Difference between Widows 8.1 Enterprise free download, and $80.00 Windows 8.1 disk?

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David005

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Nov 28, 2014
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I am having trouble installing my Windows 8.1 64-bit installation disk I purchased for $80.00, due to my external disk drive not working properly (I don't have any internal optical drives.) After looking around, I found a free Windows 8.1 64-bit Enterprise ISO installation download provided my Microsoft, which can be formatted on a bootable USB drive. I would just like to know the difference between the disk I purchased compared to the free installation download, and whether I should just get the free version. Thanks!
 
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So you're telling me the free Windows 8.1 64-bit ISO version I have just downloaded from Microsoft is the the actual Windows 8.1?
 
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It is Windows 8.1 Enterprise Edition.
If the product key you got with that $80 DVD is for the Windows 8.1 standard edition or 8.1 Pro, you would NOT be able to activate Windows Enterprise Edition using that key, so yes you can download and install it, it's mostly the same except for a few additional features which most home users won't need, but no you won't be able to activate it and hence you won't be able to use it normally.
When not activated, customization options are limited, and there's this annoying notification in action center constantly asking you to activate. Of course you could use the cracks available online to activate Enterprise Edition without a product key, but discussion of cracks is NOT allowed in Tom's Hardware so no one can help you on finding one. Cracks might contain malware in them so if you don't know what you're doing, you might end up with a system with rootkits installed and backdoors opened, plus there won't be any technical support available from Microsoft or even us if we discover that the OS in use is cracked and not genuinely purchased.
So your best bet, is to ask for a friend's help and use his computer to make a USB flash drive using the DVD you purchased.
 
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enterprise = corporate edition. it is designed for a business with many (hundreds and possibly thousands) of pc's to use a single install key for the whole business instead of keeping up with a bunch of individual keys.

home/pro versions are designed to be used one pc at a time. it is not possible to use enterprise keys on home/pro versions or vice versa. microsoft allows and provides downloads of all the various windows versions since the key is what you actually "buy" to license the os.

you have to download the version that matches your key for it to work. you could use the iso you downloaded to make a usb stick to install from. this works nice and might help the issues you are having with your external drive. i use poweriso myself but there are many ways to make the install stick from an iso file.

it would be worth the try for you since the dvd drive is being flaky for you.
 
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When you purchase Windows you are purchasing the license. There is a license agreement that comes with Windows that you must agree with. This licensing agreement explains. When you purchase the enterprise you purchase keys based on how many users you will need. When you purchased the 80 disk you purchased that one specific key. If you download the enterprise the only key that will work is one that's previously purchased.
 
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The 'free' Windows 8.1 Enterprise is simply a trial version, to allow an organization to see how to implement Windows 8.1 into their enterprise.
It runs out in 90 days. And you cannot purchase a license for Win 8.1 Enterprise, without a Volume Licensing agreement with MS. Which you cannot afford.
 
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Hi,

The installation media is usually generic to a specific architecture. For example, a generic image can install the 64-bit versions of Windows 8.1, Windows 8.1 Professional, and Windows 8.1 Enterprise. Microsoft usually adds a configuration file to the disk which enables/disables certain installation options.
 
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Well I hope someone in charge of purchasing hundreds of computers doesn't get purchasing advice from a computer forum. Actually someone in charge of purchasing hundreds of computer would already know the difference between Enterprise and any other version of an OS.
 
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But when you install Windows it installs all version and which version is used is determined by the key entered.
 
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Just indications from the original post.
" I would just like to know the difference between the disk I purchased compared to the free installation download, and whether I should just get the free version."

It is not 'free'.
 
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If no key is entered, the user is presented with a selection of editions. The key can be entered later and must match the installed edition.
 
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