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Dell Venue Pro 8 Tablet (Windows 8.1) Hard reset and stuff


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#26 da120757

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Posted 01 July 2015 - 06:51 PM

Friend just gave me a Dell Venue Pro 8 and it is locked on the enter system password which she cannot remember and also when she was able to see the win 8 login screen she could not remember that password either. how can I get past these two screens to reset both of the passwords to use this tablet?

 

Thanks

Deb



#27 TheHive

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Posted 03 July 2015 - 08:58 AM

I was going to write a new tutorial but found a well explained one already. Seems from screenshot that he is a reboot.pro fan. There are other ways to login to a local account but,
 

 (unable to login), the only way to reset the MS log in password is to take the tablet back to factory settings, i.e take it to day one when you purchased the tablet, using Dell Backup and Recovery.

 

 

 

 

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

How to get to Refresh/Reset/and other Options on a Dell Venue 8 Pro

 

 

http://en.community....4586/t/19499480

 

 

 

 

Hi Newmantech,

As you are using a local account and have forgot the password (or are unable to login), the only way to reset the password is to take the tablet back to factory settings, i.e take it to day one when you purchased the tablet, using Dell Backup and Recovery.

Note : This step leads to complete data loss if you select the option to Erase files in Step 11

Dell Backup and Recovery can recover the Operating system or backup from the recovery partition. To recover the OS from the recovery partition, follow these steps:

  1. Plug in the AC adapter.
  2. Power on the tablet.
  3. If you do not have a physical keyboard connected, you may bring the On-Screen keyboard using the Ease of access button on the left hand side bottom corner of the screen.

    4544.Ease.jpg 
     
  4. Click on Power button on right hand side bottom corner of the screen.
  5. Press the Shift Key on the on-screen keyboard or Hold the Shift key on the physical keyboard and click Restart from the options provided. 
  6. Click Troubleshoot from the options onscreen after restart.

    7673.3.jpg
     
  7. Click the Dell Backup and Recovery icon.

    7215.4.jpg
     
  8. The system restarts and comes back up, click Next on the Dell Backup and Recovery Screen. 

    1172.5.jpg
     
  9. The system would be checked to see if the smart repair option can fix the issue, click Next once this is done. 

    5127.6.jpg
     
  10. You will be prompted to select the backup to be used, click the factory image option or select from one of the backups. Click Next

    3414.7.jpg
     
  11. You will be prompted to backup your files, if needed do so by selecting the option Yes, backup my personal files (Make sure to have an external backup hard drive handy.) or select No, Erase my files

    0486.8.jpg
     
  12. The system goes ahead and completes the restore of the operating system. Click Restart when prompted. 

    2818.9.jpg
     
  13. Follow the on-screen instructions to setup the system with windows.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

-

 

 

 



#28 TheHive

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Posted 03 July 2015 - 09:35 AM

Reset Dell Venue 8 PRO System/uEFI Bios Password

Contact Dell support. They might help in resetting it.



#29 TheHive

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Posted 27 December 2015 - 07:12 AM

Today I tried the same thing on the Dell venue 8 pro. It had Windows 8.1 on it. Downloaded/installed all the updates before starting the upgrade. Selected the upgrade icon and downloaded and upgraded to WIndows 10, If its a Dell Venue 8 Pro that has 32gb of space. Windows will not be able to upgrade. It will ask for an external device that has 10GB of free space. So when it asked for that. I used a 16GB USB stick using a  USB OTG cable. The Tablet had full charge at the time of starting to upgrade. I could have used a MicroSDcard, but didnt have one on the tablet during test upgrade.

 

 

 

How to Prevent Windows 10 Home on a tablet using Wifi From Automatically Downloading Updates

http://reboot.pro/to...oading-updates/

 

This is usefull when you :

 

 need to be able to control when you can update things.

If people are using software (ex..Toolwiz Time Freeze) that enables a System Restore. It doesnt make sense to let the OS or apps auto update.

 

 

http://www.howtogeek...oading-updates/

 

"To change this option, open the Settings app, select Network & Internet, scroll down, and select “Advanced options” below the list of Wi-Fi networks. Enable the “Set as metered connection” option. This option only affects the Wi-Fi network you’re currently connected to, but Windows will remember this setting for each individual Wi-Fi network."

So, if you don’t want Windows 10 automatically downloading updates on your home network connection, just set it as a metered connection. Windows 10 will automatically download updates when you connect your device to an unmetered network, or when you set the network it’s connected to as unmetered again. And yes, Windows will remember this setting for each individual network, so you can disconnect from that network and reconnect all you like.

Do you have an Internet connection with limited data? Just mark it as metered and Windows 10 won’t automatically download updates on it. If your connection offers unlimited downloads at a specific time — for example, during the middle of the night — you could mark the connection as unmetered occasionally at these times to download updates and mark it as metered after the updates are downloaded.

To change this option, open the Settings app, select Network & Internet, scroll down, and select “Advanced options” below the list of Wi-Fi networks. Enable the “Set as metered connection” option. This option only affects the Wi-Fi network you’re currently connected to, but Windows will remember this setting for each individual Wi-Fi network.

 

 



#30 TheHive

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Posted 29 December 2015 - 02:03 AM

When you upgrade to Windows 10, a Windows.old folder is created .

To remove Windows.old go to:

- Settings

- System

- Storage

 

(Select) (normally C: Drive)

- This PC

 

(scroll down and select )

Temporary Files

 

(scroll down to Previous version of Windows and select )

- Delete previous Versions

 

 

 

 

 

 

-



#31 TheHive

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Posted 14 March 2016 - 06:37 AM

Was looking into a different topic and found this:

 

Step-by-Step guide to move Recovery Partition to USB and reclaim up 6+ GB without 3rd party software
by: 8inches Scribbler - Standard Member

http://forum.tabletp...software.61604/

 

 

Previously, I started a post of http://forum.tabletp...-works-not.html trying to seek out the facts from many conflicting information. I believe I have done enough research to give a walkthrough.

Acknowledgements - The following members had provided me their experience and inspirations. Thank you!
St Lamar, dprice7, baxter, laaf2005

Background
I own a 32GB Dell Venue 8 Pro. Out of the box, I get just a little over 10GB of free space. The #1 reason is due to the Recovery Partitions installed by Dell. Here is a snapshot:


Code:
1.00 GB (Recovery Partition)
500MB (EFI System Partition)
22.00 GB (OS)
5.51GB (Recovery Partition)
Note that there are 2 Recovery Partitions. And there is in fact a 128MB Reserved Partition between EFI and OS partitions. But it is a Windows thing and should not be touched.

The 1st Recovery Partition (some of you reported to being 500MB) is WINRETOOLS. Which I believe is the Recovery Environment. One that gives you tile menus of Refresh, Reset, Restore, Boot, etc.

The 2nd Recovery Partition is the actual system image that comes with your V8P that can be used to build factory image.

What you need

  • micro USB to USB A female adapter (a.k.a OTG cable)
  • 1 (prefer 2) 8GB USB drive

That's it. No 3rd party software needed.

Moving Recovery Partition
NOTE: Do not trust Dell's Recovery. Do not use Dell's Recovery and Backup software to move Recovery Partition because you will ended up with a USB that boots up and asks for power to be plugged in. I don't understand how this could get past QC.


The proper way of moving Recovery Partition is use Windows's "Create a recovery drive".


  1. Open the search box and type "recovery drive" and click on Create a recovery drive.
  2. Leave the check box checked to copy recovery partition to USB.
  3. Click Next
  4. It will format the USB drive and make it bootable and copy the recovery partition over. The process will take a while depending on your USB drive. Allow at least 15 minutes
  5. In the end, you have an option to delete the recovery partition. Don't do it until you do some sanity test.


To verify your USB drive
  1. Leave the USB connected and shutdown your V8P
  2. Wait until the V8P is completely shutdown
  3. press the power button, you will see the screen blink a little, immediately press "Vol -" once
  4. You will enter BIOS, go to Boot you make "Boot Option #1" your USB drive
  5. Touch ESC and save
  6. You can now boot into USB
  7. Choose US (Keyboard Layout)
  8. Choose Troubleshoot
  9. Choose "Reset your PC"
  10. Choose "Windows 8.1", there is a short wait and you will see some options

You should now have good feeling that the USB works.

Now, make another Recovery USB following the same steps above. In the end, choose "remove recovery partition". Congratulations. You now have 5.5GB more.

Reset to factory default
If you now want to reset your V8P to factory condition, you can boot back into USB and continue where you left off after "Reset your PC"

After you touch "Windows 8.1", there is a short wait and you will see


All your personal files and apps will be removed
Your PC settings will be changed back to their defaults
Hit "Next"

You will be asked:


Do you want to repartition the drives on your PC? All your files will be removed:

Yes, repartition the drives
No, keep the existing partitions
I choose "No". (Note that you will only be asked once, if I later "cancel" and restart, it will not ask me again)

Now you will be given the options of


1. "Just remove my files"
2. "Fully clean the drive"
The two options all ended up the same. But the option 2 is slower as it attempts to erase your personal file with random data. You may want to use it if you have been using your V8P and now want to sell it.

After you confirmed with 1st option, it will take about 20 minutes and V8P will reboot and you will be presented with initial setup. Your V8P is now good as new but the recovery partition will not be restored. That's what the USB drive is for!

What about the 1GB Recovery Partition?
I'm glad you asked! This partition is no longer needed since you can do it with the USB drive (in fact, it only uses 200MB). So I nuked it too! Here is the procedure:


  1. Search for Command Prompt
  2. Run as Administrator
  3. Bring up the keyboard and enter "diskpart"
  4. "select disk 0"
  5. "list partition"
  6. verify that the Recovery Partition is partition 1
  7. "select partition 1"
  8. "delete partition override"
  9. "exit" - your recovery partition is now gone
  10. enter Disk Management (file manager -> computer (on top) -> Manage)
  11. The first partition is now freed.
  12. Create a simple volume (I choose cluster size of 4096, more on this later)

Now you get a 1GB or 500MB D: for your use.


What to do with this D:?
What I did is I turned off hibernate (powercfg /h off) and then made this partition for my Windows pagefile.sys. You can find the instructions in the web. If I have time, I will write some more details on this. I don't know of any way to merge this partition to system partition since there are several partitions in between.

After all this, I have 17.0GB free on my C: This is even after I installed all the recommended updates.

Now I want to challenge you guys out there to free up more than 20GB on a 32GB V8P!


Are there other ways to backup?
Yes, Microsoft provides another way to backup your partitions. It backs up your current drive status including the system partitions but not the 5.5GB Recovery Partition.

You can access the tool from Control Panel, then "File History". Toward the bottom left, you will see "System Image Backup". Launch it. It will backup your partitions (excluding the 5.5GB Recovery Partition).

You can save the backup to a microSD card if you want. For me, the tool says I need 11GB but it only used 6GB or so because it compresses the files. However, I suspect it will refuse to save to an 8GB microSD card.

Note that the drive you used for back up must not be FAT32 as files > 4GB will be created. Since the recovery USB is FAT32, I think this eliminates the possibility of using the same drive.

The advantage of System Image Backup is it will backup your current state, i.e. your installed Windows with applications, documents and also your Metro apps (you can keep your version). The disadvantage is it will take up more space and it is not factory image.
To restore, you can use the 8GB USB drive (or your can use the same "Create a recovery drive" tool on a 256MB USB drive and choose not to copy recovery partition).

Instead of "Reset your PC", choose "Advanced options" and "System Image Recovery". I have not tried this System Image Recovery before so I cannot say it works or not. (Edit: laaf2005 confirmed that it works, see his post in Page 3). If you have a spare 16GB microSD, I suggest that you do it anyway. Backup image will be saved under a single directory, and you can backup the directory to your other HDDs and free up your 16GB microSD. Also, since microSD is used for restore, you can replace the USB boot drive with power.
 
Last edited by a moderator: May 16, 2015
8inches, Mar 15, 2014
 
 

 

dwx said:
Is there a way to restore the recovery partition in case I want to sell the device later on?

I do have a working cable to plug the V8P in while a USB is plugged in, wonder if that would work as well with the Dell utility.
Not with this method. But I believe this method here will do it:

http://forum.tabletp...enue-8-pro.html

 

Step-by-step guide to creating a factory backup image for the Dell Venue 8 Pro
Step-By-Step Guide To Creating A Factory Backup Image For The Dell Venue 8 Pro

I present on method of backing up your Dell Venue 8 Pro tablet's eMMC (Disk Drive) so that you can retain a "factory image", or simply a complete backup of your current state.

At this point in time, while Dell provides a way to re-image your tablet from within their Windows install, they do not provide a full recovery option.
Therefore you may wish to follow this procedure if you plan on installing another OS on your tablet, or simply want the security of having a full sector-level backup.

NOTE: While it is possible to create a FULL image backup to a microSD/USB disk using Dell's Backup and Recovery Software, it is NOT possible to actually restore with this backup.
The reasons are as follows:

  1. The system cannot be rebooted from the microSD card created by Dell's Backup and Recovery Software.
  2. If the system is booted from the USB drive, the Backup and Recovery software refuses to run, requesting to be connected to AC power. Therefore, Dell has created a Catch-22, since they require the restore to be booted from USB, but do not allow it to proceed unless the USB (with the image) is disconnected for AC power.
Additionally, when booting the Backup and Recovery software it is clearly not formatted to run on the DV8P's screen. I do not believe that Dell has tested or verified their proposed recovery method as a reasonable method.

ALSO NOTE: Making a copy of your Recovery Partition to a USB drive is NOT enough to recover your DV8P in all scenarios. It will only work if an existing Windows 8.1 installation can be found. I highly recommend making a full system backup using the method described in this post as it will help you recover from any drive configuration changes.

Notes before you begin

All of my work was done on a staging system runnning Windows 7 64-bit . I would expect anyone running any version of Windows 7/8 to be able to follow these procedures.
It is possible this may work on XP without modifications, but I have not tested and there may be some dependencies that Windows XP does not have.

Many of the tasks below will require administrative privileges on your staging machine. Please remember to always start applications as "Run As Administrator", especially command prompts, or you may not have the necessary rights required.

This method entails using a WinPE USB Boot drive with Macrium reflect.
This method is advantageous if you don't have a USB mouse/keyboard/hub to connect to your DV8P, as it creates a WinPE environment with all drivers injected - including touchscreen (and optional on-screen keyboard).
Personally, I did not have a USB hub to use, which is why I developed this method. If you have a USB hub to connect both your mouse/keyboard AND USB drive, it may be possible to create a standard Macrium boot disk without any of the injected drivers. If you attempt the non-drive method, be aware that your microSD card will also be unsupported - requiring all backups only to USB.

What you need

  1. 2GB+ USB Flash Drive - to create the Windows PE USB boot disk.
  2. 16GB+ microSD - to store your image. Larger may be required if you are imaging a non-factory install or don't want to use high compression.
    *Optionally, you should be able to use a 16GB+ USB Flash drive to both build your WinPE boot disk AND backup your image to. This will likely be slower than backing up to MicroSD, but it should work.
  3. OTG micro USB cable - to connect the USB drive
  4. Macrium Reflect Free - image software
  5. Windows Assessment and Deployment Kit (ADK) for Windows 8.1 - to build a custom boot disk with drivers.
  6. Dell Venue 8 Pro Win 8.1 Driver Cab - 5830-win8.1-A00-9Y5Y5.CAB
    Optional:
  7. USB Mouse/Keyboard (optional) - to navigate within the image software
  8. TouchIt Virtual Keyboard Software - touchit_4.9.7.exe
  9. TouchIt PE Setup Wizard - TouchItPE_2.0.exe

Create the following folder stucture on your staging computer

  • C:\DV8PWin
  • C:\DV8PWin\Drivers
  • C:\DV8PWin\Image
  • C:\DV8PWin\Temp

Restore your DV8P to Factory settings (optional)

If you have just received your DV8P and have not gone through the inital setup, or you wish to image as-is (meaning keep your settings/files) you can skip this step.
If however you have been using your DV8P and wish to restore it to factory settings use the below procedure.

  1. Open "Recovery Options" (search in Windows for it)
  2. Choose "Remove everything and re-install windows"
  3. Choose "Next" on "Reset your PC"
  4. Choose "Fully clean the drive"
  5. Choose "Reset"
  6. Wait about 15-25 minutes for your system to restore.
    *You can skip to the next section while you wait!
  7. When the "Region and Language" screen appears, hold the power button in for 5-10 seconds to power off your system

Install the ADK

  1. Run the adksetup.exe tool downloaded from above.
  2. Select "Install the Windows Assessment and Deployment Kit for Windows 8.1 to this computer"
  3. Select your choice for CEIP
  4. Accept the license terms
  5. Select "Deployment Tools" and "Windows PE" from the feature list and choose Install.
    *You can skip to the next section while you wait!

Install Macrium Reflect

  1. Run the reflectdl.exe downloaded from above and select "Download"
  2. Click "Next" to begin the install after the download has completed
  3. Accept all defaults and install
  4. Click "Finish" when done

Prepare the Drivers

  1. Extract 5830-win8.1-A00-9Y5Y5.CAB with Winzip/WinRar/CabArc/etc. to C:\DV8PWin\Temp
  2. Navigate to C:\DV8PWin\Temp\5830-win8.1-A00-9Y5Y5\5830\win8.1\x86
  3. Cut and Paste the 'chipset' and 'network' folders into C:\DV8PWin\Drivers
  4. Open C:\DV8PWin\Drivers\network\379GH_A00-00\production\Windows8.1-x86\Bluetooth-Driver\qcbtuart.inf in your favorite text editor:
  5. Find the section entitled [SourceDisksFiles] and remove all entries except:

    qcbtuart.sys = 1,,
    qcbtctrl.dll = 1,,​
  6. Find the section entiled [BTUART.Files] and remove all entries except:

    qcbtuart.sys

    *This step is required since the .INF file lists driver files that are not needed/present and therefore must be removed.
    As an alternative, you can simply delete the "C:\DV8PWin\Drivers\network\379GH_A00-00\production\Windows8.1-x86\Bluetooth-Driver\" folder, as the BlueTooth drivers are not really necessary for WindowPE.

Create your WinPE Environement

After the ADK has been installed, perform the following:

  1. Launch the "Deployment and Imaging Tools" shortcut as Administrator
  2. Create an x86 PE environment by typing the following at the command prompt:
    copype.cmd x86 c:\DV8PWin\winpe
  3. Mount the Windows PE .wim Image with Dism:
    dism.exe /Mount-WIM /WimFile:"C:\DV8PWin\winpe\media\sources\boot.wim" /index:1 /MountDir:"C:\DV8PWin\Image"

Import the Drivers

  1. Import the drivers into the image:
    dism.exe /image:"C:\DV8PWin\Image" /Add-Driver /driver:"C:\DV8PWin\Drivers" /recurse /forceunsigned

Dismount the Image

  1. Dismount the image saving the changes:
    dism.exe /Unmount-wim /mountdir:"C:\DV8PWin\Image" /commit

Create Macrium USB Boot Disk

  1. Connect the USB flash drive to the PC
  2. Start Reflect
  3. Select "Other Tasks" > "Create Rescue Media" from the top menu
  4. Select "Advanced" and choose "Windows PE 4.0", click Next
  5. Change PE Architecture to 32-bit and click "Continue" on the warning prompt
  6. Select "Custom based WIM", browse and select "C:\DV8PWin\winpe\media\sources\boot.wim"
  7. Click "Next" and "Continue" on the Architecture Conflict screen
  8. Select "Download" if prompted to download from Microsoft
  9. Wait while the download and image building complete (might take a bit...)
  10. Click "Continue" when presented with the "Check your rescue media..." screen
  11. Click "Cancel" if presented with an "Update Found" screen
  12. Choose your USB device from the "Burn Rescue Media" screen and click "Finish"
  13. Click "OK" when done copying files and remove the USB drive.

Add On-screen keyboard to boot disk (optional)

While you should be able to navigate Macrium entirely with a few simple taps, you may want to use a keyboard for specific customization.
Technically, you should be able to unplug your USB drive and hot-swap a mouse or keyboard if required.
However, following this step allows you to have an on-screen keyboard if you prefer (one is not included by default in WinPE).

  1. Place the WinPE USB disk in the computer
  2. Launch the "Deployment and Imaging Tools" shortcut as Administrator
  3. Mount the Windows PE .wim Image on the USB drive with Dism:
    dism.exe /Mount-WIM /WimFile:"E:\sources\boot.wim" /index:1 /MountDir:"C:\DV8PWin\Image"
    *Replace E: with your USB drive letter
  4. Install touchit_4.9.7.exe using all the defaults. This need to be installed on your PC to stage it to the WinPE disk.
  5. When the On Screen Keyboard appears after install, click the Red power button to close it.
  6. Open "c:\Program Files (x86)\Chessware\TouchIt\TouchIt.ini" in your favorite text editor
  7. Find the following section:

    [kb_XP004.kbl]
    ID=1964565648
    Position=3
    Desc=102 keys keyboard
    AlphaBlend=255
    MonitorX0=100
    MonitorY0=100​
  8. Change MonitorX0 and MonitorY0 values from 100 to 83
  9. Add the following to the bottom of the file:

    [Keyboard]
    StartMinimize=1​
  10. Save and close the file
  11. Run TouchItPE_2.0.exe
  12. On the WinPE paths screen set the following and click Next:
    • PETools Folder = C:\Program Files (x86)\Windows Kits\8.1\Assessment and Deployment Kit\Windows Preinstallation Environment
    • Image Folder = c:\DV8PWin\Image
  13. Click Install
  14. Click Close
  15. Open "c:\DV8PWin\Image\Windows\System32\Winpeshl.ini" in your text editor. Delete the contents and replace with:

    [LaunchApps]
    %SYSTEMDRIVE%\Program Files\Chessware\TouchIt\Run_TouchIt.exe
    %SYSTEMDRIVE%\Program Files\Macrium\launch.exe
  16. Save and close the file
  17. Dismount the image saving the changes:
    dism.exe /Unmount-wim /mountdir:"C:\DV8PWin\Image" /commit
  18. Remove the USB drive
  19. Uninstall the Touch-It Virtual Keyboard from your system, else it will start on every login.

Boot to Macrium

  1. Power off your DV8P
  2. Ensure your USB drive and/or microSD card are connected
  3. Enter BIOS by powering on your DV8P and holding the Volume button down for 3-5 seconds
  4. In BIOS tap "Boot"
  5. Tap "Boot Option #1" and select the USB drive
  6. Tap on the keyboard icon in the top right
  7. Tap F10
  8. Tap Yes to Save configuration and restart
Your DV8P should now boot from the USB drive and launch Macrium

Backup the Drive to the SD/USB:

You should be able to use the touchscreen to navigate within WinPE.
Additionally, if you opted to install the on-screen keyboard above, it should start minimized in the bottom right corner of the screen. Touch the blue circle to open the keyboard.
If not, you can unplug your USB drive after Macrium has loaded and attach a USB mouse and/or keyboard.

  1. In Macrium, select "Backup" > "Image Local Drives" from the top menu
  2. In the "Source" section, check the left most box to select all partitions on the drive
  3. In the "Destination" section, browse the Folder to your microSD card (should be D:\) or to your USB Flash drive.
  4. Select Next
  5. On the Summary Screen, select "Advanced Options"
  6. Select "Make an exact copy of the partition(s)"
  7. Choose the compression type desired (I used High)
  8. Set a Password (Optional, but a good idea if you are backing up a non-Factory image with sensitive data).
  9. Optionally choose to Verify
  10. Click "OK"
  11. Click "Finish".
    *Depending on the speed of your microSD/USB this will take anywhere from 20-60 minutes. My backup took just about 20 and created a compressed .mrimg file a hair over 9GB
  12. Once complete, press and hold the power button to turn off the DV8P.
  13. Remove the USB drive and reboot back into Windows 8.1

You can now copy the backup .mrimg file from the USB/microSD card to another location if desired for archival storage.

How to Restore

If and when you need to restore the image, follow the below steps:

  1. Using the bootable USB drive you created above, follow the steps in Boot to Macrium to get back into Macrium.
  2. Ensure the .mrimg file you need to restore is on your microSD/USB card
  3. In Macrium, select the "Restore" tab and click "Browse for an image file"
  4. Select the location of the .mrimg file on your microSD or USB disk
  5. On the "Image Restore" tab the selected backup will display. Click the "Restore Image" option
  6. In the "Source" section, check the left most box to select all partitions on the drive
  7. Click each partition on the Destination disk and select "Delete Existing partition" on each one until the Destination drive contains no partitions
  8. Click Next
  9. Click Finish
    *Depending on the speed of your microSD/USB this will take anywhere from 20-60 minutes. My restore took just about 15 minutes.
  10. Once complete, press and hold the power button to turn off the DV8P.
  11. Remove the USB drive and reboot back into Windows 8.1

Now that you are all backed up, if you would like to do your own fresh Windows install, you can follow my guide here:
Alternate Step-by-step Guide to installing Windows 8.1 on the Dell Venue 8 Pro

You can also create a multi-boot USB with the following:
Step-by-step guide to creating a multi-boot Backup/Recovery and Install USB drive for the Dell Venue 8 Pro

Or, free up even more space!
Guide to Maximizing Disk Space on your Dell Venue 8 Pro (or other Windows 8.1 system)
 
Last edited by a moderator: May 18, 2015

 

 



#32 TheHive

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Posted 26 May 2016 - 02:02 AM

How to convert EMMC Hdd from removable disk to local disk to install Windows

http://reboot.pro/to...nstall-windows/

 

 

 

Posted 3 days ago   Best Answer

cdob, on 19 May 2016 - 7:26 PM, said:snapback.png

 
How come the removable disk?
Does a update to BIOS A14 creates a fixed disk?

 

CDOB!

 

THIS IS THE ANSWER!!! I updated to A14 and it sees the EMMC as a FIXED DISK and Windows has been installed!!!! OMG took me like 3 weeks when that should have been the first thing I tried!  Wonder how people running A11 back in the days were able to install the Windows then?

 

Thanks for everybody for their assistance!



#33 Nzyme

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Posted 07 July 2018 - 08:20 AM

@TheHive: I am hoping you can help me here. I have a Dell Venue 8 Pro that came with Windows 8.1. I then upgraded that to Windows 10 and now after several months, I have decided to roll back to Windows 8.1. I have tried to reset after logging in to Windows 10 (that is: Settings > Update > Recovery > Reset) but that did not help as it again installed Windows 10. Can you please help how can I roll back to the Windows 8.1? Thanks


Edited by Nzyme, 07 July 2018 - 08:22 AM.


#34 TheHive

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Posted 07 August 2018 - 10:05 AM

@TheHive: I am hoping you can help me here. I have a Dell Venue 8 Pro that came with Windows 8.1. I then upgraded that to Windows 10 and now after several months, I have decided to roll back to Windows 8.1. I have tried to reset after logging in to Windows 10 (that is: Settings > Update > Recovery > Reset) but that did not help as it again installed Windows 10. Can you please help how can I roll back to the Windows 8.1? Thanks

Recovery - Resetting when you have Win 10 installed will only reset back to Win 10. The way to get Windows 8.1 on the tablet again should be by using a Windows 8.1 Media on Usb using Rufus to create a bootable Windows 8.1 USB.

 

You will need an OTG Cable  (also called Micro USB OTG to USB 2.0 Adapter   or    USB 2.0 Female to Micro USB Male OTG On-The-Go Cable Adapter) to use  bootable USB on the tablet.

 

Download Windows 8.1 Disc Image

https://www.microsof...oad/windows8ISO


  • Nzyme likes this

#35 cdob

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Posted 13 August 2018 - 03:37 PM

a Windows 8.1 Media

Didn't Dell delivered the Venue 8 Pro with the Windows 8.1 with Bing ?
https://www.dell.com...ro-5830?lang=en

@Nzyme
Which partitions exists currently?
Is there a hidden partition with the files install.wim and custom.wim?

#36 TheHive

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Posted 14 August 2018 - 10:23 AM

Didn't Dell delivered the Venue 8 Pro with the Windows 8.1 with Bing ?
https://www.dell.com...ro-5830?lang=en

 

Win 8.1 Home.

 

You cant use Windows 10 built-in downgrade, because he said  win 10 was installed and runing for  several months (downgrade to win 81 was not inside the 30-day window)


#37 Nzyme

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Posted 14 August 2018 - 10:35 AM

Recovery - Resetting when you have Win 10 installed will only reset back to Win 10. The way to get Windows 8.1 on the tablet again should be by using a Windows 8.1 Media on Usb using Rufus to create a bootable Windows 8.1 USB.

 

You will need an OTG Cable  (also called Micro USB OTG to USB 2.0 Adapter   or    USB 2.0 Female to Micro USB Male OTG On-The-Go Cable Adapter) to use  bootable USB on the tablet.

 

Download Windows 8.1 Disc Image

https://www.microsof...oad/windows8ISO

Ok, I guess I'll stay with Win 10 then. I want to be sure that everything related to Win 8.1 is out of my drive. I don't want to have a partition where the win 8.1 iso file is stored somewhere buried deeply in my drive occupying precious disk space. How can I ensure that everything related to Win 8.1 is erased and I just have a clean copy of Win 10?

 

One more thing I noticed was, whenever I went to settings and did a reset (hard), then later after logging in to Windows, I see files and stuff related to the old OS. Can these folders be safely deleted? Thank you



#38 TheHive

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Posted 15 August 2018 - 09:50 AM

Do a Reset this PC , "Remove everything," and "Remove files and clean the drive". That should remove everything, including personal files(folders), and remove downgrade option if it was available.

 

How to Reset Your Windows 10 PC with screenshots.

https://www.laptopma...t-windows-10-pc



#39 Nzyme

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Posted 15 August 2018 - 11:32 AM

Do a Reset this PC , "Remove everything," and "Remove files and clean the drive". That should remove everything, including personal files(folders), and remove downgrade option if it was available.

 

How to Reset Your Windows 10 PC with screenshots.

https://www.laptopma...t-windows-10-pc

Thank you!



#40 ckbckb

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Posted 15 September 2019 - 02:22 PM

Hi,

My tablet is stuck at the boot when I select F2/F12.

Just display the dell logo and at the bottom display the keyboard.

Anyone can help?




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