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william_schubert

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Windows 8 drive crashed can't access uefi

Toshiba laptop received from customer.  The hard drive is completely inaccessible.  It will not boot to the USB recovery due to UEFI lockout.  We can boot to disk but without a Windows 8 disk (no idea where that comes from) there is no way to access the BIOS to turn UEFI and secure boot off.  
We have MAPS software but using it requires verification of the key which reduces our Windows 8 MAPS licenses by one, something I'm not willing to do.   I could maybe download a torrent of some kind of Windows 8 trial ware but I'm not inclined to do anything illegal.
We've not been able to find anyone who has had this problem but it is going to be a common one soon enough.
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Steven Harris
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What is the model of the laptop?

I assume this was pre insatlled with windows 8 correct?

Follow Preinstalled directions here,
http://forums.toshiba.com/t5/Windows-8-8-1-Knowledge-Base/How-To-Enter-the-system-BIOS-or-UEFI-in-Windows-8/ta-p/329292
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william_schubert

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Yeah, preinstalled.  F2 and F12 (and any other of the hundreds of possible key combinations) did not work.  

Bottom line is that with Windows 8 the user MUST have a Windows account to be able to access a CD download in the future.  Otherwise if the drive dies and no provision has been made to boot in an unsecure manner (like every other OS and PC has booted from the beginning of PC time) then the computer becomes a paperweight.

In this particular case we noticed that the laptop is still under warranty for another month or so.  Makes it Toshiba's problem.  

This is going to be an ongoing issue for all service people.
Preinstalled instruction's on my link do not include f2 or f12 as options.

Scroll down to preinstalled instructions.