I see that you are saying all versions of Windows 8 are failing on your system, but are you including 32-bit and 64-bit flavors? I understand why 32-bit versions might give you grief (too much RAM for a 32-bit system to handle). A 64-bit system might still have device driver issues. Microsoft does not auto-magically have all the device drivers in the world that are necessary to make any system usable. The original device manufacturers must provide Microsoft with drivers before the Windows Update servers would be able to communicate said drivers to the computers in question.
In regards to Apple devices, Apple has not yet released the device drivers needed to run the hardware with Windows 8. Apple has released the drivers for previous versions of Windows (XP SP2 and higher, Vista RTM and higher, 7 RTM and higher) to their userbase, but not to Microsoft for distribution through Windows Update (unless I am mistaken). Until Apple releases a version of Boot Camp updated for use with Windows 8, they have not yet released any form of the full collection of necessary device drivers for normal device function with Windows 8. Running compatibility mode on the Windows 7 device driver bundle via boot camp is not a fully palatable solution because compatibility mode generally is meant for application programs, not device driver services. Therefore, partial compatibility might be gained by using the Windows 7 device drivers for Windows 8 with the compatibility mode enabled prior to install. Unfortunately, much unanticipated incompatibility is equally likely with such a decision.
Some parting words on the subject may be necessary for clarification: prior to the RTM versions of Windows 8, the trial versions of Windows 8 were distributed with a much wider array of device drivers than the RTMs. This was for Microsoft's testing purposes. Furthermore, some of the architecture used during the trial period likely used Windows 7 engines more than Windows 8 engines. This means the Windows 7 drivers pack would have had more likelihood of working during the Beta and Release Candidate periods than during the final Golden Master period we have now entered. Regardless, it is not recommended by Apple (our hardware manufacturer) to use another method of installing Windows on a Mac than to utilize Boot Camp.
As Mende1 suggested, you would be wise to reinstall a previous version of Windows you may have been running. Also, given your previous post, you will want to repair your OS X installation back to full functionality prior to the Windows reinstall. For a reasonable timeline estimate, consider that it took 89 days from the original release of Windows 7 by Microsoft until Apple originally released device drivers via an updated Boot Camp. That puts a reasonable ETA for the necessary Boot Camp update at January 22nd/23rd. Even though this does not seem to apply to your situation, the discounted download for the Windows 8 Pro Upgrade will end after January 31st.
Cheers!
