Windows 8.1 arrives!

[Glenn]

The 'Special hard drive' will be a hidden partition on the drive, they sometimes ask the user to burn the image to a CD/DVD. Formatting the C drive will not wipe the hidden partition, so it should retain the image stored on it.

[Steve]

The hidden partition should remain hidden with a format of C:\ of course it's possible to delete a hidden partition but you've got to find it first and then deliberately delete it.

[psp83]

You could image the drive first, then if something goes wrong, just restore the image.

Download a Windows 8 ISO and burn it to a DVD, find your Windows key (plenty of programs out there that does this), write the key on the DVD (& paper).

Wipe C drive, boot with the DVD you just made in the drive then follow the steps I said in my last post.

[Broadback]

Thanks you all for your help.I read the full set up instructions for VAIO and found that is could do a sort of factory reset. This I have done, though I still have  no Microsoft store I am confident I will get that sorted. At least the c drive was accessible and also set up.

[psp83]

Thanks you all for your help.I read the full set up instructions for VAIO and found that is could do a sort of factory reset. This I have done, though I still have  no Microsoft store I am confident I will get that sorted. At least the c drive was accessible and also set up.

Why I advise to do it with a Windows 8 ISO is because you avoid all the cr*p OEM's install, that way you know its just a basic Windows install and nothing that the OEM has installed is causing the problems.