African windows 8.1 key SOLVED!

[wavey]

Hi, I've got an Acer Aspire V3- 731 laptop here, the client bought it in Kampala, Uganda. The HDD is full of bad sectors so we replaced it with a new one and installed W8.1 using the generic key then extracted the bios key with RWEverything but windows will not accept it. This has always worked for me, never a problem until now.

Could it be because it was African that the key does not match with my OEM 8.1 disk?

Any clues?

 

[NJW]

... but windows will not accept it.

What are the symptoms? Error messages?

Is the laptop online (essential for validating)?

 

[wavey]

@NJW Hi Nick, Yes we are online in w 8.1 went to command prompt (admin) slui 3 to change to the recovered key and we get the message 'That key can't be used to activate this edition of Windows. Please try a different key.'

 

[wavey]

Also not getting the Windows Activation screen phone option, probably because of the generic key?

 

[Markverhyden]

Maybe it came with W8 with Bing?

 

[wavey]

@markverhyden Maybe, but wouldn't say 'with bing' on the W8 sticker?

 

[Porthos]

Did you install core or pro?

 

[wavey]

@Porthos Core, Pro has a different colour sticker

 

[Markverhyden]

@markverhyden Maybe, but wouldn't say 'with bing' on the W8 sticker?

Can't say as I've never seen a machine that shipped with the Bing version.

 

[wavey]

@markverhyden Same here. I need to do some research when I get a few minutes.

 

[nlinecomputers]

Maybe it came with W8 with Bing?

The specs on that unit make it doubtful that it is Bing. Most likely this is one of the special versions that Microsoft has to sell overseas because of lawsuits with the EU.

 

[nlinecomputers]

Can you get a hold of a Windows 8 N version iso? I'm betting that this is sold via the EU and thus has to be a Windows 8 N version.

 

[wavey]

@nlinecomputers Now there's a thought, no I have never had the need of an N version. I think there was a discussion here about it a few months ago? I'll look it up.

 

[wavey]

I am now downloading 8.1 N iso. Will see if that works, if not at least we will have a copy for future use.

 

[wavey]

So it's not an N edition! It's 'Windows 8 Single Language' which is for China & emerging markets. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Windows_8_editions

 

[nlinecomputers]

Yuck. So can you find an ISO for that?

 

[wavey]

You can get it from Microsoft http://windows.microsoft.com/en-us/windows-8/create-reset-refresh-media

But we did it a different way, by accident.
His existing HDD was showing over 1500 bad sectors, we tried cloning but it failed, when we put the new drive back into the laptop to install the N edition I got distracted and missed the boot option, it went into repair mode, then diag mode and then offered a reset.
So I let it run and 4+ hours later we have a running system

So I can't really take any credit, sometimes you're lust lucky!

 

[nlinecomputers]

You can get it from Microsoft http://windows.microsoft.com/en-us/windows-8/create-reset-refresh-media

Oh Duh. I forgot that tool gave you that option. What a mess. Thank God we in America don't have to deal with that. Though I have had a couple of Spanish versions of Windows from Mexico hit my bench.

 

[wavey]

The job's not quite finished yet, we still have his USB 3.0 Toshiba 1Tb HDD which is, you guessed it, full of bad sectors. 5.4Gb free space, 3 zillion folders of which he only needs a dozen or so. BUT he can't remember the folder names!
Sigh!

 

[ohio_grad_06]

Maybe remove the drive and do ddrescue to a new drive? Hopefully it won't be encrypted. If not, get a new enclosure for new drive, there you go.