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Windows 8 ISO

FN-GM

By FN-GM
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FN-GM

FN-GM

Posted
Posted

Hello,

 

I have just ordered a Dell Latitude E7240 for myself as a personal purchase.

 

First job is to erase the drive and install the original the Windows 8 Pro without any of the rubbish Dell love to install. The key is embedded in the BIOS. I believe i will get a Windows 8 disc but i don't want the junk.

 

Where can i get an original ISO please? All the stuff i have seen online is about a utility you can download the ISO but only if you have the key.

 

Thanks :)

Arthur

Arthur

Posted
Posted
Where can i get an original ISO please?

Here or here. The file you need is this one...

 

[b]File Name[/b]: en_windows_8.1_with_update_x64_dvd_4065090.iso
[b]SHA-1[/b]: 4652DC6EBFEBE02C6A63E167C36E3FAEDFB93999

 

I was going to suggest VLSC, but the Windows 8.1 Update 1 ISOs aren't available to download. :(

jaminben

jaminben

Posted
Posted
I was going to suggest VLSC, but the Windows 8.1 Update 1 ISOs aren't available to download. :(

 

Correct me if I'm wrong but doesn't the standard Windows 8.1 iso download include update 1 now?

Arthur

Arthur

Posted
Posted (edited)
I don't think I can use the volume license media as the keys for OEM are not the same.

Normally you can't, but it's easy enough to make a VL ISO accept an OEM key. :)

 

However, if you download either of the ISOs linked in my post above, Windows will automatically read the MSDM key embedded in the BIOS of your laptop during setup and activate the OS. This is because neither ISO contains an ei.cfg file within the 'Sources' folder (as explained below).

 

With Windows 7, OEMs generally had one key for each major product version (Home, Pro, etc), and you could change versions by simply using a different OEM key. The BIOS certificate (SLIC) was specific only to the OEM, one SLIC was used for any and all Windows versions. With Windows 8 and SLIC 3.0, there were not generic OEM keys in this way. Since each machine had a unique serial embedded into the firmware, it was possible to determine Windows edition as well as type/OEM from the firmware alone. If your new laptop has a Windows 8 Standard preinstalled, and you've purchased an OEM System Builder (OEMSB) copy of Windows 8 Pro, you will encounter the problem OP had. Installing from Windows 8 Pro OEMSB media, the installer detects the valid Windows 8 non-Pro MSDM table, inserts that key, and installs non-Pro. You are not given any opportunity to override this. You are also generally not allowed to change edition easily post-install with the OEMSB keys.

 

In order to keep your install media from using your MSDM key, the methods mentioned here generally work. By creating an ei.cfg file and adding it to your install media, you tell the installer that it is not OEM media, it is retail. Since retail does not have MSDM, it never checks for it and will instead ask for the serial to use.

 

ei.cfg changed the way it was used after Windows 7. Windows Vista and 7 both had an ei.cfg by default, and removing it caused the install to ask what edition to install. With Windows 8, it's reversed. If there is no ei.cfg file, Windows 8 will look for SLIC 3.0 information, and if it isn't found, it'll ask for a key. If you create and add an ei.cfg file, you can change the install media from OEM (default) to retail or even Volume Licensed. That's what is done here, by creating an ei.cfg and tagging the release as Retail, it skips the step where Windows Setup looks for SLIC 3.0/MSDM info, and goes straight to the next retail step, where it asks what edition to install and then prompts for a key.

 

Source: http://arstechnica.com/civis/viewtopic.php?p=26623195#p26623195

 

- - - Updated - - -

 

Correct me if I'm wrong but doesn't the standard Windows 8.1 iso download include update 1 now?

I think you might be right actually. :)

Edited by Arthur
Arthur

Arthur

Posted
Posted (edited)
Any thoughts please?

Can you try one of the following generic product keys with the ISO you downloaded from the first link in post #4? This should enable you to install Windows 8.1.

 

I assume your laptop came with the Pro edition?

 

[b]Windows 8.1[/b]       334NH-RXG76-64THK-C7CKG-D3VPT
[b]Windows 8.1 Pro[/b]   XHQ8N-C3MCJ-RQXB6-WCHYG-C9WKB

 

Once in Windows, download this program to read the MSDM product key stored in your BIOS, run slmgr /upk from an elevated Command Prompt, then run slui 3, wait for a dialog box to appear and copy-and-paste your MSDM product key.

Edited by Arthur
FN-GM

FN-GM

Posted
  • Author
Posted
I'm just going to leave this here...

 

Microsoft Volume Licensing Brief - Reimaging Licensed Microsoft Software by Using Volume Licensing Media

 

Pretty sure you're only allowed to use the OEM supplied image without a volume licensing agreement, and I know you all like being above board here. :)

 

But the OEM supplied one is full of junk. Surely if the PC is licensed for Windows I can use an original Microsoft disc?

jamesbmarshall

jamesbmarshall

Posted
Posted
But the OEM supplied one is full of junk. Surely if the PC is licensed for Windows I can use an original Microsoft disc?

 

I don't want to drag this thread down into the boring and complex world of Microsoft licensing; however, if you don't have a VL you can't use the VL media to re-install Windows onto your personal device - no matter how much the OEM image sucks.

 

Obviously, as this thread suggests, there are ways around this. It's just that those ways are probably not legal, and therefore EduGeek is possibly not the best place to discuss them.

Arthur

Arthur

Posted
Posted
Surely if the PC is licensed for Windows I can use an original Microsoft disc?

Yes. As long as it is for the same edition that came with your PC.

 

Obviously, as this thread suggests, there are ways around this. It's just that those ways are probably not legal

Modifying the ei.cfg file so that Windows knows which edition to install isn't illegal. All you are doing is forcing Windows to install the edition that your PC is licensed for. Nothing more than that.

 

I'm certainly not suggesting pirating anything.

jamesbmarshall

jamesbmarshall

Posted
Posted (edited)
Yes. As long as it is for the same edition that came with your PC.

 

 

Modifying the ei.cfg file so that Windows knows which edition to install isn't illegal. All you are doing is forcing Windows to install the edition that your PC is licensed for. Nothing more than that.

 

I'm certainly not suggesting pirating anything.

 

I am not accusing anyone of anything here, that's not my point.

 

My point is only that I don't believe it is within the license terms to take a personal device, built with an OEM image of Windows, and re-image it with anything other than the original OEM image, except by purchasing an upgrade, volume licensing agreement, full packaged product, etc. This comes under "re-imaging rights", which are only granted with a volume licence agreement, AFAIK.

 

Since, as a home user, it's unlikely you'll have a VL agreement with Microsoft my interpretation is that your only option is to use the OEM recovery media for the device, or to buy a full packaged product version of Windows.

 

Therefore, it's probably inappropriate to be discussing ways to enable this.

 

(I'm not a licensing expert - but I spend my days in the world of volume licensing. If you want to be certain, speak to the supplier)

Edited by jamesbmarshall
SYNACK

SYNACK

Posted
Posted (edited)
I am not accusing anyone of anything here, that's not my point.

 

My point is only that I don't believe it is within the license terms to take a personal device, built with an OEM image of Windows, and re-image it with anything other than the original OEM image, except by purchasing an upgrade, volume licensing agreement, full packaged product, etc. This comes under "re-imaging rights", which are only granted with a volume licence agreement, AFAIK.

 

Since, as a home user, it's unlikely you'll have a VL agreement with Microsoft my interpretation is that your only option is to use the OEM recovery media for the device, or to buy a full packaged product version of Windows.

 

Therefore, it's probably inappropriate to be discussing ways to enable this.

 

(I'm not a licensing expert - but I spend my days in the world of volume licensing. If you want to be certain, speak to the supplier)

 

Without anyone being able say definitively whether it is or is not an issue I don't think it is right to supress a conversation about reinstalling the version of Windows on your device you are licenced for in the first place. If you can provide more proof of this than a feeling that it might be probably against the terms then all good. Without certainty it's the equivalent of those spammed DMCA copy write takedown notices the music industry is partial to sending to anyone hosting an audio file that strings more than three notes together and don't actually check if they need to. I would be looking at using the available ISOs from other sources though rather than VL, I don't think VL even has the OEM versions available anyway.

 

As far as I remember the key was the important thing anyway, the media was just disposable which is how they got away with not shipping them in the first place.

Edited by SYNACK
Quackers

Quackers

Posted
Posted
I was always under the impression that the media is irrelevant , you don't buy the media you buy a licence and your computer is either licensed for that software or not.
  • 1 month later...
edutech4schools

edutech4schools

Posted
Posted
But the OEM supplied one is full of junk. Surely if the PC is licensed for Windows I can use an original Microsoft disc?

 

Last time I wiped a dell and used the Dell disk it simply installed Windows and I then had the option of installing all the junk-ware.

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