Win 8.1 auto update-Had to reinstall 8.1-now Office wont load (& numerous problems!!)

[polyanna]

Win 8.1 auto update-Had to reinstall 8.1-now Office wont load (& numerous problems!!)

Hi
My Win 8.1 aio pc is a headache- complete crash 2mths ago-numerous notes on right hand corner from Action Centre for refreshing...or whatever it does...but always says they are urgent/critical...and now... after auto 8.1 update- Start Apps have all got x on them and won't open, including Store. I have reloaded 8.1 and now..it won't let me reload Office - just ignores disk! I now have to try & find email from Norton telling me how to download my Norton once again...and also find the email telling me how to download the Olympus software for 8.1....Why didn't I back them up?...and of course I don't know how to set a Restore Point...it was easy of XP!

What I need help with:
i) How to I now reinstall Office 2013?
ii) How do I get my apps to work?
iii) What on earth does Recovery Image (D) mean? Hopefully thought this was a back up but it doesn't seem to want to open, even thought it is now getting quite full!
iv) Can I set a Restore Point? When I looked at it it only seemed to have one when I reloaded Win8.1 (thinks.... I'd probably deleted them all when I reinstalled Win8.1)
v) How long does it take when you stick your head in a gas oven...or better still, what is the satisfaction rate when you smash the pc?

Heh... and I thought I had a reasonable knowlege of pcs!!!

From a Desperate Polyanna

 

[mantadog]

Is this a PCS machine, I get a feeling its not. Recovery images are normally used by big manufacturers in place of giving you a fully functioning windows cd...

Have you done a clean installation? ie with the disk you got with your system, is that what you mean by re loaded? if its not a PCS machine then you might not have got one with your system.

The office CD not being recognised is odd, I presume all other CD's work just fine? You mean it just refuses to launch, or it refuses to open the window for you to launch it?

The recovery image is an image used to rebuild to factory settings, not aware of any PCS builds that would have this, might be wrong though....

here is how to create a restore point in windows 8.... http://www.eightforums.com/tutorials/4690-restore-point-create-windows-8-a.html

Gas mark 9, 10 minutes... Probably not advisable though Don't smash the computer though, it will probably splinter directly into your face as a final act of defiance... PC's are never short of ways to confuse you...

 

[polyanna]

Yes, it is PCS AIO!

Is this a PCS machine, I get a feeling its not. Recovery images are normally used by big manufacturers in place of giving you a fully functioning windows cd...

Have you done a clean installation? ie with the disk you got with your system, is that what you mean by re loaded? if its not a PCS machine then you might not have got one with your system.

The office CD not being recognised is odd, I presume all other CD's work just fine? You mean it just refuses to launch, or it refuses to open the window for you to launch it?

The recovery image is an image used to rebuild to factory settings, not aware of any PCS builds that would have this, might be wrong though....

here is how to create a restore point in windows 8.... http://www.eightforums.com/tutorials/4690-restore-point-create-windows-8-a.html

Gas mark 9, 10 minutes... Probably not advisable though Don't smash the computer though, it will probably splinter directly into your face as a final act of defiance... PC's are never short of ways to confuse you...

Thanks Mantadog-realised oven electric....My AIO PC is PCS - got it early December. Yes I 'must' have done a clean installation I tried the Repair you Computer (pge 16. Welcome Pack PCS) and emailed 'you' to see if 'you' thought a clean installation would help the problem with the Start Apps - you thought it might be worth a try but of course, it wiped all my other apps - including Office which won't install now.

Yes, the other CDs have loaded fine - I noticed on the Microsoft website that Office can only be installed on one pc so I wonder if this is why it won't re-load as I had to re-install it the last time the pc crashed about 2 months ago (I emailed 'you' to ask if you knew why it had crashed completely). It was already loaded (I think) on the pc when the pc arrived. It's the Home & Student Version 2013.

PCS must have put the Recovery Image Drive(D) on the pc...it is more than half full now - says 2.75GB free of 6.34GB It would be helpful if you could find out what it is.... also the problem with Office.

Going to leave my visit to www.eightforums.com to tomorrow now....but thank you very much for this help!

 

[Rakk]

Thanks Mantadog-realised oven electric....My AIO PC is PCS - got it early December. Yes I 'must' have done a clean installation I tried the Repair you Computer (pge 16. Welcome Pack PCS) and emailed 'you' to see if 'you' thought a clean installation would help the problem with the Start Apps - you thought it might be worth a try but of course, it wiped all my other apps - including Office which won't install now.

Just as a quick FYI, the vast majority of forum members do not work for PCS, so whilst we can try and help, you may end up having to phone/email PCS - some of the PCS guys do check the forums, but how often and how much of it they get to read I do not know.

 

[polyanna]

Thanks Folks
Will have to contact PCS....PC has given up the ghost! Won't boot up!

 

[mantadog]

Well that sounds like a hardware issue, almost certainly nothing to do with the clean installation of windows. You getting any beeps, fans or light?

 

[polyanna]

Advanced options offered now!

Well that sounds like a hardware issue, almost certainly nothing to do with the clean installation of windows. You getting any beeps, fans or light?

When I switch on now it keeps trying to do an auto repair then offers me various Advanced options-don't feel I know enough to try some of them and I am tired of having to re-load everything after a clean installation...so I am now opting for one of the options "switch off"! Roll on Wednesday - I am away on business 'til then. I am hoping PCS will 'take over control of the pc' and find out what is wrong!!
Thanks for your help.

 

[ubuysa]

When I switch on now it keeps trying to do an auto repair then offers me various Advanced options-don't feel I know enough to try some of them and I am tired of having to re-load everything after a clean installation...so I am now opting for one of the options "switch off"! Roll on Wednesday - I am away on business 'til then. I am hoping PCS will 'take over control of the pc' and find out what is wrong!!
Thanks for your help.

I've been following this thread but not commented yet because you're in good hands with mantadog. I rather suspect from all you have said, and especially now that Windows is trying to "auto repair", that your Windows installation has become corrupted. This may not be your fault, lots of people have had issues with the 8.1 upgrade, when I did mine I reinstalled 8 from scratch and installed the upgrade before I did anything else. I would suggest you consider that.

So, backup all your user data (twice, just to be sure ) make sure you have installation media for all your third-party software (except those which you can get straight off the Internet (like Chrome, Google Earth etc.)) and all of the drivers for your hardware (the original PCS disk will be fine). Then perform a clean install of Windows 8 from the DVD that PCS supplied you with. Select a "custom" install and delete all partitions on your hard disk so that all the space shows as unallocated, then create one partition the size of the disk (or whatever partition structure you want). Windows will probably create a small System Reserved partition, this is quite normal and you should leave that completely alone. Now install Windows 8 into the large partition you just created. Once it's installed then install all the relevant drivers (be sure to reboot every time it asks you too, it's important). At that point you should visit the Windows Store and install the Windows 8.1 upgrade. Once that's installed you should be ok and you can then install all your third-party software (like Office) and copy your user data back.

I hope that helps?

 

[mantadog]

Sorry, I had assumed that when you said "PC has given up the ghost! Won't boot up" I thought you were pushing the power button and didn't get anything to work at all. If your at least getting to a windows error message then it's probably not a hardware fault.

For some reason (I really don't know why) I'm having a hard time working out the exact sequence of events that led to this situation. Was the 'recovery image' on your PC before you did the clean installation? How did you go about doing the clean installation? After the installation did you re enter you go through any windows update processes?

PCS will be unable to remote into your PC unless you can boot into windows, can you get into windows at all? Your best bet right now would be as ubuysa said, do a clean installation. Make sure to follow the process he detailed and do the custom installation, wipe everything and see how that works out. Make sure you install all your drivers first, starting with the chipset drivers for your motherboard and working through the remaining drivers before doing anything else.

 

[polyanna]

Sorry, I had assumed that when you said "PC has given up the ghost! Won't boot up" I thought you were pushing the power button and didn't get anything to work at all. If your at least getting to a windows error message then it's probably not a hardware fault.

For some reason (I really don't know why) I'm having a hard time working out the exact sequence of events that led to this situation. Was the 'recovery image' on your PC before you did the clean installation? How did you go about doing the clean installation? After the installation did you re enter you go through any windows update processes?

PCS will be unable to remote into your PC unless you can boot into windows, can you get into windows at all? Your best bet right now would be as ubuysa said, do a clean installation. Make sure to follow the process he detailed and do the custom installation, wipe everything and see how that works out. Make sure you install all your drivers first, starting with the chipset drivers for your motherboard and working through the remaining drivers before doing anything else.

Thanks...I can't get into Windows now. When I boot up I immediately get a screen saying it can't load properly and it tries to reload, then I get a screen with various options to try- clean reinstall etc...& one being to switch off! I have not upgraded from Win 8 to Win 8.1 - my PCS disk is Win 8.1 but the problems seemed to occur after Win 8.1 did an automatic update to latest Win 8.1...however having said that, since I got the aio late Nov/Dec. it often says it needs to repair the hard disc and does it automatically- this has happened since I got it but I thought it was a problem with Win 8.1 being a new(ish) system. I did have to do a clean re-install a couple of months ago and things seemed OK until last week. I am working at the moment & staying in a hotel....so I am having a break from it! Will try another clean install on Wednesday as you have both suggested. Can I ask you one more thing? If the clean re-install sorts it out again - do you think I should still get in touch with PCS?

 

[mantadog]

How many times have you done a clean installation of the OS? You shouldn't have to do it more than every 18 months or so, even then that would only be to keep it running butter smooth and it should still work perfectly well.

can you post your full system spec? It will be available in your account. Something doesn't had up here but im having real trouble pinning it down...

I know you can get the check disk error from not shutting the machine down properly, do you always make sure it shuts down properly? I still have a lingering feeling it could be hardware, I really cant put my finger on it though...

If the clean installation works, the system works 100% perfectly then no need to contact PCS. However if anything is not working properly I'd make sure you contact them to get it sorted. it will be much easier for them to talk to you rather than us stab at specific problems 1 post at a time. They can ask questions for more information where needed etc.

 

[ubuysa]

I agree with mantadog that if a clean reinstall sorts the problem then there's no need to call PCS.

The hard disk repair you talk about is worrying, I'm wondering whether you have some sort of hard disk problem? It may well just be a bad sector (one area of the disk) in which case a reinstall (with a disk format) should sort that out. That could explain all the problems you have been having.

I really do think now that a completely clean reinstall is your best way forward. If that sorts everything out than all well and good. If you still get problems afterwards, even seemingly minor ones, I would call PCS.

 

[polyanna]

I agree with mantadog that if a clean reinstall sorts the problem then there's no need to call PCS.

The hard disk repair you talk about is worrying, I'm wondering whether you have some sort of hard disk problem? It may well just be a bad sector (one area of the disk) in which case a reinstall (with a disk format) should sort that out. That could explain all the problems you have been having.

I really do think now that a completely clean reinstall is your best way forward. If that sorts everything out than all well and good. If you still get problems afterwards, even seemingly minor ones, I would call PCS.

I have done at least 2 clean re-installs...and latterly, when I have booted up pc has had to do a further refresh -
Wish I'd got it at PC World ... I would have returned it to them by now! Dell made up my last one to my own spec. and I had no problems...think I will ring PCS as I have to get on with doing reports for my work. Thank you so much both of you for your help-- you have kept me sane.
This is the spec. Nov 2013.
Maestro: 23.6" 10 Point Multi-Touch Screen (1920x 1080)
Processor (CPU) Intel® Core™i7 Quad Core Processor i7-3770S (3.1GHz) 8MB Cache
Memory (RAM) 16GB SAMSUNG 1600MHz SODIMM DDR3 MEMORY (2 x 8GB)
Graphics Card Intel® HD Graphics 4000 Video Memory Technology up to 1.7GB
2nd Graphics Card NONE
1st Hard Disk 2TB 3.5" SATA-III 6GB/s HDD 7200RPM 64MB CACHE
1st DVD/BLU-RAY Drive 6x BLURAY WRITER, 8x DVD ±R/±RW & CYBERLINK SOFTWARE
Memory Card Reader Integrated 4 in 1 Card Reader (SDXC/MMC/MS/XD)
Sound Card ONBOARD 8 CHANNEL (7.1) HIGH DEF AUDIO (AS STANDARD)
Wireless/Wired Networking GIGABIT LAN & WIRELESS INTEL® N135 802.11N (150Mbps) + BLUETOOTH
Wireless Router/HomePlugs NONE
USB Options 4 x USB 3.0 PORTS + 2 x USB 2.0 PORTS AS STANDARD
Operating System Genuine Windows 8.1 64 Bit - inc DVD & Licence
DVD Recovery Media Windows 8.1 (64-bit) DVD with paper sleeve
Office Software Microsoft® Office Home & Student 2013 (1 License & Disc)
Anti-Virus NO ANTI-VIRUS SOFTWARE
DVI-D & HDMI Monitor Cables NONE
Keyboard & Mouse NONE
Mouse NONE
Gaming Mouse Pad NONE
Speakers 2 x INTEGRATED 5W SPEAKERS HIGH QUALITY SPEAKERS
Webcam INTEGRATED 720P 30 FPS HD WEBCAM
Headsets NONE
Surge Protection NONE
Printer NONE
External Hard Drive NONE
Warranty 3 Year Silver Warranty (1 Year Collect & Return, 1 Year Parts, 3 Year Labour)
Home Installation NONE
Data Recovery NONE
Delivery STANDARD INSURED DELIVERY TO UK MAINLAND (MON-FRI)
Pricing Information
Price (excluding VAT) £1,015.00
Price £1,218.00
Order Quantity 1
Bulk Discount £0.00
Total Order price (Ex VAT) £1,015.00
Total Order Price £1,218.00

 

[ubuysa]

I have done at least 2 clean re-installs...and latterly, when I have booted up pc has had to do a further refresh -
Wish I'd got it at PC World ... I would have returned it to them by now! Dell made up my last one to my own spec. and I had no problems...think I will ring PCS as I have to get on with doing reports for my work. Thank you so much both of you for your help-- you have kept me sane.
This is the spec. Nov 2013.

If it's not working properly after a clean reinstall of Windows then you most certainly should call PCS.

 

[polyanna]

Hi Ubsaya
I called PCS this morning and they are collecting pc on Friday....what a relief (but guess what!! I never learn...I haven't backed up my photos!).
Thanks for your help...much appreciated!

 

[ubuysa]

Hi Ubsaya
I called PCS this morning and they are collecting pc on Friday....what a relief (but guess what!! I never learn...I haven't backed up my photos!).
Thanks for your help...much appreciated!

Unpack it and back them up. If PCS reinstall Windows (and they might) you'll loose everything on the disk. Take the hard disk out if you can and plug it into a caddy on another PC and back them up there if that's the only way.

 

[polyanna]

Yes...will have to work on it this evening - I'd been to SA & Oz...can't believe I hadn't backed the photos up! I haven't any docs I'm worried about as it has been so dodgy - I have done all my 'serious' work on the Dell.
I don't want to attempt taking the hard disk out as it is an aio - I know how to do it on my Dell as I have fitted all my upgrades etc.
Bye

 

[mantadog]

if windows just refuses to boot then you could use a bootable Linux usb to access the files...

I have done it only once, this software download the flavour of Linux you want and makes a bootable usb http://unetbootin.sourceforge.net/

You just need to go into the bios and make it boot from the USB drive. Everything after that should take care of itself.

 

[polyanna]

Hi Thanks
Just copied info onto stick...fingers crossed...then dinner!