Re-installing windows 8 on Asus laptop

[jazzyman9182]

Hey guys, I'm looking at re-installing windows 8 (8.1) on my laptop (Asus V551LB-CJ162H), but I want to install it without all the Asus bloatware. I bought this laptop 2 weeks ago, but I'm not happy with the start up times. It keeps on freezing whenever it boots up. Sleep doesn't work correctly, it take forever to go to sleep, and then when I turn it back on, it's the same as if I shut it down. And a restart end with DRIVER_STATE_POWER_FAILURE.

I'm also not happy with all the programs that came with the laptop that changed the screen colors, and a bunch of other stuff.

I'm usually pretty good with partitions and installing operating systems but this laptop is just frustrating. 

 

The first thing I need is an original copy of windows 8. Apparently the key is built into the BIOS. I tried using the windows 8 installer program, and using a key finder to find my key for windows, but none of them worked (different keys for different programs).

If I find a windows 8 ISO and install that to a USB, will a standard windows 8 installation find the key in the BIOS?

 

And so far I have used the 'Create a Recovery Drive' to so what I think copy's the recovery partition onto a USB stick. 

 

I also don't understand Asus' recovery partitions. Most laptops I've used have had just one partition for recovery, But this has 8 total partitions: 

(Disk 2 is the cache SSD) 
 

 

So question are:

1) Can I install a basic copy of windows 8 and it will find the key in the BIOS?

2) If so, where can I download an ISO for windows 8? (it would not be pirating because I own a legal version on windows 8 on this laptop.)

3) Does the 'Create a Recovery Drive' do the same as the partitions built into the HDD?

 

Thanks in advance

[ubuntusuperuser]

i had to do reinstall on my asus laptop aswell because of the bloatware.

i had to boot into a live version of ubuntu to get the key from bios (i used this http://superuser.com/questions/637971/how-do-i-get-out-my-embedded-windows-8-key-from-a-linux-environment)

i got a copy of windows 8 .iso from the pirate bay (legal as long you use serial key)

[mooseducks86]

From what I understand you can only make a backup of your current system, but it does not give you an installation disc. The windows 8 preinstalled key should be automatically found by an installation disc. You could swap out your HDD with another, borrow a windows 8 DVD from a friend and see how that goes... but if you end up buying your own copy, you'd have a key for a desktop or another laptop. Microsoft is really trying to crack down on piracy, and no longer shipping preinstalled computers with installation media and transferable keys is one of the routes they've seemed to go.

 

I do use windows 8.1, but I bought a retail copy, so don't take my word for it. I do know that Asus Backtracker only copies your factory image, I assume you use it to clone all your bloatware back on to the HDD.