Hey all,
Got an interesting question that may also be of use to someone else.
I bought a brand new laptop for a family member to replace an old one that died (graphics chipset problem on the motherboard), but the new laptop comes with Windows 8.1 but we aren't going to use it. No, I don't hate it and I'm not going to bash it, but we just aren't going to use it, yet.
What I want to do instead, is retrieve the Windows 8.1 product key without completing the registration, activation or tying it to a Microsoft account, because I may use it later if cheap Windows 10 upgrade is offered by Microsoft, but if and when I decide to use it, it (most likely) won't be on the same machine, so doing the registration on that machine won't be an option.
My understanding is that the activation process for Windows 8 is very different from Windows 7, and Microsoft ties the Windows 8 copy to a Microsoft account (and probably a specific machine), so it may be difficult to transfer that key to another machine later on (not breaking the one-running-machine-per-product-key rule here).
So I want to retrieve the Windows 8 product key without activation. How do I do this?
Will I be able to run WinKeyFinder without activating Windows?
Is there a way to retrieve it without booting Windows 8 at all?
Just to make sure it is abundantly clear, this thread is *not* about pirating Windows, but for saving legally owned Windows 8.1 product key for later use on different hardware.
PS As for what we will use instead of Windows 8.1, it will be a legally owned copy of Windows 7 from the machine that died.
Got an interesting question that may also be of use to someone else.
I bought a brand new laptop for a family member to replace an old one that died (graphics chipset problem on the motherboard), but the new laptop comes with Windows 8.1 but we aren't going to use it. No, I don't hate it and I'm not going to bash it, but we just aren't going to use it, yet.
What I want to do instead, is retrieve the Windows 8.1 product key without completing the registration, activation or tying it to a Microsoft account, because I may use it later if cheap Windows 10 upgrade is offered by Microsoft, but if and when I decide to use it, it (most likely) won't be on the same machine, so doing the registration on that machine won't be an option.
My understanding is that the activation process for Windows 8 is very different from Windows 7, and Microsoft ties the Windows 8 copy to a Microsoft account (and probably a specific machine), so it may be difficult to transfer that key to another machine later on (not breaking the one-running-machine-per-product-key rule here).
So I want to retrieve the Windows 8 product key without activation. How do I do this?
Will I be able to run WinKeyFinder without activating Windows?
Is there a way to retrieve it without booting Windows 8 at all?
Just to make sure it is abundantly clear, this thread is *not* about pirating Windows, but for saving legally owned Windows 8.1 product key for later use on different hardware.
PS As for what we will use instead of Windows 8.1, it will be a legally owned copy of Windows 7 from the machine that died.
Facebook
Twitter
Instagram