem, I came to the conclusion that it’s probably worth turning to the original source, i.e., Microsoft Corporation. A call to technical support with a description of the problem clarified everything: it turns out main mistake I did when I tried to use a Windows 8.1 image! As it turned out, the Windows 8.1 image is absolutely not suitable for clean install on PCs that came with before installed Windows 8, and even bypassing the problem using a generic key will do nothing, because OEM keys from Windows 8 are not suitable for activating a clean OEM installation of Windows 8.1, although they are valid. The only way to install version 8.1 on a PC with Windows 8 pre-installed is to upgrade the system via Microsoft Store- only this way and no other way. After thanking the support, I went to download a clean OEM version of Windows 8.

But my ordeal did not end there; everything turned out to be not so simple. The pure OEM version was categorically refused to be installed - immediately after clicking the “Install” button, it reported that the key specified (in UEFI) did not match any of the detected system images. After some googling, it turned out that, among other things, you need to create a installation flash drive marker files with the correctly specified system edition and key. Okay, let's go to the sources folder on the installation flash drive and create two files there: ei.cfg and pid.txt

Contents of ei.cfg:

Core
OEM
0

Here
EditionID is the edition of the system, it can be Core or Professional,
Channel is a distribution channel, it can be OEM or Retail,
VL is a sign of a building. version, can be 0 or 1.

The above example is the norm for laptops, basic OEM Windows, not corporate.

Contents of pid.txt:

Value=XXXXX-XXXXX-XXXXX-XXXXX-XXXXX

Instead of XXXXX we enter the key that we received through pkeyui. As a result of these actions, we get a bootable USB flash drive with which Windows 8 will still be installed. But my joy was premature - it was installed, but in some mysterious way it wrote down some completely outrageous key that had nothing to do with what I wrote in pid.txt (the original from UEFI). An attempt to change this left key to an adequate one was successful, but when I tried to activate it, the system gave the same notorious error that the key does not correspond to the system edition! It turned out that there is one more nuance - distribution kits, in addition to editions and licensing method, are also divided by SKU, and laptop builders are usually listed on CoreSingleLanguage or CoreCountrySpecific. And I needed the CoreSingleLanguage image, because for all types of SKUs the installation keys are different. Why in this case the system allows you to continue the installation is absolutely not clear to me - it does not make any sense, since the key will not work anyway and there is no way to change the SKU installed system I personally didn't find it. Quietly cursing, I went to look for an OEM distribution with the “CoreSingleLanguage” SKU. And finally I found it, it is on many trackers, so as not to provide links to potentially dangerous resources, I’ll just give the MD5 of the required distribution:

2F3EC4EA9F604DF608AC0B1EE4C53CF1

I processed the distribution I found, created marker files and hoped that that was it - my problems were solved and after the 4th reinstallation, Windows 8 would finally not only install, but also allow itself to be activated. Not so! The processed distribution kit, after clicking the “Install” button, gave me an error that I had already seen before: that the specified (in UEFI) key does not match any of the detected system images! Cursing, I tried to simply delete the created ei.cfg and pid.txt files from the flash drive. I start from it and... the system accepts the key and installs! After installation, the system status is activated!

Plus, for the entire process, I derived an algorithm that, in my opinion, should be followed during this procedure:

If the laptop was just Windows 8, then we just take Windows 8 and not Windows 8.1 - even if we install 8.1, we won’t be able to activate it!
We find out the Windows key using the pkeyui utility - run it on a live system, check the MSDM box and write down the key.
We call Microsoft technical support, briefly explain the situation and ask them to check the validity and ownership of the extracted key. The guys from technical support will check the key without any problems and tell you what type of distribution it is suitable for - basic or professional, OEM or retail and what its SKU is - CoreSingleLanguage or CoreCountrySpecific or something else altogether.
Search and download system image strictly corresponding to the key. If this is a laptop, then most likely you will need an OEM and in most cases CoreSingleLanguage
Download the disk image and make a bootable USB flash drive using the Windows 7 USB / DVD download tool (or manually like this - with some Windows images 7 USB / DVD download tool does not want to work). So far, after this we are not doing anything additional with the flash drive. Alternatively, you can (and it will be even better) to do bootable UEFI flash drive using Rufus.
We reboot, immediately after the start we quickly press Esc. If the flash drive was made through the Windows 7 USB / DVD download tool, then select BIOS Setup, in the boot settings in the BIOS you need to turn off Secure Boot and enable Legacy Boot - otherwise we will not boot from the flash drive. If you made a UEFI flash drive with using Rufus- this should not be done. Now insert the flash drive.
We reboot, immediately after the start we quickly press Esc. Choosing a choice boot devices, select your flash drive and start installing the system. If everything is done correctly, the system will be installed without asking for any keys at all.
If it doesn’t work out and the system either doesn’t accept the key at all or installs it but then doesn’t want to activate, go to the sources folder on the installation flash drive and create two files there: ei.cfg and pid.txt, setting up their contents as indicated above. We are trying to install the system from a flash drive with the created marker files.
After installation, we activate the system - if it is activated, then everything is fine, if not, you have selected the wrong distribution.

The result of all of the above are several rhetorical questions to the laptop manufacturer and to Microsoft. To the manufacturer main question- why did the recovery system work like a self-destruction system? Habrovsk residents, has anyone else come across this? And to Microsoft - well, why such paranoid software protection measures? Why are they like this? After all, in in this case there was a completely legal process of the most banal reinstallation of the destroyed OS. In fact, we have a situation where a user whose OS has crashed will in no way, absolutely not, be able to reinstall it on his own - this requires remarkable skills. Overall, I had to reinstall the system four times to figure out this confusing installation system. Why create such difficulties? After all, in the end, if you count all the possible modifications of distributions with different types It turns out that there are almost 30 licenses. Is this so specific? additional protection from piracy? For the rest, it’s science: be careful and don’t unfoundedly believe articles on the Internet. The same “working” installation method widely copied everywhere clean Windows 8.1 followed by activation with the native key turned out to be completely ineffective and took me about five hours of time, which could have been spent with much greater benefit. Okay, at least now I know almost all the features of licensing and activation of Win 8. I hope this story will be useful for you too.

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Recovery Windows systems 8 may be required when critical errors in PC operation. So that the user does not have to completely reinstall the OS, special tools are provided that allow you to restore your computer even without deleting files or changing general parameters systems. In this article you will learn how to start restoring a computer or laptop on Win 8 in different ways.

Below are two options for the development of events: from the working operating system and with a faulty one. In the first case, you can perform recovery from the Windows 8 interface without a disk or flash drive, and in the second you will need bootable media to copy system files. All methods are presented below:

rollback from a restore point;
using Refresh your PC;
reset to factory settings on laptop;
recovery using boot disk or flash drives.

Let's consider each of the methods in detail. All instructions are fully working and suitable for any Windows builds 8 32/64 Bit.

System restore point

This method allows you to roll back the OS to a certain state. You must do the following:

Open File Explorer using the icon on the taskbar.

In the left directory, find the item “This computer” and click on it right click mouse to select “Properties” from the menu.

In the window that opens, click on the “System Protection” button.

In the selected tab, click on the “Restore” button.

On the first screen, click on “Next”.

From the list, select a checkpoint according to the date when the computer was stable and working. Click "Next".

To start the procedure, click the “Finish” button.

Now you know how to use a checkpoint to rollback the state of the OS.

Creating a checkpoint

If you don't have it configured automatic creation checkpoints, you can do this manually. This option will be useful if problems arise with the OS in the future:

Open the Properties window again and click on System Protection.

Next, click on the “Create” button marked in the screenshot.

Enter a name and click "Create".

Wait until the procedure is completed. After it, the current OS configuration will be saved as control point. You can easily restore this state in case of Windows 8 malfunction using the instructions described above.

Rollback via Options

Windows 8 debuted the Refresh Your PC tool. With its help, the user can roll back the OS state to the required state. You can save applications and settings, return your PC to factory settings, completely reinstall the system, or launch a safe environment and perform necessary actions through her.

First you need to open “Computer Settings”:

Right-click on the Start icon and select Find.

IN search bar Search for "PC Settings" and open the appropriate application.

In the list of sections, select "Update and Recovery".

Go to the “Recovery” subsection. Here are tools that allow you to return the OS to its original state or start safe mode.

The first option (1) allows you to restore factory defaults. Windows settings 8 without losing personal files, music, photos, etc. Using the second item (2) you can call up the menu for complete reinstallation OS and return it to factory preset settings. Moreover, all personal files and installed applications will be deleted. By clicking on the button in the third paragraph (3), you can call up the safe environment and continue settings through it. The first two options allow you to roll back the system from the Windows 8 interface.

It’s worth taking a closer look at the safe environment, as advanced functionality awaits you there.

Click on the “Restart now” button and wait - on the screen you will see a menu launch with a choice of action. Click on "Diagnostics".

As you can see, here you can perform all the same operations as in Windows interface 8. However, the diagnostic menu can be useful if the OS does not boot. Click on the button Extra options" to go to advanced functionality. With it you can:

roll back the OS to a checkpoint;
use wim image for recovery;
roll back the system via the command line.

Let's consider all the possibilities in more detail. We dealt with the first point above - the procedure is no different from doing it in running Windows 8.

By clicking on “Restore system image”, you launch a program to automatically unpack a pre-created wim archive. It should contain the entire OS with personal settings and programs. You can connect a disk or flash drive to your computer to unpack a third-party wim image. This way you will get a complete system.

"Command Prompt" allows you to start the rollback procedure using simple commands. Click on the appropriate button to launch the application. Now enter the command “rstrui.exe” and press Enter to run. After this, you will have access to the PC recovery menu via checkpoint.

You can launch this menu through bootable media if the installed OS does not work correctly and does not start. Let's consider this situation.

Performing the procedure using a flash drive

Performing the procedure this way will require some preparation. First, you need to create bootable media. To do this, you need to visit the official Microsoft website, where the Windows 8 web installer is located and download it to another computer. The bootloader will download the OS files and create boot drive automatically.

Secondly, you need to make settings through the BIOS. To do this, when starting the PC, press the button responsible for entering the BIOS menu (it is indicated on home screen turning on the computer). Go to the "Boot" menu and set the bootable USB flash drive to first place in boot priority. To save the settings, press F10 and restart your PC again.

Now when you turn it on you will see the installer menu. Here you will find the option to uninstall, reinstall the system, format hard drive. The creators also highlighted recovery function to a separate menu:

When downloading the application, select your language and click Next.

On the second screen, click on the marked button.

Open the Diagnostics menu.

Using "Restore" will open the tool to roll back to a checkpoint. The "Reset to original state" button launches a tool to return the OS to its factory state. You are already familiar with the contents of the “Advanced Settings” menu.

Select the desired item and start the procedure.

Rollback on a laptop with a pre-installed operating system

Laptop manufacturers that sell devices with pre-installed software provide the ability to rollback using proprietary utilities and funds. Part of the hard drive space is allocated for recovery, so you can start the process of returning your PC to its original settings in a couple of steps.

It refers to Asus laptops, Lenovo, Acer, HP and many others. Let's look at the procedure using an example Acer Iconia tab w5100. Default this company uses the keyboard shortcut Alt +F10, which must be pressed at the initial loading screen with Acer logo.

You will see a menu " Acer eRecovery Management". Select the marked item.

After this, wait until the procedure is completed. During the process, the laptop may reboot several times. The only way to cancel the recovery process is to restart the PC. After the rollback is complete, you will receive the device with factory settings.

The names of the utilities and how to access them differ depending on the laptop manufacturer, but according to this example you can easily restore Windows 8 on any device.

Conclusion

Using the methods described, you can return the working or original Windows status 8 in almost any situation. Use checkpoints to restore your computer to its previous state. The Refresh Your PC functionality is useful when restoring your PC to factory settings. Safe environment useful if Windows 8 does not start - the necessary tools can be opened via a bootable USB flash drive.

Video

Below you can watch a training video that clearly shows all the steps from this article. Together with the video instructions, you will be able to figure out the difficulties and restore your computer without outside help.