If this is your first visit, be sure to check out the FAQ by clicking the link above. You may have to register before you can post: click the register link above to proceed. To start viewing messages, select the forum that you want to visit from the selection below. |
|
|
Thread Tools | Rate Thread | Display Modes |
#1
|
|||
|
|||
Windows 8 upgrade from win7
I just wondered if the product key from a windows 7 install can be used
for an upgrade to windows 8.1. I have googled this but can't find a definitive answer. |
Ads |
#2
|
|||
|
|||
Windows 8 upgrade from win7
BobH wrote:
I just wondered if the product key from a windows 7 install can be used for an upgrade to windows 8.1. I have googled this but can't find a definitive answer. I've never heard of a Win7 key being usable in a Win8 install. If you have a Win8 computer that was downgraded to Win7, the Win8 license key is stored in the BIOS, and that would activate a re-installed Win8. The "OS level" would have to match, so if it originally shipped with OEM Home, the DVD used would have to be Home as well for it to work. You couldn't arbitrarily bump yourself to Pro. But if you had a Win7 era computer, and expected to magically go to Win8, that won't happen unless such an upgrade was promised as part of the sales terms of the machine at the time. And media was provided (royalty OEM, and presumably some mechanism to get it to install). ******* If you wanted to *test* Win8 for 30 days or less, you could use an Install Only key to do that. But the Install Only key would not be sufficient to accept a Win10 Upgrade offer. That wouldn't work. That's because these keys won't activate. They're just accepted by the license box, so you can get past that step. I actually used this while installing a paid version of Win8.1, and it worked. Later, I used SLUI or similar, to present the real key (do a key change) and activate the OS. That's the copy of Win8.1 on my test machine, which cost me $39.95 at the time. Windows 8.0 Pro: XKY4K-2NRWR-8F6P2-448RF-CRYQH Windows 8.0 Co FB4WR-32NVD-4RW79-XQFWH-CYQG3 Windows 8.1 Pro: XHQ8N-C3MCJ-RQXB6-WCHYG-C9WKB Windows 8.1 Co 334NH-RXG76-64THK-C7CKG-D3VPT The purpose of an Install Only key, is to solve the problem that the OS doesn't have a "Skip" button for the license key box. Note that, for WinXP/Vista/Win7, when presented with the license key box, you can click "Next" with an empty license key box, to get past it. In Win8/Win8.1/Win10, you cannot use Next to escape the license key box. Win10 offers the "Skip" option when detecting certain qualifying conditions (like the expectation there will be a Freebie Upgrade operation involved). I have not seen an Install-Only key for Windows 10. These usually exist first for VLK users, using an Enterprise DVD. The keys are less likely to be available for Pro or Home users. It took a while to find the four examples above. The "Core" designation above, means the same thing as "Home" or a case where you see "Windows 8.x" with no identifier at all. "Core" is the lower capability OS, equivalent to Home on other OSes. HTH, Paul |
#3
|
|||
|
|||
Windows 8 upgrade from win7
BobH wrote on 09/02/2015 3:16 PM:
I just wondered if the product key from a windows 7 install can be used for an upgrade to windows 8.1. I have googled this but can't find a definitive answer. No, it can not. The product key for Windows 8.0 and 8.1 can be used to upgrade or clean install Windows 10 using the Windows 8.1 Media Creation Tool (free) media. - Media created will be 8.1 and allow the entry of a valid Windows 8.0/8.1 Product Key. If the device has the product key on chip (OEM Pre-installed Windows) the installation will use the information to install and activate Windows 10. Fyi...Windows 8.1 was released as full version product - to move from 7 to 8.1 bypassing 8.0 only two installation routes are available. - keep personal files (data only) - keep nothing (clean install) -- ...winston msft mvp windows experience |
#4
|
|||
|
|||
Windows 8 upgrade from win7
On Wed, 2 Sep 2015 20:16:43 +0100, BobH wrote:
I just wondered if the product key from a windows 7 install can be used for an upgrade to windows 8.1. I have googled this but can't find a definitive answer. So why not update to Win10 bypassing Win8? Very similar look and feel to Win8.1 in many ways. That would be perfectly permissible under current arrangements, at least for the next year. |
#5
|
|||
|
|||
Windows 8 upgrade from win7
.. . .winston wrote on 09/02/2015 3:39 PM:
BobH wrote on 09/02/2015 3:16 PM: I just wondered if the product key from a windows 7 install can be used for an upgrade to windows 8.1. I have googled this but can't find a definitive answer. No, it can not. The product key for Windows 8.0 and 8.1 can be used to upgrade or clean install Windows 10 using the Windows 8.1 Media Creation Tool (free) media. - Media created will be 8.1 and allow the entry of a valid Windows 8.0/8.1 Product Key. If the device has the product key on chip (OEM Pre-installed Windows) the installation will use the information to install and activate Windows 10. Fyi...Windows 8.1 was released as full version product - to move from 7 to 8.1 bypassing 8.0 only two installation routes are available. - keep personal files (data only) - keep nothing (clean install) Should ***say*** he product key for Windows 8.0 and 8.1 can be used to upgrade or clean install Windows ***8*** using the Windows 8.1 Media Creation Tool... -- ...winston msft mvp windows experience |
#6
|
|||
|
|||
Windows 8 upgrade from win7
On 03/09/2015 13:55, mechanic wrote:
On Wed, 2 Sep 2015 20:16:43 +0100, BobH wrote: I just wondered if the product key from a windows 7 install can be used for an upgrade to windows 8.1. I have googled this but can't find a definitive answer. So why not update to Win10 bypassing Win8? Very similar look and feel to Win8.1 in many ways. That would be perfectly permissible under current arrangements, at least for the next year. I would update to win10 if win10 would do the upgrade but it failed 4 times. From what I could find out the consensus of opinion seems to be the G3258 cpu, which I am using. Apparently it is to do with microcode, which is above my grade. |
Thread Tools | |
Display Modes | Rate This Thread |
|
|