I am setting up a new test machine with Windows 8 Pro and it has been a disaster. I only have the Windows 8 upgrade disc, not the full version.
First I tried to do a clean install on a new hard drive. Everything installed, updated, I tried to upgrade to 8.1 after downloading exactly 2,527,825 KB it gives and error. Claiming the app did not install for unknown reasons error 0x8020002E. I realized the Windows did not activate, I tried to activate it and it would not work. Apparently you can do a clean install from an update disc but you cannot activate it.
So I started over. I installed Win 7 Pro, then installed Win 8 Pro. Rebooted, updated everything, Activated, rebooted again for fun. Tried to upgrade to Win 8.1 Pro, same error 0x8020002E after downloading exactly 2,527,825 KB. This is getting frustrating. Tried WSRESET, this does absolutely nothing. It does not delete the 2.5 GB file, it also doesn't let the windows store know that I want to re-download it. When I click upgrade to Win 8.1 Pro it asks me to click accept/download, jumps to the next screen shows it has been mostly downloaded and bam gives me the same error. I tried the Windows Update Troubleshooter. This finds a problem with windows updates, attempts to fix it and fails. So another worthless tool. At this point it would reset my ability to download Win 8.1 Pro. I would start over, it downloads exactly 2,527,825 KB and gives me the exact same error.
I tried to stop the Windows Update Service, stop bits, delete the contents of C:\windows\softwaredistribution. This helped a little, in a sense I could download the same exact partial file. It gives the error and I then want to just install windows 7 and call it a day.
I found out there was a registry tweak that would allow a clean install from an upgrade disc. I performed a clean install, I didn't even need to do the registry tweak because windows had already been activated. Updated everything, reboot, update more etc. Long story short same problem. Same exact download, cuts out at the same exact point.
For some odd reason it has decided to do even weirder things. After my 5-6th attempt to fix this on the current install it started giving me different error codes. I started with 0x8020002E, then it moved to 0x80072F78, then it moved to 0x80070003. Now it no longer gives me an error, instead it lies and claims it installed. In the windows store it says Upgrade to 8.1, I click it, click accept/download. It flashes to the download screen, then it says "Your apps were installed". But in reality it was never installed, I am still on Win 8 Pro not 8.1 Pro.
Edit: After running the windows update fix, it indicates an error 0x80070057 that it fails to fix. I went through the manual steps, still did nothing. There are about 10 DLLS that it would not register when going through the steps with various error msgs.
I also tried the link to download 8.1 to install it to a usb flash drive. It accepts my product key under windows 8 but not under 8.1.
Does every upgrade from Windows 8 Pro to 8.1 Pro go this smooth?
Any suggestions would be appreciated.