Windows 7: Windows 8 RTM on TechNet Aug 15th

We really don't know what will happen. In the past, as others have stated the keys are still good even after their sub expired. The new agreement was effective on July 17 for NEW subs and RENEWAL subs. Existing subs prior to that date are bound by the old agreement. My sub expires in October and I probably won't renew, so I will see what happens to my keys. I will probably buy Windows 8 Update at the special price so am not too worried about it.



Jim

It's certainly confusing reading my keys page at the moment, used 6 of 3 etc

Does anyone have any idea how many times a single key can be installed now?

Also, does the 32 and 64 bit versions of W8 use the same key pool?

+1: I've managed to use 2 of 0 keys. More than a third of the products that I looked at a week or so ago that had 2 keys are now all on 0.

I have technet standard, but I only got one key for Win8 Pro. So was the rumour wrong or right?

I'll bet that W8 key can only be installed once.

Technet keys are generally Multiple use and may be used on up to 10 systems concurrently, I believe that this is the case with Technet Standard.

It has been decided that with packages such as Office, that there will be technet multi use keys for the complete packages but not for the individual components, such as word and excel Etc. this is I believe applied across all Technet Subscription levels except the specialist enterprise volume licences. This will mean a lot of reduction in the "available" packages, but for most people should mean no real reduction.

The legal position is a Difficult one, as people with keys obtained for products under the old system where the contract stated that the keys would not expire on termination of the subscription should still be covered by this contract, at least that's my understanding under English Law. Anything obtained under a new subscription would of course be covered by the new terms.

Hi there
Old keys and Old products will still work -- all it means is that you can't get any more new keys for those products.

I notice there is some tidying up going on such as for OLD office versions such as Office XP (still available) there's now a "Static Key" which makes sense for no longer supported products.

If you get 6 out of 0 used it just means you've had 6 (when they were available) but you won't get any more for that product.

Some of the products are still available for download but not via the main download menu - go via "My Product Keys" and you should still find the software.


W8 Enterprise RTM is a 1 key available -- but MULTIPLE ACTIVATION (usually means more than 500 times unless you go totally Bonkers).

Windows 8 (PRO) - doesn't actually say pro but is in fact the PRO version -- 3 keys available (at professional level of TechNet subscription) -- around 10 activations per key -- but there's "no apparent official limit" -- 10 apparently seems the amount people "in the know" usually say are available. I've never needed anything like 10 activations anyway.

Cheers
jimbo

So how many W8 keys will a technet standard get and how many activations of each key? Will the 32 and 64 bit be counted together or separate for key allocations?

You get three keys total. The keys have always been the same for x86 and x64. I've never had to activate enough to know of any limits per key, though.

I have a Standard Account, and I was given three keys total for Windows 8 Pro.

I'm confused as to how you got 3 keys. It now says you only get 2 and when I just went in 2 was what was offered. It looks like a total of two regardless of 32 or 64 bit. No of activations per key still concerns me since that is still unknown.