#Windows 8.1 embedded serial key license key#
#Windows 8.1 embedded serial key driver#
#Windows 8.1 embedded serial key upgrade#
#Windows 8.1 embedded serial key full#
#Windows 8.1 embedded serial key pro#

IвЂ™m a happy Linux user since over 15 Years. I never liked Windows and I never will, so I do not use it.

#Windows 8.1 embedded serial key upgrade#

As mentioned, what happens if you like to upgrade from a home edition to a pro? Most likely you will end up wasting quite some time in calling M$ to get it installed and running.

#Windows 8.1 embedded serial key license key#

In point of copy protection, itвЂ™s useless to have the License key in the BIOS. Only what was needed was a hardware emulator which creates what needed or replaces everything to get things going. I have seen companies using sophisticated hardware keys and failed miserably in protecting there software from crackers. Firmware can be altered and so the Windows software which reads the license key. To have the license key in the Firmware of the BIOS seams appealing but useless in point of security. M$ always makes things more and more complicated for itвЂ™s users. I finally ended up using Win 8 settings/advanced startupвЂ¦.UFEI Firmware settingsвЂ¦.that takes me to what appears to be a BIOS setup but almost seems too simple. I tried for an hour to access the bios and couldnt do it. A microsoft blog also published the same info. The reason? The time to hit the proper key during boot for bios is 1/4 of a second due to the faster boot of Win 8. IвЂ™ve been told by cust svc from ASUS that the bios is not accessible on machines in which Win 8 came preinstalled, only on machines that were upgraded from lower versions.

#Windows 8.1 embedded serial key pro#

I did not need to use the Win 8 pro media: the new key unlocked or downloaded the new features and installed them flawlessly, and now Belarc shows the new pro key as the installed key.

#Windows 8.1 embedded serial key driver#

I was on the road and didnt want to go through driver installations and chasing down some useful OEM apps, so I installed the Win 8 Pro by merely entering the new key in control panel/system/get more features with a new edition of windows/I already have a product key. I wanted Win 8 Pro, so I bought a retail version on sale for $50.

#Windows 8.1 embedded serial key full#

Hope this helps somebodyвЂ¦I bought a new laptop with Win 8 pre-installed.The last 5 digits of the OEM key were visible in control panel/system/View details in windows activationвЂ¦but I used Belarc advisor to get the full key from wherever it is storedвЂ¦Belarc was free and I didnt have any issues with it. There is a market of second-hand main boards for these laptops out there, but if what IвЂ™m saying is true, then they are worthless to me unless I could reprogram the activation keys. Now if I could get HP to activate Windows with a new motherboard for my laptop, I would, but so far it seems they will not even hear requests regarding this model anymore. He said retail Windows is transferable between hardware. Not surprisingly, the Microsoft man suggested I buy retail Windows 10. In my situation, theyвЂ™re HP, who stopped supporting my laptop conveniently after about two years, just as I am beginning to hear that this particular model is not very reliable (Pavilion). He says the legal contract is not between you (the owner of the system) and Microsoft, but between you and the manufacturer, when you buy one of these PCs. His message is actually, no, you cannot transfer the license from one motherboard to another, as it is activated only by/for the firmware installed at the factory. IвЂ™ve spoken with a Microsoft support man directly about transferring вЂOEMвЂ™ (prestinalled by PC manufacturer) Windows for this very problem. Instead, this will be embedded in the BIOS. One of the improvements Microsoft is making to Activation 3.0 for newly built machines that come preloaded with Windows 8, you wonГўв‚¬в„ўt have a COA (Certificate of Authenticity) sticker attached to the machine anymore. This has several advantages, both for Microsoft and OEMs as it is no longer that easy to 'steal' product keys this way, and for users who do not have to worry about fading text or damaged labels on their laptops.

What this means is that the installer will automatically recognize the product key and use it during installation and activation of the Windows 8 operating system. Device manufacturers are embedding the product key in the BIOS of the motherboard. The question that should come up at this point is how you are going to reinstall the operating system without the product key. If you have purchased a laptop running Windows 8 recently you may have noticed that it may not contain a small label on the back side or battery compartment listing the operating system's product key.