If we bought a desktop or laptop PC with pre-installed Windows 8.1, in most cases we didn't get a full Windows installation DVD with it. Just a "recovery partition" or a "recovery disk," bloated with all the manufacturer's useless third-party apps. Thankfully, Microsoft allows us to download Windows 8.1 ISOs, for an entirely clean installation.
Unblock any international website, browse anonymously, and download movies and Mp3 with complete safety with CyberGhost, just for $2.75 per month:
Will these ISOs work with Windows 8 product keys?
The current Windows 8.1 ISOs are 100% compatible with Windows 8 product keys.
Compatibility used to be a problem, up until late 2014. With the old ISOs, the Windows 8.1 installation would not accept a Windows 8 product key.
To make matters worse, there was no option to skip entering the product key. So, installing Windows 8.1 was impossible for many users.
The solution for that was changing the installation ISO, so we can install Windows 8.1 without entering the product key. After the installation, we could enter the Windows 8 key, and Windows 8.1 would activate.
It took Microsoft two years to fix that nonsense. The current ISOs are fully compatible with Windows 8 product keys.
How to download Windows 8.1 from Microsoft
We had to jump through a few hoops to download Windows 7 since Microsoft took down the Digital River ISOs. But it is much easier to download Windows 8.1.
We just need to visit this page from a Windows PC, scroll down and click on the "Download Tool Now" button.
This will download the Media Creation Tool application, which is about 1,5MB.
We run it and select the language, the edition, and the architecture.
Most of it is straightforward. However, on the "edition" menu we get a couple of options that are not self-explanatory.
What is the Windows 8.1 N Edition
The N editions of Windows are special editions for the European Union.
They are almost identical to the plain Windows 8.1 and 8.1 Pro versions. The difference is that they don't contain Windows Media Player, Music, Video, and Skype. For some reason, Microsoft has taken down the above page, but we will still see it through archive.org.
This doesn't mean we can't install Windows Media Player or Skype. The apps just don't come pre-installed.
Windows 8.1 and 8.1 Pro product keys should work just fine on the N versions.
Create a USB or Download Windows 8.1 ISO?
After choosing the language, edition, and architecture, we get two options. The Media Creation Tool can download Windows 8.1 to a USB Flash Drive or save it as an ISO file.
We suggest the ISO option because it's the most flexible. With an ISO, we can later create a Windows installation DVD or USB in a few minutes.
Depending on the edition and architecture, the ISO's size is about 3.5GB. On an average ADSL, it will take half an hour to download.
And that's it. We have our own Windows 8.1 ISO, to repair or reinstall Windows.
How to download Windows 8.1 from macOS / Linux
In the past, Microsoft only offered the Media Creation tool to download Windows 8.1, which is a Windows application and won't run on macOS or Linux. There was no official way to download Windows 8.1 on a non-Windows PC.
Fortunately, Microsoft has changed its ways and recognized that not everyone is running Windows on their PC all the time. So, they have recreated the same method they use with Windows 10, for downloading Windows 8.1 on any OS.
We just need to visit the same page http://www.microsoft.com/software-download/windows8 we would do through Windows.
This time, we won't get a prompt to download a media creation tool. Instead, we directly select the Windows 8.1 edition we want to download...
...then the language...
...and we will finally get two links, to download Windows 8.1 in either the 32-bit Edition or the 64-bit Edition.
For some reason, those links will only be valid for 24 hours. But that would be enough time to download Windows 8.1 in any connection faster than a 56k dial-up.
The procedure is identical for Linux distributions.
How to download Windows 8.1 with Bing
If you bought a cheap laptop, tablet, or brand-name desktop with preinstalled Windows 8.1, there is a good chance that the above ISOs won't work to reinstall Windows 8.1 on your PC. Even if you
Even if you extract the Windows 8.1 product key from the BIOS/UEFI, it won't work for the installation.
The reason is that many low-end and low-cost brand-name systems usually come with "Windows 8.1 with Bing", which is a separate version of Windows 8.1.
We can also check the system properties on our PC, pressing the Windows Key + Pause/Break.
For the end user, Windows 8.1 with Bing is identical to Windows 8.1 Home. The only difference is that Internet Explorer has Bing as the default search engine, but the system will let us change it; it isn't locked in any way.
The real difference of Windows 8.1 with Bing is that OEM manufacturers acquire the license at a very low price, that might even be entirely free. That is why the Windows 8.1 with Bing product key is incompatible with the Windows 8.1 Home ISO, and vice-versa.
So, how can we download Windows 8.1 with Bing? Unfortunately, this isn't straightforward.
You see, there are four different types of Windows 8.1 with Bing:
- Windows 8.1 with Bing
- Windows 8.1 with Bing Single Language
- Windows 8.1 with Bing N
- Windows 8.1 with Bing China
Each of these versions needs a particular ISO, and one version's product key won't work for another version's ISO.
Unfortunately, we have only found an image for the "plain" Windows 8.1 with Bing, which might also work for Windows 8.1 with Bing N.
If you have the Single Language or China version, we haven't found an ISO yet that you can download. You should contact the OEM manufacturer of your PC (Asus, Dell, Lenovo, etc.) to ask them how you can get an installation medium. They will probably charge you a fee to mail you a DVD.
You should contact the OEM manufacturer of your PC (Asus, Dell, Lenovo, etc.) to ask them how you can get an installation medium. They will probably charge you a fee to mail you a DVD.
Download Windows 8.1 with Bing from torrent
To download the Windows 8.1 with Bing, you will need a torrent client, such as BitComet or qBittorrent.
These are the magnet links to download Windows 8.1 with Bing.
Windows 8.1 with Bing x86 (32bit)
SHA1: 63422A198729941F47E7F3563197B1F3AC8C5640
magnet:?xt=urn:btih:cc9748e655915fbe107ca6196cebda51d544a108&dn=Windows+8.1+with+Bing+-+AKA+CoreConnected+x86
Windows 8.1 with Bing x64 (64bit)
SHA1: BDC1E5FDBC1FAD5FE26155BAB6DAB7D95F434DEA
magnet:?xt=urn:btih:af8ffdaae70636719b0d70f1d30f1ba5359710b8&dn=Windows+8.1+with+Bing+-+AKA+CoreConnected+x64
Just select the full magnet link, copy it, and paste it in your torrent client.
If you get enough seeders online, the file should download at a decent speed, depending on your internet connection.
The resulting file will be an IMG, not an ISO, but most DVD recording software can burn it to DVD just the same.
Are these images legal?
Since these images don't contain any way to activate Windows and require a valid product key for the installation, they are perfectly legal.
How can I trust that these images are clean?
Unfortunately, since Microsoft doesn't offer an official download, there is no way to certify 100% that the above images are clean.
In our experience, there isn't any problem with them.
If, however, you don't feel comfortable downloading Windows 8.1 with Bing from torrent files, you should contact the OEM manufacturer of a replacement installation media, and pay any possible shipping and handling fees.
How to Install Windows 8.1 without a product key
By downloading Windows 7 ISOs, we could install the OS as a 30-day trial, without a product key.
The same won't work when we download Windows 8.1 ISOs. There is no option to skip entering a valid product key during the installation. The "Next" button is grayed out.
However, if there is a will, there is a way. Let's see how to bypass the product key prompt while installing Windows 8.1.
Did you have any problem to download Windows 8.1?
If anything on the guide didn't work as described, and you weren't able to download Windows 8.1, leave us a comment.
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Shodan says
I was really curious about the windows 8.1 with bing, and i was wondering what to do if i wanted to make a clean installation. I did'nt know that windows 8.1 SIngle Language Edition iso would do the job .
I'm still curious though about the title. Why is it called "Single Language" ? Are there any limitations? Although you say "Windows 8.1 with Bing is identical to Windows 8.1".
Something tells me that the aswer is "But that's Microsoft for you" : )
Thank you Angelos.
Angelos Kyritsis says
Supposedly you can't change the user interface language, which is a routine procedure for Windows 8.1. But I read here http://www.eightforums.com/installation-setup/55343-adding-language-pack-windows-8-1-bing-post437938.html#post437938 that there are 4 versions of Windows with Bing, and only one of them is truly single language.
It just smells like the typical Microsoft "doing things the hard/stupid way because we don't really care about you"
κυριε αγγελε συγχαρητηρια για ολη τη σκληρη δουλεια και προσπαθεια ...ευχομαι τα καλυτερα !και για το καινουργιο σιτε δεν εχω λογια
Σε ευχαριστώ πολύ, Γιάννη, αλλά σβήνω το σχόλιό σου, μην δουν Ελληνικά οι ξένοι και τρομάξουν ;-)
First off - thank you for the info ...
Please note that, at least from my experience, Windows Single Language is not automatically the same as Windows with Bing .... i.e. Windows with Bing is indeed distributed as 'single language' but if you download Windows Single Language (as mentioned above) it won't activate with a Windows for Bing key.
Think about it this way ... all 'Windows with Bing' are 'Windows Single Language' .... not all 'Windows Single Language' are 'Windows with Bing' !!
MS official stance on 'Windows with Bing' is that the ISOs are only made available to OEMs and if you require an image you're to contact your hardware vendor for a replacement recovery disc.
Alternatively .... you can find the ISO if you look hard enough - you do have a valid key after all ... so no harm!
Indeed, I found out later that there are four versions of Windows 8.1 with Bing, only one of which is is compatible with the Single Language ISO. I really have no clue why Microsoft had to do this so convoluted.
The problem with finding an ISO through other means is that there is no guarantee that the ISO will be clean from rootkit malware. The valid key will give a legitimate installation, but for some downloads the danger is real.
I really hope with Windows 10 all this madness will be over. But it's a good guess that Microsoft will find a way to screw this up too, somehow.
Hi Angelos, is there a way to tell which version of "Windows 8.1 with Bing" that my Lenovo PC has pre-installed with? The original post was a little vague.
Hi Ye Wang.
Try this torrent for 32bit
magnet:?xt=urn:btih:cc9748e655915fbe107ca6196cebda51d544a108&dn=Windows+8.1+with+Bing+-+AKA+CoreConnected+x86
and this torrent for 64bit
magnet:?xt=urn:btih:af8ffdaae70636719b0d70f1d30f1ba5359710b8&dn=Windows+8.1+with+Bing+-+AKA+CoreConnected+x64
Tell me if they worked for you, so I can add them to the post too.
Hi Angelos Kritsis, the 64bit version did work - it didn't ask for product key during installation though it's installed unactivated. But activation takes the UEFI BIOS key no problem. Thanks a lot!
PS: what's the source of this torrent? Should I be worry about backdoors or rootkits in them?
I found it here: http://techcat.ca/threads/download-windows-8-1-with-bing-original-iso-image-for-onda-v975w-other-windows-tablets.100/
Should be clean, didn't see any negative comments in 16 pages of posts.
Thank you! So far so good. Can't wait till Windows 10 is out so hopefully we can get a new refresh OS to install again in a month.
Thank you, Update to Win10 failed on me and so I needed this. It worked beautifully. I did not have to put in a Product key.
Good to know, Aryan :)
Hi! My Lenovo G40-30 came preinstalled with Windows 8.1 Single Language with Bing. I would like to do a clean install of the OS. Product key is embedded in BIOS.
I downloaded the Windows 8.1 Single Language (didn't indicate "with Bing") from Microsoft via Media Creation Tool.
Is Windows 8.1 Single Language different from Windows 8.1 Single Language with Bing in terms of product key? Will the Win8.1 SL installation media automatically detect and accept the product key embedded in my laptop's BIOS?
Hi Chax!
There are apparently at least three version of "with Bing", only one of which is Single Language.
If Microsoft's Single language doesn't work (doesn't automatically recognize the product key during the installation), try the torrents below:
Try this torrent for 32bit
magnet:?xt=urn:btih:cc9748e655915fbe107ca6196cebda51d544a108&dn=Windows+8.1+with+Bing+-+AKA+CoreConnected+x86
and this torrent for 64bit
magnet:?xt=urn:btih:af8ffdaae70636719b0d70f1d30f1ba5359710b8&dn=Windows+8.1+with+Bing+-+AKA+CoreConnected+x64
Hi Etienne, so how do we find ISO for Windows 8.1 with Bing then?
My Lenovo G40-30 came preinstalled with Windows 8.1 Single Language with Bing. I would like to do a clean install of the OS. Product key is embedded in BIOS.
I downloaded the Windows 8.1 Single Language (didn't indicate "with Bing") from Microsoft via Media Creation Tool.
Is Windows 8.1 Single Language different from Windows 8.1 Single Language with Bing in terms of product key? Will the Win8.1 SL installation media automatically detect and accept the product key embedded in my laptop's BIOS?
hi i have a lenovo G40-30 preinstalled with Windows 8.1 Single Language with Bing. and i accidentally deleted my preinstalled windows. where can i download the windows 8.1 single language with bing ? help me to fix this
thanks in advanced,
Hi YM YM,
If the ISO from the Microsoft tool doesn't work for you, you can try downloading one of the torrents below, using the magnet link:
32bit
magnet:?xt=urn:btih:cc9748e655915fbe107ca6196cebda51d544a108&dn=Windows+8.1+with+Bing+-+AKA+CoreConnected+x86
64bit
magnet:?xt=urn:btih:af8ffdaae70636719b0d70f1d30f1ba5359710b8&dn=Windows+8.1+with+Bing+-+AKA+CoreConnected+x64
i try this iso you give but can't detect my oem bios key. i have to enter a different key
If it doesn't detect the key, it's probably not the correct ISO.
If the same happened with the single language ISO from the Microsoft tool, I'm afraid I don't have any other ISO to suggest to you.
You need to contact Lenovo to get a recovery disk. They will probably charge you for it, $30-$40, or your equivalent local currency.
thansks, but now my windows is activated. I found a direct link iso file for my Lenovo.
YM YM can you post the direct link or how you got the solution? Thanks
share it pleaseeeeee i want it so bad.
I have a Lenovo B50-70 which I upgraded to windows 10 from windows 8.1 SL with bing. I even deleted the recovery partition to recover the space. Now am repenting. windows 10 sucks...wifi issues. very slow. want to get back to windows 8.1. i have tried magnet:?xt=urn:btih:af8ffdaae70636719b0d70f1d30f1ba5359710b8&dn=Windows+8.1+with+Bing+-+AKA+CoreConnected+x64 but it instructs to insert different key. I have extracted the bios key using some appplication quite some time back.
Is there a way to get the specific ROM for B50-70 in India
Have you tried the Single Language version from Microsoft? Unfortunately, I currently don't know any other versions with Bing.
Also, if there were less than 30 days since you upgraded to Windows 10, you can still restore Windows 8.1 even without a recovery partition: https://www.pcsteps.com/3934-uninstall-windows-10-revert-old-windows/
Sadly.. Am off all the options. More than 2 months and had resetted win 10twice.I had made win10 recovery partition.so if anything goes wrong then I recover from it...but I still wish win.8.1
What if I get my hands on another similar machine. B50-70 . or any other making with Windows 8.1? Any options there? I will buy the CD in the end if nothing works. But I am hell bent on defeating lenovo and Microsoft in their little trick...
If you find another B50-70 and get a SATA to USB adapter https://www.pcsteps.com/wx47 you could try copying the recovery partition to your disk using EaseUS Todo Backup https://www.pcsteps.com/5617-how-to-create-windows-backup/
If the recovery reads the product key from the BIOS, it will probably work.
I was thinking more on the lines of creating the recovery USB using the standard option given in Windows and enabling the copy the recovery position option.... Or creating the recovery DVD while copying the recovery partition. Someone can very easily make that on DVD and upload it and that can be tried by others, if the license information does not get saved in the recovery DVD..
The recovery USB or recovery won't help without the recovery partition, as far as I know it can't be used for restoring Windows.
Hi I was in the situation where I needed to re-install Windows 8.1 with Bing after a hard drive failure. I ended up calling Microsoft and they went through a process to issue a Windows 8.1 key which I could use to activate the system. The whole process took about an hour, involved remote assistance, and mostly time being put on and off hold while they "checked their system"
Hi Nilesh.
First of all I havent tried going back from Windows 10 to Windows 8, so not sure if there may be an issue related to it.
I also had a Lenovo laptop with preinstalled Windows 8. I never noticed the edition of WIndows I had until it crashed on me. I also extracted WIndows key from BIOS and all I could understand from BIOS is that I had a STD edition of Windows. I downloaded different ISO files using torrents to try, but failed. Later I got a genuine ISO that one of my friend provided. He made this ISO from a retail copy of Windows 8 he purchased. I never knew that a retail Windows copy is gonna help me reinstall OEM Windows that I had. Anyways, I could clean install my Windows 8, that too by deleting all the unwanted partitions. I never had luck downloading Windows 8 from Microsoft with my OEM key, but somehow a retail ISO helped me reinstall OEM Windows.
My point is, it doesnt matter the version of Windows edition you had, whether STD or PRO, just use a proper ISO. So I think, if you can get hold of any genuine Windows ISO you will be able to reinstall your OS. The retail ISO never asked for my product key while installing. It just took the key from BIOS. Later I updated Windows to 8.1 and further to Windows 10 Home through Store.
Thank you for your input, Anoop.
Now that's interesting!! I had downloaded the Spanish ISO for win single language core connected which is same as Bing with single language, converted it to English and then installed. It worked. But I would not mind reformatting if I get my hands on ISO. Is there a wayi can get the iso you had? I assume you can't share the ISO on this forum.
Also, did you say you formatted ask the partitions, including the OEM reserve and healthy recovery? Can I do that too
“Since these images don't contain any illegal means to activate Windows, and require a valid product key for the installation, they are perfectly legal.”
Microsoft has repeatedly challenged this claim, going as far as to threaten to sue sites. I strongly suggest you check with an attorney before taking that claim to the bank.
In what way is that different than the Digital River ISOs Microsoft used to host, the links from which were freely published anywhere on the web?
If you have a specific source to point at, I will gladly take a look, but without a source it's just speculation.
Guys, if anyone could give me windows 8.1 sl with bing that would be greatly appreciated.
I bought an ASER ASPIRE ES 14 they have replaced the hard drive and reloaded Windows 8.1 Single Language with Bing. I can not change the language to English it is in Spanish? My system is: AMDE1-2500 1.4 Ghz; 2.0 GB; System 64bit?
You're the best guy! But MS did not allow to download iso using oem key, as I just bought windows 8.1 pro product key from ODosta Store, after that I insert it on Microsoft official site to get official iso, but they told this is pre-installed OEM key, Which through I cannot download Microsoft official iso, At this condition, can you tell me, Where to download MS official ISO.
Thanks in advance.
Will the 8.1 w/Bing work for Home -only- or will it also offer to install 8.1 Pro? I'm trying to get a guys laptop reset. It's a newish Asus which shows 8.1 w/Bing (doesn't say Pro), but the current OS on it is Win 10 Pro...?
I am a first year university student. I have a Dell laptop.
i5 6th gen intel processor(1.6Ghz ).
8GB RAM.
Windows 8.1 Single Language.
The university requires me to upgrade windows to pro version so that I could get their domain servers and all connected and hence use wifi etc.
How can I upgrade windows from SL to pro?
Please reply me at prabhuprtp@gmail.com
Sorry for the late reply. The only way to upgrade Windows 8.1 to Windows 8.1 Pro is with the pro pack: https://www.pcsteps.gr/gsw2
For this pack to work, you need to search for "add features" at the Windows 8.1 search, and enter the key from the pack.
PLEASE SAY download link windows 8.1 with bing single language
because i have a product key as windows 8.1 single language
Microsoft shows downgrade option early after upgrading to Windows 10 and remove it after one month. I recently upgrade my windows 8.1 Professional operating system to windows 10 Professional being getting a license from ODosta Store
But I did not like its overall structure. I think Its not Windows 10, Its version should be windows 6 as it has many faults.
I tried to downgrade back to my existing win 8.1 os and I saw as Microsoft was giving me option to downgrade. I thought that I'll downgrade after two month But after two month when I tried again, Microsoft removed that option. Now what to do. I searched and found your post, Which is very helpful for me. Thanks for sharing these details here.
Excellent tutorial on how to install Windows 8.1 the proper way! Even without a valid product key!
Hi...i have hp stream 8 windows tablet...32gb rom,1gd ram,...so will your windows 8.1.iso support screen touch?..or its compatible with my divece...plz let me know ASAP😊😊😊😊