Zbook Windows 7 to Windows 8

Has anyone successfully used the Windows 8 media and instructions HP provided to migrate the Zbook from W7 to W8 ( and beyond..) ?? The instructions provided are cryptic , and refer to processes that simply don't exist in Setup , and seem to omit some important prerequisites for the BIOS and setup . I was able to try using a MS OEM Win 8 disk , add the HP drivers , but the result was buggy ( key W8 update couldn't apply, W8.1 update stopped with generic warning . i reverted to the factory, and are currently back at 7 . I am evaluating a Zbook 17 , K3100M, 4700 processor with the 32g SSD/750 G cache ( and an add on Samsung 840 pro) .. Non DreamColor .

Would be curious to share findings . I will be imaging the disk , and trying again with some tidbits gleaned from the the HP pages - namely switch the boot to UEFI ..still not sure about a 'tip' to disable integrated graphics during the install , and not sure how well the install will play with the RAID settings required for SSD Caching .

Any experiences others can share will be appreciated . I want to avoid 'bare metal;' if possible , but might need to go that route , and will need to be in either 7 or 8.1 pro ( need IE 11 specifically ) .. Thanks

 

OK .. lots of views but no takers , so .. I've been able to accomplish this .

I'll share what I did , based on prior knowledge, deciphering , etc . YMMV . The machine is a Zbook 17 w/ FHD Display , 4700m processor, Quadro 3100, 750 G hard drive with 32 G SSD cache ( yup , Intel RST) . This also assumes the HP media will be used for migrating to Windows 8.0, and the Microsoft Store App will be used for 8.1 . If you use any other media , you'll probably need to deal with injecting drivers for Intel RST, etc .

First step: Image the entire disk w/ the Window 7 Operating System, Recovery partition, etc . Use Macrium or something that will image the entire disk. Reason is , the change to Win 8 will not restore the Factory recovery image , etc . Disable the SSD caching in the Intel RST Control Panel . You will not need to update the BIOS from RAID to ACHI if you're using the HP Win 8 install disk ; they've included (injected) the drivers .

Second Step : Load the HP Windows 8 Operating System media DVD . Then, shut down .

Third Step : Start Up , esc to enter HP Setup . Change the Boot to UEFI from Legacy . This is important . The DVD will not install, etc without this . There are no other BIOS changes required ( e.g. disable RAID, disable Optimus) Save BIOS changes . You should get a screen asking to choose where to boot . Upgrade Bay ( UEFI) is the choice .

Fourth Step : The DVD will boot ..you'll the familiar four square Win 8 logo , followed by a blank blue screen . It will then go to the Win 8 Setup Screen , asking where you wish to install Win 8 . You will need to F9 to the Volume Management Screen and Delete every volume ( see why we backed up the image ??) .. The Win 7 HP installation is MBR , and the HP W8 requires GPT for UEFI . Once you're left w/ unallocated space , format the disk. This will format the disk as GPT and install Win 8 and the related partitions. it will take a few minutes , and eventually will restart several time, the final time landing you at Win 8 setup .

Fifth Step : Once in Win 8 , use the HP disk to install the Hardware Enabling Drivers . if you're going all the way to 8.1 , I strongly suggest you NOT install any of the HP recommended Software Apps ( such as client security, etc) . An alternative is to get the latest Win 8 Drivers from the HP support page , subject to the caution above . Reason for not installing the HP stuff ; some of it can and will interfere with the required prerequisite Win 8 updates to get to 8.1 ..

Sixth Step : Resolve all Device issues using Device Management . Once these are resolved , check for updates .. You'll have 106 updates to install , Grab a cup of coffee or your favorite energy drink .. it'll be a while . I recommend doing these 10-15 at a time . There are a few big updates in this . Make sure they're all successful , or it will be very difficult to get to Win 8.1 . If you're going to 8.1 , do NOT install the HP/Intel Bluetooth Drivers; they'll be flagged as incompatible and you'll need to uninstall it before trying to go to 8.1

Step 7 . If you're staying at Win 8.0 , you're done except for installing any remaining HP and application software . If you're going to 8.1 , read on .

Step 8 . This assumes you'll upgrade to 8.1 through the Store . The 'app' should be available to you if all Windows Updates applied, and your machine is clean of HP and other Applications . Select this and sit back ; on a fast connection , the upgrade takes close to 90 minutes . This is because of a 3 Gigabyte download AND the Store upgrade will apply all updates , including the most recent 8.1 'service pack' released last week , with the new 'apps via the desktop ' features .

Step 9 : Once this is complete , Round 2 of Driver checking and updating, and installing all the Applications ( HP and Non-HP Software) .


Good news is, so far after 4 days of testing and 24x7 uptime , In spite of HP advising not to update to 8.1 , my configuration and software works pretty well . What I can disclose about what's running are some Adobe products , the Microsoft Office Suite , Handbrake , VLC. RST and Optimus appear to be behaving OK , and no issues with LAN or wireless connectivity . Can't comment on Bluetooth ( not being used) .

Sorry for the length post , but hopefully this can guide someone if they're stuck , and not planning a bare metal upgrade .

 

Thank you for the sumary, good to have, even though I don't plan to update my zBook to win8 soon.

One addition if you imaged an HDD and want to apply the image to aSSD (I used several truecrypt versions for the past years)
applying the image to a SSD will nearly always result to misalignement, because of the differences in structure between HDD and SSD.

Misalignement in short means the data on a SSD can be distributed over 2 sectors because the boundry differs from an HDD, which will cause unnecessary r/w operations, wear and tear and of course reduce performance. Running an alignement tool will shift the data to fit within the SSD structure so you have no more unnecessary r/w operations, wear and tear and full performance.

I remember having read something bute can't find it again, like "the upgrade from win8.0 to 8.1 is possible only within a certain time frame". Is this true meaning I will we have to create a working image of win 8.1 to be able to use it at a later date, or am I wrong.

 

I haven't heard about a time frame ..MSFT is strongly encouraging the update in various ways , including not making IE 11 available to 8.0 .. As far as an SSD alignment goes, some of the other latest releases of tools used for cloning ( Macrium, Acronis) handle the alignment issues for SSDs . The big thing with Zbooks that have the 750 + the 32 G cache is undoing the Intel RST Caching ( which doesn't support SSD caching for another SSD, wisely) .. This requires work in Windows, The BIOS , and probably the Intel RAID configuration to adjust . The other thing I noticed in this setup is the boot ( for Win 7) appeared to originate from the mSATA ( fast boot) .
It's not plug and play to transfer to a main add -on SSD , but do-able with a bit of prep . We haven't done this <yet> for the 17s we've seen, but I know we will at some point . I think there's already guidance on this posted in the 14/15 owners lounges or other posts .