Formal complaint - Acer not being honerable - recovery Incident:

StephenLaw
StephenLaw Member Posts: 8

Tinkerer

I had a problem upgrading to Windows 10 and lost my Windows 8.1 recovery partition when making extra space available as the ES1-111m does not have enough free space for the Windows 10 procedure.

 

A factory reset no longer takes me back to Windows 8.1

 

I need a set of windows 8.1 recovery disks so I can re-load Windows 8.1 and re-attempt the Windows 10 upgrade via an inside install..

 

After a very long discussion with Acer they said they would send me a set of recover disks free of charge.

 

They now say they will no longer honor giving me the disks free of charge and that I must pay £56.01

 

Two key proints here:

 

1. If you say your are going to do something and promise it in writing you should do it - e.g. send me the free disks as promised.

2. In hindsight Acer should have done more up-front to make everyone aware of the Windows 10 upgrade and the associated challenges / procedure / constraints due to the space limitations of the 32gb SSD

 

If Acer can not keep promises made then I will no longer recommend or purchase ACER Machines in the future.

Best Answer

  • StephenLaw
    StephenLaw Member Posts: 8

    Tinkerer

    Answer ✓

    Finally succeeded in getting a Windows 10 Home install on my ES1-111m – fully activated.

    1. I acquired a .img file containing a Windows 8.1 Bing ISO from the dark side of the web.
    2. I burnt the .img file to a DVD.
    3. I installed Windows 8.1 with Bing successfully from the DVD using a portable DVD Drive (at no time was a key requested though I did have to go online to activate Windows 8.1 with Bing via Ethernet).
    4. Built a Windows 10 Home USB via Rufus (FAT32).
    5. Did an inside install of Windows 10 Home.
    6. Windows 10 Home System on ES1-111m checked and found to be fully activated.

    Note 0. If you are prompted for a key as part of the install then you probably have the wrong ISO, as the install process gets the key from the BIOS. You can get the Windows activation key from the BIOS using RWEVERYTHING but that is not required, but you can do it if your curious.

    Note 1. I tried to build a Windows 8.1 with Bing USB using the .img via Rufus. Rufus insisted that it create a NTFS format USB. The problem here was the UEFI bios will only boot from a USB Key in FAT32 format.

    Note 2. Booting from the DVD worked fine, obviously selecting USB DVD in the boot options menu.

    Note 3. It has taken me in excess of 60 Hours effort to get to this point.

    Note 4. Hat tip to JordanB for pointing me in the right direction.

    Note 5. There is an opportunity for both Acer and Microsoft to improve their customer service here?

    Note 6. Never mess with your partitions or you will invalidate your Acer warranty.

    Note 7. In future I will always make a recovery disk in DVD Format, that will help me keep it.

Answers

  • JonSixx
    JonSixx Member Posts: 3 New User

    I recently bought a Acer Aspire V17 nitro black edition. I had it setup and two days later the hard drive failed. I called Acer they wanted me to send laptop back and pay for shipping. I informed them I do computer repair and that the hard drive failed they told me to ship the old one back and they would send a new one, here is were everything goes to hell. I told them I needed the hard drive asap they told me they would put a two hundred dollar hold on my credit card and it would come with no OS if I wanted The OS I would have to pay for recovery disc. I just went out bought a 2TB HDD from Best Buy for $60.00 and installed it myself. I have return or replaced items from Microsoft, Amazon, NewEgg and many others and I never had this problem before, it is insulting and I will never buy another Acer product and I will always tell people to avoid buying products fromn Acer as they do not stand behind their products and they have shady RMA polices.

  • JordanB
    JordanB ACE Posts: 3,729 Pathfinder

    @StephenLaw

     

    Your computer came with:

     

    1. Windows 8.1 on the main drive

    2.Windows 8.1 on the recovery partition

    3.  A quick start guide that recommended that you create a factory default USB recovery drive

    4.  And as a bonus, you can get a free copy of the OS and create a Windows 8.1 installation/recovery drive from Microsoft website and get drivers from Acer's website if you ignored #3

     

    Acer more or less gave you two copies of the software and recommended that you make a third copy....which apparently you ignored their recommendation.

     

    http://acer.custhelp.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/26287/~/create-a-acer-factory-default-backup-in-windows-8.1

     

    https://youtu.be/He10GEuVATA

     

     

    http://windows.microsoft.com/en-US/windows-8/create-reset-refresh-media

     

     

    http://us.acer.com/ac/en/US/content/drivers

     

     

     

    I'm not an Acer employee.
  • JordanB
    JordanB ACE Posts: 3,729 Pathfinder

    @JonSixx

     

    It sounds like they gave you an opportunity to mail your laptop in.  That's normal procedure with any electronics that customer pays shipping for factory warranty service.

    I'm not an Acer employee.
  • JonSixx
    JonSixx Member Posts: 3 New User

    I beg to differ, I always got a box and a return shipping label when I have returned things to Amazon, Newegg , Microsoft , Nvidia and I could name a few more so I really have to call BS on that.

  • StephenLaw
    StephenLaw Member Posts: 8

    Tinkerer

    Not withstanding the issues I have raised above, I have managed to resolve my Windows 10 setup at zero expense 

     

     

    ** Perhaps Acer should consider emailing those registered with a ES1-111m to outline how the Windows 10 upgrade procedure works as there is insufficient space available e.g. via a USB key. It is best to understand this before attempting the upgrade rather than after the fact. It would stop people deviating from the recommended solution and ending up in a mess.

     

     

     

     

     

  • StephenLaw
    StephenLaw Member Posts: 8

    Tinkerer

    Even after using the key in the article where windows 10 during install said it worked, after looking at Activation I get 0x8007007B so I am no further forward after spending weeks trying to get this system to work.

  • JordanB
    JordanB ACE Posts: 3,729 Pathfinder

    All you have to do is......

     

    1. Make the windows 8.1 usb flash drive as described here (you'll probably have to do it on a Windows 8.1 computer):

     

    http://windows.microsoft.com/en-US/windows-8/create-reset-refresh-media

     

    2. Go in to your BIOS settings and enable the Boot Menu and then save/exit. And then boot the USB flash drive that you created in step 1 and click on "repair your computer".  Then navigate in the USB's menu to "command prompt".

     

    3. Once you get the command prompt, then run diskpart clean to wipe your drive. (It will delete everything on your HDD and put it in an unitialized state.)

     

    http://forum.crucial.com/t5/The-Cru/Reset-your-SSD-to-factory-settings-Windows-DiskPart/ba-p/162503

     

     

    4. Exit out of diskpart and command prompt, and then navigate in the menu to "shutdown your computer"...and shutdown your computer.

     

    5.  Turn on your computer and install Windows 8.1.  Choose "custom install".  Do not format and do not partition.   The windows installer will do that for you automatically.  Install on the entire unallocated space.

     

    6. There's no need to enter your windows key.  The windows installer will retrieve your key automatically from the Acer BIOS/motherboard. 

     

    7.  After Windows 8.1 installs, get your Windows 8.1 drivers from Acer's website.

     

    http://us.acer.com/ac/en/US/content/drivers

     

    8.  Now would be the time to also check your current BIOS version and update the BIOS if necessary.

     

    9. You can either get Windows 10 through windows update or go to the Microsoft windows 10 website and choose "upgrade this PC"

     

    10.  After the windows 10 upgrade, check Acer's website for windows 10 Drivers.

     

    http://us.acer.com/ac/en/US/content/drivers

     

    That's it.  Piece of cake.

     

    Note: Microsoft has released Windows updates within the last 24 hours that is supposed to make it easier to upgrade to Windows 10.  Since I'm already using windows 10, I have no idea what those improvements entail.  Smiley Wink

     

     Edit: If you need a windows 10 media app to play DVD's:

     

    http://www.videolan.org/vlc/

     

    I'm not an Acer employee.
  • StephenLaw
    StephenLaw Member Posts: 8

    Tinkerer

    That doesn't work either. If you do a clean install of Windows 10 it does not interogate / use the bios licence key and the result is an un-activated install.

     

     

  • JonSixx
    JonSixx Member Posts: 3 New User

    Google windows insider program, join and get free copy of windows as long as you are in program. See how easy that was,. Instead of blaming the the customer for everything under the sun and that it is never Acers fault you could actually help someone.

  • StephenLaw
    StephenLaw Member Posts: 8

    Tinkerer

    Hello JordanB

     

    I managed to get from an 8.1 USB in to C:\ to delete the partitions.

     

    I used the Windows 8.1 single language ISO that is supposed to be the one for Windows 8.1 with Bing.

     

    When I then boot windows 8.1 to do the install there is no option to do a custom install just a 'normal' one and it requests an activation key. There is no 'skip' option on the activation key screen and I think the next screen after that will be the option to do a custom install. So I cannot install Windows 8.1 without a key.

     

    The only option I can see now is to do an outside install of Windows 10 that allows one to skip the activation key and do a custom install. This will bring me right back to where I was 10 hours ago, running an un-activated version of Windows 10.

     

    Any ideas for getting 8.1 to install?

  • JordanB
    JordanB ACE Posts: 3,729 Pathfinder

    After you follow those 10 steps and verify that your windows 10 is activated,  you can wipe your drive again and install windows 10 (without having to install windows 8.1 first). 

    I'm not an Acer employee.
  • JordanB
    JordanB ACE Posts: 3,729 Pathfinder

    I just read where you said that you have Windows 8.1 with Bing.

     

    I don't know if it will work if you have that "Bing" version.   According to Microsofts footnote:

     

    Spoiler
    If you're running Windows 8.1 with Bing, contact your device manufacturer for info on how to get installation media for your edition of Windows.
    I'm not an Acer employee.
  • StephenLaw
    StephenLaw Member Posts: 8

    Tinkerer

    A Windows 8.1 Windows with Bing ISO is required to solve this problem and it only available from Acer at cost even if you are still in Warranty.

  • JordanB
    JordanB ACE Posts: 3,729 Pathfinder

    If you've tried both the single language 8.1 and the "regular" 8.1, and it didn't work, then that must be the case since you have bing version. 

     

    I don't know Acer's point of view, but I have to guess they feel like they sold you a perfectly working windows 8.1 computer. And they gave you free recovery software so you could make a factory default backup. And a quick start guide that recommended that you do so,   As a courtesy, they've provided windows 10 drivers.  They aren't making money from providing windows 10 drivers for windows 8.1 or windows 7. They're losing money.  They lose money every time they have to provide support for a computer that came with windows 7 or windows 8.1., because they have to pay support people.  Why would they want to provide free support or free factory default ISO files or USBs on a product that wasn't even sold with Windows 10?  

     

    Again, that's my opinion. I have no idea what Acer's opinion is. 

    I'm not an Acer employee.
  • StephenLaw
    StephenLaw Member Posts: 8

    Tinkerer

    Acer has made available a list of machines that will be supported on Windows 10 and the Acer ES1-111m is on it. My machine is only 3 months old. I did make a recovery backup to USB, but once I realised that I needed to make the OS partition bigger to accomodate Windows 10 and I needed a USB to do the Windows ugrade, I thought I might as well use the recovery USB key, as i would not need it anly longer and it was the only one I had. I was also not aware that I could allow the standard background windows download to overflow on to a USB key, thus elieviating the SSD Capacity issue for the Windows 10 upgrade. This is where I probably went wrong.

     

    The release of Windows 10 is done silently in the background and the small SSD starts to fill very quickly and I thought what I was doing would eliviate a failure condidition rather than create one.

     

    I think there are a number of Customer service issues here, regardless if I out of naivity followed the wrong path.

     

    Customer Service is all about Customer retention and selling more to existing customers and building a reputation.

     

    Acer has by way of registration, access to the email adressses of the Customers who own ES1-111m machanies with the small 32gb SSD, and they could of put out something upfront before the Windows 10 upgrade in terms of potential issues and procedure - e.g they had a opportunity to be proactive in improving Customer service and reducing support costs.

     

    My other point also remains in that after discussion openly and clearly with Acer Support what I had done and what had gone wrong, and for them to say in one email they would send me some free recovery disks and then days latter follow up to say the will not be sending the disks and that I will have to pay for them is not good Customer Service.

     

    I only use this machine for web browsing, so I can still use it with Windows 10 un-activated, who knows the Windows 8.1 Bing ISO might well be made available at some point in the future as there are many other people who are suffering problems upgrading Windows 8.1 Bing to Windows 10 on 32gb SSD machines.

     

    By the way, I could probably extract the licence key from the BIOS via something like RWEVERYTHING but without a Windows 8.1 Bing ISO I remain stuffed.

     

  • JordanB
    JordanB ACE Posts: 3,729 Pathfinder

    I understand you point of view and you make some good points.  That deletion of your Windows 8.1 recovery drive was a killer though.  If it makes you feel any better, I have made much worse computer related mistakes in the last 20 years and it has cost me hundreds of dollars.  I still make them.  Not that long ago, I let a $50 VISA rebate card expire on me.  Nothing like throwing money away.  Smiley Wink   Good luck.

    I'm not an Acer employee.
  • StephenLaw
    StephenLaw Member Posts: 8

    Tinkerer

    Answer ✓

    Finally succeeded in getting a Windows 10 Home install on my ES1-111m – fully activated.

    1. I acquired a .img file containing a Windows 8.1 Bing ISO from the dark side of the web.
    2. I burnt the .img file to a DVD.
    3. I installed Windows 8.1 with Bing successfully from the DVD using a portable DVD Drive (at no time was a key requested though I did have to go online to activate Windows 8.1 with Bing via Ethernet).
    4. Built a Windows 10 Home USB via Rufus (FAT32).
    5. Did an inside install of Windows 10 Home.
    6. Windows 10 Home System on ES1-111m checked and found to be fully activated.

    Note 0. If you are prompted for a key as part of the install then you probably have the wrong ISO, as the install process gets the key from the BIOS. You can get the Windows activation key from the BIOS using RWEVERYTHING but that is not required, but you can do it if your curious.

    Note 1. I tried to build a Windows 8.1 with Bing USB using the .img via Rufus. Rufus insisted that it create a NTFS format USB. The problem here was the UEFI bios will only boot from a USB Key in FAT32 format.

    Note 2. Booting from the DVD worked fine, obviously selecting USB DVD in the boot options menu.

    Note 3. It has taken me in excess of 60 Hours effort to get to this point.

    Note 4. Hat tip to JordanB for pointing me in the right direction.

    Note 5. There is an opportunity for both Acer and Microsoft to improve their customer service here?

    Note 6. Never mess with your partitions or you will invalidate your Acer warranty.

    Note 7. In future I will always make a recovery disk in DVD Format, that will help me keep it.

  • Cory-Acer
    Cory-Acer Administrator Posts: 1,449 Community Administrator

    Hi StephenLaw,

     

    I just want to step in and apologize for your experience. Obviously, the most concerning thing to me is that you felt Acer committed to providing a set of recovery media and then decided not to provide one for free, but rather charge. I hope that this wasn't intentional on our end and was a result of a misunderstanding. I've sent information to the region you've dealt with so that they can do a review.

     

    I'm glad you were able to resolve your issue though and you're right in many ways, we're always looking to improve our service and our communication. Every OS launch has some growing pains unfortunately, and I'm not sure we can always be 100% prepared. I've been with Acer since before the Vista launch in 2007 so I've gotten to see how much more effort has gone into each release of new OS (by Microsoft and Acer) and how much smoother these launches are now versus the Vista launch.

     

    Cory