Hi all, I accidentally did a very stupid thing: while trying to install Windows 7 instead of Windows 8, I formatted the entire hard drive that came with the laptop, so the recovery partition is dead. Is there any way I can re-install Windows 8 with an ISO, and still be legitimately activated? Or am I totally screwed? Thanks in advance!
Thanks, urie! I did have a look, and it's bad news for me: My laptop came with Windows 8 Core, so no ISO and no recovery partition. HP said this isn't included in the warranty and I have to pay some 3rd party to reinstall it. Today's a bad day..
I'm sorry, but I'm a little confused, so this question will probably sound dumb: If I install the Windows 8 Core x64 ISO, which is exactly the system that my laptop came with, will it be activated? It's just that I've nothing - no product key, no recovery partition, nothing but a Windows 8 sticker on the back of the laptop and an empty hard drive. I checked the link urie posted, but all I managed to gather was that I'm probably out of luck..
Then I am definitely going to give this a try. I'll update as soon as I have anything. Many Many Thanks!
Good news! After numerous attempts at installation, I finally managed to reinstall Windows 8, and it got activated no problem Thanks guys!