Failed activation problems after test cloning, how best to "roll back" to windows 8 from 8.1

jnewegger23 · Jan 9, 2014

Ok, so I just wasted 1hr with microsoft's Answer Desk. Here's what happened as concisely as I can put it:

I cloned my 120 GB SSD with windows 8.1 (Originally Windows 8 OEM 64bit) to a spare 1TB HDD I had laying around. It cloned successfully but I noticed that it needed "activation". I swapped the original SSD back and have the spare hdd back laying around doing nothing.

I click activate and it just says "all done"

but when I go back to check it still looks like the first picture above. Keep in mind I had purchased a legitimate OS back in Feb 2013 for $99; it activated fine back then and stayed that way after the update back in October 2013. Fast forward to today Jan 2014, however, after 1hr of the Answer Desk they conclude this is OEM and cannot help me. They tried making a new account, re-entering the original windows 8 key, and many other little things but nothing worked. At the end they said they usually only handle retail versions so this was escalated to their pro help division which isn't free and I may have to pay $40 for another key if they cannot find a solution.

The tech did his best but I understand protocol. He did recommend trying to "roll back to windows 8" and seeing if that would help. It got me thinking.

Option A: Clean install windows 8 and enter old key and hope for the best!
Option B: Reset or refresh? I have not done my homework on these options yet
Option C: Whatever you guys recommend

I'm thinking if I can get it back to 8 I can update to 8.1 like I did back in October 2013 and it should be fine now.

So, with all the above frustration taken into serious consideration, before I take the shotgun approach trying everything out there and just make things worse, what is the best way to "roll back to windows 8" that you would recommend as the safest and best for my ssd?

In advance, I thank you for your feedback! Any little bit could greatly help! Also save me $40 from Microsoft!

USAFRet · Jan 9, 2014

Option A. No reason why that should not work. Anything else is a 'maybe'.

jnewegger23 · Jan 9, 2014

So when I woke up this morning I see this:

I was excited for 2 seconds but it said it can't activate now and to try again later. So, patience may be key. I don't know why waiting would help but perhaps it can? I've already restarted and shut down my cpu a few times last night. I will perhaps try again soon and update to any changes then. I was ready to do the fresh install as USAFret recommended but now I'll wait and see and keep anyone interested posted! Anyone else run into a similar situation to this and would like to share their frustration? It may help create a solution, you never know! Thanks!

johnbl · Jan 9, 2014

if you are blocked from getting to the activation server you will get that error.

you might see if you have software blocking the site. (check cables,firewall, or some AV protection)
- make sure your network driver is working correctly (can connect to other sites)

- also check your core os files for corruption
cmd.exe (as a admin)
sfc.exe /scannow <--- scans core files and looks/fix corruption issues

if you are using a OEM key not a retail key you need to talk to the OEM about how they handle replaces hard drives
and activation of the OS. (oem's have a different activation method than the retail box version)

jnewegger23 · Jan 10, 2014

So, I got frustrated as MS put the watermark on my wallpaper, took away the ability to personalize things on top of the impending lack of updates I went ahead and "rolled back to 8.0". Everything works fine now but I spent all day restoring things to exactly how I like them. It's amazing how much detail you put over the year and one thing after another. I tried system restore and that didn't work but eventually I buckled down and did the clean install.

I however had only 30gb of my 128gb ssd free afterwards. I missed the initial shift + f10 clean step and deleted the partition of the old os later but is that not as good for performance on the ssd? I did not secure erase either as I'm not concerned about privacy being that I'm reusing the ssd myself. I'm back to 83gb free and much happier about that. That's all for now. Hope this helps someone else.

I am not happy at all with 8.1. If I were to upgrade my ssd in the near future is this what I have to go through every time? There has to be a better way, please MS get your act together!

Feel free to chime in if there was something wayyy easier that I could have done but didn't think to ask or try. Perhaps we can save another poor bloke from going through this headache!

AGMills · Jan 20, 2014

According to MS TechNet articles cloning straight to 8.1 is only for OEM system builders and those with a 8.1 Specific Activation Key.

By allowing free upgrade of Windows 8 to 8.1 whilst keeping installation media locked down and scarcely available, MS have created a bit of a monster for those without the resource of an IT Professional.

So for anyone reading here for a solution to this issue... Save yourself the time and anxiety. Clean install or restore a windows 8 backup, or suck it up and pay for your 'free' Windows 8.1.

johnbl · Jan 20, 2014

-8.1 is a minor upgrade, why would you expect new cd images for this build.

-you can always build your own image if you want to learn how use the tools and spend the time.
not really time effective for one machine.

- you can also go to your OEM and buy a copy of their image from them. Just ask your OEM, pay them what ever fee they want and they will send you a disk. I talked to one and they wanted $59 fee for the image. Way too much for something i can download for free from Microsoft.

-you can not apply a 8.1 generic image over a deployed OEM machine without serious issues. it would only work correctly on a new generic clone machine. Even then you will have issues because of the various bugs in the electronics of the parts in the machine will require specific modified device drivers that the maker of the device has.
(microsoft only has the generic versions of the same drivers)

AGMills :

jnewegger23 · Jan 22, 2014

Update. I've been distracted by life...anyhow, so I did a fresh re-install of Windows 8 and everything is working fine, activation and all! I am post-poning updating to 8.1 atm. I hate it. Not worth the shell and other tidbits for me. I'll procrastinate on this one as long as possible. Btw, my boot time is back to how it used to be ... fast! That was literally 10x slower when I upgraded to 8.1 which made no sense to me. I'm pretty happy for now. Hopefully, MS goes to 8.2 and gets everything polished and by then I can safely upgrade unless it will be w9 by then. We'll see. Thanks for all the input!

Justin S.

ubuntu man · Sep 21, 2014

I had this issue when cloning a hard drive with an image of my old Win 8.1 installation and apps. I think it is due to the OEM issue. Solved it by ditching Windows and installing Ubuntu 14.04 LTS Desktop instead. It's great!. It's free! Does everything I want.

Also, I have an old Dell Precision M6300. This had started over-heating when running Windows XP. Upgraded to Windows 7 64 bit. This helped for a short time then it started over-heating again. In the end, I wiped everything and installed Ubuntu 14.04 LTS. Now it is much more stable and can run most apps without over-heating. So, Linux Ubuntu has given a new lease of life to some hardware from 2008. Great! Give it a go. You don't need to be a slave to Microsoft!

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