Installation of Windows 8.1 - Error Code 0x80070002 & Other Installation Problems

Anonymous

I currently have Windows 8 on a Dell Inspiron laptop. I have been trying, unsuccessfully to upgrade to Windows 8.1. Initially I received the error code 0x80070002; my installation had failed. I tried multiple "solutions" such as doing a clean boot, installing/uninstalling KB2871389 file. I tried the Windows Fix-It download, and even turned off my McAfee security briefly. If I'm able to get rid of the error code, I receive another error message that states the installation failed, try again or cancel; no error code. If I am able to get this message cleared, the 0x80070002 code returns. I have also read about dual hard drives, and found nothing in my system that pertained to this.

I do not have anything connected to my laptop except for a wireless mouse. I am hardwired to a network. I have searched for every possible solution for the error code and the other problem, and nothing works. Like I said, I get rid of one error code only to receive an error message, and vice versa. At this point I would like to update to Windows 8.1 simply to be able to upgrade to Windows 10.

Any new suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

Thank you!

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Anonymous

Hi,

There is something else that I am not sure you are aware of...

Sometime in Jan. 2016 support ends for Win 8... No more updates...

Existing updates can be installed, but there will be no more new ones, security or otherwise.

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Anonymous

Hi,

In this example, you would simply replace the C:\ with the letter of your Flash Drive...

DISM.exe /Online /Cleanup-Image /RestoreHealth /Source:C:\RepairSource\Windows /LimitAccess

This is all one command BTW...

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42 additional answers

Anonymous

2015-12-10T02:31:25+00:00

Hi,

I just wanted to let you know that I have reloaded an image of Win 8 Pro on my machine so I can better advise you... instead of trying to guess where buttons are...

It wasn't a waste of time. I found some of my instructions were off a little....

To find the Shortcuts for Backup and Recovery it is easier to go to Control Panel and set the "View By" on the upper right corner to "Small Icons"...

There will be a link for "Windows 7 File Recovery" which is where you would go to make an image of your machine the way it currently is...

Click on the "Create System Image" on the upper left corner and pick the HDD you want to save it on... You may need 100GB of Free Space...

To make a "Recovery Drive" on a Flash Drive you would click on "Recovery" in Control panel... Then select "Create a Recovery Drive" and choose your Flash Drive...

I'm guessing about the size, but a safe bet would be 32GB... maybe a bit pricey...

If your machine has a CD\DVD drive you could possibly skip that Recovery Drive and just make a "Repair Disk"... This would be a bootable CD or DVD that would allow you to reload the backup Image if your machine won't boot...

You would do this at the "Windows 7 File Recovery" location, right below the selection for a image... When you create an image, you will actually be asked if you want to make one...

I'll leave it up to you as to what you would like to do about the 32GB Flash Drive...

It's not 100% necessary as long as you have a bootable Repair Disk...

As a last resort, the media could be purchased from Dell, but I don't have a clue as to the cost...

Another thing that may solve the Win 8.1 upgrade problem is to start the machine in SAFE BOOT... This is similar to SAFE MODE, but a bit different...

One thing is very important before setting the machine to SAFE BOOT...

You need to set the machine to not require a login at startup...

The problem is that sometimes it is not possible to get to the login screen in SAFE BOOT... Then there is a big problem... I have seen this happen all over the Forums...

It is entirely possible that SAFE BOOT will not allow what is causing the installation problem to not even load at startup...

To set SAFE BOOT, type "msconfig" in the RUN or .CMD...

Then click on the BOOT TAB...

Check the box for SAFE BOOT and the box below it for Network... Nothing else.

This time leave your internet hooked up so the installation can try for new drivers...

I know this is kind of out of the blue, but we appear to be on different schedules. I thought this may give you something to consider while I am offline...
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Anonymous

2015-12-10T00:15:31+00:00

Hi,

Something else I thought of... Once you upgrade to Win 8.1 or higher, the partition on your machine to restore it to Factory "Out Of Box" will probably be useless...

How many partitions do you have on your HDD in Disk Management...

I'm thinking there should be one of about 15GB...

The manufacturer's usually provide a method to burn DVDs or make a Flash Drive to do this... With the way the newer machines work, the DVD method is not used much...

I'm thinking that in addition to trying to save an image of your current HDD, it might also be a good idea to create a USB Recovery Flash Drive...

I'm guessing you would need a 16GB to 32GB Flash...

One reason for the Recovery Drive other than restoring to Factory is that should you ever need to use your BackupImage on the HDD, you will need a way to boot the machine to run the process... Which the Recovery Drive will do...

If you already had Win 8.1 it wouldn't be as big of a problem... Installation\repair Media for Win 8 is EXTREMELY had to come by... especially if your's is preinstalled...

Dell is pretty good at making stuff for repairs available, but I'm not real familiar with them...
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Anonymous

2015-12-09T16:27:06+00:00

Hello,

I do have an external HDD at home. At the moment I'm at work so I don't have access to it.

I tried another install this morning (from USB, McAfee not installed & MCRP run, secure boot disabled, fast boot disabled, not connected to the internet), and received the same error message. Windows 8.1 installation has failed.

I did notice that the secure boot must be disabled or it just gives the message that Windows isn't sure if your pc is ready to continue. So at least we have one answer. :-)

Thank you.
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