Need help with windows 8 clean install on retail pc.

Downloading now.....I will let you guys know.

gregrocker said:

No actually Bill we're having sessions here at Seattle MVP Summit with the Windows 10 team which I can't discuss further.

I have to say that this is a great improvement over how we were ignored for input on Windows 8 until it was too late, when finally last year our outstanding MVP lead orchestrated a dinner and focus group with consumer MVP's and MS execs.

Suddenly at this year's Summit there are multiple sessions with Ten team and the sense they are listening to us. Meanwhile our lead was promoted to liaison between MVPs and Ten team.

Ok thanks - I wasn't sure if some members were holding out on Andrew


Sometimes change can be affected by a small and determined group of people. Kudos to your outstanding MVP lead and those who helped gain the ear of MS.

Finally installing - seems good, took my PID and is cooking now.

I'm glad I found this! Now I can play with Win8 and not be so conservative (don't want to mess up my main machine by testing something).

The only thing I'm a bit leery about is that the key states single license only, now I have two instances (live and VM). I'll know if this is an issue later, but I think the license grants you permission for a live and a test

I could be wrong on that though - terms have changed and I'm not completely caught up. Besides, it's legalese and that always gives me a headache!

Bill
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Slartybart you deserve rep x's infinity.


OMGosh you are awesome for finding that man. I was looking everywhere and I even searched bing lol and Microsoft.com and did not find anything.

Your link worked!! Activated!!!!!!!! No product key was asked for, and the best part is now I have both a pro and generic disk So I can install and help people...wooohooooo!!!!!!!!!!!

Looks like 3 microsoft people were wrong!


No key was asked for, it installed and activated immediately.

Seriously though, all of this should have been a lot easier or more documented. It is like Microsoft doesn't want you to know that page exists!

Yes I do ... but you can't rep any posts in the Chillout room
I still accept cash Wire money to this account 1234567890 in the Cayman Islands.

Thanks .. I am awesome aren't I You're no slack either.

This process and the page is a fairly new development, methinks.

I didn't need a key to download it, but the install asked for my PID #. Are you saying you didn't have to use your PID # when you installed? Was your install on a blank drive or on another partition? Since I installed on a VM, the information wasn't present in the virtual BIOS ... I guess.

An interesting side effect of not having the network available in the VM and telling Windows NOT to turn on Windows Update is that I have a watermark in the lower right hand corner

Windows 8 Pro
Build 9600

This might go away after I apply some updates. Stay tuned true believers.

Slartybart said:

Yes I do ... but you can't rep any posts in the Chillout room
I still accept cash Wire money to this account 1234567890 in the Cayman Islands.

Thanks .. I am awesome aren't I You're no slack either.

This process and the page is a fairly new development, methinks.

I didn't need a key to download it, but the install asked for my PID #. Are you saying you didn't have to use your PID # when you installed? Was your install on a blank drive or on another partition? Since I installed on a VM, the information wasn't present in the virtual BIOS ... I guess.

An interesting side effect of not having the network available in the VM and telling Windows NOT to turn on Windows Update is that I have a watermark in the lower right hand corner

Windows 8 Pro
Build 9600

This might go away after I apply some updates. Stay tuned true believers.

Correct. No info was asked from me at all. Just download, burn, install and bam. Ready to go. Like it should be

Hard drive was totally blanked, and the key was built into the bios as that is what the new ones do now apparently. So ya, just installed and activated by itself. I could not be happaier that we got this figured out. Well you did

Pretty cool time to go to the Microsoft store and get 8.1
Congrats and good find Bill

Andrew: You were correct the 1st time - WE

Thanks for the feedback on the key. I'm not so fortunate though.

I went to update Windows and every offer failed. Could be that my connection disconnected or...
I decided to see if Windows was activated and was informed that the key was being used on another machine (my physical one I presume). I suspected that this might be an issue after reading the card Robinb9 sent with the key (one install only).

C'est la vie!

I'll try WU again to see if it was disconnection or the activation - but I think I'm about done with this exercise. I still have some images to standardize for my post in the EightForums tutorial.

Why would I need two installations of Win8.1 on the same machine anyway - the 2nd one was for testing this process and if I could get it activated ... a playground. I might... repeat might call MS and ask them about this scenario, but I'm fairly certain it violates the EULA agreement.

Now only if I had infinity rep points or was an MVP - maybe then. I could probably buy into the MSDN program and that would work too (different keys). As I said though - this (having a Win8 VM) isn't that important for me - that it can easily be done - now that's important!

One other question about your experience. Did you burn a DVD or put it on a USB? It sounds as though you put it to DVD. The "What's next" page is a bit foggy on the subject. It states that you can create a USB in one bullet, but say you can't use a USB in another bullet.

I'm sure there's a fine point I'm missing (install on another partition or install to a blank drive)

Thanks,

Oh yeah ... please mark this thread solved :):):)

Bill
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ThrashZone said:

Pretty cool time to go to the Microsoft store and get 8.1
Congrats and good find Bill

Yes Mike do update your Win8. Win8.1 is superior to 8.0

I thought you were already there

I played with 8.0 only a short while, then updated to 8.1 - why run an OS that is back level was my thinking.

Thanks for the accolades, but there's more work to do and I'm on it.

Bill
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