UEFI Dell / Lenovo / Acer re-install Windows 8 / 8.1 without recovery

[Admin]

It so happens that you might not have a backup of your windows 8 / 8.1 with you when your hard disk decides to stop working. You can replace the hdd, but seems like you do not have a genuine windows install which can be activated.

In case you have a Dell / Lenovo / Acer with the UEFI (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Unified_Extensible_Firmware_Interface) ; then you can download the windows version that you had installed previously from: http://windows.microsoft.com/en-IN/windows-8/create-reset-refresh-media

It took me almost an hour to find this URL, so I am guessing I almost saved you couple of minutes.