Re-install downloaded windows

I am going to buy windows 8 upgrade from the Microsoft download store, if everything goes belly up, how do I re-install windows 8.

Just reinstall it...

Download as an ISO file and burn it to a DVD. Then you can reinstall if necessary. To be safe, keep a copy of the ISO file somewhere safe.

In reply to a post by AEP:

Download as an ISO file and burn it to a DVD. Then you can reinstall if necessary. To be safe, keep a copy of the ISO file somewhere safe.

Yep that is the best idea. I tried the update and I had to do a clean install to get windows 8 to work, which was flipping annoying as I got a lot of software to reinstall. I installed some, but not all as i don't think I will be keeping windows 8

I upgraded Win 7 Ultimate 64 bit to Windows 8 Pro 64 bit with no issues. I also downloaded Windows Media Center.

I also downloaded Windows Media Center

Given the price and the temporary free offer for WMC I tried this and found that as far a WMC is concerned 8 is so far away from being ready for prime time on an HTPC system that it isn't really a viable alternative to 7. Maybe this is a deliberate thing for MS since they have officially said the WMC is on its way out. Eitherway, it has me looking at a permanent move to Linux alternatives sooner rather than later.

Vista was a dog here too fan I reverted to XP. MS eventually ironed out Vista and WMC with a special pack that they bafflingly only made officially available to OEM system builders. Of course it leaked out, but the only functional improvement (other than basi stability and usability) in real terms in the UK was red button services being available. Hardly rocket science!

In 8 the only functional improvements I can see are that you can now get Dolby Digital on Freeview (nice to have, but not really a big deal for me). It also handles DVB-S2 (Freesat) properly (a solveable problem in 7 if you know how for your hardware). Bafflingly, they decided not to make it see the difference between DVB T and DVB T2 tuners making it very random when it comes to Freeview HD when you have mixed hardware - force it to setup more than once and I get anything from 1 to 4 available DVB T ot T2 tuners. There are in fact 5 digital terrestrial tuners (3 No. DVB T2 nd 2 No. DVB T) on the system and yes I know that unmodified WMC only accepts 4 tuners of any one type - a totally random number since I have had anything upto 7 recognised and fully functional DVB T/T2 tuners on a modded 7 system.

In reply to a post by BatBoy:

I upgraded Win 7 Ultimate 64 bit to Windows 8 Pro 64 bit with no issues. I also downloaded Windows Media Center.

Only used windows media centre a few times on XP when i connected my laptop to the TV, I had a look at it on windows 7, but never really used it. If I keep windows 8 I will download WMC if it is free, but will store it, it may come in useful one year.

I have nothing but praise for Windows 8. The start button is now the start screen, everything works faster and stability is excellent. I have had windows 7 pro for quite q while and this upgrade has just improved things. It only needs a slightly different way of using Windows, hardly beyond the capacities of most normal people.

Thanks all, I wasn't sure if you could save the install files as a iso, or if you could re download it if you had to reinstall. Have saved it to a flash drive for future reinstalls.

In reply to a post by cavillas:

I have nothing but praise for Windows 8. The start button is now the start screen, everything works faster and stability is excellent. I have had windows 7 pro for quite q while and this upgrade has just improved things. It only needs a slightly different way of using Windows, hardly beyond the capacities of most normal people.

I used windows 7 before it was even available for the public to use,, then once MS made it available as a Beta, developer preview or what ever they called it, i installed it on my main computer and stuck with windows 7 since.

It was the first windows since 98SE that I really liked and wanted to use as soon as possible.
95 was pushed onto me as it was the only Os I new about at the time for PC and it was the one that everyone had, coming from a Amiga it was different
98Se was good, really stable and fast for it's time, ME was useless.


When windows XP came out, it took me over 12 months to update, and only then because I built a new computer was was more powerful. i did not like XP at the start to be honest, but I got used to it. i think the problem was even with the new faster machine it still felt slow and unresponsive.

in the years that followed, my computer got updated , renewed with faster and faster hardware, more memory and Xp started to shine.

I used vista on my laptop and stuck it on my desktop for a while, but soon took it off, then windows 7 came.

It was fast, reliable and software that did crash did not take the computer with it, just the software. The UI looked good, the new taskbar was great, allow me to pin my icons to it, a great idea.

Now we got windows 8. Sure it is faster than windows 7, not sure about reliability at the moment, still got a few problems, but that could be compatibility with software, my Incredimail seems to freeze and I had problems with Dragon browser doing the same thing.

I must admit , I still don't like the start screen, it just don't work on a desktop, I even tried putting stuff into groups today, but still strange to use.

i got classic shell on, so I can now get a start menu and I can bypass the start screen.

Another problem I have is the desktop, it is flat and I find it difficult to make out the windows when they overlap and which one is active, the colours are drab and the desktop just looks drab.

i will see how it goes tomorrow when I got some video editing to do and if Vegas holds up on it and i will use it over the weekend and if I still think it is not for me, I will get a refund.

i also think that the only reason so many people have decided to upgrade is because of the price, if it was the same price as windows 7 was, then it would struggle.

Edited by zyborg47 (Wed 07-Nov-12 12:52:09)

In reply to a post by janitor:

Thanks all, I wasn't sure if you could save the install files as a iso, or if you could re download it if you had to reinstall. Have saved it to a flash drive for future reinstalls.

they could have made that better, want to make a ISO, yes please, so it goes and make a ISO and then the software just ends, it don't give you another choice to continue with installing. I ran the software again after I made the ISO, sadly the update did not work and I had to start with a clean slate.

i also think that the only reason so many people have decided to upgrade is because of the price, if it was the same price as windows 7 was, then it would struggle.

I suspect that you are correct, but it is only the download version that is cheaper than Windows 7 was (which wasn't an option with 7). Just goes to show how much manufacturing, packaging, and distribution must cost. Exactly the same thing happened with OS X once they moved to the Internet for software distribution.

still playing with it on a VM and test rig.

'start is back' is great makes the OS useable. Start menu is back and boots to desktop by default. Also disables (optionally) the silly move mouse to corner stuff. thankfully quick launch can also be kept on. The problem is the app isnt going to be free, the dev is going to profit of microsoft removing the function. Alternative apps dont properly restore the desktop. Also the app will work great at making the start screen less cluttered, it has an option to make it only show metro apps, so start menu for desktop apps and start screen for metro apps. Also it makes the windows key show start menu not start screen. (adds another shortcut combo for start screen).

IE10 is a decent upgrade to IE9 with enhanced protected mode (read it up if not sure what it is) and its fixed a scrolling performance regression in IE9.

Classicshell on to fix other UI regressions. Although not all regressions are fixeable, also that there doesnt seem to be a way to get AERO style themes back in place so the OS still looks like windows 95 from nearly 20 years ago.

DWM cannot be disabled, which for some might be important as it chews up graphics video memory, gamers find it useful to turn off before launching a game.

The final issue I need to resolve as well although windows 8 is supposedbly faster and lighter, on both my test rig and VM it boots and shuts down slower, and uses up more ram on a fresh boot.

Since I am starting to work through the useability issues I have brought 2 upgrade licenses and also got technet install iso's as well.

The technet iso's are superior to the ones windows upgrade advisor downloads as they still in wim format and also they allow a clean install to activate without registry hacking even with a upgrade key.

A warning tho, if reinstalling windows and not using the built in reinstall option (people wanting to secure erase between reinstalls eg. would reinstall of media) then a phone call to MS is needed to reactivate even on exact same hardware. This has tightened up over how win7 retail activation worked.

Edited by Chrysalis (Wed 07-Nov-12 15:15:59)

In reply to a post by AEP:

I suspect that you are correct, but it is only the download version that is cheaper than Windows 7 was (which wasn't an option with 7). Just goes to show how much manufacturing, packaging, and distribution must cost. Exactly the same thing happened with OS X once they moved to the Internet for software distribution.

If you want a disk back up it will cost you a extra £12 and I bet they put a few quid on top of that for a profit.

Duplicating and packaging is not that expensive, certainly not for a large company like MS and would add very little onto the price of the software.
I know someone who gets CDs pressed for his music and even in the small amounts he sells it is not that expensive.

The most expensive part is the master, once that is made the rest is easy. Sure online is cheaper, but not by much.

I think the reason why the upgrade is cheap is because Microsoft is worried that it will not take off, so do a BBC type thing* and offer the software cheap so people will buy it and install it on their PC and then there is no going back. We are the easy target, Joe pubic, the normal home user, the problem for Microsoft is trying to get large corporations to switch and a lot of them have just switched to windows 7.

i only got windows 8 because someone else paid for it, but I still got a few days until i need to decide if I am going to keep it. how people downloaded it and decided it is not for them and got a refund?

I doubt we will ever know.

If I decide to keep windows 8, then I might just keep it in storage for while and see what happens when they bring out the first service pack, but if people think that Ms will give windows 8 a start menu and allow people to boot direct to desktop then they should think again. MS will not do that, after all they are hoping that we will spend money in their store and buy apps which we don't really need.

If you don't like the modern UI, then third party software is the only way to go or go back to windows 7/XP





* as for my statement about the BBC, I meant then they started to flood the market with Freeview boxes with no slot, to make it more difficult for a subscription service to replace the licence. they knew what they was doing.

Although it's off-topic, I don't understand your comment about FreeView boxes. You need a licence wheter it's got a slot or not, whatever you watch. You need a licence to watch any FreeView box.

In reply to a post by AEP:

Although it's off-topic, I don't understand your comment about FreeView boxes. You need a licence wheter it's got a slot or not, whatever you watch. You need a licence to watch any FreeView box.

The BBc made sure that all new Freeview boxes did not have a card slot, that way there was no way for the government to bring in any subscription service as it would have made it expensive and difficult. No card slot, no subscription, so the TV licence was safe.