[CalicaCJA]

Hello,

 

I have a Acer Aspire XC-703 desktop which came pre-installed with Windows 8.1.

 

Recently, it had started being very slow so I decided to carry out a complete Refresh. The process reached 3% and then failed - it just froze and the little circle stopped going round.  Eventually I had to power it off.

 

Now, when I turn it on, it tries to Auto Repair, Diagnose the PC and then reboots - it doesn't get any further so the Windows installation has obviously been damaged.

 

I have an official Microsoft Windows 8.1 Full Version reinstallation disk - it didn't come with this PC but I assumed that wouldn't matter as the product key is meant to be embedded in the BIOS.

 

When I try to reinstall Windows, it asks for a Product Key - which of course I don't have.

 

Any ideas?!

 

Thanks

 

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Hello CalicaCJA,

 

Check for a recovery partition by restarting the computer and pressing Alt + F10 when the Acer logo appears on the screen, if no joy try restarting and continually tapping only the F10 key.

 

Please note that you may be asked  to enter a password if one has previously been set.

 

Good luck and let us know how you get on.

[phillpower2]

Hello CalicaCJA,

 

Check for a recovery partition by restarting the computer and pressing Alt + F10 when the Acer logo appears on the screen, if no joy try restarting and continually tapping only the F10 key.

 

Please note that you may be asked  to enter a password if one has previously been set.

 

Good luck and let us know how you get on.

[CalicaCJA]

Hi, thanks for that.

 

Yes, Alt+F10 brings up the Troubleshooting options - Refresh and Reset PC don't work, they just freeze.

 

Advanced Options - System Restore and System Image Recovery - I don't have an image and don't appear to have any restore points!

 

Start Up repair tries to repair but just ends up rebooting and not going any further.

 

If only it was Windows 7 with the COA sticker on the side of the box, I would have had it sorted by now!!

[Ztruker]

See this tutorial: How to Create or Download a Windows 8 and 8.1 ISO, Option One.

 

 

You can then reinstall Windows 8.1 from the flash drive or DVD you create.

[CalicaCJA]

Thanks Ztruker -

 

I followed the link and downloaded the 8.1 ISO which I then burnt to a DVD.

 

Unfortunately it still asks for a product key - does this mean that my BIOS has somehow 'lost' the key?

[Ztruker]

Did you download the same exact version of Windows 8.1 that was previously installed? If not then the key will not be any good.

 

Which one did you download?

 

Windows 8.1

Windows 8.1 Pro

Windows 8.1 N

Windows 8.1 Pro N

Windows 8.1 Single Language

[CalicaCJA]

The one I downloaded was Windows 8.1

 

I assumed that'd be the right one - I thought I just had 'normal' 8.1 installed, and the sticker on the side of the computer says "Windows 8.1 with Bing".

 

Maybe I'll try the other ones as well!

[Ztruker]

"Windows 8.1 with Bing" is a entry level version, different than 8.1 and 8.1 Pro. It's also different than 8.1 N. Unless you can order a recovery disk from the computer manufacturer I think you are out of luck.
 
Try contacting ACER here: http://us.acer.com/a...service-contact
 
Read here: What Exactly Is “Windows 8.1 with Bing”? Do I Have to Use Bing?

[CalicaCJA]

Thanks for the information - I didn't know about the entry level version of 8.1.

 

I have now resolved the matter by purchasing another copy of 8.1 Pro from software-fair.de and it has now been installed.

 

Thank you for your help.

[Ztruker]

That's good news, glad you got it resolved.

[phillpower2]

That's good news, glad you got it resolved.

 

Ditto and thanks for posting the solution