Iconia w3 Bios is unresponsive

short version. kid turn off when windows 8.1 install said restarting. ordered install disk. after dozens of attempts got all the way through the install. Great it works. Boy i though im good/smart, that is clearly not the case NOW! can not make a image file, only a windows 7 recovery disk is what it offers. hidden recovery drives empty, and the bios will not let me pick anything it. I can go to it/get in it. Nothing will highlite. the worse thing is i easily found that I needed a special/ or original boot USB.Not will work on ALL windows. sec NEVER have used passwords for bios or hard disk extremely difficult to work around if possible. come to fine out I needed to set one for the install. so the good thing is it works. but only has about 3 gigs free because the windows 8.1 install is still on the drive hidden behind the windows?

dose anyone know what options i might have to getting the space back? fixing boot record? being able to make image file? Getting the bios to work/reset/replace anything?

Accepted answers

padgett

I recall something (haven't verified) that the recovery partition is encrypted with bitlocker and there is a way to turn it off. Since my W3 is a 32GB I received a disk.

All comments

Inspiration101

Sounds like you need to wipe the SSD on the tablet. I had similar issues and it drove me around the twist !

In the end I found a bootable flash stick with WinPe 32bit which also had HDD wiping software installed. This worked a treat for me.

Boot to flashstick, wipe the SSD, run the install discs.

Best of luck ! Smiley Happy

therideguy

That sounds great but first how did you say i change the bios to boot to USB unable to change ANY setting but time in the Bios? Thinking I worked my self into a box with just 4gigs of room to work with. And about 1/3 of the preloaded apps is all I have to work with. Or will that at least give me some type of recovery option? with acers 2 key like restore ? how do i get the boot record and partition table to match the fatory setting that it requires?

padgett

I recall something (haven't verified) that the recovery partition is encrypted with bitlocker and there is a way to turn it off. Since my W3 is a 32GB I received a disk.

Inspiration101

I use a USB hub and plug in a keyboard & mouse, when powering up I press f12 for boot options.

You should have way more options to change than just date/time.

therideguy

apparently if you dont set a administor password in the bios when reinstalling the system it locks. With no password, there is no options the bios will allow. I do blelieve its refer to bricked? But sence i am still able to use it, I was hopeing that i could replace/upgrade/downgrade/change the bios? I've only readed and heard for bios lock outs on computer not having a working operating system. Next is i know that my missimg 10+ gigs is some how being occupied by the install of win8.1,which crashed it. requiring me to get and install the original system (which i clearly did incorrect)but its hinded have only seen it through the directory exensions of a full virus scan.when i installed the system disks it said formating drive. How are they still there? How do i remove them with out causing system crash or instability to windows 8, I all so think that some for the win8.1 files/components are being used by the win8 I installed. In which then was not installed in the file structure available for me to see? Just to many empty directorys,and very few files. Now i can see one directory that in blue(instead of black) and a dozen or so of files scattered throught out the system