No, you cannot use a Win8 Pro product key for Win8.1 Pro. Each version requires its own activation key.
No, you cannot use a Win8 Pro product key for Win8.1 Pro. Each version requires its own activation key.
Microsoft issued a collection of Windows 8.1 trial keys allowing users with 8.0 keys to run 8.1 in a 30-day trial period before activation. The keys function flawlessly. After a clean installation, simply use one of these keys during setup; Windows will activate automatically. You can also create an 8.1 Pro disc using this key and it will install without issues, requiring only a post-install key change. Personally, I generated an 8.1 Pro disc with this key and had it preloaded, eliminating any activation prompts during the process.
Thanks for sharing this. I actually discovered this before the setup but installed it using my Win8 Pro key during the first install. It functioned properly then, but once connected to the internet it entered a 30-day trial mode because it now perceives a different PC. Since I changed both the motherboard and CPU, that’s likely the cause. I downloaded Windows 8.1 Pro from this link: http://windows.microsoft.com/en-AU/windo...resh-media It might be a newer version that supports Windows 8 keys. I’ll reach out to MS support once I have time to resolve the “Another PC” issue.