SOLVED: Downgrade from Windows 8.1 to Windows 8,,reset to Windows 8, with no DVD

acser
acser Member Posts: 2 New User

Do not upgrade from ACER OEM Windows 8  to Windows 8.1 from the Windows Store unless you have a real solid and valid reason to do so. Not only will it kill battery life, but it will screw up the recovery process as Windows 8.1 recovery environment (WindowsRE) cannot restore a Windows 8 recovery image - and no one tells you this ahead of time. The process does not take into account that order to do this, you'll have to also update the recovery image from Acer OEM Windows 8 to Windows 8.1, which the non-ACER OEM, Windows Store Windows 8.1 does NOT do. The other morale of the story is to NEVER delete any of the recovery partitions (even when the create recovery disk tool in Windows provides you the option to save space).

 

Good news: You can still revert to Windows 8 from Windows 8.1 but not through the 'hold the power button and power on' method, but booting up Windows (yes I know this is a problem but you can work around this by creating a Windows recovery disk and choose to copy the recovery partition to it), then in Metro going to the Charms, settings then "Reset PC method to factory settings". This only applies to Acer tablets because Acer seems to have not just a backup recovery image preinstalled on the disk but also a complete installation media in the recovery partition. In short, I just followed the procedure at http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20131111193235AAedj0N

Back up your files 

CHARMS Menu → Settings → Change PC Settings → Update and Recovery → Recovery 

You have two choices 
1. Refresh your PC without affecting your files 
2. Remove everything and reinstall windows 


I was NOT prompted to enter the Windows Product Key, but if you had Office installed: have your Office Product Key handy 

 

Use recimg.exe /showcurrent and reagentc.exe /info to find out more.

 

Useful links I found for solving this issue:

Make hidden partitions visible:                       http://medicblog.net/?p=906

reagentc.exe documentation:                        http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/hh825204.aspx

recimg.exe documentation:                           http://support.microsoft.com/kb/2748351

recimg.exe advanced use:              http://swodniw.wordpress.com/2012/12/09/good-to-know-recovery-in-windows-8/

Windows partition manipulation                      http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/hh825089.aspx

Windows forum:  http://answers.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/forum/system/downgrade-to-windows-8-from-81-preview/f531e857-8f6f-4e34-9424-fcb0c03519eb

 

Acer commnity posts:

http://community.acer.com/t5/Windows-Tablets/Factory-reset-on-an-Iconia-W3-w-o-buying-an-USB-DVD-drive-and/td-p/123175

http://community.acer.com/t5/Windows-Tablets/Acer-Iconia-W3-810-recovery-disk-won-t-load-need-help/td-p/136027

 

 

 

Answers

  • ptrkhh
    ptrkhh Member Posts: 72 Troubleshooter

    Hello, I would like to know how to update the Acer recovery image to 8.1.

    Currently, I just have an install.wim file in C: to perform a refresh, because the refresh/reset always fails without that.

    (I have W700, but I think all Acer tablets use similar system)

     

    TIP: If Windows does not recognize the embedded product key after a refresh or reset, use 'Windows 8 Product Key Viewer' from here http://forums.mydigitallife.info/threads/30363-Windows-8-WDP-Product-Key-Viewer and tick 'MSDM key'. It happened once on my Acer W700. I panicked and called both Acer and Microsoft, and they werent able to solve the issue.

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