How to activate Windows 8.1 Pro - volume license key vs. home user license key debacle

[Eternal Worth]

I spoke w/ 6 different specialists today in all tiers of Windows & Volume Licensing Support over a roughly 3-hour time period.

I am the owner of a Newegg.com-purchased new HP Pavilion p6-2310, transaction dated 3/20/2013. It came from HP w/ Windows 8 & was activated. I have been prompted for a couple of years from my apps screen about getting Windows 8.1 for free from the Microsoft Store. Sadly, I have never been able to get the update to run from MS Store. So, I searched Technet & other MS resources & found the Windows 8.1 Pro ISO image to burn to DVD. I am a small business refurbisher/tech support person & went that route because I have done the same w/ the free Windows 10 upgrade for customers, as it never loads for some users from the web & they're left w/ only the ISO solution.

I successfully loaded the update & noted that when the install asked for a key, my original Windows 8 key did not work. Found this article to be very interesting, so went this route:

http://www.askvg.com/fix-windows-8-genuine-product-key-doesnt-work-for-windows-8-1-clean-installation/

I found the Technet article referenced therein w/ several "generic" keys to use, so I used the one for Windows 8.1 Pro on this link...

https://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/jj612867.aspx

I noted that after loading this key, the install went smoothly & runs great. It shows on my desktop as Windows 8.1 Pro Build 9600 on my PC. However, I am not able to activate this version. I am given the following error when trying to activate:

Error code: 0x8007232B, DNS name does not exist

Upon trying to activate via the Activate Online button, it notes,

"Windows can't activate. Try again later."

It appears that the Technet page I referenced & the key included on that page are "volume license" keys, not keys for a home user individual PC. Uber-aargh, since the askvg.com article didn't appear to reference only businesses or volume license users.

I also cannot run the telephone activation protocol via SLUI 4.

The latest solution discussed w/ MS Volume License Technical Support was to use System Restore to get to a point before the 8.1 update & then contact MS again to do the 8.1 update. However, I am very upset to find that the restore point I specifically set up before doing the upgrade, for this very reason, appears not to exist, as I only find one restore point & it's not the same name I assigned to it.

I've turned off all hidden files, extensions, etc. & tried twice to run the restore...& it fails each time, citing antivirus programs as the culprit, but I only have Avira & Malwarebytes Free revs & they're both turned off. We use OpenDNS, too, & it's turned off, as well.

So, now I'm stuck.

I would think the appropriate solution would be for Microsoft to provide to me a valid license key for an individual home user for Windows 8.1 Pro at no charge since I was already offered Windows 8.1 for free from MS Store. I just could never get it to run successfully. As a matter of fact, I currently cannot even access the MS Store in my PC's administrator account.

So, I cannot restore & I cannot roll back the Windows 8.1 upgrade, it appears.

Can't they get me a home user key that will allow me to activate? Unreal.

Thank you all for any guidance you can provide.

 

[Eternal Worth]

Well, looks like @ least this link will help w/ the System Restore. Looks like a known issue w/ Windows 8.1....

https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/kb/2955164

 

[Eternal Worth]

After a week w/ all tiers of MS tech support & volume license support, finally got a tech support person to simply give me a Windows 8.1 home user single license to put in place of the volume license key I had. Wow. What a pain in the keester.

 

[FALC0N]

Here is what was going on. Microsoft made it so Windows 8.1 would not install with Windows 8 keys. Why? Because they wanted to encourage people to sign up for a Microsoft account. HOWEVER, windows 8 keys DO function with 8.1, you just can't use them to install.

The workaround is to install using the KMS generic key, just like you did. The step you missed is to manually change it to the OEM key, which is stored in the bios. You have to use a utility to recover the bios key. I don't remember if you could use the normal key change method or if I had to run a command line for the OEM Key. But that is the how you would handle this issue.