Need Windows 8.1 recovery media

[Rickhtoo]

Hopefully someone can help me here as I'm in a spot that is making me very unhappy. I am mostly pissed at M$ (go figure..) but not exaclty happy with HP either. My HP Pavilion came with Windows 8, but was upgraded to Windows 10. Unfortunately, Windows 10 is no longer compatible with this laptop, so I need to take it back to 8.1.  Unfortunately, Windows 10 has replaced the recovery image with version 10 so I can't restore it to factory.

My only recourse is to get a HP recovery image, but I refuse to pay for it. Now I understand that HP is just as greedy as any other manufacturer, and naturally wants us to purchase a recovery disk, but I will not do that. If I can't get a recovery disk for this laptop, I will simply replace it, and it will NOT be with another HP..

If anyone can help me obtain a disk image that I can download, I would be eternally grateful.

Thanks

[CherylG]

You have/had HP Recovery Manager on your laptop to make your Recovery Media-either on USB flash drive or DVD. If you didn't make it before the upgrade to Win 10 I'm not sure if it is still available on the laptop. Look for HP Recovery Manager in the start menu programs.

Microsoft also offers the free Media Creation Tool to make a Windows 8.1 USB installation.

https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/software-download/windows8

[Rickhtoo]

Thanks, but that is the problem, Windows 10 completely replaced the recover partition data with a 10 version, so 8.1 is no longer available to create the media. It's a real joke, I think Microsoft and HP are in this together, and are doing it on purpose to promote laptop sales..  It's really pissing me off, and I'm not playing that game. I'm not paying for something that I should alreay have and should be available to download for free. I've been a computer tech for many years, and although I can download the windows image, I dont' have a product key since HP did not put one on the laptop.

Thanks for the suggestion though

[CherylG]

@Rickhtoo

The Windows  key is embedded in BIOS of Windows 8 and Windows 10 machines. This is true of most of the big OEM's now- no label to get scuffed/illegible or lost. 

During the installation it should be retrieved automatically by Windows.

[CherylG]

The key is not visible when entering BIOS- if in doubt it can be retrieved using the file I added as attachment.

[Rickhtoo]

Thanks.  I did obtain the key using the tool from nirsoft, and it showed the bios key and the Windows 10 key. I am assuming the bios key is the original Windows 8 key. Since I cannot find the Windows 8.1 OEM image version, I will have to try the normal 8.1 single language version and see if it accepts the key. If not, I will have to call M$ and beg them to give me a good key since they created this issue in the first place... However, if HP would support their products for more than a year, it would help..  This laptop was purchased i 2014, and the last driver versions are 2015...  They do not supply 10 drivers which is par for HP...   I've simply about had it with HP.....  Thanks for all your help.

[Rickhtoo]

Well, as others have found, I'm currently screwed...  There is only one version of 8.1 available from M$, and it will not accept the key, and I cannot install without it..  Unless someone has another option. I'm going to solve this permenantly and buy a Dell..   Thanks HP, keep it up and alienate all of your customers...

[CherylG · Accepted solution]

 @Rickhtoo

Dell I believe requires you to make your own Recovery Media now too or buy it- and embedds license in BIOS.

Your key should work with Windows 8.1- unless you have/had Windows 8.1 with Bing. Select Windows 8.1 -the first selection.

[Rickhtoo]

That was it!  I first tried the single language version to minimise the download size, and it would not work.  The first version did, never evan asked for the license key... Thanks everyone for your help I am back to the only version of Windows that actually works with this laptop. As soon as we get it configured properly I will for sure create a backup with Clonezilla. 

All the best